I can give a game that showed some effort, but just didn’t get some core mechanics implemented right a 2-star, and it’d be correct. I can give a decent game, but nothing spectacular a 3-star, and people would still feel it might be worth their time to check out if what it’s about is something they like.

When you think about it, every half-a-star is 1 point in a 10 point system. But, the issue is not with the 10 point system, it’s all in how the reader has been manipulated by pandering scores to only accept 8-10 scores as ‘good’, and everything else as awful. No, the problem is not the system, but with a person’s perception of the system, and I think it mainly has to do with numbered systems. Even the Out of Eight guy might not get a 100% effectiveness out of his review scores because of the stigmata from a numbered system. Where as I can give a 3-star review and people would still see this 6/10 score as an ‘Average’ rating. I bet you could even use words like ‘Average’, ‘Great’, ‘Poor’ and it would work just as well as a Star or other symbol system.

That is all really. I just think the numbered system needs to be abandoned for a few years until the way we view such ratings returns to a more rational state. For now, if you plan on starting up a review site, try representing your review scores via a Pie Chart. It’d be unique and you could give honest ratings. Go ahead and thank me later.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

At IGR, we polled the writers, the gamers, the communities, we argued and opined about how to create a list of ten titles from the mass of possibilities. We wondered and were often challenged by the idea that perhaps we should nominate and select games for each genre, but ultimately the answer is – no, we set up the challenge to identify the top ten games and so had weigh in heavily on impact, innovation, creativity, technical excellence, reception, adoption, implementation and so on.

In that context, we have selected ten games to represent all genres, known and emergent, that ultimately left the greatest mark, that either moved their genres forward or best represented them in their respective categories. These games will never form the definitive list, but we trust you will afford us the bandwidth that believes, we tried our best to help you remember what a truly amazing year it was for independent game development around the world.

Finally, some may challenge the definition of an indie game an whether some of the titles on our list qualify for this special category. We define an indie game as any title that is not created by an established studio with an annual budget that has a yearly development slate. In other words, small teams that generally form around the creation of a specific title and then reassemble to build subsequent titles. Because indies are becoming bigger business and the audience is becoming bigger in step with such growth, budgets are also growing. Therefore we set the total budget cap at any title under two and a half million. That may sound like a lot, but if you compare it to the film industry where indies are made for as much as fifteen million, then it shouldn’t seem so inordinate.

Finally, an important distinction is that an indie title that is published by a studio (like Bastion being published by Warner Bros.) still qualifies so long as that publisher did not have a say in the game’s development. Again, in the film world, this is called a “negative pickup” – when an independent production company creates a film on their own, and a distributor or studio later picks up the negative film master in a marketing and release deal.

For this reason, we did not include From Dust which was designed by Eric Chahi and developed by Ubisoft Montpellier (which is sad because they made a great game and Ubisoft muddled its release with stupid DRM issues). [From Dust - Wikipedia reference]).

Looking at the SuperGiant site (the devs behind Bastion) – we can see from their description:

“Supergiant Games is a small developer with big ambitions: to make games that spark your imagination like the games you played as a kid.
We’re supergiant in name only. We’re seven people whose headquarters is the living room of a house in sleepy San Jose. But we make for a superstar team. We walked away from our jobs building major franchises for huge publishers to make original downloadable titles for people who love games and their loved ones.”

The Witcher 2, while by all appearances, a AAA title, is technically an indie title from Polish developer CD Projekt RED. We did not include it because, like Minecraft, we wanted focus on slightly smaller or lesser established developers. (Again, designing a top ten amidst such an embarrassment of riches is near to impossible).

Similarly, we spoke to Frozenbyte, the team behind Trine 2 about their indie cred, see the review for their response and why we decided they qualify.

Many thanks to the writers, developers and gamers who took the time not only to chime in, but to support the independent game community.

We look forward to your thoughts.

Indie Game Reviewer’s top ten independent games of 2011

(Lest we forget…)

10. The Cat and the Coup

(Peter Brinson, Kurosh ValaNejad)

In the “experimental” and “innovative” titles category that was also populated by Trauma, Improviso and Retention, comes the socio-political ruse of a game “Cat and the Coup” that somehow managed to make it past Steam‘s judiciary committee for what qualifies as a game that many people might enjoy, and was thus exposed to a much broader audience (which is good news as far as we are concerned. As reviewer Darklights put it:

“There is a loving craftsmanship here, a thoughtfulness that refuses to give in to conventional storytelling. It is built on the efforts of a small skeleton indie team so that all the smallest nuances are within the creators’ personal creative control. The team’s work, under the direction of Peter Brinson and Kurosh ValaNejad, compel me to follow what may come next from their oeuvre.

There is also a beautiful symmetry: Established national history may erase Mossadegh, but art will embrace him. In this chosen form, games are rendered full of subversive possibilities.” – Darklights (Tanya Kan)

Some may cry foul, but we stand our ground for the fact that not only do games allow us to walk in shoes (or paws) that might otherwise be inaccessible and thus consider the world around in us in mind-expanding, eye-opening ways, but because indie games have even more freedom to do so, and where this is exploited, we take interest.

9. Rock of Ages

(Ace Team)

Though some complained that Rock of Ages was a one-time playthrough, the Ace Team managed to make a game that was laugh-out-loud funny, and not just on paper, and unlike too many games that strove for wit, getting comedic timing right is one of the toughest feats to accomplish. This modern take on Marble Madness not only combines wit with some legitimate gaming fun, but adds some history lessons to the fiasco. A popular standout, Rock of Ages crashes into our top ten for 2011.

“Strategy, gravity and the ability to squish Monty Python-esque cutouts, all the while surrounded by stirring historical art and period-inspired music. What more could one ask? Game Creators Ace Team have bowled up a solid strike.

Rock of Ages is gorgeous visuals, devious opponents and wicked strategic elements all rolled up in a ball. For a mere $10, you too can bowl over the world of art history.” from the review by Callabrantus

8. Fate of the World: Tipping Point

(Red Redemption Ltd.)

A game like Fate of the World only comes around once in a blue moon. Based on the research of Prof. Myles Allen of Oxford University, and developed and designed by a team whose collective work has featured in such titles as Battlestations: Midway, Mass Effect and Conflict: Desert Storm, FotW is a strategy title (for PC, Mac and Steam) that simulates the science, the politics, the fallout, hunger, uprisings and scarcity models that arise from the social and environmental impact of global climate change over the next 200 years. With the FotW: Tipping Point DLC was improved and new scenarios added. A full real-time day had elapsed before we were able to peel ourselves away from glimpsing into the very real and probably future we face and were trying with all our might to solve.

What becomes most interesting, in terms of gameplay, is whether or not you will utilize questionable black op tactics to get things back under control, and thus the game forces you to question your own moral compass and reconsider the challenges world leaders must face while going on a hell of a ride.

Lastly, while games like Hard Reset, or Magicka were equally deserving, Fate of the World failed to garner the spotlight it deserved and so we will take the hit, in exchange for spreading the word on their behalf.

