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[Toma]

List for the new page:

DONE Shovel Knight
DONE Crypt of the NecroDancer
DONE Transistor
DONE Hexcells Plus/Infinite
DONE Escape Goat 2
DONE The Talos Principle
DONE Luftrausers
DONE OlliOlli
DONE Jazzpunk
DONE Shadowrun Dragonfall
DONE Endless Legend
DONE The Banner Saga
DONE Kero Blaster
DONE Legend of Grimrock 2
DONE Nidhogg
DONE Super Time Force Ultra
DONE Door Kickers
DONE Lovely Planet
DONE Mini Metro
DONE Kentucky Route Zero Act 3
DONE Dungeon of the Endless
DONE Broken Age
DONE Divinity: Original Sin
DONE Scrolls
DONE This War of Mine
DONE Freedom Planet
DONE Crimsonland HD
DONE Echo of the Wilds
DONE Elliot Quest
DONE The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
DONE Towerfall: Ascension
DONE Super Win the Game
DONE Infested Planet
DONE Hatoful Boyfriend
DONE Lyne
DONE NaissanceE
DONE TRI: Of Friendship and Madness
DONE Lethal League
DONE 1001 Spikes
DONE Sunless Sea
DONE The Floor is Jelly
DONE The Journey Down Chapter 2
DONE Fract
DONE Sportsfriends
DONE Eidolon
DONE Ultimate Space Commando
DONE Cubesis
DONE Never Alone
DONE A Bird Story
DONE Castle Doctrine

Now, same as last year. We need personal blurbs (please write something up yourself instead of using marketing/store descriptions) for each of these. As soon as we have all the texts, I can put up the "IndieGAF recommends..." thread.

I'd like to keep it in the style of last years thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=766928

...so the layout would be:

[b]Name[/b] - Price (Platform1, Platform2...)
[quote][IMG]PIC1[/img][img]PIC2[/img][/quote]
[URL]LINK[/URL]

[i]DESCRIPTION TEXT GOES HERE[/i]

[u]Defining Moment: [/u] DESCRIBE ONE MOMENT WHY THIS GAME STUCK WITH YOU OR A SINGLE STANDOUT FEATURE

Example:

Fjords - $7 (PC)

https://gumroad.com/l/FJORDS

Similar to the more famous Starseed Pilgrim, this game revolves around exploring not only a world, but also the rules of this world. Additionally, it allows you to hack into this world itself and carve your own way. How much you'll like this game hinges entirely on your mindset regarding exploring a world at your own pace, but if you do like these kind of experiences, it doesnt get much better than Fjords, which in my opinion also outshines the more famous Starseed Pilgrim.

Defining moment: Finding out how you can bend the world to your will and progressing from a state of feeling helpless in a dangerous world, to a world in which you are making the rules.

I am going to cross off the games we already have of the list, so lets see how long it will take us to finish that list.

 

[Toma]

This War of Mine - $19,99 (Pc, Mac, Linux)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/282070/

This War of Mine explored the horrors of war from a perspective not portrayed in the medium till now and delivered one of the most tense, gripping, and bleak experiences we played this year in a survival/roguelike/stealth package. A gutted war-torn city, all pencil-sketched shadows and ruined structures, reeking of desperation and hopelessness, as explosions thunder and flash ceaselessly outside. Overall, This War of Mine was just one hell of an engrossing, compelling, and atmospheric experience.

Defining Moment: Realizing that you actions do matter. Not just at that moment when you are just trying to survive, but also over time as guilt and depression erodes your characters' will to endure.

 

[Toma]

NaissanceE - $19,99 (PC)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/265690

An adventure game that compells to explore and established a remarkable sense of space.The environments are expansive, monolithic, not always in terms of being open to exploration but in terms of sheer scale. Even though it isn't a horror game, there's a distinct feeling of tension and apprehension of the unknown, and the unsettling sound effects add to this. No explanations are offered, no story to why you're here or what built this otherworldly place, and none is needed. NaissanceE is all about the experience, that mysterious, engaging, ominous atmosphere that permeates every aspect of the game, and the challenges you face while traversing its cavernous spaces and claustrophobic halls.

