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Stand out Indie Games of 2012

by ltsquigs

Was thinking about how good a year this was for indie games and decided I wanted to make a list of indie games I think really stood out this year. There are two games missing from this list that I think maybe would be on there if I had played them: Mark of the Ninja and Journey. I have MoTN but I haven't played it yet and I don't have a PS3 so I can't play Journey, but I hear those games are really good.

Anyways, the only order to this list is alphabetical. I have played all of these games and found them generally pretty fun, so I think they are worth checking out.

MID CREATION EDIT: Ok so while making this list I found out one of the games I was gonna put on the list isn't in the GB database. So I'll just link to it here: Phantasmaburbia A generally pretty good kind of turn based style RPG. Maybe not the best thing out there but It's enjoyable. It's clearly got the 'made by one person' vibe to it and it was pretty enjoyable.

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Dust: An Elysian Tail

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Dust is a great metroidvania style game, with a pretty cool story and a great art style. The art style might be turn offish at first, but it's a great game really.

Fez

Fez

Fez is my personal favorite game this year and is just a really cool game to explore worlds in. If your a fan of just wandering around absorbing the world around you and solving weird out there puzzles this game is great (best soundtrack this year too)

Frog Fractions

Frog Fractions

This is probably the game I regret cutting from my top 10 the most this year, this game is freaking great. It's just super crazy and fun, every time you think it can't get crazier its just goes even crazier. This game is a must play (especially since its free and takes less than an hour to beat)

FTL: Faster Than Light

FTL: Faster Than Light

I am eternally torn on this game, because honestly I didn't enjoy it that much for a while. It's just not the type of roguelike that I like so I was really bummed out about it. After I got over that and started playing it with some friends though I ended up liking it. Easily a game worth checking out.

Hotline Miami

Hotline Miami

One of the best soundtracks of this year, this game is just a really crazy experience. The game play is great and the difficulty feels just about right. The hyper violence is both intriguing and disturbing.

Spaceteam

Spaceteam

A game that you have to play with friends. Super fun time just shouting instructions at each other as you frantically try to keep your space ship going.

Spelunky

Spelunky

Probably my favorite evolution of the roguelike formula. The randomness, game play, and difficulty just all feel right. Great platforming controls, and tons of fun.

The Real Texas

The Real Texas

This game is just a super weird game. The story is weird and surreal, the characters are all weird, and the game play is some strange mix of zelda, ultima, and a top down shooter. One of my favorites of this year and just a bunch of fun.

They Bleed Pixels

They Bleed Pixels

Super difficult platform game. If you like games like Meat Boy then definitely worth a check out. Platforming controls are great, the setting is cool, and the difficulty is frustrating in all the right ways.

Tales of Maj'Eyal

Tales of Maj'Eyal

Kind of cheating here since this has been out for a while, but the official Release Candidate just came out this month. This is probably the most accessible 'classic style' roguelike you can find. It manages to have all the complexity of those older style roguelikes with a much more friendly front end some more leniency on the whole 'permanent death' thing.

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