Independence Day
July 4, 2008
It's Independence Day, which usually means cookouts, parties, and setting off fireworks (out of state, like you told the man at Phantom, right?). But today, I thought I'd celebrate the day by bringing you something a little different: 4 free independent games, to truly celebrate your independence. “What is an independent game?” you might ask. Well, simply put, it is a game that is made by a small group of people, often for no profit other than getting their names heard. But since these games are made by small groups of people, the creators are able to make the games they want to make, resulting in some creativity and imagination unseen in cookie-cutter mainstream first-person shooters like Halo. So, without further adieu, here (in no particular order) is the list:
Off-Road Velociraptor Safari
by Flashbang Studios
Off-Road Velociraptor Safari, hereafter referred to as Safari, is game in which you drive a jeep and run over Velociraptors and performing stunts to score points. It's a simple enough premise, and one that remains addictive for quite a while. Adding a little complexity to the game is a combo system, rewarding players for doing a variety of different actions in rapid succession, resulting in a higher score. Your jeep is dropped in a different area of the game world each time you play, so every session is a little different, even if you don't experiment with different methods of accruing points. You can play Safari straight from your browser at: http://raptorsafari.com/play.php
Dwarf Fortress
by Bay 12 Games
Dwarf Fortress is a very ambitious game. Obsessively detailed, Dwarf Fortress is the result of one man, Tarn Adams, trying to bring his brother's short fantasy stories to life in a video game. It is kind of inaccessible, with an archaic interface, and graphics, and it more or less requires an entire wiki to explain how to play: http://dwarf.lendemaindeveille.com/index.php/Main_Page
It is essentially a simulation of building and managing a self-sustaining dwarven fortress, starting with seven dwarves, and continuing until all are dead. You must specify the individual tasks of all the dwarves, telling them to dig new tunnels, gather food, build furniture, go to war, defend the fortress from invaders, and generally oversee a colony of dwarves. The simulation is very detailed, right down to creatures internal organs and psychological state. The dwarves can be driven insane and go on killing sprees, or commit suicide. It's like the Sims except much, much more in-depth and awesome. If the game doesn't sound like your cup of tea, you can simply read “Boatmurdered” http://fromearth.net/LetsPlay/Boatmurdered/intro.html the chronicles of a group of players who took turns overseeing a fortress for one in-game year each. Hilarity and a generally entertaining story ensues. You can download the game for free at: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/index.html
Cave Story
by Studio Pixel
Cave Story is another one-man game that takes a lot of influence from Metroid. It has a large side-scrolling world, with very minimalist graphics (but in this situation less is more) in which you run around and shoot things. The game has a pretty neat plot, too, and almost perfect pacing, keeping you playing right up until the ending (both of them). It can be downloaded for free here: http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=cavestory
Punishment
by messhof
Punishment is awesome but not necessarily in a fun way. In fact, its lack of fun is what makes it so awesome. For one thing, it is incredibly challenging, and is unfair, but entirely predictable. I know that doesn't make sense, so let me explain how the game works. Punishment is a side-scrolling platformer set in a series of screens, one above the other. Climb all the way to the top and you win. This seems easy enough once you've initially acclimated yourself to the game's solid controls and jumping mechanics, but once you think you've figured that out, the game begins to throw some curves. In fact, almost the entirety of the game exists to disorient you.
The only thing you can really count on is the control of your character, and even that gets affected before long. The screen tilts and spins completely around, the background comes in and out of focus, and certain unavoidable power-ups reverse your controls when you touch them (left makes you go right and vice-versa). All this is accompanied by the background music, a nice little Carousel song that changes tempo and volume irregularly, in a successful attempt at getting on your nerves. And to make things even worse, if you misstep (which you will) you can fall through the bottom of the screen to the previous screen, and all the way down to the beginning if you're not careful.
It's a really unique experiment, and a good example of a game that would never be made by a big studio. It can be downloaded for free here: http://www.messhof.com/games/punishment.php
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cave story is the best.
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Yeah, Cave Story is really awesome.
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