Introduction:
Just as I have done across the preceding month, I am following up last week’s more in-depth entry into this series (which, in this case, talked about the qualities of The Binding of Isaac which qualify it as a worthy successor to the original Legend of Zelda) with a light recommendation. The game which I would like to recommend this week is Ronimo’s 2012 side-scrolling platformer MOBA, Awesomenauts.
This game is a truly one-of-a-kind experience, whose indie team has carved out a consistent niche in the perennially monopolized MOBA genre. Anyone who is not impressed by Awesomenauts‘ sustained success has a very short memory. I can effortlessly think of a dozen or more multiplayer indie games I’ve liked and watched die for any number of reasons. But in the three years I’ve been playing Awesomenauts, I’ve never waited over five minutes for a full game of players. And it’s not even free-to-play. Allow me to explain what makes this title superior.
Casual Competition and Awesome Addiction:
![[Work: The Stranger, Albert Camus, 1942] Smiling While Despised: The Ending of Albert Camus' The Stranger and the Beginning of Authenticity](https://i0.wp.com/thegemsbok.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/The-Stranger-book-cover.png?fit=262%2C400&ssl=1&resize=200%2C200)
![[Work: The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker, 1973] The Denial of Life: A Critique of Pessimism, Pathologization, and Structuralism in Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death](https://i0.wp.com/thegemsbok.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Ernest-Becker-Sketch-by-M.R.P.-Presentable-1.jpg?fit=254%2C415&ssl=1&resize=200%2C200)
![[Game: Elden Ring, FromSoftware, 2022] Tarnishing: A Thorough Critique Detailing the Few Mechanical Flaws of FromSoft’s Elden Ring](https://i0.wp.com/thegemsbok.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Elden-Ring-screenshot-with-draconic-tree-sentinel.png?fit=722%2C406&ssl=1&resize=200%2C200)
![[Game: The Beginner's Guide, Everything Unlimited Ltd., 2015] The Intermediate's Guide: A Critique of the Repeatedly Self-destructive Metafictional Story of The Beginner's Guide](https://i0.wp.com/thegemsbok.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The-Beginners-Guide-screenshot-with-final-labyrinth.png?fit=722%2C406&ssl=1&resize=200%2C200)