Best Freeware Game (Round One)

[This Old Neon]

Round One of the "Best Freeware Game" side-event includes 2 polls of 10 games each.

• You can vote for UP TO FIVE (5) games per poll, or skip a poll entirely.
• The top 5 games in each poll will advance to Round Two.
• You can't change your votes once they've been submitted, so click carefully. Voting closes on Saturday at midnight ADT.

VOTE HERE

Poll 1 of 2
Ancient Domains of Mystery [ADOM] (1994, PC)
The Battle for Wesnoth (2003, PC)
Cursed Castilla / Maldita Castilla (2012, PC)
Duke Nukem 3D (1996, PC)
Dwarf Fortress (2006, PC)
Epic Pinball (1993, PC)
Katawa Shoujo (2012, PC)
NetHack (1987, PC)
Solar Winds: The Escape (1993, PC)
ZZT (1991, PC)

Poll 2 of 2
Fortnite Battle Royale (2017, PC)
God of Thunder (1993, PC)
Knytt Stories (2007, PC)
La-Mulana (2005, PC)
Little Fighter 2 (1999, PC)
One Must Fall: 2097 (1994, PC)
Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins (1994, PC)
Spelunky (2008, PC)
Tyrian (1995, PC)
Wacky Wheels (1994, PC)

[Spore]

What, was Cave Story considered too obvious? At least Knytt Stories is here. I'd like to shake the hand of the person who nominated that.

[Kong Wen]

Cave Story is undoubtedly in a future round.

[Kong Wen]

Poll 1 of 2
Ancient Domains of Mystery [ADOM] (1994, PC)
The Battle for Wesnoth (2003, PC)
Cursed Castilla / Maldita Castilla (2012, PC)
Duke Nukem 3D (1996, PC)
Dwarf Fortress (2006, PC)
Epic Pinball (1993, PC)
Katawa Shoujo (2012, PC)
NetHack (1987, PC)
Solar Winds: The Escape (1993, PC)
ZZT (1991, PC)

Some great games in this bracket. Wesnoth is a remarkably full-featured strategy game, not the kind of genre you normally see as (good) freeware.

Poll 2 of 2
Fortnite Battle Royale (2017, PC)
God of Thunder (1993, PC)
Knytt Stories (2007, PC)
La-Mulana (2005, PC)
Little Fighter 2 (1999, PC)
One Must Fall: 2097 (1994, PC)
Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins (1994, PC)
Spelunky (2008, PC)
Tyrian (1995, PC)
Wacky Wheels (1994, PC)

La-Mulana and Spelunky got decently high-profile remakes for consoles after their initial freeware success, but I'm also giving Knytt a vote, as it's a remarkable little solo-developed adventure.

[This Old Neon]

Here are the winners of Round One:

Poll 1 of 2
The Battle for Wesnoth (2003, PC)
Duke Nukem 3D (1996, PC)
Dwarf Fortress (2006, PC)
NetHack (1987, PC)

Poll 2 of 2
Fortnite Battle Royale (2017, PC)
Knytt Stories (2007, PC)
La-Mulana (2005, PC)
Spelunky (2008, PC)
Wacky Wheels (1994, PC)