We put aside the big boys for awhile and took a look at some of the best free indie games available out there. Now, while we’ve already covered the finest releases that money can buy from independent developers on Steam, here we’ll take a look at names that aren’t very well-known, yet offer great experiences, all at no cost.
1. Super Ninja Slash:
The first title on this list is Super Ninja Slash, a classic-looking side-scroller. Developed by Kyle Pulver who’s also known as KPULV. The graphics here are somewhat similar to what you’d find in stick-figure combat videos on YouTube. The game is playable through a browser and it features intuitive controls. The story is pretty straightforward – You enter a facility and secure some top secret documents. The goal is to escape the building without being killed.
Well, easier said than done – The place is filled with guards that are on high alert. Also, you only have a sword to fight, while the opposition uses guns. A single bullet will kill you and the level must be restarted. Speaking of which, there are 9 stages in total, each requiring you to pass through unnoticed or with force – The decision is yours.
2. Cave Story:
Cave Story is side-scrolling platformer developed by Studio Pixel. The title was initially release for Japan and it has been translated into English, albeit not officially. This freeware came into existence back in 2004 and a Plus (+) version has also landed on Steam which is selling for $9.99. Well, we’re going to focus on the original which can be played at no cost. Cave Story features old-school gameplay like what you’d find on the SNES console.
You make your way through various stages and defeat monster along the way. There are boss fights as well and an experience system which levels up weapons. Apart from its availability on Windows, the game has also been ported to various other platforms such as Nintendo’s Wii, DSi and 3DS as well as Linux and Mac.
3. Nitronic Rush:
Nitronic Rush is designed by a group of students and it delivers high speed survival action. This driving game is an experimental release, albeit it’s fully playable and very enjoyable. The graphics here look wonderful and the overall gameplay resembles TrackMania with a dash of kart racing. You speed down colorful levels in 3 modes, hardcore, challenge and stunt.
Your car has various capabilities such as boosters, wings and jump which can be implemented to overcome obstacles. The team is also designing a successor to the title dubbed Distance which will offer improved visuals and multiplayer support, online as well as split-screen.
4. I Wanna be the Guy: Gaiden:
Some of the most difficult titles we’ve played date back to the SNES time. And if you’re looking to relive the challenging experiences of multiple releases in one place, then I Wanna be the Guy: Gaiden is what you definitely need to try. The gameplay is ridiculously tough and it features a blend of various classic titles like Mario, Contra and Street Fighter amongst others.
With 8-bit graphics, you make your way through various levels, each filled with numerous traps and enemies as well as familiar faces. You’ll have 2 weapons at your disposal, one which shoots normal bullets and another, a charge of energy. However, the grapple hook is the one you’ll be using the most to get out of messy situations. One thing’s for certain here, you’re going to die time and again until you learn the entire layout or get really lucky.
5. AirMech:
AirMech is an action-RTS title which delivers fast-paced gameplay that’s inspired from the Warcraft 3 DotA mod and it sports tower defense elements. It’s currently in open beta testing. Here, you take control of a transforming robot with a goal to defeat your enemies. You can spawn units all over the map and as you level up, new Mechs as well as units are made available.
There’s a multiplayer mode as well, which tags along 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2 and 3 vs. 3 battles. Or, you could cooperatively defeat waves of enemies with others in Survival mode. Although being free to play, a Prime version if being offered which delivers access to a slew of new features.
6. Canabalt:
Sometimes, it’s the simplest of them all that turns out to be highly addictive. Canabalt has one simple objective, you run for as long as you can. There are no powerups or coins to collect, just running. You start off slow, but as you progress and rump over rooftops, the speed kicks in making the character sprint at a ridiculous pace.
If you miss a jump, you fall to your death and to make things even more difficult, there are objects to slow you down and things fall out of the sky randomly. The game is available for iOS and Android for a price, but you can play it for free through the developer’s website. The furthest we’ve gone is 4,000 meters – Let’s see how far you can go.
7. Devil’s Tuning Fork:
Devil’s Tuning Fork is something completely out of the ordinary. It takes you to an alternate reality where you navigate through the environment using sound waves. There are no colored visuals here apart from black and white stripes that cover the whole place. Your sight is even hampered as everything shows only for a few seconds as sound waves spread across the environment.
The story starts off with children everywhere falling into a coma and you’re the only one to wake up, but in an alternate reality. The goal here is to find the cause of the epidemic, rescue all the trapped children and escape with help from the devil’s tuning fork instrument.
8. BackToBed:
BackToBed is a puzzle-based browser title where you navigate Bob the sleepwalker across rooftops to the safety of his bed without waking him up. You control the character’s subconscious, Subob, and protect him from obstacles, monsters and from falling down. The controls are pretty simple and there are 12 stages in total.
Conclusion:
It’s clear here that a lot of hard work has been put into developing these best free indie games. And even though most of them are pretty simple, they’re highly addictive. So, which of these titles do you look forward to playing?