The 10 Best Indie Games of 2014 (So Far)

9. Infested Planet

Platform: Steam
Price: $15

It’s tempting to call this Zerg Rush: The Game, but that would fail to capture the amount of strategy and depth you experience playing Infested Planet. Like the classic zerg missions, this game pits the player against waves and waves of oncoming forces, but offers a few new tweaks on this simple set-up. For example, you can switch out units and buildings at any time, especially during battle. The alien enemies are just as malleable, randomly gaining their own upgrades and evolving new and more powerful defenses as you destroy more of the alien pods. The goal is to capture alien pods and establish bases, slowly expanding your territory on the game map. Fortunately, if you should lose all your men, you don’t have to start everything over—you just lose some of your territory, but keep all resources and power-ups. This is an ingenious touch, allowing players to quickly jump back into battle, ensuring that even death does not break the flow of this addictive game.