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1001 SPIKES (PC, PS4, VITA, WII U, 3DS)

BY 8bits Fanatics  

Masochistic platformer fans rejoice! After a bar mitzvah on the Xbox Live Indie Game marketplace, when it was known as Aban Hawkins & the 1000 Spikes, the remake arrives with one more spike and a host of extras. Control here is tight, and inventive level design makes the experience more engaging than frustrating, although you will be dying over and over and over and turning off your console in disgust more than once or twice. 

Perfect for: Super Meat Boys and Girls, people who wanted to be The Guy, parents who want to preemptively discourage their children from majoring in archaeology

Playtime: The time it takes to break two controllers.

LIFELESS PLANET (PC)

BY STAGE 2 STUDIOS

What would it be like to explore a planet where you are totally alone? A planet where evidence of life surrounds you but around every corner is the stark reminder that you are alone. No, this isn’t the internal monologue to our sad, isolated existence. This is a cool-looking sci-fi exploration game!

Perfect for: Aloof astronauts, ponderers of existential loneliness, old-school sci-fi fans

Playtime: A couple quiet, contemplative hours.

FLOATING POINT (PC, MAC, LINUX)

BY SUSPICIOUS DEVELOPMENTS

The Gunpoint devs are back with Floating Point, a bite-sized, free game where you play as a microdot swinging from platforms. No, not that kind of microdot! Momentum is key as your speck enacts graceful arcs through the air. The game seems to fill in around you. Music and lights and motion cosmically unite to celebrate your success. Okay, maybe it is that kind of microdot.

Perfect for: Physics majors, microscopic monkeys, Gunpoint graduates

Playtime: Short bursts.