I have had the privelege to take part of the Independent Games Festival as a judge this year, and when I saw (the legendary) Tim W of the IndieGames blog post his ten picks for IGF, I thought that I should do the same! And, like Tim pointed out, this wont affect the results since the first round of judging has already been completed, so no worries!

A small disclaimer, though… I did not try ALL of the 300+ games, so I may have missed some really nice ones in there. For example I wasn’t able to test Limbo (as Tim picked for his list), becase I don’t have a 360 controller.

1. Don’t Look Back – IGF Page

I think this game has put a spell on me, but I keep coming back to it and it still brings me a lot of pleasure. It’s very simple and uses only four colors, but still manages to portray an epic story with great precision. I’m looking forward to meet Terry Cavanagh in January (who also happens to be a The Strategist fan)!

You can play Don’t Look Back for free at his site.

2. The Blackwell Convergence – IGF Page

There were surprisingly many adventure games this year, and like Tim said, most of them were really good. This game caught me a little by surprise, because I hadn’t played any of the games in the series (this is the third one). The dialogue was nice and the characters felt refreshing.

3.  Super Meat Boy – IGF Page

I didn’t enjoy the flash version that much, but this is slick. And bloody.

Extra props to Danny B for the music!

4. VVVVVV – IGF Page

Terry Cavanagh’s second appearance on my list! I loved this game, but I found it a little bit too punishing at times. Terry told me he had tried different control settings, and I respect his decision, but god damn you, “The Villi People!”

5. Vessel - IGF Page

I’m not sure if I should love or hate this game, but it has at least made a mark in my memory. A physics puzzle platformer with some nice effects. I think this game could have great potential if they just worked a little more on the artwork and made some of the puzzles less tedious.

6. Broken Brothers – IGF Page

An RTS by Michael Todd. I found this game “by mistake” in the long IGF list and realized that I enjoyed very much (yeah, I’m an RTS sucker). The game is in an early prototype stage so far, though.

8. Tuning – IGF Page

Jonatan Söderströms entry in this year’s IGF. I had the opportunity to have this game presented by Jonatan himself, and I really liked it. He’s a master at adding style with simple elements, and each new level felt fresh and interesting!

/jeb

Hey

During my trip to San Francisco and Game Developer’s Conference, I recorded a bunch of clips and put them on YouTube as a video blog. You can see them all here:

• Day 1 – Travelling to SF
• Day 2 – Visiting Mission and Castro with Erik, Kian, Nils and Bernhard
• Day 3 – First day of Independent Games Summit
• Day 4 – Second day of IGS
• Day 5 – Independent Games Festival pavilion and award ceremony
• Day 6+7 – More from IGF and various parties

/ jeb

The entries list of participants in this year’s Independent Games Festival is now available on their website. They have also posted the list of student showcase entries. We are participating with both Harvest: Massive Encounter and our new project, Agatha Ragata. The competition is tough as always, but one must always be hopeful!

If you are looking for information about Agatha Ragatha, you can look further down this page, or click these links:

• Agatha Ragata story introduction
• Game-play Preview

/jeb

“Whaa?! What’s this? They’re EXPELLING me from the Society?! Who put vegetables in the pot this time? I will SHOW them! Oh yes… putrid peach soup, they will regret this!”

Agatha puts on her cape and prepares for the long journey to Blue Hill, where the witchcraft society’s leaders rule the esteemed organization. For who would believe the worth of her crooked fingernails if she didn’t qualify as a member? No, things must be set right!

With frantic eagerness, she bangs her bony fists on the great castle doors, announcing her arrival,

“Let me in! How dare you lock me out? These walls will not stop ME! I’ll turn stone into tofu if I must!”

From a small window above the ugliest of the witches, the Keeperwitch, points out her wart-ridden nose,

“Oh, we’ve been expecting you, Agatha! Why don’t you fall inside?”

“Fall? Did you’re as stupid as a faun, Keeperwitch! Now unlock the door!”

With a small *tick* the door opens… under Agatha’s feet! She falls down, straight into the Blue Hill’s prisons. The welcome committee is already there – all of the society leaders: Broomwitch, Greenwitch, Fairywitch, Nightwitch, Manwitch, Robowitch, Keeperwitch, Sandwitch and the meanest of them all, Master Witch! They all carry smug smiles on their faces, bringing Agatha to the boiling point!

“There’s no locking ME up! I will turn you all into salted slugs!”

Which is where our story begins…