I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like indie developers are trying to innovate much more than big name developers. I suppose that's because big name developers already have established franchises that sell well so there's no need for innovation. They just make games for lowest common denominator (consoles play a huge role here) and still earn loads of money.

On the other hand, indie developers can come up with all sorts of crazy ideas and make them happen, I suppose because they don't have publisher restrictions.

I would like you to post games that you consider to be innovative when it comes to gameplay. They should have some gameplay mechanic that really sets them apart from other games. Some examples:

FTL: Faster Than Light - Very fun, very addictive and very challenging game. I don't remember ever seeing a game that plays quite like it. You have to control your crew and ship systems with the ability to pause whenever you want (and timing is very important too), it's pretty cool.

The Swapper - Unique approach to puzzle platformer, you have the ability to replicate yourself and switch between your clones. It also has great atmosphere, interesting story and makes you think about the whole concept of replicating and killing yourself.

Hotline Miami - Top down perspective is nothing new, but the way this game plays is something else. Very fast paced, very brutal and very unforgiving, it makes you keep coming back for more. Art style and soundtrack are also extremely well done.

Gunpoint - Probably the most innovative of them all, this game is very unique with the ability to rewire whole buildings to your advantage. Too bad it's so short.

The Binding Of Isaac - The same adjectives that I used for FTL apply here as well. It looks very simple at first glance, but it really isn't.

Feel free to post more such games. :)

10 years ago*

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Gunpoint, but that was only innovative with its jumping mechanic,

10 years ago
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srsly? I thought the cross-link was pretty cool and it is pretty much the main highlight of the game. It's also got a nice restart system which I thought was pretty innovative too. I'd say the jumping was the least innovative innovative thing about it.

10 years ago
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eXperience 112 (aka The Experiment).

Adventure game from Lexis Numérique from a few years back. Didn't fair too well in reviews as it's kind of a "boring" game to play (and the voice acting isn't great), but personally I loved the world they created. The mechanic of guiding the main character through the levels via CCTV cameras was picked up recently by Camouflaj for République.

10 years ago
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Don't Starve,
World of Goo.

10 years ago
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+1 for World of Goo.

10 years ago
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Bump

10 years ago
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I don't see what part of the game mechanics in Binding of Isaac was new & innovative. Maybe the story and the artwork was, but definitely not the game mechanics.

10 years ago
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Dwarf Fortress.

10 years ago
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"The critical question is this: do elf bones yield more crossbow bolts than the average number of bolts necessary to kill an elf?"

10 years ago
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Receiver

10 years ago
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YES!

not optimized only two enemies but SO DAMN COOL - I want to see this implemented in other shooters...
if you're not familiar with Receiver:
COD or pretty much any other shooter - reload = push reload button
Receiver - reload = eject clip / put gun down / insert bullets into clip / pick gun up / insert clip / chamber round
depending on which gun - there's a revolver that reload = open cylinder / eject empties / insert bullets / close cylinder / cock hammer

10 years ago
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One Way Heroics - The whole thing about how each turn makes part of the world actually disappear is pretty interesting and a neat mechanic.

Dungeon Hearts - Quite a few innovative mechanics. While it's not the first hybrid of a RPG and puzzle game the fact that your board scrolls and you have to get rid of the enemy tiles before they reach the left side is pretty unique. There's also the level up part where your characters level up based on how quickly you can make matches.

10,000,000 - Adds a unique aspect to the match 3 puzzle game by making it actually matter what sort of matches you make. If you come upon a door, you need to match keys. If you come across a monster you need to match magic or a weapon depending on the type of monster.

Clickr - All the different modes you have. It does a beautiful job of having a ton of stuff to try and accomplish while remaining overall simple to understand.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (whole series) - Turn bonuses and also the magic system. Definitely not unique to have a turn based system like the one they have, but the idea of being able to so highly affect turn order and both you and the enemy have the potential for bonuses is pretty neat. Like you can get a strength boost, a critical hit, a nasty status effect, extra treasure, healing, etc. On top of this, what sort of action you take affects when your character can act again and there are certain skills that are capable of stealing a turn or pushing turns back. It's actually amazing how much depth they added to a simple turn based RPG system with something so simple seeming.

10 years ago
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Jazz Jackrabbit 2 it's one of the most wanted game...good story, good characters and mostly good soundtrack. Do I really have to tell something about gameplay?

10 years ago
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Closed 10 years ago by sublime2k.