Ludum Dare Games that stood out, #2 (so far!)

Last time, I made a massive list of games that stood out for me so far. Well, with such long live streams and with a lot more games under my belt (92!), I had to make another list. So without further ado, here are games that stood out for me, in no particular order:

(Note: The games I’ve played so far are listed here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RbvfWHMb-vWmYBagjjnfVAMKugG1vgQ41QFQ_Wa4YjE/edit?usp=sharing)

The Adventures of King Pistachio

A super-hard, broken platformer that still made me intensely satisfied after beating it! Man, how long has it been? Welcome to my list of super-hard-games-that-I’m-still-fond-of.

MAN vs TWITCH

Have a Twitch stream? It’s time to play MAN vs TWITCH, a hilarious twin-stick shooter where your chat-mates spawn enemies and hazards for you. It’s unfair, but a good fun nonetheless.

Towards Light

Even though it’s slow and tedious, I just love the how creative this game uses its simple game mechanic: attract dots using a single point-light. The important part is to use the walls to prevent the point-light from spreading at the wrong places.

Screen Ego Aegis

Now this is how you combine two unlikely genres! In Screen Ego Aegis, you use both twin-stick shooter controls and tower defense elements to defend yourself.

Beat+Trak

Another rhythmic music game!? One with hypnotic abstract graphics? Sold! Beat+Trak takes a Simon-says approach to rhythm games, so it’s an interesting contrast to RIZUMUDEKATTO, which is more active.

Coin Toss Simulator 2015

No, I’m pretty serious: I had a lot more fun with a coin toss simulator than you’d think. Instead of determining whether you’re going to get heads or not, this game involves destroying anything fragile in the room. It’s a classic in my book.

Banana TV

Want to be a complete jerk and have full control over the TV’s channels? Banana TV is for you! In this game, you attempt to predict who your audience is going to be using environmental clues, then lay havoc on them by….forcefully making them watch something awful. The caricatures in this game are absolutely hilarious!

Together In Thousands

War is being waged on a single petri dish as your cells multiply and kill off opposing cells. This bizarre simulator involves dropping chemicals to assist your own cells in an attempt to take over an entire colony. Fascinating and mesmerizing, though a little hard to comprehend.

Case #31

For all the missteps this game makes when it comes to combat, its unique paper-cut-out graphics and twisted story makes Case #31 so memorable. There’s something magical when the scene switches over, placing all the props into a new stage for the story to play out.

PhotoBound

It’s no secret that I love puzzle games, and PhotoBound has them in spades. Not only does it carefully teach you how the game mechanics work without instructions, its puzzles are incredibly creative and difficult to boot. I recommend it, 100%.

Snowmän! Factory

A classic tile-based puzzle game with the creepiest snowman ever. In this game, you build snowmans using the limited amount of snow-tiles scattered throughout each level, and it will stump you. Hard. And I love it!

Knock ‘Em Trees

This game gets a mention due to its adorable (and in my opinion, stellar) audio design. Sure, it’s just Katamari Damacy with terrible camera placement, but just listen to the game! It melts my heart (and inflate it 3-times as large; emotions are weird).

Snowman’s Land: SNOVERCHILL

I never expected a MMO for Ludum Dare, let alone a MMO snowboarding game. Yet, here we are. This game deserves a mention for its technical excellence, creating a fun, very polished arcade game where you play against other people to score as many flips as possible. It’s chaotic fun!

Platform 31

It’s hard to make a balanced multiplayer game when you’re on a deadline, but Platform 31 achieves just that. This simple sideways shooter pits two robots against each other. Lots of elements help turn things to your favor, including barriers, power-ups, and controls that can swerve your bullets around said barriers.

Old Game on an Old Screen

Man, this game succeeds in giving me a jump scare. This horribly unfair arcade game does have a few (or one, really) trick up its sleeves that made it more than just a game on an old screen. Play it, find out for yourself what tricks it has for you!

Cheap Peripherals

Bugs are inevitable in nearly all software, especially games. This game is a rare example that takes full advantage of its bugs to create a surprisingly unique experience. Take note: accidents aren’t always failures!

O-Inari Origami

A puzzle game where you fold your way through. Not only is it creative, but it’s one of the few puzzle games that has more than just a few solutions per level. Plus, it stumped me multiple times, and I like that.

Panoptes

Have you ever wanted to play Tetris Attack, Snake, and Pong all at the same time. Neither did I, but apparently this game cared enough to make you go through that torture. A messy game, this game will constantly keep you on the edge of your seat.

1 Screen Hero

Easily the most fun I had this entire Ludum Dare, 1 Screen Hero is challenging, puzzling, full of action, polish, charm, and…oh, it’s just soooooo good! I highly recommend checking out this randomly generated rogue-like Zelda-thon.

Cell #327

This point & click adventure game has voice-acting. And yes, it’s really awesome voice-acting. The puzzles are pretty interesting as well, as with unlocking multiple endings. And, oh gosh, what a bleak story!

Pony Island

Yes, this is yet another joke game, and yet it’s one of the few that really struck me emotionally. It’s such a wonderful experience to play a game that comes out of the left field, and this, well, this was really unexpected. Be prepared for some surprises, because this game is packed with them.

Dabug

Polish. This twin-stick shooter has it, and in spades. Despite its lack of innovation, it’s addicting, feels great to play, and strongly encourages you to best your score. There’s a lot to learn from this game, and I had a lot of fun playing it!

Walk to the door

What an intense puzzle game! Walk to the door involves controlling the window our hero is walking on to direct his movement, and it’s absolutely astonishing how invested you get into the unique puzzle layout the creator laid out for you. A wonderful experience all around, this is a game you don’t want to miss!