Defining Moment: The whole experience, which makes you feel small, lost and utterly alone in this world. Rarely do games achieve so much with so little effort.

 

[Toma]

Door Kickers - $19,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=766928

Frozen Synapse might be king in terms of multiplayer, but Door Kickers has its strengths in other areas. Go in loud or stealthy, rescue hostages, arrest bad guys, defuse bombs. There's a ton of content, modding, a level editor, a leveling-up system for your squad, and special challenges for each mission. The emphasis is on efficiency. If you don't plan well, if you forget to check your corners, if you don't have a guy covering your back while he picks a lock, your team will pay for it. Coordinate simultaneous breaches with flashbangs or have your breacher blast through a locked door for a loud entrance while your stealth team moves in from the back to take out the distracted enemies.

Defining moment: Dividing your troopers into two groups, clearing the exterior of a cartel complex with suppressed weapons, then coordinating dual breaches with flashbangs and charges to clear a room with no causalities and perfect precision.

 

[Toma]

Lovely Planet - $5,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/298600/

A glance at Lovely Planet is most likely to evoke a "WTF" reaction, with its vivid colors and weird style. But don't be fooled by that, because beneath that colorful friendly facade is a hard-as-nails shooter, that challenges your reaction and reflexes like a funhouse FPS take on Hotline Miami. Speed around a corner, fire two shots mid-air to intercept incoming projectiles, land, turn, fire, keep moving, don't stop. Lovely Planet is all about speed-running and precision, and feeling like a badass when you perfect a level that killed you countless times before

Defining Moment: Realizing that below the candy coloured exterior lies a brutal world of relentless challenges, time trials and how it makes you feel when overcoming them.

 

[PandaPedinte]

Elliot Quest - $9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/293440/

A homage to Zelda 2 and old-school NES platformer games. Elliot Quest doesn't mark your world map with a glowing sign showing to were you need to go or which item you need to collect to progress through the game, instead it reward you exploring the dungeons and keeping notes of places you still can't go because you're missing and item or ability. The lack of hints kind of make you feel good for discovering how to get to a new part, or realizing that you can use an ability in a way you didn't thought was possible.

Defining Moment: Finishing a dungeon without getting an item that could have made some sections a lot easier

 

[Toma]

Cubesis - $4,99 (PC)

http://www.cubesis.com/

A very accessable turn based puzzle game with simulation game mechanics. Its hard to describe, because Cubesis is quite... unusual and wacky (in a good way). You are building buildings, growing crops and terraforming the land by sacrificing your villagers, which you are gaining via keeping your city healthy, supported with food, not flooded and not frozen over. The game mechanics are rather simple while still offering enough depth to stay consistently intriguing. Tons of content, original ideas and a simplistic beauty to the graphics, easily one of the most overlooked Indie Gems in 2014.

Defining Moment: Slowly messing up natures balance and working towards freezing the world over. The game just feels so different from most other games and genre blends out there. A puzzle game with god sim mechanics? So good.

 

[More_Badass]

I'll get these done over today/tomorrow:
Crypt of the NecroDancer
Luftrausers
Jazzpunk
Infested Planet
Sunless Sea

 

[RM8]

Kero Blaster - $4.99 (iOS), $7.99 (PC)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keroblaster/id867598817?mt=8
http://www.playism-games.com/games/keroblaster/

A charming "run and gun" platformer from Pixel, the creator of indie classic Cave Story. Kero Blaster is a short but sweet (and rather re-playable) experience, with very tight gameplay, great music, and very well done retro visuals that feel genuine and not simply low-res for the sake of being low-res. It features a weapon system very similar to the one in Cave Story, where you'll be finding different weapons that have different attributes, and you can upgrade them as you progress. The levels feel very atmospheric, and boss battles are challenging and creative. Kero Blaster controls perfectly both on iOS and on PC, so given this game's quality and pedigree, there's really no excuse to not play one of the best indie games of 2014!

Defining moment: Maxing all your weapons and wrecking everything on sight. Alternatively, finding out the game is not over after your first playtrhough!

 

[PandaPedinte]

A Bird Story - $4.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/327410/

A Birds Story is the introductory chapter to the next Freebird Games, the games narrative doesn't use any words to tell it's story, instead, you can understand and for some part speculate about what is going on. As To The Moon, the best part of this game is how Kan Gao can make you care about the character of this game, in this case the boy and the bird he rescue. The art direction is well done and the backgrounds are pleasant to look at.

Defining Moment:Watching the bond between the kid and the bird getting strong

 

[kanamechan]

Legend of Grimrock 2 - ~20€ (PC.)

http://www.grimrock.net/

Legend of Grimrock 2 is a role-playing adventure in the style of Dungeon Master. An entire Island is waiting to be explored. An island crawling with monsters, traps and hidden secrets. Fighting alone won't get you anywhere, for the riddles that await are truly fiendish, requiring quite out-of-the-box thinking in parts. So if you like solving riddles without the game holding your hand, making it past fiendish traps and exploring an unknown place, then this game is for you!

Defining Moment: That moment when you figure out one of the puzzles and notice how the hints fall into place.

 

[Altima]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/237990/
http://www.gog.com/game/the_banner_saga

The Banner Saga is a story-driven tactical role-playing game inspired by Norse mythology. In this collapsing world you are a powerless man who have a task to lead your people to safety. Every decision you make in travel and conversation has significant consequences and can affect outcome of your story. Will you let group of bandits to join your caravan? They may be good allies or they may come to steal your supplies. You usually have too little information to judge but you always have to. The world of Banner Saga is filled with beautiful and stunning hand-painted landscapes. From a snowy countryside, to snow capped mountains, to large viking city, the art of Banner Saga is well polished from the first moment til the very end of the game. Combat is also another great aspect. Despite simple combat design, positioning, tactical thinking, good understanding of characters and enemies are required to achieve a great triumph in Banner Saga.

Defining Moment: Making a decision that should make thing better but it turns out to be the worst decision.

 

[Toma]

Castle Doctrine - $16 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://thecastledoctrine.net/

Castle Doctrine is a game about building and defending your family... and also about tearing down other peoples houses and killing their spouses. It is one of the most original Multiplayer concepts we've encountered in this thread series. There is a lot of creativity, logic and quick thinking needed to succeed in this game, and even if you are not going to end up being one of the most successful players, it is still incredibly hard to find a Multiplayer game which manages to encapsulate the effects and looming results of loss/reward in such a magnificient manner. Not perfect, but definitely one of the games more people should try just to experience something that most other games are not able to invoke.

Defining Moment: Tinkering around with the build options for 2 hours, working out elaborate defenses and then going out to steal someones money, only to notice that your defenses were overcome, your dog was murdered left with nothing but the pocket change from your last haul.

 

[Toma]

Eidolon - $15 (PC, Mac)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/286140/

The Journey in Eidolon is yours to make. Rarely is a game this brave when it comes to leaving the game to be explored by the player himself. Even though there is a survival system, hunting, fishing, items that allow for more abilities, a story to follow... the strength of the game doesnt necessarily lie in that traditional kind of progress. This game makes you want to explore like rarely any other. Haunting nights, simplistic and equally beautiful day and night shifts and a sense of "belonging". This game deserves to be heralded for its efforts to deviate from open world norms, which put more and more emphasis on flashy side attractions and instead focuses on the meditative beauty of the journey... your journey.

Defining Moment: Seeing the beautiful day to night shift for the first time, only to be engulfed in overpowering darkness shortly after.

 

[kanamechan]

Eidolon sounds really nice

 

[Toma]

Ultimate Space Commando - $9,99 (PC)

http://www.desura.com/games/ultimate-space-commando-usc

It is hard to find an Indie game in the genre that has as well thought out mechanics as USC. It is a turn-based squad strategy game and unlike comparable games, has enough depth, diversity in missions and possibilities to always keep you on your toes. A game that requires using the different items at skills to be successful. There are some easier modes, but the game truly shines as a complex tactical challenge. The game will fully release this february and if the campaign structure of Fallout Tactics or Jagged Alliance is something you loved and yearned for, this is a game you should keep an eye on.

