Luxuria Superbia - Kinky Flowers

An awkwardly erotic exploration game where you touch flowers, change colours and hear zen sounds.

Like most Tale of Tales games, it is more about the experience than just killing zombies. The feeling is intense and the immersion is powerful.

Play it: http://taleoftales.itch.io/luxuria-superbia?ac=qEFvp5QF

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human - Post-Apocalyptic Fishing

A very retro-style game where you need to find your way in an underwater world.

Make friend with fishes, make bubbles and kill monsters with minimalist weapons in this adventure game with a great atmosphere and stunning pixel-art scenery.

The Kickstarter campaign was successful and the release date is announced for January 2016.

Play It: http://www.whycjwhy.com/theaquaticadventureofthelasthuman.html

Code Combat - Write, Run, Learn and Have Fun!

Today, I'm not going to talk about a game per se. But a serious game that teaches you how to code.

It presents as a real game but when you want to control the character, you need to write some code.

There is auto-completion like in a good IDE (integrated development environment, a software used to write code like a pro!).

Choosing the language could be a tricky part. As it always is. So far, you can choose between Python, JavaScript, Lua, Closure and CoffeeScript. But learning the basics (Python) is enough for you to switch to another language later on, e. g. when you start your own project.

Try It: codecombat.com

5 seconds - Dash and Die

5 seconds is a stupidly simple but highly addictive game.

All you have to do is to take a yellow square from one castle to another. It's a straight line and there are very few obstacles. But for some reason you end up dying a lot and just want to try again and again.

Play It: http://squlabs.itch.io/5-seconds

Survival Turn - Black & White and Wireframes

A two players puzzle game where you flip the world to pass from one level to another.

It's all black and white and objects are only wire-frames. But it gives to the game an incredible sketchy look.
Controls are really retro-style and it makes the game a bit hard at first sight.

Play It: http://neojc.itch.io/survival-turn

© NeoJC

Dolly - Poetry and the spiky thingy!

Dolly is an incredible puzzle/platformer filled with wonderful gameplay ideas, artistic concepts and a moving soundtrack.

The level design is so finely tuned that you will think: "if only more games were like this".

Every new screen is a piece of art and the aesthetic and style are eye-candy treats.

The only bad point for this game is the fact that there is so little information about it or its author. For instance, there is no save game function. So is it intended that way or it is not finished?

Anyway, it's a student project and it's a must-play: http://blakemwood.itch.io/dolly

Future Love Space Machine: RPG with no pants

In this space sexploration RPG, your goal is to find new partners of all kinds and explore new worlds with your pants off. So, adults only!

This game really looks like an AAA title and that's amazing! I never played any sex or erotic simulation game as it always looked so cheesy or crude. Here, you don't have an adventure game dipped into smutty innuendos, misogynistic imagery or some "I want your money!" tricks.
It's about opening up you mind, exploring your inner self and getting graphic about it.

The controls are a bit tricky and the options are limited so far but the road-map is attractive and the atmosphere (vibrant music and surroundings) is already settled.

The available demo version is more of a preview as the latest versions and DLC's are intended for the Patreon supporters.

Play It: http://ripenedpeach.itch.io/future-love-space-machine

© @ripenedpeach

Fish Upon A Star - Find your kids in music

An experimental game about a mother fish looking for her fingerlings. 

Made for the MomJam, this game shows love, atmospheric music and cuteness at their best! It's short and simple but the experience make you go all Aww.

Play It: http://momjam.itch.io/fish-upon-a-star

Adventure Lamp - Put your helmet on

Adventure Lamp is a simple platformer where you defend yourself by throwing your helmet.

It's neat, very clean and extremely addictive. You get the controls with ease as there is almost no learning curve.
It would make a great smartphone game.

Play It: http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=15577

Treeker - Alone with glasses

In this exploration game, you need to find glasses to reveal new aspects of your surroundings. By solving enigmas, you progress in a surreal world.

The universe is gorgeous and the exploration is enjoyable. The level design is clean and the puzzle parts are fun and fit very well with the global atmosphere of the game.
But it's a bit sad not to see any body part of your character. It creates a feeling of emptiness, mixed with solitude. As for the platformers moments, it's tedious to be on a first person camera.

Those choices were obviously made to simplify the development but they tend to arm the playability. It's still a fun game tinted with parts of the greatest hits of the genre.

Play It: http://blubox-soft.itch.io/treeker-the-lost-glasses

Dagdrom - And SPLASH!

An abstract platformer where you throw rainbow colored matter to make your way.

The game is neat and creative. The atmosphere is very present and reinforced by the minimalist music. The beauty of Ludum Dare, and this game is a perfect example, is it shows that making a great game can be that simple.

It was built for Ludum Dare 32 and made it to the third place.

