Faster Than Light

The best indie game I've laid my hands on so far in 2013 has been undoubtedly Subset Games' Faster Than Light. FTL is a roguelike strategy game where you take on the task of managing a spaceship's systems as well as it's crew as it travels (and engages in glorious battle) across space.

The premise of the game is that your ship carries information that is vital to the space Federation and you must move across 8 sectors of space to deliver it, all the while trying to avoid the Rebel fleet that is hot on your tail. As you explore and gather supplies you can buy new equipment and make a variety of upgrades to your ship's systems.

Captain's log: We're all going to die.

The cool thing about this game is that if(when) the ship is destroyed, it's game over for you and that's that. This forces you to think carefully about everything you do, and ask God WHY when the tiniest mistake gets your loyal crew wiped out.