Officer Alfred

Gaming Genres: Puzzle, Platformer
Story Genres: Science Fiction
Graphical Styles: 2D,  Cartoon, Low Resolution, Minimalist
Platforms: Windows, Browser (early version)
Pricing Model: Free
Developer(s): Arvi Teikari
Publisher(s): Arvi Teikari
Initial Release Date: May 2, 2011
Website(s): Games Page, Official Forum Thread, Ludum Dare
Description:
Three officers meet each other while running from the aftermath of the unknown disaster... They are unable to contact the other workers of the facility, but it's clear that most of them are already gone. They set on to find safety, but in these circumstances even describing what counts as 'safety' can be difficult.

Officer Alfred tells the story of an office worker, whose working pace experiences a catastrophic and mysterious disaster. This last version was made for the IGF 2011l And is a remake of a Ludum Dare #20 game form Spring 1011. It features a pretty interesting gimmick related to freezing time. In a way it could be said to be a 'sequel' to Timerocketxby, a game made by the same developer 3-4 years earlier.

Opinion:
A great, hugely challenging, time freezing puzzle game. IT is almost ridiculous how mind bending some of these puzzles are; Even without going after the optional briefcases you will likely find this a a challenge all the way through.

Images (+):

Related Media (+):

• Trailer
• Timelapse

Hints/Tips/Walkthrough (+):

• Full Playthrough (+ timelapse development)

Indieness: Quintessentially Indie
Play?: Should Play

Distorter

Gaming Genres: Puzzle, Platformer
Story Genres: Science Fiction
Graphical Styles: 3D, Cartoon, Low Resolution, Minimalist
Platforms: Windows
Pricing Model: Free
Developer(s): Satou Souichi
Publisher(s): Satou Souichi
Initial Release Date:
Website(s): Download
Description:
A short Portal-like, that gives you the ability to distort matter.

Opinion:
A decent Portal-like, very short, and without any real interesting puzzles but still interesting.

Images (+):

Related Media (+):

• Trailer

Indieness: Quintessentially Indie
Play?:

Box Life

Gaming Genres: Platformer, Exploration
Story Genres:
Graphical Styles: 3D, Cartoon, Low Resolution, Minimalist
Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X
Pricing Model: Free
Developer(s): Tequibo
Publisher(s): Tequibo
Initial Release Date: April 23, 2012
Website(s): Homepage, Ludum Dare, Twitter (Dev.)
Description:
First person mini-metroidvania with fireballs, jetpack and such. About life in a box. There are secrets to find.

Made for Ludum Dare #23; Theme: "Tiny World".

Opinion:
With extremely minimalistic gameplay, and pretty much everything else, Box Life relies on the simply feeling of exploration and discovery. The world of Box Life is very small and fit entirely in one giant box, filled with platforms, destructible blocks, upgrades, hidden chambers, and secrets. The point of the game is to find a series of secrets, one group that is necessary to win the game and another, harder to find, group that is purely for completionists and people who want to extend the game's length. It is a fantastic, abstract, minimalist exploration game, and well worth playing.

Images (+):

Related Media (+):

• Post Mortem

Hints/Tips/Walkthrough (+):

• Video Walkthrough

Indieness: Quintessentially Indie
Play?: Should Play

Little City

Gaming Genres: Graphic Adventure
Story Genres:
Graphical Styles: 2D, Cartoon, Pixel Art, Minimalist
Platforms: Windows
Pricing Model: Free
Developer(s): dustmyte
Publisher(s): dustmyte
Initial Release Date: April 23, 2012
Website(s): Ludum Dare
Description:
A charming little game where you explore interact with the a city.

Opinion:
Fun and mostly charming. The gameplay is extremely minimalistic but it is the atmosphere that is the core of the experience.

Images (+):

Indieness: Quintessentially Indie
Play?: