1. This War of Mine
I've discussed this game a lot, so I'll just copy my blurb from the GOTY thread:
This War of Mine explored the horrors of war from a perspective not portrayed in the medium till now and delivered one of the most tense, gripping, and bleak experiences I'd played this year. You never see the war ravaging the country where This War of Mine is set, but its effects are ever present. A gutted war-torn city, all pencil-sketched shadows and ruined structures, reeking of desperation and hopelessness, as explosions thunder and flash ceaselessly outside. This War of Mine is not fun. It's grueling. Unrelenting. Oppressive. You're always on the back foot, always just barely eking out a miserable day-by-day existence; even when your group finally is healthy and has a good amount of food stored, there's always the sense that it can't last long. Even when you're equipped with a knife or gun, combat and violence in general feels like a last resort. In This War of Mine, there are only murky grey choices. Your actions matter, not just at that moment when you're desperate enough to kill and steal from people who are just trying to survive, people trying to keep their group alive just like you are, but also over time as guilt and depression erodes your characters' will to endure. Overall, This War of Mine was just one hell of an engrossing, compelling, and atmospheric experience.
2. The Sun & Moon
By now, when I see a game by Daniel Linssen, I know it's going to be something I'm going to enjoy. Between Javel-ein, Roguelight, HopSlide, Birdsong, he just excels at taking a simple idea and crafting a challenging and enjoyable experience around it, and The Sun & Moon is no different. A vibrant platformer, with fluid animations and tight controls, that takes a simple concept - the ability to phase through platforms, reversing gravity while doing so - and delivers a precision speed-runner where you evade spikes and enemies and deftly maneuver through tricky levels
3. Deadnaut
Haven't played this as much as I'd like, but I enjoyed what I have played. Between the immersive console UI, the atmosphere from the text log, and the tactical depth, it's an challenging experience that I plan to sink more time into
4. Fancy Pants Adventures World 4
Fancy Pants was up there with N and Meat Boy as platformers I spent hours with during my high school years, so I hold the series in pretty high regards. World 4 is a great evolution of what made the other games so much fun, with even more subtle and smoother animations, fun combat, expansive levels, and acrobatic platforming
5. SHIFT
My favorite 7DFPS entry this year. It's from the developer of the fantastic twitch reflex game Velocibox so that level of quality is expected. SHIFT is an non-stop barrage of bullets and evasive maneuvers as you dodge projectiles and destroy enemies with your own. Would love to see an expanded version, but the dev said he doesn't have any plans to do so
6. Impulse
A cool arena shooter with a focus on diverse enemies. You only have one weapon, a shockwave blast that repels enemies, and one way to defeat enemies, by blasting them into the deadly walls of the arena. The complexity comes from the various enemies you face, from ones equipped with deadly harpoons that can reel in other enemies if you dodge at the right time, to homing time-bombs, to chargers that rush you when you enter their field of view, to enemies that aren't affected by your blast and must be defeated by manipulating the enemies around them. There's a nice amount of content, between the main levels, boss fights, survival modes, and practice mode.
7. The Awakening
A fun and ambitious RPG. A large sprawling world, with towns and numerous locations to explore. A interesting take on turn based combat, that adds some real time elements and lets you block, counter, and parry enemy attacks. Numerous NPCs to add to your party, each with their own skills and abilities. Definitely worth checking out
