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Sexy vampire party
The Independent Games Festival has been awarding creative achievements in gaming for eight years. The main 2006 IGF competition includes six critical awards and one audience award, that was voted on via GameSpot (won by the award-winning Web-browser game Dad 'N Me). Learn more about the winners and finalists, and download free versions or demos of the games, or discuss your favorite independent games of all time in our IGF users forum. Also be sure to check out our video coverage of the GDC Expo, including an exclusive interview with Mark Morris, cofounder of Introversion Software, the company that produced the grand prize-winning Darwinia.
AWARD CATEGORIES
Innovation In Game Design: Braid
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
Darwinia
Winner
Evolving life-forms called Darwinians are threatened
by a deadly viral infection. Create programs like Squads and Engineers to save
the hapless little green men.
Dofus
Finalist
Using a 2D top-down perspective, this free, tactical MMORPG offers a persistent, evolving universe in which players quest for magic dragon eggs.
Professor Fizzwizzle
Finalist
This innovative puzzle game pits the professors and his gadgets versus the deadly Rage-bots. Use your wits to help the professor return to his lab.
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Finalist
Explore new worlds, meet interesting aliens, and destroy them in real-time space battles with this highly replayable adventure game.
Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa
Finalist
This tycoon game set in the Serengeti lets you build a unique ecosystem with African animals. A "Be the Animal" feature puts you behind the eyes of your exotic creatures. 
Innovation In Game Design
Rumble Box
Finalist
DigiPen comes through again with a hyper, blocky fighting game. Defeat your opponents, then pile up their bodies to escape the battle environment.
Braid
Winner
Braid is a platformer/puzzle game that deals with manipulating the flow of time. In each of the worlds you journey through, time behaves differently. Braid takes an unconventional stance on what is fun to play and what the player should spend time doing.
No download or site available
Strange Attractors
Finalist
Designed for Retro Remakes' One-Switch competition, this addictive little freeware game lets you control a spaceship by simply turning on and off its powers of gravitation.
The Witch's Yarn
Finalist
Wednesday the witch once foreswore magic for the love of a departed mortal. What might happen when she tries to open a simple yarn shop?
Darwinia
Finalist
Evolving life-forms called Darwinians are threatened
by a deadly viral infection. Create programs like Squads and Engineers to save
the hapless little green men.Innovation In Audio
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Winner
Explore new worlds, meet interesting aliens, and destroy them in real-time space battles with this highly replayable adventure game.Saints & Sinners Bowling
Finalist
The life of a professional bowler has never been so wacky. Contend with opposing bowlers and aggressive spectators in this innovative sports adaptation.
Dodge That Anvil
Finalist
The rabbits of Eastwarren have been cursed with a plague of anvils. Only one brave hare can save them. Will it be you? This online Flash game was recently made available for downloading.
Glow Worm
Finalist
Match up variously colored worms to free the butterflies in this attractive and addictive puzzler. Can you help Mr. Magellan? 
Professor Fizzwizzle
Finalist
This innovative puzzle game pits the professors and his gadgets versus the deadly Rage-bots. Use your wits to help the professor return to his lab.Innovation In Visual Art
Darwinia
Winner
Evolving life-forms called Darwinians are threatened
by a deadly viral infection. Create programs like Squads and Engineers to save
the hapless little green men.Putt Nutz
Finalist
Power Balls and other gameplay twists enliven this developing 3D miniature-golf game. Hidden shortcuts and interactive course elements are all part of the fun. 
Glow Worm
Finalist
Match up variously colored worms to free the butterflies in this attractive and addictive puzzler. Can you help Mr. Magellan? Dofus
Finalist
Using a 2D top-down perspective, this free, tactical MMORPG offers a persistent, evolving universe in which players quest for magic dragon eggs.Tommy and The Magical Words
Finalist
This word game with cool special features is easy enough for kids while still fun for adults. Mini games and extremely long words keep the action fun for all.
Technical Excellence
Darwinia
Winner
Evolving life-forms called Darwinians are threatened
by a deadly viral infection. Create programs like Squads and Engineers to save
the hapless little green men.Saints & Sinners Bowling
Finalist
The life of a professional bowler has never been so wacky. Contend with opposing bowlers and aggressive spectators in this innovative sports adaptation.Tribal Trouble
Finalist
The Vikings believe that they've discovered a natural utopia, while the Natives wonder, "Who the heck are these guys with the horns?!"
Tube Twist
Finalist
Professor Jaymour, the renowned scientist working on Project TubeTwist, has gone missing. Reconstruct her experiments by building machines that will safely guide unstable Macroton particles through a maze of tubes, spirals, and switches.
Crazyball
Finalist
It's amazing how far the genre has come since the days of Marble Madness. This extremely attractive rolling game from Atomic Elbow already has a sequel in the works, Switchball.
Best Web Browser Game
Dad 'N Me
Winner
From the makers of Alien Hominid, this Web-only game puts you in the shoes of a mask-wearing bully who terrorizes kids. Despite the somewhat disturbing theme, the combos are very cool.
Moleculous
Finalist
Discover cold fusion before we run out of traditional energy in this addictive, chemical puzzle game that's available for online or offline play. 
Dodge That Anvil
Finalist
The rabbits of Eastwarren have been cursed with a plague of anvils. Only one brave hare can save them. Will it be you? This online Flash game was recently made available for downloading.
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