Items25The creator’s order
  1. 1Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)Return of the Obra Dinn (2018) 9.0/10 on IGDBReleased 18 Oct 2018Lucas Pope's shipboard mystery makes a striking visual choice serve a demanding system: inspect frozen deaths, connect identities and record deductions in an insurance book. His design, code, art and music form the core, with a voice cast bringing the crew to life. Start here if you want to see a…0
  2. 2Animal Well (2024)Animal Well (2024) 8.2/10 on IGDBReleased 9 May 2024Billy Basso's intricate cave system rewards curiosity about tools that initially seem ordinary. A bubble or a disc can change how you understand a room, so observation matters as much as reflexes. Basso was the sole core developer, supported by contributors including business partner Dan Adelman…0
  3. 3Balatro (2024)Balatro (2024) 8.6/10 on IGDBReleased 20 Feb 2024LocalThunk builds a remarkably expressive run-based game from poker hands and score multipliers. The pleasure is discovering a scoring engine that feels slightly unreasonable, then deciding whether to risk dismantling it for something stranger. LouisF's music is an important separate contribution.…0
  4. 4Stardew Valley (2016)Stardew Valley (2016) 8.6/10 on IGDBReleased 26 Feb 2016Eric Barone's original 2016 release joins farming, village relationships, fishing and mining into a life whose priorities you can choose. That connection between daily work and attachment to a place is more distinctive than the sheer number of activities. The initial game was his solo creation;…0
  5. 5Undertale (2015)Undertale (2015) 8.6/10 on IGDBReleased 15 Sept 2015Toby Fox makes RPG combat a conversation about how you treat other characters: dodging projectiles and finding alternatives to fighting are part of the storytelling. Its humour and musical callbacks give even small encounters a particular voice. Fox's central creative role sits alongside important…0
  6. 6A Short Hike (2019)A Short Hike (2019) 7.3/10 on IGDBReleased 30 Jul 2019Adam Robinson-Yu gives a tiny island the freedom of a much larger exploration game. Climbing, gliding and chatting with other visitors make a simple trip up a mountain feel open to distraction. Mark Sparling's adaptive music contributes substantially to that easy rhythm. This is the welcoming…0
  7. 7Baba Is You (2019)Baba Is You (2019) 8.1/10 on IGDBReleased 13 Mar 2019Arvi Teikari turns the written rules of a puzzle room into objects you can push around. Changing a sentence changes what walls, flags or even you are allowed to do, so progress often requires questioning an assumption rather than finding a longer sequence of moves. It is a concentrated example of…0
  8. 8Iconoclasts (2018)Iconoclasts (2018) 7.6/10 on IGDBReleased 23 Jan 2018Joakim Sandberg's long-running project combines expressive pixel animation, wrench-based puzzles and boss fights with an unusually troubled story about authority and belief. His work across the core art, programming, music and design gives those parts a recognisable texture. Pick it for a colourful…0
  9. 9Cave Story (2004)Cave Story (2004) 8.4/10 on IGDBReleased 20 Dec 2004Daisuke Amaya, known as Pixel, gives the original 2004 freeware game a compact world of memorable creatures, weapon choices and secrets. Its appeal is how much personality fits into modest sprites and a relatively small adventure. This entry is the original release, rather than Cave Story+ or a…0
  10. 10Spelunky Classic (2008)Spelunky Classic (2008) 8.6/10 on IGDBReleased 21 Dec 2008Derek Yu's original 2008 game makes a small set of consistent interactions produce endlessly awkward situations: a trap, an enemy and your own hurried decision can combine disastrously. George Buzinkai and Jonathan Perry contributed its music. Choose this freeware original to explore the beginnings…0