7. Gunpoint (Tom Francis)
Gunpoint was probably the most talked-about game over in the indie area: developed by games writer Tom Francis, it's a 2D stealth puzzler where you control a spy attempting to break into restricted buildings by seizing control of and rewiring their security systems. I'm not usually a big fan of stealth games at all, but Gunpoint stood out for a couple of reasons: firstly, it had a focus on engineering that became a sort of sub-theme at the convention, with Prison Architect also catering for tech geeks in a big way (more on this later). Secondly, it was enormously fun: whereas I normally find it difficult to engage with stealth games due to a lack of patience, Gunpoint is relatively fast-paced, simple enough to remain fun without losing its challenge, and gleefully violent: the preferred method of taking out guards is to sneak up behind them and punch them repeatedly in the back of the head. Francis has a potential break-out hit on his hands here. Gunpoint will be released soon for Windows, with possible releases for Mac, Linux and iPad to follow.