7. Dungeon Defenders

(Trendy Entertainment)

DD was one of the titles we most anticipated in 2011, and it delivered in so many ways. Slick graphics and gameplay, a mashup of action, tower defense and RPG, great multi-player, the ability to open your own virtual storefront, PVP, AND it showed up on most of our reviewers’ GotY lists. It sure as hell taught Orcs Must Die the correct way to expand on the tower defense genre, though it felt a little too close to something that might have fallen out of Blizzard’s back pocket to be considered truly earth-shatteringly breakout. While the solo grind-mode revealed its limitations, we acknowledge that this is not meant ideally to be a solo or even PUG, and when in full swing, it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

For general graphical and gameplay excellence, for releasing its dev kit and source code for free and inviting gamers to create their own titles using their game engine, for promptly pushing out DLC after DLC, Dungeon Defenders pushed its way to our best of the year list.

6. Unepic

(Francisco Téllez de Meneses)

Hailing from Spain, the land of sangrias, futbol and bullfights, developer Francisco Téllez de Meneses spent two years on his Metroidvania / RPG / gag reel about all things fantasy game, and the recursive polish on this visually diminutive but detail rich dungeon crawler reflects the time spent.

It’s always worth noting when a game’s reviews are strongly polarized. We had many readers recommend it, and saw many reviews that either harbored gripes or didn’t quite get it. After immediately being sucked in for several hours, we knew that he is onto something. Something that reminds us of the good old days of Rogue and A Bard’s Tale, Windows 386 and the fact that we could run it on a Netbook. Despite its graphically diminutive scope, the boss fights are anything but Unepic, the blue humor works, and this one becomes our representative old-school RPG tribute title for 2011.

5. Jamestown

(Final Form)

In the 8-bit and SHMUP category comes Jamestown, what some have called the best space shoot-em-up of all time. Big words. But in the multiplayer mode is where the game really shines. So let’s hear what our IGR writer had to say:

“Jamestown could be a tutorial for how to make an indie shooter. It’s that good. Two years of development have resulted in a game that is an approachable bullet-hell shooter that has something to offer for everyone, from casual gamers to 1cc pros. Jamestown’s developers have delivered a game with solid indie credentials that could easily have appeared in a neighborhood arcade fifteen years ago. And they did it without sacrificing any accessibility or enjoyability. It’s an old-school shooter with all the trappings of a modern-day triple-A title.” – from the review by Bill Whorton

With a DLC that included the now ubiquitous Guy Fawkes as one of the player characters, it is clear that the devs did not want to rest on their laurels.

4. Gamestar Mechanic

(E-Line Media)

“Gamestar Mechanic from E-Line Media is a game, as an educational tool, a game development environment and a social media site. It’s a tall order, and more amazing to behold in action.” It ranks as high as it does for accomplishing something that no other game has done, let alone attempted – to teach game design even as you are creating your own publishable indie title. Why didn’t they teach Game Design when I was in 8th grade???” – from the review by Indie Game Freak

3. Terraria

(Re-Logic)

We wondered whether Terraria would be in conflict with Minecraft as the representative for all that is Dwarf Fortress, sandbox adventure, open-world, procedurally-generated, Castlevania-esque, sim, RPG, Miner Dig Deep, and so on, but ultimately such comparisons were quickly chided and we had to chalk it down to the fact that all things stem from somewhere, but whereas infidels borrow, artists steal, and Terraria grabbed all of the above and made something completely its own. As our writer HappyWulf puts it:

“Terraria has by far outdone itself for generous, continued development after it’s release. The amount of content added to this sandbox adventure, for free no less, is absolutely staggering. For the amount of game, fun, and creativity possible in Terraria, it gets my pick for the year.” – - HappyWulf

At first blush, a solo player entering the 16-bit world of Terraria may feel confused, even frustrated. But once the basics are in place (and they are deceptively simple controls) and moreover, once someone has set up a server for some multiplayer action, this game quickly reveals its addictive nature. The sheer amount of variety, unpredicitability and yet seamlessness that is maintained throughout is excellent in every way. What is startling about Terraria, is the sense that, by virtue of its elaborately randomly generated landscape, you are legitimately a pioneer establishing a foothold in a new frontier. This is truly a standout game design and it deserves a place in every gamer’s virtual catalog.

2. Trine 2

(Frozenbyte)

Can we call Trine 2 the 2011 Skyrim of indie games (PC modded of course)? It’s tempting. See below.

“Trine 2′s visuals are even richer than those on offer in the original title. But this could be misconstrued as a simple graphical update – in fact the beauty of the graphical treatment on offer here, is of the ilk that makes one take pause. Sometimes at length. To the point of distraction: Enchanted forests are blanketed in intricate vines, leaves and foliage, all the while basking in the blooms of pockets of magical energy. Dark caves glow eerily from remote light sources, casting dynamic distorted shadows. Oversized creatures blocking the only route forward can be appreciated down to each individual scale on their enormous limbs. The level of detail that has gone into the art design is staggering, and the end results are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Be prepared to spend the first couple of hours simply gawking at the scenery.

Trine 2 sports online co-op, a lengthier campaign, tightened mechanics and all for half the price of the first title. It certainly doesn’t re-invent its predecessor, and why should it? Trine positively dripped with beauty and whimsy, and the sequel does the same, only with greater refinement and increased player access.” – from the review by Callabrantus

1. Bastion

(Supergiant Games)

Just like Bethesda innovated with its Radiant Quest Engine, Supergiant made a big splash with its seemingly telepathic narrator whose Whiskey-soaked drawl commented not only on the path we took, but the subtleties therein, as if we had an old compadre keeping us company along this amazing ride.

There were very few who did not at the very least mention Bastion in their adventures through the 2011 gaming experience, let alone include it among their very best. But beyond the surrealistic board pattern that manifested beneath our feet and the bona fide indie cred, Bastion told an amazing story whilst hearkening back to the platforming titles from our youth.

In the time it that has elapsed since we began to assemble this list (back in August) Bastion has already won Spike VGA awards for Best Downloadable Game, Best Indie Game, and Best Original Score, and noted in as best of the year in Paste and TIME magazine, Bastion definitely resonated with the not only the indie gaming world but the mainstream. Here is an excerpt from our review, way back when:

“It’s charming, it’s fairly original, and it works. It’ll keep you interested in the story just enough to complement the action until the very end, where instead of simply complementing the game, it becomes the focal point. I really don’t want to spoil it, but what happens at the end simply blew me away.” – HappyWulf

But I feel, as editor, and gamer, I must append to this initial reaction. Bastion is much more than a three-dimensional platforming experience. It is not only beautifully executed, and a refresh on how to display a game level, with its cascading reveals of the landscape before you (that in itself becomes an aspect of gameplay that keeps you on your toes as you ponder what paths will reveal solid ground), but it becomes a surrealist dreamscape, a post-modern fable that highlights the intrinsic experimentation that can arise from an independent developer.

While Catherine or Psychonauts attempted such metaphysical abstractions, Bastion handles it in a way that permeates on not only a philosophical, but dare I say spiritual level. It is what a collaborative interactive media effort might be wherein Manet provides the artwork, Tom Waits the narrative, Luis Bunuel the direction, Carlos Castaneda the higher esoteric ponderance and Beaudelaire the premise.

