Author: by Staff

[Every week, IndieGames.com: The Weblog co-editor Tim W. will be summing up some of the top free-to-download and commercial indie games from the last seven days on his sister 'state of indie' weblog.] This week on 'Best Of Indie Games', we take a look at some of the top independent PC Flash/downloadable titles released over this last week. The goodies in this edition include a physics-based remake of the classic Oregon Trail, a short adventure game from the prolific Ben Chandler, submissions for the Experimental Gameplay Project's art game theme, a one-switch arcade game for the Christmas holidays, and a tactical defence game from the developers of Closure and Fig. 8. Here's the highlights from the last seven days: Game Pick: 'Let's Go Find El Dorado' (Justin Smith, freeware) "Let's Go Find El Dorado is a physics-based remake of Oregon Trail, made by Justin Smith (Enviro-Bear 2000) as an entry for the 16th Ludum Dare competition. Your objective here is to guide the family wagon to the city of El Dorado safely, and to achieve this goal you will have to navigate treacherous mountain range, cross polluted rivers, and brave the dangers of visiting native tribe camps that might assist or impede your journey to the promised land." Game Pick: '!' (Ben Chandler, freeware) "! is a game about !, Robot, and his assignment to finding the missing town monument. Count Can't has stolen it for his own nefarious schemes, and the mayor wants you to get it back before his afternoon golf session is over. Like Ben's other releases, this adventure game is short in length and can be completed in under twenty minutes." Game Pick: 'We The Giants' (Peter Groeneweg, browser) "We The Giants is a 2D platformer which took Peter Groeneweg five days to put together, though most players will probably spend less than ten minutes to reach the end of the game. It is recommended that you stick around for the credits, as anyone who completes the short adventure will receive a small (if unsubstantial) reward for their efforts." Game Pick: 'Earth' (Alexis Andre, freeware) "Earth is a Space Invaders-type shooter with a message, made for the Experimental Gameplay Project's art game theme. Besides playing the game in the conventional way, the developer has included optional methods to complete your mission as well. This experimental project isn't going to appeal to everyone, but it does fits the bill perfectly as an installation in a Space Invaders-themed art exhibition." Game Pick: 'Dracula Cha Cha' (Lobo, freeware) "Dracula Cha Cha is a one-switch game created by Lobo for the year-end festive season, in which you play a cheery vampire who goes on a quest to collect presents and gifts. You have sixty seconds to grab everything and reach the finish flag, and if that's not enough you can also earn extra seconds by picking up mystery gift boxes or scoring combos." Game Pick: 'Tetraform' (Tyler Glaiel and Greg Wohlwend, browser) "You'll need to keep your wits about you if you're going to achieve a decent score in Tetraform, a tactical defence game from the brilliant minds of Tyler Glaiel and Greg Wohlwend. It's your job to protect 'that geometric thing in the middle' by selecting enemy ships and crashing them into each other, while building up your planet with powerups."