Castle Crashers is a 2D side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008, via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released in North America on August 31, 2010, and November 3, 2010, in Europe via the PlayStation Network. A Microsoft Windows version, exclusive to Steam, was released on September 26, 2012. The game is set in a fictional medieval universe in which a dark wizard steals a mystical crystal and captures four princesses. Four knights are charged by the king to rescue the princesses, recover the crystal, and bring the wizard to justice. The game includes music created by members of Newgrounds.
Braid is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Number None and considered an indie title. The game was originally released in August 2008 for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. Ports were developed and released for Microsoft Windows in April 2009, Mac OS X in May 2009, PlayStation 3 in November 2009, and Linux in December 2010. Jonathan Blow designed the game as a personal critique of contemporary trends in video game development. He self-funded the three-year project, working with webcomic artist David Hellman to develop the artwork. An anniversary version is planned for release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Mac, and Linux with updated graphics and developer commentary.
Fez is a 2012 indie puzzle-platform game developed by Polytron Corporation and published by Trapdoor. The player-character Gomez receives a fez that reveals his two-dimensional (2D) world to be one of four sides of a three-dimensional (3D) world. The player rotates between these four 2D views to realign platforms and solve puzzles. The objective is to collect cubes and cube fragments to restore order to the universe.
Aether is a video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel and published by Armor Games, released on September 3, 2008. Players control a lonely boy and an octopus-like monster that the boy encounters, solving puzzles on different planets to restore them from monochrome to color. The pair travel through space by swinging on clouds and asteroids with the monster's elongated tongue, searching other planets for life to which the boy can relate. It is also a part of The Basement Collection.
Trine is a side-scrolling, action platform-puzzle video game developed by Frozenbyte and published by Nobilis. The game was originally released for Microsoft Windows in 2009, and has since been ported to Linux, OS X, and game consoles. The game takes place in a medieval fantasy setting and allows players to take control of three separate characters who can battle enemies and solve environmental puzzles.
Super Meat Boy is a 2010 platform game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes under the collective name of "Team Meat". It was self-published as the successor to Meat Boy, a 2008 Flash game designed by McMillen and Jonathan McEntee. In the game, the player controls Meat Boy, a red, cube-shaped character, as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the game's antagonist Dr. Fetus. The gameplay is characterized by fine control and split-second timing, as the player runs and jumps through over 300 hazardous levels while avoiding obstacles. The game also supports the creation of player-created levels. Super Meat Boy was first released on the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in October 2010, and was later ported to Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch. A Wii version was in development but was ultimately cancelled.
Machinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on 16 October 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, on 8 September 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store, on 21 November 2011 for BlackBerry PlayBook, on 10 May 2012 for Android, on 6 September 2012 on PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network in Europe, on 9 October 2012 in North America and on 18 October 2012 in Asia, and was also released for PlayStation Vita on 26 March 2013 in North America, on 1 May 2013 in Europe and on 7 May 2013 in Asia. Demos for Windows, Mac and Linux were made available on 30 September 2009. A future release for the Wii's WiiWare service was cancelled as of November 2011 due to WiiWare's 40MB limit.
Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game developed by independent studio Playdead and originally published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game was released in July 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade, and has since been ported by Playdead to several other systems, including the PlayStation 3, Linux and Microsoft Windows. Limbo is a 2D side-scroller, incorporating a physics system that governs environmental objects and the player character. The player guides an unnamed boy through dangerous environments and traps as he searches for his sister. The developer built the game's puzzles expecting the player to fail before finding the correct solution. Playdead called the style of play "trial and death", and used gruesome imagery for the boy's deaths to steer the player from unworkable solutions.
Trine 2 is a side-scrolling, puzzle-platform game developed by Frozenbyte. It is the sequel to Trine and was released on Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in December 2011, and later for Linux in March 2012. Trine 2 allows three players to play the iconic roles of a wizard, a thief, and a knight in a simultaneous cooperative mode. A Director's Cut edition was released via the Wii U's eShop on the console's launch day in all regions except Australia and Japan. The game was also released as a launch title for the PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe in 2013. On February 13, 2019, it was announced that a port to the Nintendo Switch would be released on February 18, 2019.
Outland is a platform game developed by Housemarque and published by Ubisoft. The game combines two-dimensional platforming with a polarity system similar to Treasure's Ikaruga and Silhouette Mirage. Outland was released on April 27, 2011 for Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 version, which was supposed to be released the day before, was delayed because of the 2011 PlayStation Network outage then later released in June 2011. A Microsoft Windows version was released on September 29, 2014, followed by the Mac OS X version on December 21 of the same year, and the Linux version on February 25, 2015. The game was removed from sale on Steam and the Humble Store in December 2018 but has since been added back to Steam.
SpaceChem is an indie puzzle game developed by Zachtronics Industries, based on principles of automation and chemical bonding. In the game, the player is tasked to produce one or more specific chemical molecules via an assembly line by programming two remote manipulators that interact with atoms and molecules through a visual programming language. SpaceChem was the developer's first foray into a commercial title after a number of free Flash-based browser games that feature similar puzzle-based assembly problems.
