Best Of Indie Games: The Greatest Dad in the World

[IndieGames.com: The Weblog co-editor Tim W. rounds up the week's top free and commercial indie games from his sister 'state of indie' weblog.] This week on 'Best Of Indie Games', we take a look at some of the top independent PC Flash/downloadable titles released over this last week. The goodies in this edition include a side-scrolling run-a-thon featuring a 'science ninja', a 3D adventure game that sees you controlling an octopus, a dungeon crawler set on a space station, and an arcade platformer in which you play as a young pirate who is ironically afraid of water. Here's the highlights from the last seven days: Game Pick: 'Ray Ardent Science Ninja' (Shane Neville, browser) "Ray Ardent Science Ninja is a side-scrolling run-a-thon featuring a ninja who loves science a bit too much. Each short level has 'X6' set out in lines ready for collection, and your job is to run, slide, jump and pounce your way to the portal at the end. Over time you're granted more moves and extra speed, allowing for extra precision and velocity in your stride." Game Pick: 'Octodad' (DePaul University Student Team, freeware) "Octodad is a 3D adventure game that sees you controlling an octopus who is pretending to be a human. He also has kids and a wife who he needs to keep his secret from. If this sounds pretty crazy, just wait until you see the control scheme." Game Pick: 'Maze of Space' (Petri Purho, Martin Jonasson and Niklas Strom, freeware) "Maze of Space is a dungeon crawler set on a space station, where killing aliens will allow you to grab better gear and level up your character. The game has a rather striking visual style - Petri has attempted to render pixel art to look as if it has been painted onto a wooden surface, and for the most part it works really well." Game Pick: 'Dash and the Stolen Treasure' (Universitat Pompeu Fabra Team, freeware) "In Dash and the Stolen Treasure you play as a famous pirate who - strangely enough - is scared of water. Your treasure has been stolen by a group called the Blind Shark Pirates, and it's your job to run around collecting coins, smashing baddies and getting your valuables back." Game Pick: 'The Machine' (Bumpkin Brothers, commercial indie) "The Machine is a fun little puzzle game in which you build conveyor belts to move coloured blocks around a level and into a dumpster. You've given only a set number of pieces, so it's essential that you place each one down in the correct position."