Play It: http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=14669

Cut - Play with shapes and matter

Cut is a short game where you play with the environment in an odd way. You cut in the landscape, extracting shapes that you have to paste to progress.

It's simple but super effective. Sadly, there is no sound but it was built for Ludum Dare 32 and made it to the 85th place.

Play It: http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=3537

Stack Pack - Pushing blocks and head protection

You play a warehouse man pushing boxes to make them disappear and collect bonuses.

The simple and fresh design, the heady music and the smooth gameplay... Stack Pack brings hope to the mobile indie-game world.

Play It: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dmblck.stackpack

WALK TO THE DOOR: PORTAL MEETS WINDOWS 3.1

Do you like your windows stacked, side by side or in cascade?

In this tribute to Bill Gates' Operating Systems, you try to lead your character to the exit by dragging him to the controls.
The level design of Walk To The Door is very smart and reminds you that even a tiny game can be original and fun.

It was made in 48h for Ludum Dare 31.

Play It: http://el-pepi.itch.io/walk-to-the-door

LOONEY RUNNER: SO MUCH FOR YOUR EYES

Destroy what's left of your eyesight and get nauseous in this epileptic platformer.

Obviously infected by the my-indie-game-is-way-too-hard disease, the overall experience is fun until it's not (and it happens quite early).

Play It: overdriven-software.itch.io/looney-runner

© www.overdrivensoftware.com

USS TLANCY: I SEE SEAS OF PINK, TORPEDOES TOO

A great tribute to Tom Clancy, where the main goal is to destroy everything (basically).

You throw all you've got at your enemies on three fronts: air, surface and subsurface. As the music is hammered into your hears, you try to command your cruiser only with the mouse and avoid being sunk.
It's really efficient and cool and will probably make you realize that Luftrausers is just a fancy rip off.

Play It: usstlancy.armelgibson.com

© armelgibson.com

ABSTRACT PIXEL RUN! - UNTIL YOU FALL

An abstract arcade game with randomly generated landscapes.

You can choose the layout color and the presets are very sexy. The design is sharp but charming and the gameplay is excellent. The retro-style music is punchy and creates a great atmosphere around this very addictive game.

Play It: http://www.abstractpixelgames.com/#get-it-free

POWARGRID: THE FIGHT OVER POWER PLANTS

A turn-based strategy game where your adrenaline goes through power lines.

As you place your elements on the grid, it becomes really addictive! The design is simple and clean and the strategy gradually becomes more complex. Which is really nice as I find more and more indie games hard as hell for no reason (except to overcome the lack of content maybe?).
The music seems a little bit weird sometimes and, even though they are funny, the dialogues can be clumsy or too abundant.

It's on its way to get Greenlit so help it here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=95359349

Play It: http://play.powargrid.com

© powargrid.com

PETRICHOR: WHEN RAIN PUTS YOU IN THE MOOD

Petrichor is a rainy-poetic point-and-click with an innovative gameplay based on action buttons.

Soothed by the ambient music and rain sounds, you have to find your way with no written explanations. Running into icons, buttons and puzzles, you progress through the game where your only weapons are your brain and an umbrella.

It's pretty, minimalist but so clever in the mechanics that your curiosity will take you to the end.

Play It: http://sundaemonth.itch.io/petrichor

© sundaemonth.com

DUELYST: PLAY YOUR CARDS, MANAGE YOUR MINIONS

Build a deck of cards and use them to fight on this turn-based duel game.

This is only pre-alpha so you just try the game mechanics, play against yourself for training or try a game against a human (no AI so far). 

But the design is impressive and the gameplay incredibly smooth. The only bad surprise is when pixel-art characters appear. It contrasts strongly with the very polished art and feels like a letdown.

A very promising title to be released for summer 2015.

Play It: duelyst.com

DODGECRAFT: UNDER THE TETRIS BRICKS

A nervous arcade game placed in an Roman arena where you dodge enormous blocks as long as you can (and get the coins too, while you're at it) .

The gamefeel is really good and the production is clever. You race around around the screen trying to survive and your reflexes are put to the test. However, the sepia tones are tedious and quickly become uncomfortable to watch.

Play It: http://soorajsuresh.itch.io/dodgecraft

BULLET SOUL HACKER - ABOUT EMBODIMENT AND SCANLINE

After a scan-lined duotone introduction that you can't skip, you arrive in a free-falling shooter where you have to shoot at other robots to enter their bodies.

The music is great and the design is interesting. But even if the overall experience is fascinating, it definitely needs more work to make the most of its potential. For now, it looks more like a wacky shooter than a philosophical essay. And there are lots of elements that you don't know how to use, which makes the experience confusing.

Play It: http://lightnarcissus.itch.io/bullet-soul-hacker

© lightnarcissus.com