While the judges at IGF have already named their nominees/finalists, we at DIYgamer are still sifting through the list. Last year, we began a countdown to the Independent Games Festival. The way this works is easy: we simply select games at random from the lengthy (306 total) list of IGF submissions and discuss what they’re about and how they play. For this week’s column, I played once through a humorous platformer, You Only Live Once, and actually didn’t play the second title, Shank, but instead enjoyed some eye-popping videos of it.

Before starting this I want to emphasize that this is only meant to give you my impressions and perhaps that extra kick to try out some of the IGF submissions, whether they be these or any of the other 306. I assure you, you will discover that there is something unique about each and every game. And hey, if you’re lucky, some of them are even playable for free! All right, without further ado, here are this week’s picks.

Why is this title so goddamn literal!?

In You Only Live Once, you have one chance to save your girlfriend from an evil lizard. Yup, just one chance. The game is actually extremely similar to Mario and clearly draws certain characteristics from the popular franchise (e.g. girlfriend gets kidnapped by a monster, jumping on enemies’ heads will kill them, etc.). However, you don’t play a plumber; you play as a regular dude. The beginning scenes of You Only Live Once will make you laugh but the game gets even better when you die and attempt to play it again. I refreshed multiple times…it still said I was dead. As a matter of fact, each time I refreshed I would see a different animation. Can you play it again? I’m sure you can find a way but I was fully content with my experience!

The controls of the title work easily: move with the arrows. It works just as any other platformer but it has a distinct home-made style and feel. The title was made by Raitendo. You can visit his official site here. You should stick around and keep pressing “continue” to watch every bit of the story’s unveiling after your death.

Oh, and I just checked…I’m still dead. Maybe you’ll fare better than I did.

When Indie Turns to Beauty

I’m not going to lie: I’m an unforgivably shallow man who judges everything by its looks. Sometimes it pays off, like when I stumbled upon Shank. I haven’t even played this game but knowing it has gone into the final round of IGF reinforces my presumption that this game will blow your face off. Why? It’s an action brawler that looks downright amazing. Klei Entertainment, Inc. has ensured that the game follows its 2D graphic novel inspirations and animates smoothly. When it debuted at PAX 2009, it received total praise and is on its way to becoming an excellent indie hit in 2010. The sad part is I can’t give you much more about this game than the following video…which is pretty badass. So I guess, hey, that’s not as sad as I thought.

Okay…it’s beautiful. How long do I have to wait to play this!?

And that’s another week, dear readers. But it doesn’t end there: do some fishing of your own. Happy Monday!