Yay

Drooop!! - 80 MS points. Drooop is a real charmer. It's a puzzle game where you play as a cute little ball that twists pieces of the stage to accomplish each level's goal. Some levels will ask you to twist pieces so that they drop off of the stage bringing enemies or specific pieces with them, but then some won't ask you to drop anything at all. The sheer variety of level goals keeps the gameplay from ever growing stale. It doesn't hurt that Drooop's visuals have a great pixel art style and the music reached a near Bubble Bobble level of catchiness.

Colony Defense - 400 MS points. Colony Defense is a tower defense game that puts each battlefield on a globe. It certainly makes the game look very nice, though it's mostly a cosmetic feature and doesn't really factor into gameplay. The controls work very well without the menus that typically clutter the screen of a tower defense game. It's a good thing the controls work so fluidly too, because Colony Defense is probably one of the harder tower defense games that I've played. But some may find it a welcome change from so many that pose little actual challenge, so tower defense veterans looking for a worthy challenge may finally find it here.

Experiment 13 - 80 MS points. Experiment 13 is a follow up to indie platformer Experiment 12, and really manages to improve on the original in every way. Like it's predecessor, or for a more mainstream comparison N+, it's a fast platformer with lots of wall jumping and deathtraps to avoid. In Experiment 13 there is a much welcomed new focus put on gravity shifting mechanics, which leads to some fun, and sometimes frustrating, puzzles across the game's 50 levels.

Mega Monster Mania - 80 MS points. Are you sick of twin-stick shooters? Well how about a twin-stick action RPG? As much as Mega Monster Mania may seem like just another shooter at first glance, the emphasis on melee weapons makes a surprisingly significant change in gameplay style. There is a lot more tension put on every enemy encounter now that every attack puts your character in harm's way. There is also plenty of loot to collect, which can range a wide variety of swords, bows, armor, and items, which you can swap, equip, and sell between each level. With the number of twin-stick games out there it gets harder to keep recommending these types of games, but Mega Monster Mania stands out with its melee combat for a refreshing twist on the genre.

MagicalCube - 400 MS points. I didn't want to like MagicalCube right from the moment the disproportionately busty for her age anime girl showed up on screen in her magical maid outfit and jiggle physics. It's a personal bias, I'll freely admit that, so for the sake of objectivity I carried on past the first menu to actually play the game. And you know what, it's actually pretty good. It's a puzzle game that will have you sliding rows and columns to match three of the same color, which has been done countless times before, but it adds a Puzzle Quest-like battle element to the game. Each color corresponds to a type of magic spell, each of which does different amounts of damage to your opponent. By matching the same colors multiple times you can build up the power of that spell to deal even more damage. The enemy's attacks will be laid out on the puzzle giving you an opportunity to clear them, with the attack going through if you fail to clear them in time. You can also collect money from battles which can be used to buy new outfits and accessories that will give you bonuses in battle. Personally, I can't get past the jiggling preteen, but for those that can there is a solid puzzle game in MagicalCube.

Zombie Armageddon - 240 MS points. Zombie Armageddon combines two popular staples of the indie game channel: zombies and tower defense. The game plays out in cities, with the existing buildings acting as your towers. Unlike other tower defense games though, you must deploy a jeep from your base to actually reach a building and set it up as a tower. This means that there can't be too many enemies along the path to reach your build site, which changes up the strategy from other games where you can build towers any place at any time. The buildings also have different heights meaning that taller buildings will block the aim of shorter ones. I really enjoyed the new strategic possibilities that Zombie Armageddon offered, which were enough to overcome the overly-serious tone of the story's narration.

Ay?

Bush Hunt - 80 MS points. No, it's not dirty and it doesn't involve the former President. Bush Hunt is a action platformer in which you must hunt down animals that have escaped from a zoo and shoot them with tranquilizer darts to tame them. I don't know what kind of zoo this is though, since most zoos don't typically have dragons, wooly mammoths, or giant walking dilophosaurus plants. Though the monkeys and bats make more sense. It's also worth mentioning that more indie games, and even AAA games, could learn a lot from Bush Hunt, which turns the loading screen into a fun minigame. I would have thought it was just a good bonus stage if it didn't have the word "loading" in the top right corner. More games need loading minigames.

GoonyCru Day One - 240 MS points. GoonyCru is a puzzle game where you must blast customers with grenades so they can buy a teddy bear. Or at least I think that's the premise. Anyway, you plant grenades around the level and try to maneuver a little guy to a teddy bear at the end of the level. The little guy has a health bar though, so both the number of times and how close to him the grenade is will shorten his lifespan. I found the grenade blasts a bit difficult to control compared to the similar gameplay of Perlmania, but the health bar adds a fun new challenge to the game.

Convextrix - 80 MS points. Convextrix is a match 3 puzzle game that lets you clear like-colored shapes so long as they are touching in any direction. It might sound much easier if you don't have to make straight lines to clear them, but things get more complicated as the game goes on. Most puzzle games increase the challenge by making the blocks drop faster, but not Convextrix. Instead, when you clear enough blocks to level up the game increases the number of blocks you need to match. By the time you are up to matching 8 and 9 blocks the game becomes a delicate balancing act to keep the blocks from piling up to the top. I really enjoyed this new take on match-3 puzzle games, but the music, wow. After a few minutes with Convextrix it was genuinely painful to listen to. Convextrix is an excellent puzzle game, just make sure you press the mute button before playing.

Zatacka 360 - 80 MS points. Zatacka 360 is a game based on an old DOS game of the same name (minus the 360). It's like a multiplayer version of Snake where each player's trail leaves tiny gaps for other players to try and sneak through. Zatacka 360 updates the game formula with power ups to mess with your opponents. The only downside of Zatacka 360 is that it's a multiplayer only game, with no online support. Not that I think online play would actually suit the game, it's far better to play a game like this with other people in the same room, but it does mean that solo players are out of luck.

Ava the Firefly - 80 MS points. Ava the Firefly is a very relaxing game. You play as either a firefly or butterfly and collect other colored fireflies while avoiding hungry bats. You can change you color, which will either attract or scare away other colored fireflies, but once you touch them they will follow you loyally despite color changes. Once you feel you have collected enough fireflies you can return to a giant glowing light to cash them in for points. Even though there is the threat from enemies, which can be warded off by using a glow button or dashing away, I found the game very relaxing. I highly recommend at least trying Ava the Firefly, it may surprise you.

Nay

Jewelry Master Twinkle Light - 80 MS points.

Spot the Difference - 400 MS points.

Toad Man's Bizzare Quest - 80 MS points.

Puzzle Drop - Mountain Set - 240 MS points.

Ask Angela! - 80 MS points.

Globoid - 80 MS points.

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