1 and 1, Tons o’ Fun
The Humble Indie Bundle has done an admirable job in packaging up some of the finest indie games on the market, and their eleventh installment is no exception. The first 6 games have been revealed, and together they make for an eclectic mix with something for everyone.
You know the drill, yes? Pay what you want for some games, but pay above the average and get the whole enchilada. If you still aren’t ready to take the plunge, we’ve got reviews for a bunch of these titles, and they all took top marks.
Game On
Got a handful of change burning a hole in your pocket? You can toss it down and get these four exemplary indie games: (Note: Links are to our reviews)
Guacamelee! Gold Edition
When Juan meets an untimely demise, it seems his efforts to rescue his childhood sweetheart will be for naught. Somehow, he strangely rises from the grave to face the evil forces that have brought peril to his village. Laugh in the face of death and harness the strength of the afterlife as a legendary luchador!
This Metroidvania brawler challenges the player to string together impressive combo chains. Collect bonuses that can be used to purchase new luchador moves. Think you’ve got the ultimate combo of throws, slams and grapples? Check your top results against the online leaderboard. The gold edition will also allow you to create or download custom skins for your otherworldly wrestler.
Dust: An Elysian Tale
A painstakingly hand-drawn animated side scrolling hack n slasher that could have fallen out of a Disney illustrator’s sketchbook, Dust also features a fairly deep character progression/RPG component and lots of really fun combat moves.
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
Twin sisters are torn apart by a rift in reality, forcing one into a parallel reality. If they ever hope to reunite, they’ll have to work together, separately.
Switch between sisters to take advantage of the subtle differences present in the other realm. Each sister also has her own unique ability that will allow her to access areas her sibling can’t.
Giana Sisters earned a spot in our Honorable Mentions for 2012. The visuals are an indulgent feast, and the platforming is intelligent, fast-paced and challenging.
The Swapper
You have been sent to investigate the fate of a colony in deep space that has ceased its communications with Earth. On the surface, you discover an amazing tool that allows the user to make up to four exact duplicates.
As an impressive secondary ability, the technology also grants the user with the ability to transfer his consciousness to any of these clones. Project copies of yourself into otherwise unreachable areas to solve puzzles. If the “real” you is in danger, simply launch your mind into one of your copies. Your original body will disintegrate. With the power to generate a new body, does that even matter?
The ability to constantly make genetic copies of oneself, sacrificing the previous conscious host makes for a disturbing look at the ethical dilemmas that surround human cloning. The stop-motion claymation character models also ramp up the creep factor. Disturbing as it was, it handily found a place on our Top Ten Best Indie Games 2013 list.
Pay More For Way More
The two bonus games are amazing good fun: Pay more than the average, and they can be yours.
Antichamber
Clearly a passion project, Alexander Bruce’s First person puzzler makes poetry of game mechanics, shifting the very means of thinking about puzzles as you counterintuitively push your way through this Through the Looking Glass style ontological journey. Also one of IGR’s top ten of 2013.
Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine
Pac Man, meets Ocean’s Eleven, meets the Keystone Cops. An unlikely combination of the usual suspects? Oh, certainly. It also makes for the ultimate co-op heist game.
The top down view displays the blueprint of your target area, with details of what’s around appearing within your cone of sight. Watch for guards, security cameras and other deterrents. It only takes one to turn your carefully planned crime-of-the-century into a mad dash for cover.
It took a spot in our Best Indie Games of 2013 list, and with all the brilliant frantic action, it’s easy to see why.
6 Tasty Slices of Humble Pie
Time is limited, though additional titles are due to be announced. Even without knowing what’s to come, this is one of Humble Indie’s strongest compilations to date. Get yours, and help indie devs and charities alike.