Arcade

This section gave me the biggest headache as far as categorising was concerned. For an arcade game to find its way here it had to resemble the type of game you would play in an amusement arcade back in the 1980s but, of course, not be a 2D shooter. The game has to have a "twitch" mechanic where instant reactions to events on screen is paramount and it should rarely allow you to sit and enjoy the scenery for any more than a few seconds. A few such as Super House of Dead Ninjas and Super Puzzler Platformer Deluxe straddle the line close to being action platformers while others (not recorded here) like Diamond Dan, Lightfish, Osmos and Waveform introduce puzzle elements that make them more like "action-puzzlers."  Pac-Man Championship is not quite indie but needed to be here while the popular runner, Geometry Dash and rhythm game Crypt of the Necrodancer just missed out.

Here we're looking at games created using the behind-the-shoulder cam to track you as you go hurtling down a track or bound along in tunnel-like fashion without control over speed. The principle is the same: go as far as possible without crashing. Within this framework there is plenty of variety: some restrict you to lanes; some have you on the outside of a tube; some have expansive landscapes and some fire you down a tunnel. The exception is Distance which, although a runner in essence, has you controlling your speed and features time-trials much like a racing game. It did not really fit into any other category. Side-scrolling runners like Bit. Trip Presents..., Color Guardians and Geometry Dash would be classed as Arcade. Boson-X and Cosmophony just missed out here.