An interesting tower defense game, Circuit Defender manages to mix simple graphics and gameplay into a very beautiful whole. The basis of the game is much like any other tower defense game. You must build towers to kill enemies along a path, and you have a set amount of lives that can be depleted before you die. There are a variety of towers to build, from the base tower that is average in all respects, to the tower that deals lots of splash damage but attacks really slow, to the tower that attacks really fast but does minimal damage. They all make the required appearance.

Where Circuit Defender makes itself interesting is in the combination of upgrading towers and the ability to see things from an on the ground perspective. While playing, you can select any tower and spend points to upgrade a single attribute of that tower. It's not new, but it's used rarely enough and is such a cool concept that it's worth mentioning While the tower is selected, you can also see out of the tower, which shows you which enemy that it is attacking in a first-person perspective. It's not much and doesn't actually affect the gameplay, but it's a neat addition to an already-good tower defense game.

It's not really worth it's own section, but the tower defense game WidgetTD incorporates first-person viewpoint in a more significant way than Circuit Defender. You can take control of the towers and actually guide their attacks. In one case (the default tower), you even have unlimited range while in first-person view! It's a neat concept in an otherwise lackluster tower defense game. Hopefully other games explore it more


There are some games that amaze you through their addictive concepts, and other games that hook you through excellent art design. In Tumbledrop's case, it's both. Made by dock, one of the artists behind the stunning Wii title LostWinds, Tumbledrop puts together a cutesy world made of anthropomorphic geometric shapes only to demand that you tear it all down in the name of solving some excellent physics puzzles. I have to say that this is one of the best usages of personification of an inanimate object ever. It's just so charming to cause these blocks to plummet into each other!

In Tumbledrop, you must bring a pink star from the top of a precarious structure to the ground by removing parts of the structure. However, you can't immediately remove parts one right after the other, changing it into a game about controlled collapses and reading what forces push on each other. The only way to lose is to cause your star to fall into the water, so don't worry about it falling too far. The game features relatively realistic physics for a puzzle game and can be played anywhere. There's plenty of puzzles to play through as well. There are a few bugs here and there, such as sometimes being unable to delete blocks and suddenly winning for no reason at all. They are few and far between, though, and can be fixed by simply restarting the level! How handy.


Talk about expert usage of a druggie subculture! It's not often that you see a game that includes drugs as a part of it that wasn't made by druggies, the government, or gangsters. Rasta Monkey is one of the rare few games that is wildly entertaining while approaching the Rastafarian culture in a charming and unique way. No wonder it was one of the games rated as best in the 2D art and action categories in the competition!

2D art has always been a personal favorite, and the clean lines and bright colors of Rasta Monkey really appeal to me. The gameplay is also solid, featuring simple platforming through use of the arrow keys and the space key. You must swing around and grab onto branches, using your awesome monkey skills to snag some delicious fruit! There are a few levels and each is very well-designed, leading the players to continue on with the game without being too frustrating. The tutorial is also incredibly charming, using Rastafarian slang in conjunction with gameplay mechanics while still being understandable. Delightful!

A quick mention of Feist is definitely deserved. While I couldn't get it working on my Mac, the game has a striking visual style that sets it apart from the rest of the entries; even Tumbledrop and Rasta Monkey can't compete with the stunning art design behind Feist.

For more coverage on indie games and the scene, keep an eye out for Independent Minds at the same bat time, same bat channel. Also check out Freeware Friday and our indie category for some excellent freeware games and indie news, respectively.