EDIT: Apparently I don't keep up with the times.

Sorry about the shitty header. I don't have photoshop. You may suffer injury after viewing it too long, but I have an army of lawyers waiting for you to sue.

For today, I thought I'd show a few random indie games that have made a good impression on me.

The first is a little game called Cave Story. This is by no means new; according to Wikipedia, it was released in December 04, and is the one game that gets mentioned whenever indie games come up. If you've been playing more obscure games, you've probably already heard of it.



It's a platformer, and your primary way of destroying your enemies is blowing the shit out of them with upgradeable weapons. The presentation is incredible; the retro graphics are seamless and gorgeous. The original score, done in the sort of 8-bit style that our generation can't stop getting nostalgic about, is catchy and suits the game beautifully. In short, this is the reason independent games should continue to exist. This is the new standard.



Unlike most freeware games, this will take you upwards of 6 hours to complete, and it becomes very challenging, especially toward the end. I must have tried ten times to beat the end boss, but who knows, maybe I just suck at video games.

Anyway. This should be old hat to anyone that scours the internet at all hours of the night looking for new games, but it's worth checking out of you're looking for something new and a little unconventional.

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The next game I'd like to show here is Invalid Tangram. Utterly fascinating game. It's Tetris (or any generic puzzle game, I suppose) mixed with a top-down shooter. As you kill enemies, they fall to the bottom of the screen as blocks, which you can absorb for weapon upgrades.



The game itself is fairly straightforward. It's a brilliant concept that makes for gamers coming back again and again. There's no reason to take some anonymous stranger's word for it; go play it.

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The last game (for now) is Knytt.



I adore this game. The designer admits to a strong influence from Shadow of the Colossus, and it shows in the game's moody atmosphere, sparse music, and a few gameplay mechanics, but it is certainly its own game in terms of art direction, plot, and overall presentation. You are the Knytt, who was kidnapped by an alien. The ship crashes on an alien planet, and the Knytt is the only survivor. He then searches the huge planet for all of the parts so he can return home. The world is continuous, surprisingly huge, and thematically diverse. You will go to mountains and dark caves and deserts, climbing walls and leaping over chasms. Download this game before I come to your house.