Metroid

Edit: The discount I mentioned earlier has expired as of January 3rd, so I've changed the facts of this entry to represent this.

One of the games that taught me that big titles don't have the monopoly on craft was Aquaria, and I started out my blog mentioning it for that reason.  It's got great art, an interesting story, and a lot of little discoveries alongside its more obvious Castlevania or Metroid-like elements (used to increase powers to access new areas and defeat enemies) that add heart to what could have merely been a great adventure title. 

It's being sold on Steam as well as through direct download methods for 20 dollars U.S.  It's an updated version with more features, and it's now available for both the PC and the Mac.  If you happen to already have it, you can update for free.

Aquaria is a mainly mouse-driven exploration-and-puzzle adventure game, with a decent amount of combat, and beautiful music and visuals.  What I like most, though, is the feel of it.  You aren't rushed unless you want to be, and you're encouraged to explore and experiment. When you kill creatures or explore the underwater landscape you'll find materials you can combine in order to make new objects.  Most everything can be consumed, sometimes hurting you, sometimes healing, and sometimes giving you a significant boost to your abilities for a time, and the combinations are recorded in a recipe book of sorts.  Other things you can gather include treasures you can put in your home, some of which give you extra benefits you can harvest (sometimes literally harvest, as when you get some plants that yield bonus materials you can gather), as well as outfits and other interesting ephemera.

As you explore the ancient ruins and ecosystems you learn about the world, and unlock spellsongs which the player activates through a symbol/sound manipulation of the mouse cursor reminding me a little bit of Okami's power activations, though I imagine there's a closer analogy.  Some of these spells actually transform the main character into other forms, these forms having better combat abilities or a better ability to navigate certain types of terrain. 

The lifeforms are the real charm here, as many of them actually interact with the main character in subtle or overt ways.  There are the obvious, hostile kinds of interactions, including bosses, but there are others.  One of my favorite moments was when I was trapped in a dark cave, with no light source to use.  I saw a faintly glowing school of jellyfish nearby, and I began one of the character's spell songs.  The creatures began to glow brighter and follow behind me as I swam, helping to illuminate the passages so I could find my way. 

Sometimes the game is tough, and you have to know what you're doing.  It pays to save, as well as create some healing items before you enter a new area, as ambitious experimentation can lead to a quick death if you're not cautious.  I never took this as discouragement, though, since I liked the idea of seeing a new place a lot more than sticking to the script.  And the game would tend to reward me for my curiosity when I made it to my destination.

Aquaria was created by Bit-Blot, the two-man team of Derek Yu (co-creator of Eternal Daughter (a conceptual predecessor to Aquaria), game maker and visual artist) and Alec Holowka (game maker and composer, now part of Infinite Ammo), first got together to help make I'm O.K - A Murder Simulator, a satirical jab at Jack Thompson's challenge to game makers to make a game in which the protagonist actually kills game makers.

I think Aquaria is Derek Yu's best work so far, something he's been working toward since his days at Black Eye.  Check it out if you think this sounds like it might be your thing, and you have a few bucks to spare.  At 20 dollars it's a good deal, especially since a lot of game sellers are putting out low-content games for at least that much under more famous franchise titles.