If all that sounds way too high-brow and FoS, then just know that this game is all that Braid ever brought to the table, it’s as challenging as Super Mario Bros. ever was, and it’s really fun to play.

Bastion provided a perfect encapsulation and proof of concept for the possibilities of what a game, indie or otherwise, can provide that nothing else can. We should be so lucky to get another Bastion any time soon (and to our benefit, our 2012 list of looksees may just keep that party rolling).

Best Indie Games of 2011 – Very Honorable Mentions:

Minecraft

Ok, ok, get out the vitriol. Finished? The damn thing is officially out. No matter how you slice it, in 2011 there is no avoiding the elephant in the room, and that elephant’s name is the cultural phenomenon and massive indie success story that is Minecraft. We raised some eyebrows for omitting it from our 2010 list, but we stuck to our guns and insisted we would wait until an official release. Now it is a year later, and Minecraft will not require our endorsement, so we just had to slot it out, at the last moment, to give a slot to a game that perhaps those newer to the indie game space may not have been exposed.

Is it a sandbox game, a zombie shooter, an MMO, a city builder, a tribute to Dwarf Fortress, an art tool, a Lego building set, an alternate reality? None of that describes what Minecraft truly is. We can finally say – holy shit what is this amazing thing? And maybe I will build a waterslide in my garden, while the sun goes down and hey what is that fire coming from the ground? Since it’s so dark out, I’ll go see.. whaaaaa????

Asking why Minecraft matters and what it is, exactly, is not unlike asking why Tetris or Pac Man matter and what they are. Is Pac Man an action platform puzzle game? Is Tetris? Minecraft is the answer in a world of DIY, 3D, interactive, open-world action titles.

A game big enough and socially resonant enough to host and populate its very own conference, that has over 4 million users, and dozens of also-well-selling imitators, Minecraft is the undeniable indie breakout story not only of 2011, but 2010. We thank you, Markus Alexej Persson aka Notch, for the incredible thing you have wrought and for drawing global attention to the indie game scene. Good enough?

Hard Reset

“Hard Reset is an impressive indie outing from Flying Wild Hog that most certainly hearkens back to the pure adrenaline gameplay of id Software’s early days, recalling the balls out, speedy graphic engine, take no prisoners mayhem that was Wolfenstein 3d or Doom but with graphics that showcase the best of today. In other words, it might just make John Romero proud, except, being a true single-player experience there will be no deathmatches here.

“What really matters is that it paves the way for a jaw-dropping setting. William Gibson and Ridley Scott would both weep at the visual depth of Hard Reset.” – Patrick Bartholomew

Magicka

(Arrowhead Game Studios)

To an outsider, Magicka may have appeared to be a title released by a proper studio with its slick-looking graphics, constant rollout of DLCs and widespread popularity, when in fact it was put together by Arrowhead Studios that comprises some eight students out of Skellefteå, Sweden. With the self-referential gamer humor that we also saw in Blocks that Matter and Unepic, this creative RPG title did a very interesting thing indeed in designing a magic casting system that let you more or less “make it up as you go along”; by combining any number of elements (that include Arcane, Earth, Fire, Water, Cold, Lighting and so on) you have literally hundreds, if not thousands of spells at your disposal, akin to the alchemical system in Elder Scrolls games where combinations of ingredients form a variety of potions. Spells can be cast on oneself, outward in a jet, on an area and so on.

While the solo campaign often fell a little flat in that it guides you along rails into head-scratching near-puzzle-based progression through the landscape, the mutiplayer mode was where Magicka showed its true virtues, leading to some truly outrageous scenarios and surprising solutions via the spell combos cast by your “peers”. The myriad themed DLCs included such scenarios as Vietnam, Halloween, and even a tribute to 8-bit games. If you have the patience to get into it, or better yet a couple of friends to bomb around with, this was a terrific offering in the indie verse in 2011.

Check out the hilarious live action trailer for “The Stars Are Left” expansion below:

Dungeons of Dredmor + Realm of the Diggle Gods DLC

(Gaslamp Games, Inc.)

“If you’ve ever wanted to get into a Rogue-like after hearing about the genre’s deep gameplay elements, it’s incredible difficulty despite the fact that it’s rewarding to players who can think their way out of a nasty encounter gameplay, yet were put-off by their typically minimalist ASCII non-graphics, then this one is for you.

I’m really glad that I waited until after the DLC launched to complete this review. At launch the game was plagued with crashes to desktop that would effectively “kill” your character, which obviously made progression daunting, if not impossible, and with the same old enemies over and over on the upper levels, it got older, faster. But now, I think it’s right where it should be. There is even room for more classes and abilities to be added in, and I would welcome new DLCs, if they were forthcoming.

Gaslamp, the micro-indie that it is, has successfully created a witty, fun adventure that will open the door for players who might not have tried a Rogue-like otherwise. It is definitely worth the less-than $5 entry fee they are asking for admission.” – from the review by HappyWulf

Gemini Rue

(Joshua Nuernberger)

It may be shorter than some, but when it comes to Adventure games, let alone point-and-click adventure games, which is a genre that strikes a balance between storytelling and interactivity at a degree of abstraction that still allows the imagination to fill in the blanks, this is as good as it gets in 2011.

“The puzzles are non-arbitrary and lend a tangible logic to exploring futuristic environments. Non-interactive cut scenes are spaced apart and concise, but each offers increasing complexity to the storyline that it feels rewarding. Gamers who enjoy seeing a story through to its solid conclusion will find that Gemini Rue has much for them to explore.” – from the review by Darklights (Tanya Kan)

Between Blackwell Deception, To the Moon and Gemini Rue, Wadjet Eye’s catalog was positively on fire in 2011.

Blocks That Matter

(Swing Swing Submarine)

From Swing Swing Submarine, BTM combines self-referential post-modern storyline, great platforming gameplay, and some wickedly challenging puzzles. A game made by gamers for gamers, it still allowed the casuals a fun time – a difficult balance to achieve.

“The level designs are nothing shy of ingenious. The BTMs scattered throughout the game will undoubtedly call out to any self-respecting puzzle enthusiast, and demand multiple playthroughs of some levels. The bonus levels will call upon puzzle-solving and platform gaming skills combined.

Though at times, Blocks that Matter can be frustrating, it is never at the fault of bad design. Mixing a combination of game play elements, from puzzler, to platformer and a post-modern self-referential storyline to boot, it is endearing enough to keep even less ambitious players engaged. There are more than forty stages to conquer, and bonus levels to unlock besides.” – from the review by Callabrantus

Solar 2

(Murudai)

Solar 2, the sequel to the inspired open-universe sandbox is bigger, better and more beautiful than the original.

“In Solar 2, space does go on and on forever. In this “open universe” sandbox game, you play one of a variety of celestial objects. The game strives to be relaxing by setting up a mellow ambiance but with time can become very dramatic.” – from the review by Michael Brune

Trauma

(Krystian Majewski)

Flash-based cinematic Trauma, from Polish developer Krystian Majewski was the standout among a series of avante-garde, cerebral titles (Retention) that blurred the line between photo journal, psychotherapy and interactive multimedia experiences. Only its abbreviated length ultimately notched it from a high position in our top ten.

