Awesomenauts and Frobisher Says highlight this week's Best of Indie Games

This week on "Best Of Indie Games," we take a look at some of the top independent PC Flash/downloadable titles released over this last week. The goodies in this edition include more notable entries from the Ludum Dare 23 competition, a freeware RPG that features a coffee pot as the protagonist, a multiplayer-only game that simulates a spaceship bridge, plus the new online battle arena title from Swords & Soldiers developer Ronimo Games. Here's some recent highlights from IndieGames.com: Game Pick: 'Millinaut' (Shaun Inman, Neven Mrgan and Alex Ogle, browser) "In Ludum Dare entry, Millinaut, you must find a new place for your beloved home planet. You shrink it and use your rocket to travel to a new galaxy, after which you shrink your rocket and carry both on your head." Game Pick: 'Dude, Where's My Planet' (Alexander Batsis, Teo Mathlein and Martin Petrini, browser) "In Ludum Dare entry Dude, Where's My Planet, the mechanics differ from the usual 'use the jump button to launch yourself toward the next planet'. The game has a refreshing art style all of its own and solid physics to boot." Game Pick: 'The Desolate Hope' (Scott Cawthon, freeware) "Scott Games' latest Windows freeware title, The Desolate Hope, isn't great just because of its stunning artwork, its gripping sci-fi story, and its coffee pot protagonist. It also packs a triple punch with three distinct gameplay types, each skillfully woven together." Game Pick: 'Parameters' (Nekogames, browser) "Nekogames' Parameters is all about stat building, with simple controls and addictive gameplay. Players clear areas by clicking on them, and clearing rooms affords experience points that can be distributed to recovery, attack, and defense parameters." Game Pick: 'Discrimination Pong' (and-or, freeware) "Designed by art collective and-or, Discrimination Pong visualizes discrimination and racism through intentional gameplay defects. During each match, the 'not so white-paddle' is made more difficult to see and control as gameplay progresses, while the white paddle receives a variety of unfair advantages." Game Pick: 'The Elves End the Shoemaker' (Nora Shishi, browser) "Remember that bonus stage in Final Fight, where you had to smash up a car before the timer ran down? The concept in Nora Shishi's The Elves End the Shoemaker is similar, except you're an elf beating the leather off a shoe." Game Pick: 'Awesomenauts' (Ronimo Games, commercial indie) "Awesomenauts is a 2D side-scrolling Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) that resembles a cross between Metal Slug and Defense of the Ancients, an unusual albeit potential-filled combination." Game Pick: 'Artemis' (Thom Robertson, commercial indie) "Artemis is a multiplayer-only game that simulates a spaceship bridge by networking several computers together; preferably in the same room. One computer runs the core of the sim and handles its main screen, whereas the others serve as terminals for the normal (yet quite fictional) jobs a bridge officer might do." Game Pick: 'Frobisher Says!' (Honeyslug, commercial indie) "Similar in concept to Nintendo's WarioWare series, Frobisher Says! is a surreal party game in which players must obey ridiculous commands issued by Frobisher, who Honeyslug only describes as a 'strange little man'." Game Pick: 'Floating Cloud God Saves The Pilgrims' (Dakko Dakko, commercial indie) "Underneath Floating Cloud's colorful charm lies a rather strategic shmup. Along with dodging enemy fire and swooping in to collect hearts, bullets must be used conservatively." Game Pick: 'Tripod' (JAk HAk, freeware) "In Tripod, you control a deformed man with three feet. Whilst you are not able to jump, you can use the third foot that sits on top of your head to latch onto ceilings or the bottoms of platforms and pull yourself straight up." Game Pick: 'Dark Scavenger' (Psydra Games, commercial indie) "Dark Scavenger is a brand new RPG-adventure hybrid of the point-and-click variety that is so utterly demented it's bound to make people notice. Players will after all get to team up with three eccentric aliens in a quest to fix their ship, possibly save the world and read a ton of brilliantly odd bits of dialogue." Game Pick: 'Bounce Box' (Andy Wallace, commercial indie) "Bounce Box is a reflex-testing arcade game in which players must keep a collection of orbs from escaping the screen by tapping the edges as they approach. It's a simple premise, but the trippy visuals and the Bubblyfish-composed chiptune soundtrack make it much more engrossing than it would be otherwise."