The good things in life are free

How true do you think that statement is? While obviously, in a lot of cases you get what you pay for, but can you recall any dirt-cheap or even free games made by small developers or fans that you thought was absolutely amazing?

Red Alert: A Path Beyond.

Graphically behind a lot but free to play and a absolute blast with friends. Unique FPS/TPS gamemode and has some minigames in some maps which makes it even more fun.

So to go on topic, this statement can be very true, but it can also be wrong.

I haven't played them much yet, but the free Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii & DS fan made games are awesome.

I managed to find ROMS for them too, well pleased with that.

There was going to be a U version too but it got cancelled.

There are a couple games that are both really good and free: the original Cavestory, Battle for Wesnoth, Dwarf Fortress and a lot of RPG-Maker games that where made with versions prior to RPG-Maker XP. Even later RPG-Maker versions most likely have some really good games, but I've never felt the need to look for any.

There's a visual novel creator I really like called ebi-hime that has a bunch of free and cheap visual novels.

I once bought SpaceChem with $1 from a gaming summer sale. The game is well-made, with an even better soundtrack, though the game can frustratingly challenge your chemistry logic and problem-solving skills.

Not sure if it is a small developer though.