“They say that films and games have a dreamlike quality, and this strikes potent and true with with Krystian Majewski’s indie “Trauma.” The interactive game emphasizes storytelling and visceral experiences that resonate through gradual interactive progression” – from the review by Darklights (Tanya Kan)

Blackwell Deception

(Wadjet Eye)

“It’s hard to find a good adventure game these days. Heck, it’s hard to find a bad adventure game anymore. I don’t mean these hopped-up action platformers the kids call adventure games, like “Tomb Raider”. I mean the good old-fashioned, click on everything, combine this comb with that iguana to make a puppet to give to the troll to escape the prison cell, pixelated games of the 1990s.

Luckily, Wadjet Eye felt the same way. “Blackwell Deception”, their latest entry in a series of classic adventure games, hearkens back to the days of classic Sierra adventure games, even down to the graphics.” – from the review by Bill Whorton

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (iOS)

(Capybara Games)

Indie games have always straddled the line between ubergeek and hipster, and S&S would be the kid who always gets to cut the line and cross the rope at any Silverlake venue.

The combined talents of pixel artist Craig D. Adams and evocative, stereo-aware music by the talented Jim Guthrie S&S raises the standard for multimedia interactive titles on the iOS. Beautiful settings, astounding sound design, a terrific use of the platform (turn the iDevice upright to enter combat for example), think of it as the indie gamer’s platformer in response to Bjork’s Biophilia.

Battleheart (iOS / Android)

(Mika Mobile, Inc.)

“This top seller in the iOS marketplace, developed on the Unity platform, is virtually the perfect game. Like a form of chess wherein each class contributes its own special moves at the cost of certain disadvantages, it gets all the makings of addictive gameplay right, from the incentive to level (by virtue of appropriately difficult bosses or procedurally generated monster encounters) to a quick and easy loot and trade, and even weapon upgrade system, from arena play to a skill training academy, Battleheart includes everything you need and nothing you don’t.

A testament to Battleheart’s replay value is the fact that I ran fully charged batteries out four consecutive nights in a row – it’s really that good. I was first turned onto it when I saw it top Angry Birds in the bestselling games marketplace on the App store – fortunately, my impulsive purchase paid off in spades, or screwed my RL productivity quotient, whichever way you want to look at it. If you have no life, then this is mana from on high. If you have important things to attend to, then stay the hell away from Battleheart.” – from the review by Indie Game Freak

Tobe’s Vertical Adventure

(Secret Base)

With two year’s best votes from our reviewers, it’s always nice to be able to shine a light on a title both meriting and yet mostly unacknowledged, after all, we are here to discover those underrated gems and give them their proper respects. As reviewer Bill Whorton puts it:

“Tobe is an Xbox Live Indie Games native ported to PC, apparently born from the goal of making a game that could have come straight out of the early 1990s. Tobe’s graphics are 16-bit, and would have been right at home in an old Genesis or SNES game. Even the sound and music is what one might call Megaman-esque. Plug a controller into your computer and you could easily mistake Tobe for a console ROM.

Tobe’s content is one of the areas where Tobe really excels. There’s a lot here for enthusiasts of the game. Players can go through the levels with either Tobe, Nana, or cooperatively as both with a friend. Each level also has several different collectibles, which will appeal to completionists. Viewed from afar, the levels do suffer from repetitiveness, but that may be more a function of the genre than of this game in particular.” – from the review by Bill Whorton

To The Moon

(Freebird Games)

A witty, beautiful story not unlike Tim Burton’s “Big Fish” as told through a classic JRPG layout, To The Moon took us, narratively to some brave emotional ground. If Gemini Rue was Blade Runner for Sierra lovers, then To The Moon was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

“I had stepped into the game expecting melodrama and a labyrinthine, too-hip-to-make-much-sense narrative experience (possibly because the JRPG aesthetics evoke that sort of genre expectation in me), but instead, what I got was much better: a mature and courageous tale that sidles whimsical banter with emotional breakdowns, reflections on personal grievances with future dreams.

For all of these elements combined, it is unerringly accessible. To The Moon is best described as an interactive novel that will stay with me. I can imagine that I will remember certain themes in To The Moon with sudden clarity in seemingly unconnected conversations and activities. Play it, and you will find that you are enveloped into a game world that has a unique standard of storytelling all of its own.” – from the review by Darklights (Tanya Kan)

For its deployment, sentimentality, humor and all around engaging experience, it easily rode into our HM list.

Avadon: The Black Fortress

(Spiderweb Software)

Makers of Geneforge and the Avernum trilogies, Spiderweb has always seemed to nail the 3/4 view RPG epic right. Avadon: Black Fortress maintained this standard and arguably improved on it.

Per the official site description:

“Spiderweb Software brings you Avadon: The Black Fortress, the first chapter in a new, epic fantasy saga. You will serve the keep of Avadon, working as a spy and warrior to fight the enemies of your homeland. As a servant of the Black Fortress, your word is law.”

Proun

(Oogst aka Joost van Dongen)

Proun is a great-looking 3D psychedelic racing game by indie developer Oogst. Find out why it became so popular after its release (over 1.2 million HTTP requests) that its website went down for the entire weekend.

“You’re a 3-D ball of some sort, racing against other 3-D balls… on a cable…or wire. Anyways, this wire loops and twists and turns its way past 3-D obstacles that you must dodge during the race. One of my favorite features about this game though, is the ability to make your own tracks. If you have any background with 3D Studio Max, you can design your own tracks to share with others or play on your own.” – TCRandall2

Inside A Star-Filled Sky

(Jason Rohrer)

The latest labor of visionary indie game developer Jason Rohrer whose game Sleep is Death topped our 2010 Best of the Year list, comes Inside a Star Filled Sky, the so-called “infinite, recursive, tactical shooter for one player.”

“Simply fighting waves of enemies is old hat. Inside a Star-filled Sky is all about fighting the enemies within an enemy within yourself (and you are inside yet another enemy). Confused yet? If you crave shoot-em-up games, but hate when they end, you need to be playing this.” – from the review by Callabrantus

SpaceChem

(Zachtronics Industries)

From the creator of Infiniminer which some would argue was the main basis of the cult indie game Minecraft, comes a sort of puzzle / strategy title quite unlike anything else we saw in 2011. Here you are cast as “reactor engineer” who has been tasked with “creating circuits through which atoms and molecules flow with the aid of Waldos to produce particular batches of chemical shipments for each level”. Sound like a migraine? Many others thought so too. But for those who persevered and dove in, SpaceChem was a highly polished, brilliantly realized challenge that, in spite of topping several GotY lists, may have become a victim of its own damned cleverness.

The Binding of Isaac

(Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl)

Edmund McMillen’s of Team Meat’s side project is the procedurally generated side-scrolling “shooter” that had many a gamer wiling away hour upon hour as they explored what new oddities it might spawn. McMillen is arguably the Syd Vicious of the gaming world in that he bucks the establishment but still gets widespread attention, and exerts massive influence on the culture surrounding him. Binding of Isaac throws the Bible, mothers, and childhood trauma into the ring and sees what explodes, or lights up. We thought it was pretty neat too.

