My Top 20 from the Independent Games Festival 2013 (Part 2)
I’m running behind schedule from last year’s IGF recap so I’ve narrowed it down to just two posts for 2013. Here’s the first seven games I really, really liked from the 15th Annual Independent Games Festival. Let’s go!
Against the Wall by Michael P. Consoli
I’ve been playing the Unity-based web version off and on for the past year and still love everything about it; the stark visuals, subtle color, and the way it slowly grows more organic and mysterious as you ascend. I am always looking forward to the final release and new platforms to play it on.
Alphabet City by Gigantic Mechanic
As tired as I’m getting of word games, this one’s promise of “boggle meets foursquare” with words and rankings based around the location you’re at seems pretty enticing. And while most word games go ultra minimalist with their art, Alphabet City embraces a jazzy, typewriter style that feels fresh.
ATUM by Sassybot Studio / Team Cupcake
One of the most meta games ever. Enter a room in first-person to sit down at a PC and play a simple noir-colored platformer, then help your character by finding objects in the 3D room. It’s simple and rough but feels really special.
Chroma by Mark Foster
If there’s one overarching theme from IGF this year it’s “light and shadow”. Of all the platformers that let you run on shadows and manipulate light to progress Chroma looks the neatest. It doesn’t hurt that it’s all in a cute, colorful pixel style.
Contrast by Compulsion Games
Guess what? Light and shadow platforming! This time it’s 3D on a 2D plane as you play both in reality and on the shadows it casts. The 1920’s era jazz stylings look fantastic and set Contrast apart from the unexpectedly crowded light/dark genre.
Cradle by Flying Cafe for Semianimals
A totally dazzling looking first-person exploration game where you awake in a future Mongolia with a malfunctioning robot companion and work to restore her functionality and memory to make sense of the world around you. Development seems troubled but I’m really hoping this one makes it out.
Destroy All Color! by Golden Ruby Games
One of the most accessible AR games from the IGF, Destroy All Color requires you to point your iOS camera at objects in real life to match and destroy the colored blocks in the game. It’s a familiar concept with a frantic real world twist and I like it.
Check back tomorrow for the final seven and probably some kind of recap so all twenty games are in one big list.
