Here's my impressions, crossposted out of some other threads, of the ones I feel need most representing (Dust goes without saying, <3 ya noogy)
I enjoyed my brief time with
Year Walk. It wasn't the revolutionary experience everyone made it out to be, but it's acceptably creepy with great atmosphere.
Lovely Planet will smack you silly with a neon-colored balloon while japanese text pours over you like a waterfall. And you will love every minute of it.
MIND was... well, it's a
pretty game for sure. The original script was riddled with 'Dear Esther'-isms, but nowhere near as well written. The VA for the lead was downright awful. Puzzles are barely an obstruction, but they do give you something to occupy yourself with. I've heard the dev recently patched in a re-written script with a lot of the fluff cut out, so it might be much better now. My full thoughts
here.
Eidolon was close to making my Game of the Year spot, but be forewarned it is a walking simulator. As in, the entire gameplay loop is
walking from spot to spot in a massive map that is an analog for northwestern Washington state. There's some light survival elements which require you to eat, hunt, and sleep. The real star of the show is the gorgeous minimalist environment and the incredibly well-written pieces of civilization left behind. Stuff like online journals, letters written to dead relatives, an ongoing police investigation, among other things. They actually brought on a lot of different writers to contribute as a certain character or theme, so they really do stand out from each other. My full thoughts
here.
FRACT OSC...
man, what a trip. Truly an interactive Fantasia for the modern age. A living, breathing demoscene tape. The entire world is a giant synthesizer, and you need to solve puzzles to bring the entire machine back online. If you are even slightly a fan of IDM, you need this. As you progress, the machine starts giving you access to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) back in the main "room" you start the game in. It gives you access to a step sequencer and a whole host of tweaks and tools. Not the most robust tool ever, but an awesome and fun way to get into making music. My full thoughts
here.