Clones

(Tomkorp Computer Solutions Inc.)

In the “games you probably didn’t play” sleeper category, comes Clones – a game that is NOT Lemmings.

“The developers at Tomkorp Computer Solutions Inc. (wow, that’s a mouthful) must have a sense of humor because Clones is exactly what the name implies, a clone of Lemmings. “But I’ve already played the hell out of Lemmings,” you say, “why would I bother to pick this up?” Twenty years of evolution is why, smart ass.

On to what’s fun and new:

Because your clones are some sort of Power Ranger, they’re capable of morphing into, and doing, a lot of things that a lemming simply isn’t capable of, including flight. They can also, on certain levels become light and dark versions of themselves, enhancing their capabilities (No force powers. Sorry.)

Whether or not you take advantage of all the extras, the core single player experience is well worth both your time and your money. It’s a manic mutation of the Lemmings concept that will make you fall in love with critters without a sense of self-preservation all over again.” – from the review by Patrick Bartholomew

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

(Fuelcell Games/Gagne International)

“Five years in the making, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet – released as part of the XBOX Live Summer Arcade and the brainchild of Joe Olson, CEO of Fuelcell Games, and filmmaker and animator Michel Gagne – is the product of two very talented gentlemen who decided to take a break from what they were doing in the animation industry and dive into the world of video games with little gaming experience but a plethora of ideas.

Perhaps the most significant selling point for ITSP is as an interactive ultra-hip animated work of art, though again, it is a full on game in its own right. Sometimes meditative, sometimes maddeningly hectic, and mercifully devoid of any implementation issues, it is well-deserving of a look. At the time of this writing, the game is exclusive to XBOX 360 Live Arcade, but we can’t wait to see a port to Steam so that it gets more of the attention it deserves.” – from the review by Indie Game Freak

Universe Sandbox

(Giant Army)

To be honest, only minor stability issues kept this deeply ambitious, scientific simulator from landing in our best of the year list. But we don’t blame the game, just the load this title may require on some systems.

What other interactive title afforded us the opportunity to steer a supernova into a blackhole and behold the result?

This offering, wholly meriting of as much tinkering as you can stand, is also available on Steam.

Frozen Synapse

(Mode 7 Games)

In spite of a tepid review at IGR, several of our writers chimed in with a chorus of gamers about the merits of Frozen Synapse, a strategy title not unlike playing Chess as a covert ops rendition of lazer tag. Complex context sensitive menus provide a method for outlaying your near future in hopes that you can guess what subsequent countermoves will allow you to live another round, let alone a day.

A Knight’s Dawn (iOS)

(Visionary X GmbH)

“A Knights Dawn hits all the right buttons as a tower defense game. There is a high level of replay value for perfectionists, and it even comes with a glut of achievements to unlock. Graphically, the game captures the Tolkien-esque feel by implementing beautiful sprites (which I believe are hand drawn).” – from the review by Callabrantus

Tiny Bang Story

(Colibri Games)

Our reviewer ZombieGrl emphatically requested we give Tiny Bang Story a second look and we are glad we did. In spite of some odd crashes (Steam + laptop), this kind-of-casual puzzler featured excellent illustrative graphic design, and an adventure style game that rode shotgun as you put a fascinating world back into place. This is a winner for the “escape the room”, point-and-click crowd, and deserving of your attention.

The Bridge

(HyperCube Games)

MC Escher + puzzle platformer = The Bridge, one of the standouts we got to spend some time with at the 2011 IndieCade festival at which this title was a finalist.

Anomaly: Warzone Earth

(11Bit)

As far Tower Defense games go, few were better in 2011, let alone for the iOS than this twist on the genre from indie devs 11Bit.

“You have control of only one man, and this is the Commander. He plots the course of the convoy, for which, at first, APCs and Crawlers are the only thing available. As one might expect, more vehicles are introduced as the game progresses. The Commander must control the convoy so it avoids dangers and destroys targets with the aim of reaching a specific way point.

The real twist here, you may have inferred by now, is that in being the one leading the convoy, and plotting how to destroy enemy bases, 11bit is in fact reversing the typical tower defence strategic and making it a tower offense.

I usually say a solid story (where this pretense is in effect) can make or break an otherwise steady outing, but tower defense-like games are generally accepted to have rather weak stories in exchange for good gameplay. Here, the Commander guides you through a tutorial in a way that blends the story and game well enough, though it covers a good portion of the first half of the game and then tapers out before the game is half done. That said, Anomaly’s story is still surprisingly above average.” – from the review by MJBrune

Interestingly enough, the iOS version, which is almost identical, but streamlined so as to exclude the Commander himself (you only steer the actual vehicles you purchase whereas in the PC version you guide the Commander along in front of the convoy) played better for us. Despite the fact that we loved the role-reversal of the “tower offense”, the added layer of complexity from controlling the commander on the “fuller” PC version actual felt like it could get in the way.

Most Anticipated Indie Games for 2012

Hawken

When we saw the first trailer for Hawken, we thought it was an April Fool’s joke. There was no way the gameplay could look as good as what we were seeing. And yet as further gameplay clips emerge, it seems to hold to its promise. With a fast growing user base who play the beta, it seems it is more than just smoke and mirrors. Where Hard Reset and Trine 2 blew our minds, graphically speaking, in 2011, Hawken could undoubtedly be the breakout hit of 2012 in the indie spectrum.

Owlboy

While the demo for the much and long-anticipated Owlboy became available in 2010, we an;t wait to get our grubby hands-on and playthrough the damned thing once and for all.

Developer summary:
“Owlboy is an adventure game where you use the power of flight to explore large dungeons, roam freely in the skies, and fight dangerous opponents. You control Otus, a wee little owl from the floating village of Vellie, which has come under attack by sky pirates! It falls to Otus to protect his village.”

Journey (PSN)

(ThatGameCompany)

“Experience the wonder. Discover the journey.”

From the creative minds behind such notable titles as Flow and Flower comes a title that drops you into a barren desert, distant peaks on the horizon, with no tutorial, guide or even established context, you derive meaning as you venture through this foreign landscape to find answers. As has become their standard, beautiful graphical treatment and intriguing environments demand intuition and introspection to create a wholly unique experience.

Monaco

We have been monitoring Monaco closely, listening to development podcast interviews and hanging on every update posted at the official site.

Per the site’s description:
“Monaco is a heist game, like the movie Ocean’s 11. Play by yourself or with up to 4 people on the same screen or online. Each player must take advantage of their own unique character class – the Hacker can shut down the security systems while the Muscle blows a hole through the wall.”

Having already been called “the best co-op ever implemented into a game…” this lone developer, for better or worse, has a lot to live up to. We hope he kills it.

Fez

Whose developer is one of the stars of the upcoming documentary Indie Game the Movie that also chronicles the work of Ed McMillen and Jonathon Blow (see The Witness below), Fez is a composite of all the games the dev loved growing up, but the result is something utterly unique and glorious to behold.