Defining Moment: Moving your engineer to a hackable door, only to notice that the empty space around the corner wasnt quite as empty, teaching you to always stay in the safety of the squad.

 

[Toma]

Eidolon sounds really nice

It is If you want to know more opinions/impressions, you can ask in the main Indie thread. If needed I'll search out my more elaborate impressions from a few months ago for you and post it there. If I recall correctly, it was also the most named game in our little end-of-the-year mini questions-thing about "which game resonated with you the most on an emotional level".

 

[kanamechan]

I will definitely have to locate that thread! I discovered this one entirely by accident, admittedly.

I really love this about the indie titles - like Eidolon shows. So much variety. Several games in this threads are something I haven't seen in quite a while, and some (Especially Eidolon) are next in line to play o.o

 

[Toma]

I will definitely have to locate that thread! I discovered this one entirely by accident, admittedly.

I really love this about the indie titles - like Eidolon shows. So much variety. Several games in this threads are something I haven't seen in quite a while, and some (Especially Eidolon) are next in line to play o.o

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=964561

This is the current thread, but there is a new one each month. We always love more people talking to us! So if you have any impressions, or want more impressions, or just want to talk about ... anything really, feel invited to drop by

 

[More_Badass]

Crypt of the NecroDancer - $14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://necrodancer.com

Roguelike meets rhythm game. It's one of those crazy concepts that sound too outlandish to work, but damn, does Crypt of the NecroDancer succeed on every level. The fantastic soundtrack. The different classes, each with their strengths and weaknesses to master. The myriad pick-ups, from weapons with different ranges and attack patterns to armor and equipment. The blend of the roguelike's tactical positioning and brutal challenge with the fast-paced arcadey thrill of dodging and moving to the beat.

Defining Moment: Finally getting the rhythm down and clearing a floor, bosses and all, without get hit once, deftly dodging and attacking to the beat

 

[More_Badass]

Infested Planet - $14.99 (PC, Mac)

http://www.rocketbeargames.com/infestedplanet/index.html

300 meets Starship Troopers. That's really the best analogy for Infested Planet. Your small team of well-equipped soldiers against hordes of hundreds and hundreds of insectoid aliens. Every battle is a slog, a desperate push and pull as you capture bases, spreading your men and turrets to hold back the encroaching hordes, clearing paths with airstrikes as you upgrade your team with better weapons and defenses. But the tide can turn at any moment; perhaps the horde mutates heavier armor, or poisonous projectiles, or creates an organic minefield. Maybe the hive spawns alien clones of your troopers or becomes resistant to your turret fire. Any combination of random mutators and suddenly your frontline is breached, and there's a panicked rush to assess and adapt.

Defining Moment: Your defenses are holding, only to fail catastrophically when the horde mutates. Barely able to keep the alien flood at bay, you quickly revamp your strategy, rain down fire with an airstrike, and push back with an upgraded squad and turrets, carving a path through the hundreds of aliens closing in on all sides

 

[More_Badass]

Jazzpunk - $14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.jazzpunk.net

It's hard to describe Jazzpunk without ruining its craziest and most comedic moments (of which there are many). What starts off as an already insane spy adventure blossoms into a crazy experience filled to the brim with unpredictable jokes and wild off-the-wall humor, in everything from your myriad interactions across each level to the weird characters and your increasingly surreal mission objectives.

Defining Moment: Choose just one great moment out of Jazzpunk?! Preposterous! The awesome insanity that is Wedding Qake can not be accurately described in words.

 

[More_Badass]

Luftrausers - $9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.luftrausers.com

Luftrausers is not a dogfighting game. You may control a plane and you may be shooting down enemy fighters (and boats and blimps), but what Luftrausers really is frenzied aerial bullet hell chaos. There is no such thing as downtime. You assemble your plane in the Hangar and then launch into unfriendly skies. It only takes a few seconds for the screen to become pure mayhem as battleships and fighters fill the sepia-hued air with bullets and aces swoop in behind you, and that's before the hulking projectile-spewing blimps appear. But even in the midst of the most hectic gauntlet, you are always in the control and that's the brilliance of Luftrausers.

