http://student.gamemaker.nu/~patlil030/projects/ninjapirate.htm This is a prime example of how an indie game can be purely awesome. Great fun, awesome visuals, and it's made in GameMaker.
It feels like a slightly confusing version of Castlevania. For example I'm not sure how you're supposed to avoid most attacks (e.g. the stuff the fat zombies throw) and the range of your weapon is very short so there's pretty much no time to react towards enemy attacks. There's also the problem hat the game reads the key…