Skulls of the Shogun

We got a chance to preview this multiplayer at IndieCade 2011, that is when we could get to the front of the crowd surrounding it. Available on XBLA in 2012.

Retro City Rampage

Oh yes, too many are relying on the retro gaming gimmick to not only draw attention but perhaps beyond pay tribute, compensate for more advanced graphical treatment, but RCR makes sense in this regard and gets the business of mashing pixels up quite right.

The Witness

Jonathan Blow (thus far best known for his groundbreaking Super Mario Bros dream sequence “Braid”) returns with a three dimensional exploratory puzzle game.

Battleblock Theater

From the people who brought Castle Crashers to XBLA (along with copious DLCs) and set the bar for multiplayer, hilarious and smooth Flash style graphics, comes Battleblock Theater – a compendium of freakish characters ready to duke it out in the arena. Much fun will be had.

Spelunky

for XBLA – Even though Derek Yu’s Spelunky has been around since the dawn of, well the new indie game revolution, it will be released with copious updates on XBOX Live Arcade in 2012 and thus be exposed to a huge new audience. It will be quite something to play this randomly generated platformer on a console!

Well, we hope this list helped you find something new and awesome. Thanks to the IGR crew for months of hard work.

What do you think of the games on this list? What did we overlook? Please post your thoughts in the comments below!

This fall of 2011, cloud-based gaming service Onlive added five highly-rated independent games to their offerings.  ‘Limbo’, ‘Orcs Must Die’, ‘Bastion’, SpaceChem and ‘Magicka’ add to the other popular titles that the service holds, that include Braid, Trine, World of Goo and The Maw. 

OnLive most definitely has the capability to be a huge figure in the indie gaming market, and their own John Spinale led gamers into believing that the company would be providing a new direction in how indie games were delivered to customers:

“We have long been a supporter of independent publishers.  Simply put, they’re making some really great, innovative games these days.”

What started out as a promising new distribution platform for the smaller companies in September 2010, when OnLive sponsored several indie gaming events (Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Conference) and also held a 75% discount sale of its indie games in the hope of luring potential customers from Steam and others, has since proved to be rather stagnant – only recently delivering any sort of proof to this early show of intent.

“They’ve sponsored two or three indie bundles” said one OnLive fan, “But the sponsorship has never actually [culminated] in more indie games on the service.  As a matter of fact, the community at OnLiveFans.com has been more directly responsible for more indie games showing up on Onlive.”

As of now, Steam must surely be considered a far better provider of independent games, offering a far greater and more up-to-date selection, and fabulous deals of the week (for example $2.50 for Magicka) to customers.

The signals were positive when Onlive sponsored IGF 2011

OnLive, or rather cloud gaming as a medium, has an incredible amount of potential to reach more PC and Mac gamers, so it is at times easy to be frustrated with the turtle pace at which the service is moving to bring games on board.  OnLive makes it exceptionally easy for independent developers of all shapes and sizes to get their games in front of dedicated gamers on an exciting and emergent platform that does, indeed, offer some unique features: The instantaneous nature of it, for starters, that allows a certain platform independence as well as the ability to ‘drop in’ on others users’ playtime.  Add to which, the ability for OnLive to “rent” games for short periods, even just a day, means that you can pay-as-you-go and effectively turn almost any game into a try-before-you-buy scenario, perhaps helping to curb piracy along the way.

The recent addition of popular indie games to OnLive’s library is a positive step in the right direction, but it is only the first signal of what fans hope will be a long road towards the company showing a lot more love to indie gamers and developers alike.  Titles like Limbo and Bastion being enrolled was good news to both OnLive users and indie game fans, however both games have been on Xbox Live, Steam, Windows and in Limbo’s case Mac OSX since July/August of this year.  OnLive’s asset is the speed at which it allows users to access games, so why not be a pioneer in the introduction of new titles from lesser known developers, rather than consistently lag behind Steam and its competitors?

Bastion is a great addition to the Onlive service

Only very recently has the intent to innovate in this way been evident, with Spiderweb Studios’ Avadon:  The Black Fortress being sought out by Onlive to add to its service.  Jeff Vogel, Spiderweb’s President said of working with OnLive:

“It was really painless.  I handed them a build.  They made it work.  Real life ought to work that way.”

Vogel also made it clear that Spiderweb would like to add other titles to the service in the future.  It has been interactions such as these with independent developers that have been painfully absent from OnLive’s existence thus far.

Recently OnLive has experienced a huge hike in its membership, particularly due to their recent successful UK launch.  After the relatively disappointing first year in terms of a selection of indie titles, gamers can be somewhat more positive during the next twelve months that we will start to see the green shoots of exciting developments springing from what has the potential to be a revolutionary service for how we absorb the latest offerings from independent developers. In the meantime, the question remains – what’s the hold up?

EPIC FANTASY REBORN The next chapter in the highly anticipated Elder Scrolls saga arrives from the makers of the 2006 and 2008 Games of the Year, Bethesda Game Studios. Skyrim reimagines and revolutionizes the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose.

What We Think:

You may be wondering why a site called Indie Game Reviewer is covering The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – a massive AAA title from a well established company like Bethesda that will sell millions of copies. Let me explain:

Way back when Oblivion was named game of the year and there was all sorts of hubbub around Bethesda’s upcoming post-apocalyptic FPS “Fallout 3″, I jumped into the fecund Elder Scrolls modding community and downloaded everything I could to see how far I could push the engine and make the game look and play as good as it possibly could on my souped up PC, often to the chagrin of my gf who would load her last save to discover that things weren’t quite the same as the last time she had left it.

Just like DOOM evolved into a better, more imaginative and multiplayer game through its transparent code sharing and custom mod user base – (and arguably established the foundation for the biggest games on the market today) the Elder Scrolls community rose up to the challenge and made a good thing better, investing their own blood, sweat and tears to improve an exciting concept to its ultimate potential. And perhaps the contribution from these indie devs deserves as much credit for the astounding result that is Skyrim as the 150+ employees who lovingly built this exemplary title. (In other words – WordPress is incredible, but it can not be attributed to the mind of one man – its success and ubiquity are a tribute to its community).

As an aside, I do not wish in the very slightest to take away from the work done by the Bethesda team. The care and passion they have poured into their work should be commended at every level and they deserve all the accolades they are due. Having said that, let’s press on:

In Oblivion mod-land, independently created mods (that now number in the hundreds, if not thousands) included everything from better flora wherein harvested plants would actually remove the blossoms so that you’d know you had already picked them (Realistic Flora and Harvest[Flora] mods), to enhanced night skies, city beautification, weather, AI hacks that altered the aggro range for guards and dozens more.

Skyrim seems to have included all of these mods and much more. In fact, even on the now venerable XBOX 360 platform it looks like the dream-modded version of all its predecessors.

From the very first frame, Skyrim thrusts you into an incredibly well-shot movie experience that guides you along its rails through character creation, gameplay tutorials and plot without ever breaking stride.