Papo & Yo is a fantasy adventure video game, released on August 14, 2012 on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network and since April 18, 2013 on Microsoft Windows through Steam. It was released on January 7, 2014 on OS X and Linux through the Humble Indie Bundle X, and on July 1, 2015 via Steam. The game involves a young Brazilian boy Quico who, while hiding from his abusive, alcoholic father, finds himself taken to a dream-like favela, and meeting a normally docile creature, Monster. The player, as Quico, can interact with Monster and manipulate the buildings of the favela in unique ways, such as by stacking individual shacks on each other, to complete puzzles and progress in the game. Papo & Yo was designed by Vander Caballero, who created the story based on his own past in dealing with an abusive, alcoholic father.
Quantum Conundrum is a puzzle-platform game developed by Airtight Games and published by Square Enix. It was directed by Portal lead designer Kim Swift. The game was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam in June 2012, and for PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network, and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in July 2012.
Rochard is a science fiction platform game available for the PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Network, for Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X through the Steam online distribution platform, and for Linux as part of the Humble Indie Bundle 6. Developed by Recoil Games, the game revolves around the manipulation of gravity and the use of a gravity device used to easily move heavy objects around.
Canabalt is a one-button endless runner designed by Adam Saltsman for the Experimental Gameplay Project in 2009. The 2D side-scrolling video game was originally written for Adobe Flash, then ported to iOS, Android, PlayStation Portable, and Ouya. An authorized version for the Commodore 64 was released on cartridge. Canabalt has been credited with popularizing the endless runner subgenre.
Stealth Bastard: Tactical Espionage Arsehole is a 2D platform video game developed by Curve Studios and published by Curve Digital. Its mechanics revolve around stealth, and the gameplay has been likened to that of Metal Gear Solid and Super Meat Boy. The player controls a goggle-wearing clone who must make his way through a testing facility filled with hazards and robot sentries by staying in the shadows, risking instant death if he is spotted by an enemy. The game was released on 4 November 2011 as Stealth Bastard as a free download for Microsoft Windows. An expanded version, Stealth Bastard Deluxe, was released for Windows via Steam the following November. It subsequently became available for OS X and Linux in April 2013 along with The Teleporter Chambers downloadable content released the previous month. In June 2013, it was released for Android as part of the Humble Bundle with Android 6, including DRM-free versions for Windows, Mac OS and Linux and its soundtrack. Versions for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita were also released in July 2013 under the name Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark. Curve have also announced plans to release the game for iPad and iPhone. In February 2014 a PlayStation 4 version of the game titled the Ultimate Edition was announced. It contains two DLC expansions The Teleporter Chambers and The Lost Clones and was released in March 2014. On 1 May 2014, a sequel, Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones, was announced for the Wii U. It was released on 30 October 2014. The Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One version was also announced. The sequel, Stealth Inc. 2, was released in April 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
The Swapper is a puzzle-platform game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux from Facepalm Games, an independent developer in Helsinki, Finland. Curve Studios later ported the game to PlayStation and Nintendo platforms in 2014. A science fiction-themed title, the player controls a female scavenger stranded aboard an abandoned research station, and discovers a strange device that allows her to create clones of herself and switch her consciousness between these clones. The player uses this ability to solve various puzzles and learn about the fate of the station's researchers. The Swapper was released on May 30, 2013 to critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the game's visual style and atmosphere, the quality of the puzzles, and the game's ability to innovate on already well-established game mechanics.
Greg Wohlwend is an American independent video game developer and artist whose games include Threes! and Ridiculous Fishing. He originally formed Intuition Games with Iowa State University classmate Mike Boxleiter in 2007 where they worked on Dinowaurs and other small Adobe Flash games. Trained as an artist, Wohlwend worked mainly on the visual assets. As Mikengreg, they released Solipskier, whose success let the two take a more experimental approach with Gasketball, which did not fare as well. At the same time, Wohlwend collaborated with Asher Vollmer to make Puzzlejuice, and with Adam Saltsman to make Hundreds based on Wohlwend's first game design. He later released Threes! with Vollmer in 2014 to critical acclaim. His later games TouchTone and TumbleSeed were also the products of collaborations. Wohlwend was named among Forbes' 2014 "30 under 30" in the games industry.
The End Is Nigh is a platform action-adventure video game developed by Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel. It was released on July 12, 2017 on Microsoft Windows via Steam. Ports of the game were released on August 15, 2017, on macOS, December 12, 2017, for Linux and Nintendo Switch and on April 30, 2019, for PlayStation 4. The game has been described as a spiritual successor to McMillen's Super Meat Boy.
Cocoon is a 2023 puzzle game developed by Geometric Interactive and published by Annapurna Interactive. The player controls a beetle that can hop between worlds, solving puzzles to unravel the universe's mysteries. The game was released on September 29, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
