Independent Bonanza, First Edition: Featuring Spelunky Mourn and a Cat Planet Cat Cat Planet! Funkatronic!

For those who aren’t typically Indie inclined for probably one of various reasons, and are looking for games to relax with, should certainly look into the genre, and support it more often – and I mean that in the most loving way possible. From more infamous games such as the gorgeous Braid or the wonderful World of Goo, all the way down to little games like my absolutely adored pixel games Dino Run or Spelunky, there are much more than just a handful of games to pick from that might tickle your fancy. So I’m here to share with you some of my favorites, most of which are – what’s that? – free to download!? Well, whaddaya know? Scroll on through, my friends.

Today’s post will be centered around the style of caverns, or at least, y’know, features them a little bit, which was the theme for the 15th competition of Ludum Dare in ’09. The post itself is inspired by the winner and second place of the same competition.

Cave Story (Doukutsu Monogatari)
Tribute Site — Game Download
Now, on the topic of caverns, what would this post be without a little love for one of the best freeware games yet, especially with cave all over the title? Although I’ve yet to get very far in Cave Story myself, it’s terribly adorable, with a mild sense of humor sure to tickle the funny bone… unless you don’t find exploding doors and giant talking toasters to be very funny, of course. A side-scrolling, platforming adventure by Daisuke Amaya, aka “Pixel”, in tribute to the classic Metroidvania games, it’s certainly worth the download for at least the minimalistic and beautiful art style, if not the gameplay and story itself.

Momodora
TIGForums Post — Game Download
Throw a handful of creepy in a pot, add in a dash of Cave Story, and drop in a little girl by the name of Madotsuki, and you’d get none other than Momodora! If you notice closely, it definitely has an air of Cave Story about it, but in itself, it is a much different game about an intensely touching tale of a poor little orphan girl by the name of Isadora. Having been finalized just days ago, and being the spiritual remake of rdein’s former Moonchild, if you don’t feel the urge to play Cave Story itself, at least check out Momodora in all of it’s amazing design.

B E A C O N
GMCForums Post — Game Download
Now, BEACON is exactly what interested me in making this post it’s particular theme. And being the winner of the 15th Ludum Dare, why would I not put this up here, right? If you’re curious, the Ludum Dare is a competition where players must create a game in only 48 hours(!!!!) according to a specific theme(!!!!!!!!) picked by the community just beforehand. And looking at Beacon, how could you not think that it was amazing enough for just 48 hours? The story starts off with you all alone in an empty cave where darkness could swallow you whole, stuck with naught but a glowing light that leads the way, leaving you with nothing more than a hope of finding the exit. I certainly don’t want to spoil, but ChevyRay truly throws you for a loop with this wondrous piece. Being a very, very short game, sitting down for the less than 20 minutes it takes to play it is worthwhile!

Broken Cave Robot
TIGForums Post — Game Download
Pulling 2nd place in the same Ludum Dare that Beacon itself had won, Broken Cave Robot, from the awesome MattMakesGames, is a precious little 8bit piece that pulls at my own heart strings. Just the same as Beacon, you find yourself dropped into a dark, dank cave, all alone – but this time, you’re a robot. A robot that’s quickly losing battery power, at that. With an interesting map feature that lets you record your surroundings, and continues onto the next play, it’ll eventually become way easy to find your way around. Since each play is only 5 minutes long, it’s almost addicting trying to get every upgrade and gem before your timer runs out.

Spelunky
Website — Download Page
Ahh, Spelunky. Very recently did I find this game, and what a joy it has been – despite how terribly annoying it is trying to get through caves without getting my ass whooped! But, with that all said and done, after finally figuring out how most of the little features worked, it probably falls into my top favorite indie games. And I mean that with all my heart. Spelunky is created by Derek Yu under his Mossmouth label, and is the story of a tireless, unnamed hero – Iowa Jack being my favorite name given to him by the fandom! – looking for fame, fortune, and maybe… a little love? You start off with a very small inventory, teaching you to be very careful with the items you use as you find your way through the gold-filled mazes. Undoubtedly, it’s addicting trying to find every little bit of gold you can, but you shouldn’t linger long in your hunt, or else…

Cat Planet
Ludum Dare 16 Entry — Game Download
Cat planet cat planet cat planet– oh, I’m sorry! I dunno what got into me there. Cat Planet was the winning entry for the 16th Ludum Dare, created by chuchino and filled with just the cutest little kitties– ahem. Anyway. A simple enough game where the goal is to collect all the cats and reach the end! Easy enough, right? Although at first it doesn’t seem like it necessarily fits into the theme here, but it kind of does, at least just a little bit. After getting through Cat Village, you’ll find yourself going deeper and deeper into the earth, past the jungle, into the factory, through the lava caves, and, well, it should be up to you to find out! The game is simple in design, a very quick play once you’ve got the hang of the controls, should you not get yourself turned into angel confetti over two hundred times, and is absolutely hilarious. Dude. Dude!!

An Untitled Story
IndieFAQs Entry — Game Download
Now, An Untitled Story is pretty much the furthest from this particular theme, but it has it’s moments. Yet again from the outstanding MattMakesGames, this game is definitely a piece of art. Being a much, much longer game than a few of the others I’ve listed so far, it’s definitely got the storyline to draw you in and make you want to work at it as hard as you can. Although it takes a lot of precision with jumps and attacks, if you’ve got the skill, this is certainly what you’d want to play. I won’t particularly explain what goes on in this one. Why? It’s more of a game you should explore for yourself. Finding every little piece of the puzzle that this story is built around is what it’s all about.

And that’s it for the first ever Independent Bonanza! Hopefully the various selection of games will keep you busy until next post! And trust me when I say it’s so, so hard not to post more than what I have… but I must resist! I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for more awesome games to share with you all next time!

Comments? Opinions? Suggestions? Requests? Don’t be scared to share them all below!