Now that you know what makes an indie game indie, it’s time to delve deeper into the genre.This month we’re going on a road trip across the Internet to discover all the great indie gaming content that you’ve been missing. We don’t have time to cover every title out there alphabetically (if you want that, check out The Indie Scene: A-Z), but there are some essential stops along the way. Below you will find a roadmap and travel guide for your indie journey.
Part 1: Essential Indie Freebies
Cave Story (cavestory.com)
Cave Story is the quintessential indie Metroidvania game. It was designed and programmed over five years by Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya in his free time and released in 2004 for the PC. It’s got sweet pixel graphics, a memorable story, and classic gameplay. If you owned an NES, you have to try this game. There’s a paid version that came out in March for WiiWare, too.
Edmund McMillen (edmundm.com)
Edmund McMillen has made a ton of indie games and most of them are free Flash titles. You can play Aether, Meat Boy, Coil, Spewer, and more for free. He also made Gish, an indie physics game where you control a ball of tar. Currently, Edmund is working on Super Meat Boy for consoles. Edmund is a slightly cracked and definitely un-PC indie personality. His blog and games are all worth checking out.
Semi Secret Software (semisecretsoftware.com)
Heard of Canabalt? If you haven't go here right now and check it out for free. Canabalt was made in less than seven days and took the Internet (and the App store) by storm with its addictive one-button controls. What most people don't know is that Adam Saltsman (aka, Adam Atomic) and the rest of the Semi Secret crew have other great products (and free prototypes) out there and are very active in the indie community.
Fantastic Contraption (fantasticcontraption.com)
This title is a lesson for every indie out there on how to make money. Fantastic Contraption is a simple physics game (similar to The Incredible Machine) with mediocre graphics, but it made made Colin Northway a lot of dough. What really made it a success was its in-game upsell feature and easy sharing features. This led to Contraption going viral.
Experimental Gameplay (experimentalgameplay.com)
Free games galore! This site has been the birthplace of tons of fantastic indie games from World of Goo to Canabalt to Shoot 1UP. The site focuses on free experimental prototypes made in less than seven days. Each month features tons of new games based on that month's theme. The next big indie game could be a prototype featured on EGP….
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Steambirds (steambirds.net)
Steambirds is an excellent example of a premium Flash experience. It’s a simplistic but addictive real-time strategy game that revolves around dogfighting.
Cactusquid (cactusquid.com)
Cactusquid is a Swedish developer who just churns out freeware. He describes them as experiments dressed up as games, but there’s a ton of content to be consumed on his site. His projects have resulted in some pretty interesting titles including the IGF Nuovo finalist Tuning. Download his free arcade compilations, which include all his great game experiments.
Knytt Stories (Nifflas' Games)
Knytt Stories is probably the best free game on the Internet. At its core, Knytt is a 2D pixel platformer that is based on exploration and discovery. The main game is a joy to play, but what makes it incredible are all the ways you can make your very own Knytt Story. The game is open source and comes with a bunch of tools to make your own levels or your own game based on the Knytt engine.
Captain Forever (captainforever.com)
Farbs’ Captain Forever looks like it’s just another Asteroids clone, but it offers customization. You can add parts to your ship at any time and even use scraps from defeated foes to create your own unique craft. It’s a collection of games, but the first one is free and definitely worth your time.
Mike Gnade is the editor in chief and founder of Indie Game Magazine, a print and digital publication dedicated to highlighting independent games and the developers who create them.