Defining Moment: A group of enemy aces on your tail, the screen filled with bullets from above and below. You cut your engines, plummet backwards past the enemies behind you, and blow them away. Your thrusters flare just before you hit the water and you boost upwards back into the chaos.

 

[More_Badass]

Sunless Sea - $18.99 (PC, Mac)

http://www.failbettergames.com/sunless/

Sunless Sea lets you explore the vast Unterzee, a sprawling expanse of ocean deep beneath the earth, surrounding a displaced London from the popular Fallen London game. It's a place where grotesque things and terrible fates await those who dare venture into the abyss. As captain, you command your vessel and crew as you discover new lands, fight dangerous enemies, upgrade your ship with better parts and new weapons. Starvation, madness, mutinous crews, and horrors beyond comprehension await out on the black waters. Maybe your crew will go mad. Maybe you'll discover some incredible fortune. Maybe you'll run out of food and need to eat your mates to survive. Great adventures and horrific misfortunes alike are out there for you to find and like Fallen London , it's all delivered through such atmospheric writing.

Defining Moment: Leaving the welcoming lights of London and the surrounding isles behind and venturing into the suffocating darkness for the first time, no idea of what discoveries and dangers await.

 

[Deleted member 125677]

I'll do these

Shovel Knight
OlliOlli
hexcells
Lethal League
never alone

 

[daydream]

I think it's a waste to just put marketing blurbs as descriptions. I'd be happy to write an original and personal micro-essay on Jazzpunk and Crypt of the Necrodancer instead of just copypasting.

 

[Toma]

I think it's a waste to just put marketing blurbs as descriptions. I'd be happy to write an original and personal micro-essay on Jazzpunk and Crypt of the Necrodancer instead of just copypasting.

Err, yeah. We actually had a rule about not using marketing blurbs last year, and I sort of figured it was implied.

No marketing blurbs for the GOTY thread! Personal experiences and your own words

Since Baddy posted the formatted parts of the post, you can just write the rest without pictures etc. In that case, I only need the texts for the descriptions.

 

[More_Badass]

I think it's a waste to just put marketing blurbs as descriptions. I'd be happy to write an original and personal micro-essay on Jazzpunk and Crypt of the Necrodancer instead of just copypasting.

Sorry, I was doing Screenshot Saturday while doing these, so I had copied from my already written impressions for Luftrausers and Infested

I'll write up blurbs for Sunless Sea, Jazzpunk, and Crypt tonight or tomorrow

 

[MrNinjaSquirrel]

Transistor - $19.99 (PC, PS4)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/237930/

Transistor is sublime mechanical ingenuity, nonlinear storytelling and world building, wrapped in a gorgeous presentation backed by an absolutely astonishing soundtrack. It rewards experimentation and player curiosity, unwrapping at a deliberate pace as it constantly gives you new tools to play with and things to discover. It's a monumental step up from Bastion in terms of scope, but retains the impeccable vision Supergiant Games' has become known for.

Defining Moment: Finding a new function combination you didn't realize was possible and watching the game open up anew again and again.

New to this so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Let me know if this is alright and I can do a few more.

 

[Deleted member 125677]

Hexcells Plus/Infinite - $2.99/‎$4.99 (PC)

http://www.matthewbrowngames.com/hexcellsinfinite.html
http://www.matthewbrowngames.com/hexcellsplus.html

The Hexcells games are simplistic puzzle games in the spirit of good old Minesweeper. Each level presents one hexagonal grid and your task is to figure out whether each cell should be marked as filled or empty. Each of the games has 6 worlds, which all gradually increases the complexity, brings new elements of information into play and overall make it more challenging along the way. This is also true for the series as a whole: Hexcells is Beginner, Hexcells Plus is Intermediate and Hexcells Infinite is Hard. So while the principle behind the games is simple enough, you'll soon have to muster all of your logical problem solving skills to perfect the levels.

