Introduction

Summer is a traditionally dry period for major game releases; most weeks, we’re lucky to see a single AAA title ship out. Fortunately, the indie game scene doesn’t subscribe to traditional business strategy, almost as a rule. These low-cost, low-budget projects of passion are released in droves throughout the year, and the creators’ willingness to take risks and innovate in their respective genre make them one of the best parts of being a PC gamer. The rise of digital distribution has made it possible for independent developers of all kinds to have their games featured on virtual shelves that are seen by millions of people daily, affording them the exposure and chance at success they never could have dreamed of in the past.

Being a big Steam user, I already owned many of the games featured in the Summer Camp sale. However, through my efforts to complete every daily objective (76 tickets, what up!), I bought a lot of discounted indie games that had been updated with relevant achievements or even new themed content. Beyond the upper tier of indie games that most people already know about, there are several titles that turned out to be really fun. Many are okay or deserve a second look, but others will likely never be played beyond the 5-30 minutes it took me to complete its associated Summer Sale task… After the sale ended last weekend, I got the idea to share my impressions of these dozens of games, in an attempt to shed some light on the variety of indie goodness that is waiting for you out there.

This first part of the Steam Indie Games roundup covers fifteen titles of all shapes and sizes that are available right now on Valve’s digital storefront. Since it’s a Rapid Fire Roundup, each game gets only one paragraph -- I might never get through them all otherwise. There will be several more installments to come, so read on and enjoy!