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Post feature Report RSS Indie of the Year 2014 - Editors Choice

Here's our picks for the best and upcomming indies of 2014.

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Welcome to the Awards for 2014 Indie of the year, we are also announcing the winners of MOTY 2014 Editors Choice & AOTY 2014 Editors Choice.

Indie of the Year

Editors Choice 2014


Cannon Brawl

Interaction Award

"Besiege your friends' sanity in this 2D RTS! Simple gameplay, deep mechanics and unique build options make for a great interactive experience."

Cannon Brawl is a new 2D action strategy game with a lot of depth. It's an exciting blend of real time strategy and destructible terrain. Fight your way through the campaign and then head off into online multiplayer to prove your skill! Read More...

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TRI: Of Friendship and Madness

Creativity Award

"A truly unique puzzle experience with solid game play and an amazing sound track. The overall aesthetic feel of a hand-crafted world is stunning. TRI gets our creative award for giving you control of the core gameplay elements to use in your own creative solutions."

In the world of the Odd Gods players experience a mind-bending first-person adventure like no other as they discover the magical power of the TRI. By creating triangles that can be used to solve puzzles and traverse the landscape, adventurers hunt for mystical totems and master a wide range of abilities such as reflecting light, scaling sheer heights and even defying gravity! Read More...

Epsylon

Community Award

"A Game and Engine project that dates back to 2005 as a Un*x / Windows game engine.
Developed mainly by a one man team, we appreciate this developer's long-standing dedication, engine innovation, and hard work. We look forward to the upcomming engine release."

Epsylon is a game project based on the good old detective stories but taking it a step forward mixing it with an unconventional cast and a new game engine technology. Read More...

DEPTH

Worldly Award

"Depth gets the worldly award for immersion and top-notch representations of underwater worlds. From the depths of an oil refinery to a drowned mine shaft, the atmosphere is delicately crafted, calling on specialty lighting, shaders and draw distances to pull you deep into the game's underwater world."

Depth is a PvP multiplayer game which blends heart pounding tension and visceral action in a dark aquatic world. Playing as either a diver, or a shark, eliminate your enemies using a combination of stealth, cunning, and teamwork. Read More...

Deep Space Settlement

Visuality Award

"DSS showcases impressive effects, carefully crafted, highly detailed ships and stations, as well as smooth-looking gameplay. We are looking forward to experiencing what this visual masterpeice has on offer."

Deep Space Settlement is a real-time strategy game focused on empire building and grand-scale space battle. Read More...

CRAWL

Innovation Award

"A reinvention of couch co-op with a thick and slick aesthetic style, playing with your friends has never felt so good (or bad, depending on whose up for being slain). CRAWL takes our innovation award for keeping things simple, but having the depth to keep everyone on their toes."

Crawl is the local multiplayer dungeon crawler where your friends control the monsters! It’s a bullet-hell beat-em-up meets old-school RPG, in an arcadey party-game for up to 4 players. Read More...

Tabletop Simulator

The Ressie Award

"Just when you thought nothing else could be simulated, Tabletop Simulator comes along and your life will never be the same again. It's a game for making games inside games! Gameception!? Taking everything you love about table top games, packaged inside a highly modifiable sandbox, with the ability to import your own content, you can finally have those Star Wars battles you dreamt of! Tabletop Simulator takes out the Award for pure genius."

Tabletop Simulator is the only simulator where you can let your aggression out by flipping the table! There are no rules to follow: just you, a physics sandbox, and your friends. Make your own games and play how YOU want! Unlimited gaming possibilities! Read More...

Crypt of the NecroDancer

Musicality Award

"Combining music into the core mechanics of your game is a challenge. When done right, you're rewarded with sensory overload. Swap out that epic soundtrack for your own music and the game stays as fresh as your taste in music."

Hardcore dungeon crawling (roguelike) rhythm game. Move to the beat with the game's epic sound track or your own MP3s. Play with keyboard, game pad, or even DDR pad! Read More...

Star Wars: Battlecry

Best Upcoming

"Battlecry might just be the game to look out for in 2015. With the backing of the award-winning First Strike mod team, we are very excited to see what is in store for this ambitious standalone fan project."

Spiritual successor to Star Wars Battlefront 2. Promises authentic gameplay and awesome battles! Read More...

Escapists

Alpha Funding Award

"Hitting deep into its stretch goals, multiplayer support should be on its way! A perfect example of alpha funding done right."

The Escapists is a prison break game that allows the player the 'freedom' to live the life of a prison inmate, ultimately planning and pulling off an escape. Read More...

SpeedRunners

Best Multiplayer

"Quick simple matches filled with intense moments of brilliance as you rocket your hero across maps. Drop and stop the competition at all cost! A brilliant party game or great lunchtime killer."

In a city filled with superheroes, getting to crimes becomes a competition on its own. Fortunately there are enough rockets, bombs, grappling hooks, spikes, and other goodies lying around - to make the competition fun. Read More...

Legend of Grimrock II

Best Singleplayer

"Take everything you loved from the original and improve it. What do you get? A truly great sequel worthy of your time. If you fancy trying something different, a fantastic level editor for creating your own challenges and content is also included."

Legend of Grimrock 2 is a dungeon crawling role playing game with a modern execution but an oldschool heart. Read More...

Editors Choice Best Overall

Final 3 Countdown



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3rd Place CRAWL

By Powerhoof | Released Aug 5, 2014
"The atmosphere created among those playing the game and spectating is fun and frantic. With slick gameplay, CRAWL makes for a great party game with tons of attitude!"

