Intel Level Up contest winners feature Kafka, reincarnation
The Franz Kafka Videogame
Intel's Level Up contest ran between March and May of this year, and the winners are now live in their "Hall of Glory". Unfortunately, while Intel says you can download demos of the games from Steam currently only one (for Bulb Boy) is available. Since several of the winners will come to Steam eventually, however, it's worth checking them out in case any take your fancy.
The Grand Prize, which wins its developer $5,000, went to a game called The Franz Kafka Videogame, a point-and-click adventure game based on Kafka's writing. It promises absurdity and surrealism, and is from the developer who made a point-and-click version of Hamlet (full title: Hamlet or the Last Game without MMORPG Features, Shaders and Product Placement).
Synchrom
Best Action Game went to Synchrom, which according to its Steam description is an "immersive musical journey" that combines shooter, music, and puzzle game mechanics. If you couldn't tell from the screenshots, it's about quick reflexes.
Apparently, Synchrom is due out this month.
Spacejacked
Running Linux? You might be interested in Spacejacked, an arena-based shooter with tower defence elements that won Best Linux Game. You play as a technician called Dave who has to defend a spaceship from an alien invasion.
Spacejacked doesn't have a Steam page, but it's due out on PC, Mac, and Linux later this year.
Tumblestone
Best Puzzle Game went to Tumblestone, which is yet another "reinvention" of the match-3 genre. It features hand-drawn artwork, several single-player modes, and co-operative and competitive local and online multiplayer. Developer The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild's previous game The Bridge (see below) looks far more interesting, so if you don't like match-3 games you might want to check out that instead.
Karma. Incarnation 1
A 2D point-and-click adventure called "Karma. Incarnation 1" won Best Art Design and Best Sound, and you should definitely check out the trailer - which explicitly promises "no text dialogue" - to see why. The game is about a creature called Pip who's reincarnated as a "funny but brutal worm" in a surreal world that he doesn't understand. He has to learn about the world and apparently also about karma and moral relativity, a journey that seems to involve things eating each other.
Best 3D Graphics went to a steampunk RPG called Steamfarer. It doesn't have a Steam page or a website (though the developer says he's working on one), so all we've got to go on is the description Intel has for it:
Captain your airship to explore the world, build a crew, and collect gear, upgrades, and rewards in this steampunk RPG.
Bulb Boy
Bulb Boy, Level Up 2015's Best Character Design, is the only winner that actually has a free demo available on the Steam page. It's a point-and-click horror adventure that its developers say draws inspiration from games like Machinarium and Gobliiins. You play as Bulb Boy, a boy with a glowing bulb for a head who wakes to find his family has disappeared and there are monsters everywhere. Naturally, his head dan light up and protects Bulb Boy from electrical shocks, but you can also unscrew it if need be.