10 Essential Indie Games Every Gamer Should Play

10. Super Meat Boy (2010)

Back in 2008 designers Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes created a flash game simply entitled Meat Boy and this sequel, originally created for the Xbox 360, would go on to become one of the most critically acclaimed on the Xbox Live Arcade service.

A 2D platformer in the purest sense, players control a living slab of meat as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr. Fetus. As you do. The opening levels introduce the control scheme, which essentially amounts to running and jumping, before the game quickly ramps up the difficulty.

With instant deaths and no mid-level checkpoints this is a game that could easily have become frustrating, but fantastically precise controls and clever level design constantly surprises and delights, making for an incredibly enjoyable challenge.

Very few will be able to complete all of the games 300+ levels, but that’s no reason to miss out on one of the best platformers available today.