My first play session lasted 12 straight hours, and a lot of that time involved me staring at the screen, mouth agape, in total wonder at what I was seeing. I often found myself just gazing at the scenery (thanks are in order to Natural Environments and Qarl’s Texture Pack mods for raising the bar). I even got busted by my girlfriend for taking pictures of the screen with my point and shoot camera. In response to her quizzical stare, I scrolled back a couple of pics on the camera and showed her some of her snaps from her recent trip to Lake Tahoe. The images were almost interchangeable. It looks that good.

Much of this is due to the implementation of Bethesda’s new Creation Engine that includes dynamic lighting, depth of field, allows shadows to be cast by any object in the game, and even weight on the branches of trees in tandem with the Havok Behavior Toolset[1]. Whereas in previous iterations Elder Scrolls displayed snow as a texture map, with the Creation Engine, snow falls and weighs upon the world dynamically. Water looks real. Mist forms and burns off the mountain peaks. Flocks of birds fly by at random intervals, appearing to dart and wheel with the winds that you can almost feel whipping through the valleys between mountain crags.

But it isn’t just about looks; in fact the gameplay is so much more seamless – from the way that you have conversations (gone are the default clunky subtitles that used to render the recorded speech both redundant and bothersome and force an NPC closeup – in fact now the third-person view is a full-featured play experience unto itself – special thanks to the Third Person Crosshair mod for showing the way) to the fluidity of the HUD (kudos to BTmod for showing, not telling how to do it), the streamlined approach to crafting your own wares (from alchemy to smithing which are now not only intuitive but totally enjoyable), to the questing to-do list. Add to which, and this is really no aside, Skyrim features what the devs call the Radiant Quest System – procedurally generated quests based on your progression and choices in the game that essentially means you will never run out of things to do.

Everything is improved in this paradigm-shifter, and at long last the Elder Scrolls franchise feels not so much like a massive experimental RPG as it does a legitimately engaging, cinematic gaming experience for the times.

There are too many improvements to list, but I must address a few more, since Bethesda deserves huge props for listening to its audience as well as it has. Riding a horse is now a much easier and pleasurable experience, in spite of the many hilarious physics-defying screenshots that have emerged of mounted riders scaling cliffsides at 75 degree angles.

This pic is the copyright of whomever created it. If that's you let me know. It has since gone viral.

Managing one’s inventory is no longer a case study in frustration. Level-synced items are a thing of the past, which truly makes this an open-world experience. (This was modded in Oblivion by Francesco’s leveled creatures/items mod).

The leveling up process is not only simplified, but a thing of beauty – a dedicated and gorgeous astrologically-themed interface that actually makes sense; I always dreaded leveling up in previous chapters of the franchise because not only was I overwhelmed with options, but rarely did I really sense an impact in the decisions I was making. This is no longer a problem. Now you are presented with three options at each level – Magicka, Health or Stamina as a base bonus, and subsequently a perk (certainly derived from Fallout 3 etc) along a talent tree. The elegance is in the presentation, and in this case, the graphical treatment makes all the difference.

Interestingly, a spell that is above your level can still be learned, but Bethesda elegantly manages this by simple virtue of the fact that you won’t yet have enough Magicka stores to cast it.

Another side-effect of this open-level world, in spite of the Radiant Quest System mentioned above, is that you will sometimes find yourself grinding away at local wildlife when seemingly every quest progression knocks you flat on your ass. I found this to be the case around levels 10 through 12 for example. But not to worry, there are over 350 “places” (that include dungeons, caves, open-area situations and otherwise) already built into the world for you to work it out.

Le Sound

In 2010, indie FPS Amnesia demonstrated the power of good sound design by scaring the wits out of players with little more than cleverly placed stereo cues. In Skyrim, the same effect can be found with a highly dynamic sound palette that whispers and booms, giving critical spatial auditory cues about the landscape and its threats.

Verbal performances are top notch, employing naturalistic, casual albeit emotional exchanges with literally every character onscreen. This may be due, in no small part to the extraordinary talent pool assembled for this outing. Central characters are voiced by the likes of Christopher Plummer, Max Von Sydow, Michael Hogan, Joan Allen and even everyone’s favorite Wonder Woman – Lynda Carter. In all there are over 60,000 lines of recorded dialogue. Um, holy s$%#! That means that there are also more than one actor for each of the races – in other words no more Craig Sechler as “all the elves”. In fact the voice production was so rich, that even voicers for NPC’s like “common woman” had much to say. Read actress Ellen Dubin‘s interview about working on some of the “background” characters.

The music in Skyrim, composed by Jeremy Soule is utterly sublime – fully orchestrated 20th century compositions featuring a 30 person choir that always seem perfectly suited for any given setting. Again, I often found myself just daydreaming in a dark corner of some random dungeon just so I could hear the music play through. When the music wasn’t preparing me for calamities of epic proportions, it afforded Brian Eno-esque contemplations to back the indelible oil-painting-grade panoramas of flowing waterfalls bursting through diffused sunlight poking through symbolically shaped rents in the granite domes beneath which I prepared my equipment for the next confrontation.

SkyGripes

The only thing I wish Bethesda had implemented from its recent Fallout titles is the V.A.T.S. system. I may catch some heat for this, perhaps because it might make the role-players feel the game is less naturalistic, or immersive or something, but swinging weapons at wolves in the hinterlands can still feel like a rather sloppy affair. Sometimes you simply can’t see what you are swinging at, or you are able to strike an enemy that appears to be ten feet away. In either case, I have become so accustomed to using V.A.T.S. to deal with combat that this felt like a sore omission in favor of the purists. If you can use V.A.T.S. on a mutant mole rat in Fallout Vegas, why not on a hinterland bear or Sabretooth?

An example of V.A.T.S. - from the Bethesda blog.

Also, there is still the occasional, if not frequent annoyance with NPC pathfinding where I would often be in mid conversation with an NPC as they are fidgeting to get through a portal to another zone, and a pile-up of escaping NPCs would ensue leading to a mess of arms, legs and faces piling up behind my chatty informant.

Similarly, there were often verbal cues that would repeat to annoyance, as if I was being pushed to clear out of an area. Examples that come to mind are in Helgen when you are told to search the chests for a weapon (which gets repeated on a 2 second loop), or the Jarl of Whiterun’s son who kept telling me I should leave to the point that I was tempted to knock his head off with my two-handed warhammer just to get him to shut up, but in spite of the lack of a moral thermometer, I just didn’t feel like sabotaging my faction standing with the Imperials. Fortunately, children can not be harmed in the game, regardless of how you feel about them, a carry-over from the laws of previous games, which I agree with.[2]

I also wish the devs had implemented fast travel from interiors as was demonstrated by the Fast Travel From Interiors mod: not sure if this is a “law of the universe” decision or a technical one, but in the game play, it just feels like an unneeded time suck.

Finally, with the initial launch there are bugs that still need be worked out. Bethesda is already working on a patch for XBOX 360 gamers to correct graphical issues that arise when playing from a version of the game that has been installed to the hard drive. At this time they recommend only playing from the disc (which is a bit of a buzzkill since those load times between zones can eat up a lot of your already-shortened daylight hours). Also, there were a few funny instances where trying to select the Magic screen froze the game solid and we had to restart the console. It may have been a corrupted save/zone, but we were able to recreate the problem six or seven times and had to revert to an earlier save. (This happened during the Golden Dragon Claw quest). But I am quite sure these will get resolved in the next patch.

