Welcome to the first edition of Indie Game Round-up! In this blog series, I’m going to inform you about some free or cheaply priced independently made games readily available on the internet. Be warned: expect fewer time wasters and more avant-garde experiences, but incredible experiences nonetheless. For this week, in celebration of the start of this blog and the recent announcement of Independent Games Festival (IGF) finalists, I’ll be highlighting some of those finalists that are available now and are available for free. Let’s dive in:
Cart Life
(Available for free download at http://www.richardhofmeier.com/cartlife/)
Managing someone’s life is hard, especially someone struggling to make it by. Cart life has you playing as an owner and operator of a newspaper, coffee or bagel stand as they try to make enough cash to live in their own apartment. What seems like a relatively simple and easy game is made difficult by the realities of life for anyone struggling to make it by: getting to places on time without a car, making enough for rent each month, trying to spend the least amount of money on each meal and many other various necessities we usually take for granted. It’s rough, and “Cart Life” captures that.
Frog Fractions
(Available to play at http://twinbeardstudios.com/frog-fractions)
I can’t say much about “Frog Fractions,” but I need you to trust me in this. You will hit a point in this game where you will want to quit. You might reach a point where you are stuck and don’t want to play anymore. All I can say is this: don’t quit on Frog Fractions, and consider the y-axis.
VESPER.5
(Available for free download at http://mightyvision.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/vesper5.html)
Do you consider yourself a patient person? How about playing a game for 100 days to complete it? “VESPER.5” is a relatively simple isometric platformer. Except there is a catch: you can only take one step each day. So let me ask you, how willing are you to invest this into your daily routine? To what extent will you devote yourself to complete a pilgrimage, even if it is virtual?