Crawl is the local multiplayer dungeon crawler where your friends control the monsters! It’s a bullet-hell beat-em-up meets old-school RPG, in an arcadey party-game for up to 4 players. Read more...


ContactInsurgency - Defending District

2nd Place Insurgency

New World Interactive | Released Jan 22, 2014
"Insurgency is squad-based perfection. The visceral gritty gunplay is unique and fresh. A warm, welcoming community--along with plenty of custom content and updates--await new and old players alike. A solid, modern shooter with none of the nonsense, we have no reservations in recommending this mod-gone-indie title."

TAKE TO THE STREETS FOR INTENSE CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT, where a team's survival depends upon securing crucial strongholds and destroying enemy supply. The follow-up game to the award-winning Source mod, INSURGENCY is highly competitive and unforgivingly lethal, striking a balance between one-life gameplay and prolonged action. Read more...


1st Place Depth

Depth developers | Released Nov 3, 2014
"Depth blew us out of the water. The unique, asymmetrical gameplay of sharks vs divers creates an amazing atmosphere of tension. Come swim with the fishes as a skilled diver armed with an array of underwater gadgets. Or, if you have the taste for blood, play a shark and hunt your quarry through the depths. With a newly released map editor, Megalodon game mode and additional content on the way, we look forward to seeing what the community can contribute to this already-stellar title."

Depth is a PvP multiplayer game which blends heart pounding tension and visceral action in a dark aquatic world. Playing as either a diver, or a shark, eliminate your enemies using a combination of stealth, cunning, and teamwork. Read more...


We would also like to take this moment to list a few honorable mentions.

Dwelvers - Ether One - Lemma - Five Nights at Freddy's - Eden Star - Terra tech - Black Ice - Gangbeasts

That wraps up the 2014 Editors choice... up next your top upcoming indie games and the grand finale, Player Choice 2014!

Post comment Comments
HenryT77
HenryT77

Hmm... From this list I was playing only of TRI - good game but from some moment became boring. I have to play Legend of Grimrock 2 because first game was awesome. And I am totally not interested in games like Crypt or Crypt of the NecroDancer . But of course it's only my opinion.

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INtense! Staff
INtense!

There are so many amazing indies right now narrowing it down is tough! Interested to hear what everyone's favourites were this year

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HenryT77
HenryT77

If someone will be interested, I can recommend really good games of 2014: Qbeh-1: The Atlas Cube, Bad Dream series, Bunker 16, Shadowgate, Munin, Monochroma, Env. You can check gameplays at my channel.

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mohammadyasir3
mohammadyasir3

storm united!

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Dr.Goupyl
Dr.Goupyl

Personally there's no doubt: my Indie Of The Year is Insurgency.

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RaptorJesusGames
RaptorJesusGames

Meh, I found Insurgency to be generic

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-Zeta-
-Zeta-

Perhaps you've been playing too much CoD that makes you think any FPS out there is generic. Try the game first then speak, if you have than I'm sorry for you not being able to see what a great game it is.

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dunadan101
dunadan101

If by "generic" you mean the setting then yes I concur.

However gameplay wise you couldn't be more wrong... It's nothing like an arcadish shooter such as CoD or BF, nor is it a high skill ceiling competitive game like CSGO. I found the game to be a great squad based tactical shooter, which is something I really miss from the late 90's early 00's era.

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Dead|Wing
Dead|Wing

Totally agree with this.

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TomTodia
TomTodia

Great entries! Congratulations to everyone involved, thanks for making great games.

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Dune_Jumper
Dune_Jumper

Insurgency only got #2? I'm not complaining, that is a really good spot. But I think it deserved #1. Easily my IOTY. Actually I've never even heard of the other games on this list.
Congratulations to all the winners nonetheless!

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priok
priok

don't you think you should play the other games first, before judging them ? I agree that Insurgency is great, but it is not really fair to the others if you've never played them and then rank them

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Dune_Jumper
Dune_Jumper

True.

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Snuffeldjuret
Snuffeldjuret

Congrats Insurgency!

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dinwarszczyk
dinwarszczyk

Nice :)

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rottenhedgehog
rottenhedgehog

We feel so honored! Thank you very much for the Creativity Award! :D Have a nice Christmas everyone and get well into the next year!

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Pixelbombgames
Pixelbombgames

Congrats guys!!

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dunadan101
dunadan101

Congrats on Insurgency, they really did a good job improving on the mod's legacy.

I guess I ought to try that diving game, must be excellent to beat Ins.

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Argyll
Argyll

Yeah, I can't wait to try Depth. Just picked it up on sale... now waiting to get home to my PC and try it. Alex and team have been working on it for a long time so it's nice to see their efforts pay off!

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Jonny_T
Jonny_T

Massive thanks for the Honouable Mention guys!!! :)

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TALON_UK
TALON_UK

Congrats Battlecry! And to everyone else who made the list, well done.

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rocknroll237
rocknroll237

Thanks Talon!

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kimikat
kimikat

What exactly is a "Ressie"? xD Super excited! Thanks :D

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TKAzA Author
TKAzA

Weird, Wonderful / Unique that fits no other category.

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JellyfishGames
JellyfishGames

A great showing! Very glad to see that the talented DSS crew has gotten the recognition they deserve for their beautiful work.

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mrKaizen
mrKaizen

Ehi CONGRATULATIONS to the winners! ^_^

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Guest
Guest

This was such an exciting competition. Grats to the winners, can't wait to play them!

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QuantumForge
QuantumForge

Congratulations! Interesting choices, and Depth sounds like a super fun game!

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JRMFTW
JRMFTW

Huge congratulations to the Devs of Depth! An amazing game that I absolutely love playing.

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