Honesty is very refreshing and I will be completely honest and say that Dust AET was nowhere on my radar when I looked at the summer of Arcade titles for 2012. As the weeks progressed I started learning of one with skills unmatched, a talking sword and a flying nimbat. I was still very skeptical until I saw a stream by Noogy that ran very similar to this one. One I saw the animation, the action, heard the score and experience part of the adventure, I realized that my ignorance for this title was absolutely unnecessary.
It's right that we recognize the 12 best indie games of the eight generation of gaming. It would be remiss to ignore the impact they've had.
Hollow Knight was a masterpiece. I cared less for the arena combat (Gods, not in the in-game arena) but everything was tight and the exploration was extremely enjoyable. Absolute masters of their craft in level design. I hope Silk Song gives the bees a second chance since their area was only a short subsection.
Mick Doherty has put together a list of indie games that, in his humble opinion, you need to play at least once in your life.
These are games made by a single developer. Serving as proof that you don't need millions of dollars and a team of people to make a amazing game.