One more for the road...

Oh and there are no glitches that I have found thus far in hunting dragons. In fact, the experience of doing so is truly awesome. I don’t know how they did it, but they got it right.

How Can It Be Wrong When It Feels So Right?

You won’t need my small voice in the chorus of opera singers to tell you that Skyrim is an absolute masterwork in gaming. But I’ll say it anyway. This is as good as it gets. You can not ask for a more engaging, astounding, entertaining, cinematic (yes I’m looking at you Carmack) experience for the PC or gaming console anywhere else in the market today. I felt it was important to give proper respects to the indie devs that also helped make it that way.

And behold, the top ten lists on Skyrim mods have already begun!

1, 2: As noted in the Wikipedia entry for the game found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_V:_Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls Mod Resources

TESNexus

Planet Elder Scrolls

Learn More About Skyrim

Get Skyrim on Steam

Get Skyrim for XBOX 360

Visit the Official Skyrim Site

Rating: ★★★★★ 

An expressive game allows you to dive into someone else’s life in order to explore his or her psychological / cultural / social problems. You can experience his or her ethical / moral dilemmas and face the consequences that occur of such situations.

Keys of a gamespace is part of this approach towards video games, linked to the research of Sébastien Genvo on the expressive potential of game design. Just like cinema or comics, we think that video games in general are not a minor medium of expression. They can also deal with heavy or complex topics.

What We Think

Keys of a Gamespace offers a stab into a rare genre of gaming – of theory and psychology. It aims at encouraging gamers view video games as an artistic medium that reflects the concerns and issues of current society. However, this attempt remains to be a stab in the dark. Both the game’s fictional content and game mechanics do not inspire conversation about the gaming experience and its connection to our everyday experiences and philosophies. Instead, it risks alienating the very people who are willing to see video games as thought-provoking.

The best narrative games have, as an expressive medium, delivered visceral and emotional experiences. This can be constructed through a marriage of expository or gradual narrative and well-paced game mechanics that follow from a reasonable expectation of the logic of the game. The narrative does not need to be full of complex loops and intrigue; A fragment of a walk-in-a-life or an elemental conflict-resolution set-up can be just as effective. However, it has to express some kind of narrativization that works in tandem with the goals of the game. In practical terms, the puzzles just have to make sense in how they are solved. For Keys of a Gamespace, its goal is to engage the gamer in reflecting upon difficult social choices through Adventure Game conventions.

We are introduced to Sébastien, who is being scolded roundly by his girlfriend about his indifference in having a baby with her, when all he wants to do is play video games. The domestic confrontation is rather one-sided, as Sébastien’s mostly obscured by his large computer monitor. The girlfriend gives Sébastien the ultimatum that he must get his act together or she will leave him, which prompts Sébastien’s imagining of his psychological space and starts into the heart of the game. Sébastien’s psychic space is comprised of doors into key years and memories of his life. These scenes from childhood to adulthood have a dreamy, painterly aesthetic to them, clearly reinterpreted through poetry, games, and art. At the end of this summary reflection, we are asked to make a decision on how Sébastien can find closure to his phantoms.

A small bit of explication is needed here: Keys deals with the difficult themes of abuse and neglect. Because of this, I want to look extra diligently at the forms of representation and identities in this game. Even as I am aware that the developer from the University of Metz is primarily engaged in semiotics and media studies research, I aim to examine the game as the core of my review rather than the motivations of the team that made it, because I can only half-guess at what that might be (French language barrier notwithstanding).

First of all, it is stated on the website that Keys clearly has didactic aims. However, it shies away from presenting them as such and leaves it as an afterthought – literally, until the last frame of the game as a block of text. This brevity is particularly discouraging, and makes it appear as though it had no particular hopes for keeping the audience’s attention if its loaded philosophical aims were more evenly distributed to move the game forward.

Its cookie-cutter melodrama also falls from this attitude of brevity. For something with such mature subject matter, we are being treated to bite-sized presentations that are no more elucidating than a gossip column. We are given an opportunity to take choices in the game, but I can’t help but think that the whole game interaction leading up to it only highlights the protagonist’s blindness and lack of observation.

Indeed, the game seems to suggest that it celebrates free choice, just as my own gameplay experience seem to suggest its opposite. My very choice feels not so much like it is bounded by sociological interpretation as it feels like I am merely inputting suggestions into an internet personality quiz. The dialogue writing (and perhaps its English translation) lends itself to this looseness – it is neither intimate not expository in a distinctly biopic tone, but is remarkably forgettable for its inanity.

For a game that presents itself as self-aware and expressive, I stepped into the game with high expectations of restrained storytelling and self-reflexive emotional scenarios. Unfortunately, the game appears to tell, more than show. Moreover, it is hindered by stock characters and a melodramatic narrative and mode of exposition. For example, Sébastien’s mother remains unconscious for the entirety of the game, with the exception of uttering how horrible everything is in her life. This kind of unreasonable stagnation does not give us any further insight into her impact on Sébastien’s life. Instead, she is only rendered as a mouthpiece for one particular instance, but is presented with no will of her own. This lack of character development is repeated amongst other characters, particularly women. The lack of care in presenting these characters makes it difficult for me to take the game seriously as a mode for exploring ethics.

More simply, the game just doesn’t try to make any of characters familiar to the gamer, including Sébastien himself. Considering that we’re in Sébastien’s psychic space, one would imagine that Sébastien may fixate on unruly, unusual, and otherwise repressed things. What we end up having is very little observation, or self-recollection. We actually come to understand or interpret very little of Sébastien himself. We are also never implicated into the question of how reliable Sébastien is as a narrator – whether the entirety of the game is a little lie that the protagonist has told himself (After all, why would he even explore his own past for this female partner whom he barely cared to characterize in his own psyche?) Certainly it can be read as much, if we ignore all of the commentary that has been written on the game by its creators. However, this interpretation exists because there is an absence of character development, not because of it.

This is compounded with poor game mechanics design in conjunction with its highly respectable didactic aims. The ambling animations of a third-person adventure game may be more suited towards a biopic than as a representation of a character’s psychic space. The slot A-in-B puzzles also feel like a guessing game because of the abstract nature of dreams and memories. Additionally, characters’ words have no rhyme or reason in terms where they are written on the screen, adding to the game’s rough edges.

In contrast to the weakness in the game mechanics, the musical score and sounds are atmospheric. The score very ably combined silences, sound effects, and music to great affect. The handcrafted, watercolour illustration style also appeal to the fantastic and unpredictable representation of the psyche.

To put it simply, Keys is a game that is highly necessary and needs to exist, because it fills that near-absence of titles in the theory-based game genre. However, the limited scope of its content, presentation, and design interactivity undermines the very goals that it sets out to achieve: to enable a thorough and deep exploration of ethical and social contradictions of our times. Instead, its haphazard storytelling, presentation, and game mechanics make it campy rather than serious.

Download Keys of a Gamespace for PC, free from Expressive Games

Rating: ★★☆☆☆