At the recent Independent Games Festival held in San Francisco, California gamers got to see what little money and some real creativity can do. While tons of games were shown at the festival, only the best of the best were able to take home the honor of an IGF award.
The grand prize went to the 2D physics puzzle game Crayon Physics Deluxe. In it the player uses a crayon to draw objects that are used in the game to overcome obstacles. Seumas McNally, the creator of the game, walked away with a $20,000 prize and the envy of indie developers everywhere.
Other stars of the show included Fez created by Montreal developer Kokoromi. It took home the award for Excellence in Visual Art for its unique pixilated style. While the graphics are wonderful, the real draw is the gameplay in which the character must climb to the top of a 3D pile of platforms, but only in two dimensions at a time. The game allows the player to rotate the tower so they can make their way to the top, but the key is to figuring out which way to flip the tower so the platforms are in the right spot.
Another stand out was a rhythm based game called Audiosurf created by Invisible Handlebar, and is the first game to use Valve’s Steamworks technology. In Audiosurf the player controls a levitating spaceship and attempts to collect colored bricks in groups of three while traveling down a multi-laned path. While the concept of the game is simple, the gameplay is endless thanks to the game’s key feature which allows players to use any song they’d like as the levels.
Although the market may be flooded with licensed games and sequels, it’s a comfort to know that there are still the noble few willing to give us a simulation in drawing with a crayon.
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