Defining Moment: The moment you're certain a puzzle is insolvable, but then you combine three or four pieces of different information to resolve a single cell and the puzzle unravels like magic before your eyes.

 

[Deleted member 125677]

OlliOlli - $12.99 (PC, PS4, PS Vita, PS3)

http://www.roll7.co.uk/#!olliolli/c1ic0

OlliOlli is a neat little arcade skating game that resolves around finding the perfect pace to survive increasingly more difficult levels while making lunatic combos and tricks, and landing them all perfectly. It's a game that took me just a little while getting used to control-wise, but then it suddenly clicked and i was flipping out 360 inward heelflips into perfect Crooked grinds into whatever like it was no thang. It's one of those games that just feels damn good to play when you get the hang of it. The game also has a healthy amount of content and challenges to overcome. Each level has a list of goals you can achieve in it, but you'll also want to beat your friends scores, most so in the daily challenge (The Daily Grind) which is a godsend for those who want the grind to last forever.

Defining Moment: Grinding your way through a whole level into a perfect combo and a bonkers score in the Daily Grind for the first time.

 

[Deleted member 125677]

Lethal League - $13.99 (PC)

http://lethalleague.reptile-games.com/

Lethal League is a crazy 2-4 player competitive fighting game where the goal is to hit a ball in the face of your opponent in a free for all or a team game. You can swing, charge swing, bunt, parry and steal the ball to try to trick and overcome your opponents. Each swing increases the speed of the ball, and charged swing or air down swing doubles it, so soon it'll fly around the screen at the speed of sound. So you better position yourself carefully, pay attention to the boom box, time your moves right and trick your foes by mixing it up with parries, steals, bunts and supers. If you enjoy fighting games, particularly the likes of Super Smash Bros, there's a good chance you'll have many good laughs with this one!

Defining Moment: The tension of fighting with ball speeds of hundreds of thousands in a multiplayer game for the first time

 

[Toma]

New to this so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Let me know if this is alright and I can do a few more.

Yup, both you and Robo made great posts, thanks

 

[Deleted member 125677]

Never Alone - $14.99 (PC, PS4, XB1)

http://neveralonegame.com/

Never Alone is a relaxing game that tells the story of a Iñupiat girl and her arctic Fox friend who have to set out on a journey to save their village from an eternal Blizzard. It's based on Alaska Native People folklore and myths, and it mixes gameplay á la Limbo with informative mini-documentaries about Iñupiat culture and myths that you open-up and collect along the way. The game shines visually, and it has some really nice animations. Don't expect too much in the gameplay department (again, it's very similar to Limbo), and let yourself be intrigued by the cultural insights (videos) and the overall charm and setting of the game.

Defining Moment: For me the highlight of the game was definitely finding and watching the mini-documentaries along the way.

 

[Deleted member 125677]

Shovel Knight - $14.99 (PC, Wii U, 3DS)

http://yachtclubgames.com/shovel-knight/

Shovel Knight is a 8 bit'ish labor of love platformer, based on video game fundamentals such as exploring levels, finding secret paths and beating bosses, just like good games used to do all the time. I had waited a long time as a backer for this game when it finally came out, and it's safe to say my expectations was pretty damn high. I think for the most Yacht Club delivered what I hoped this game would be. Superb level designs, interesting enemies and bosses for the most part, lots of secrets and optional paths, fantastic chip tune music, wonderful and tight gameplay and a bad-ass knight with a shovel. They could have made the game even harder (though you can make it harder yourself by destroying checkpoints for money) for the real 8 bit feel, especially the bosses, but overall this has definitely become one of my all time favorite platformers.

Defining Moment: Fishing a certain something back up with the fishing rod. Awesome little touch.

 

[MrNinjaSquirrel]

Nidhogg - $14.99 (PC, PS4)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/94400/

Nidhogg is intense, methodical competitive multiplayer with mechanical depth extending far beyond its primitive art style. Every clash with your opponent, jab of your sword, desperate sprint toward the finish line, carries with it a sort of deliberate desperation and improvisation that makes every match exciting and exceedingly fierce. Victory never stops feeling amazing, and every defeat just another push to play one more match. One more...

