| Net Revenue: Freeware N/A
Developed by Kenta Cho under their self-publisher ABA Games, TUMIKI Fighters is a 2D horizontal shooter in which you control a toy plane and shoot other toy planes out of the sky. One crucial gameplay loop is the option to swoop in to retrieve downed planes and attach them to your own plane like Legos, providing not only cover from enemy fire but introducing a bullet generator for as long as you can keep the ship on your own ship. The presentation is incredible and it's a blast to play!
| Net Revenue: Freeware N/A | Game Engine: RPG Maker 
Released in 2004 by solo dev Kikiyama, Yume Nikki is the story of a lonely young girl who won't leave her apartment and instead spends her time inside a world of dreams. The troubling world in this young lady's mind has proven to be deeply inspiring for many developers who would come after, mining from Aztec iconography and Japanese yokai, among many others. It's also noteworthy in the world of RPG Maker games by being a game so open-world that the very 'victory point' of the game seems difficult to fathom unless you have prior knowledge. An excellent piece of game history!
Fansite Download (Original Freeware Ver.) | Steam (Nicalis Ver.) | Epic Games (Nicalis Ver.) | GOG (Nicalis Ver.) | Nintendo Switch (Nicalis Ver.)
| ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ 
| Steam Net Revenue: $671,479.45 671k
I might be waxing poetic here, but it's a bit hard to understand just how BIG Cave Story was for the indie game scene. Basically everything that came after this title owes at least a little of its existance to Pixel's hard work. For those of you that may not realize the original game is freeware, I highly recommend it, but as much as people have legitimate reason to not give Nicalis money, I cannot deny that Cave Story + it is a highly polished version of the original with several new game modes. Either way, this work stands as a testament to the history of video games after the millenium, and is well worth your time!