Defining Moment: Nidhogg is runs at such a constant high that it's hard to pick one moment to define it by. Every match could be used as a showcased, yet somehow always being surpassed by the next.

 

[MrNinjaSquirrel]

Super Time Force Ultra - $14.99 (PC, X1, 360)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/250700/

Super Time Force Ultra is as mechanically smart as its story is delightfully cheesy and self aware. It takes the foundation of a side-scrolling shooter and adds brilliantly executed time manipulation, allowing you to rewind after each death and fight alongside your previous character, compiling your firepower and potentially even saving your former life. It runs on complicated concepts, yet they're somehow immediately understandable and engaging, only becoming more involved and elaborate as you grow more accustomed to its way of thinking. In terms of raw entertainment there are few games that came anywhere near as close throughout the year.

Defining Moment: When the mechanics finally "click" and you execute an absurd series of rewinds and character swaps to cause unbelievable amounts of chaos and finish a level in seconds flat.

 

[MrNinjaSquirrel]

Hatoful Boyfriend - $9.99 (PC)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/310080/

Hatoful Boyfriend shouldn't be as amazing as it is. It's a visual novel about dating pigeons and yet, that's almost just a cover for the game hiding inside. Hatoful Boyfriend is ridiculous and hilarious, but it's also shockingly dark and well written. It went places I'd have never imagined it would attempt, and pulled it off with astounding grace and sincerity. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with birds and never stopped being stunned with every passing line and revelation. It's exactly and not at all what it looks like, and it's insane that it actually works.

Defining Moment: When you unlock the "core" storyline and watch the story undertake a ludicrous change in tone and scope.

 

[Toma]

Fract OSC - $14,99 (PC, Mac)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/243220/

Fract OSC is an adventure/puzzle game that is as interesting to explore as it is enjoyable to listen to. Outside of rhythm games, music and sounds are rarely integrated into game mechanics. Music offers something fundamental, another level of depth, yet is reduced to background noise in most games. Fract OSC is blending world exploration with an expanding ambience of tones and puzzles into a mesmerizing journey through sights and sounds.

Defining Moment: Sights and sounds working together, more specifically seeing how not only the visuals, but also the sound shapes this world.

 

[Toma]

LYNE - Price (PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android)

http://www.lynegame.com/

LYNE is an incredibly intelligent, soothing and challenging puzzle game. The core idea is that you need to pass symbols on the map for an exact amount of times and it is up to you to find the correct path. Unlockable skins and an endless amount of challenges make this a main stay on my mobile phone. On this note: Although it is featured as PC release in this list, I highly recommend grabbing the mobile version if you are interested, as the touch controls add some more emphasis on how elegantly and seamless this game is designed.

Defining Moment: Every, Single, Time, when you manage to finish a level that seemed to complex just 3 minutes ago... and you start a new one.

 

[Toma]

Crimsonland HD - $13,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/262830/

Crimsonland is still, to this day, one of the very best twinstick shooters. Originally released in 2003, this game still manages to be one of the most fun, addictive and diverse releases in the genre. Tons of modes, content and weapons that rarely feel as satisfying as they do here. Most similar games have only a very few levels replayed for highscores or Endless mode. If you want a lengthy and challenging campaign, Crimsonland is still among the best alternatives to grab, especially in its 2014 remaster.

Defining Moment: The best thing about Crimsonland is still how fantastically rewarding the perks are. Mow down zombies and annihilate the whole screen with flame bullets in bullet time.

 

[Toma]

Towerfall Ascension - $14,99 (PS4, PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.towerfall-game.com/

A Multiplayer arena game with powerups, tight controls and a lot of variety to stay interesting for a long time to come. Towerfall Ascension is an essential game to have if you have friends around from time to time. Rarely, have I witnessed a game turning doubters into believers this quickly as with Towerfall. Casual, Hardcore, whatever, it literally doesnt matter. Towerfalls charme, easy to grasp controls and gratifying mechanics gets them all and is guaranteed to turn a room of 4 into an hysterically laughing pit of fun, even people who do not like MP or pixel games. If you need one game to try with people who wouldnt usually try these kind of games, try Towerfall.

Defining Moment: Jumping towards an opponent, shooting all your arrows, missing ALL of them and then standing defenslessly in front of him before you get he gets an easy kill on you and the room bursts into laughter.

 

[Phawx]

Broken Age - $25 (PC, Mac, Linux (soon to be on PS4/Vita))

http://brokenagegame.com/

Broken Age is a point-and-click adventure telling the stories of a young boy and girl leading parallel lives. The girl has been chosen by her village to be sacrificed to a terrible monster but decides to fight back. Meanwhile, a boy on a spaceship is living a solitary life under the care of a motherly computer, but he wants to break free to lead adventures and do good in the world.

Currently, only Act 1 is available now, with Act 2 development in the polish phase set for an early 2015 release

Defining Moment: The defining moment would spoil the game but it happens at the end of Act 1 and literally made me say out loud, "Oh shit."

 

[Toma]

Echo of the Wilds - $6,99 (PC)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/305780/

Its one of those games where its best if you dive into it yourself and just explore the mechanics and game world instead of hearing too much about it. Its basically a mystery survival game. In the best survival game fashion, this requires you to collect stone, berries and wood to eventually make better equipment and improve on your normal and simple daily routines. However the game is far from being standard with an inventive campaign progress, mystery elements and a puzzle-style approach to progress, which has you figuring out just... how the game even works. Its one of the most interesting and intriguing games this year offered and if the idea of exploring a world and its mechanics sounds interesting to you, give this game a whirl.

Defining Moment: Approaching this game as a basic survival game and unexpectedly encountering the story elements.

 

[Toma]

Escape Goat 2 - $9,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/255340/

Escape Goat 2 is a very focused (single room design) puzzle game with a ton of variety and challenging levels. The bright colours and cute animations make it as approachable as some puzzle mechanics make it devious. The game encourages cautious exploration, poking unlabelled buttons from a distance and looking before you leap. With almost no filler and plenty of inventive optional puzzles, this is one of the best puzzle games to have played this year.

Defining Moment: As with any puzzle game, finishin the puzzles can be extremely rewarding, but some figuring out the harder puzzles... just feels awesome.

 

[Uzzy]

Shadowrun: Dragonfall - $14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/300550/

Shadowrun: Dragonfall is a tactical, turn based RPG, set in a world of cyberpunk/magic. The game's story is the main selling point, featuring a really quite complex conspiracy cyberpunk mystery, that starts out as a tale of revenge and morphs into something much more fascinating. The characters you meet, from the rest of the team to the NPCs in the Kreuzbasar, are well written and very memorable. The theme is equally strong throughout, with great visuals of a broken down world, mixed with high tech and magic, aided by a top notch soundtrack. My personal favourite of the CRPG renaissance so far.

Defining Moment: Stepping out into the Kreuzbasar for the first time. You can practically smell the decay and grime, feel the rain washing over your face, the run down folks of metahumanity all around.

 

[Toma]

Shadowrun: Dragonfall - $14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

Currently working on it, will have something up later tonight after the EU4 game

Thanks! Good to make some progress again here. I am not feeling too comfortable writing all of the blurbs, since I havent played some of these games... or at least not enough.

 

[More_Badass]

Thanks! Good to make some progress again here. I am not feeling too comfortable writing all of the blurbs, since I havent played some of these games... or at least not enough.

Well technically I wrote the blurbs for War of Mine, NaissanceE, and Door Kickers

I haven't played enough 1001 Spikes to do a blurb, but I can do Floor Is Jelly today and those ones I need to fix

 

[Toma]

Well technically I wrote the blurbs for War of Mine, NaissanceE, and Door Kickers

I haven't played enough 1001 Spikes to do a blurb, but I can do Floor Is Jelly today and those ones I need to fix

Yeah, I was referring to the rest of the missing ones.

 

[titch]

Sorry guys if i had played/owned any of them i would happily do a write up.