Indie games have grown quite a lot in popularity over the years and while many may make the case that the indie gaming industry is gradually dying as a result of over saturation of indie studios popping up everyday, it’d be surprising to find out that majority of the best games in a calender year remain indie titles. Though made with a lot less budget and considerably smaller development team when compared with triple-A(AAA) titles, they still manage to thrive as indie developers tend to be much more flexible with their story, characters and overall content.Take for example the waves created by Undertale to the much more recent phenomenon that is Among Us and you’ll find out that indie gaming has come to stay. There’s no denying that the indie industry have graced gaming with countless timeless gems and here’s a list of ten of the indie games we might never stop playing.
Undertale(2015)
Undertale is indeed a phenomenal indie RPG title that combines superb storytelling with pixel style indie lore and a banging retro soundtrack. Developed by a single developer, Toby Fox in 2015 it received lots of well deserved accolades. Players control a custom named human child who falls into a subterranean world of monsters and must find his way to the surface either by employing lethal force to the NPC he encounters or defeating them non-lethally. NPCs would react differently towards players based on the moral choices they have taken through the course of the game. the game also has several different endings depending on the choices you make. Undertale employs traditional RPG elements such as a turn-based fighting system, several moral choices to make and an inventory among others. Though very simple in nature, the game manages to tell a rather captivating story while also presenting very fun and engaging characters and mini-games to the mix all in nostalgic retro-style bliss. Though still fairly young, it is safe to say Undertale would forever remain a timeless classic.
Celeste(2018)
Celeste is a challenging 2D platformer game that is quite similar to undertale at first glance but is quite different after a dive-in. the story follows Madeline as she attempts to make the submit of Celeste Mountain. On her way up, she meets various characters that she must interact with as her reasons for climbing the mountain is gradually revealed. As you get closer to the mountain summit and progress through the game,it gets more challenging and require a mastery of the mechanics of the core gameplay controls. However, players who just want to get a feel of the story can play the game in a less challenging mode. Celeste brings something new to the table as it gives a thorough and meaningful dissection of depression through its story and how it can be managed and used to strengthen the subject and rounds it up with a meaningful life changing lesson for everyone to learn from. Playing in difficulty mode can be fun while also being nerve racking though. Just try not to smash the controller in the process.
Dead cells(2017)
Dead cells is a game you’re going to be playing for a few hundred times at the very least to beat the game and I’m not even exaggerating.Though that might sound like a turn off to most but it turns out that is the beauty of the game after all. Set in a procedurally generated and ever changing castle, you play as a condemned criminal and must make your way through to the final stage to escape the prison. Doing just that is easier said than done though and you’ll quickly find yourself trying to master the technique of every single enemy encountered and boy…are they many! Interestingly, the game’s core mechanic harmonizes with the story In that each time the player dies, they’re resurrected again to the beginning of the game albeit with some past abilities from their last playthrough.However, the levels are procedurally generated so that players don’t get too familiar with them. If you’re willing to sink a lot of hours into an indie game, it’d better be Dead Cells.
Inside(2016)
Still regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, Inside is Playdead’s second attempt at an atmospheric puzzle platformer, the first being Limbo which was also an excellent game. Inside is a puzzle platformer that mixes clever, intuitive and fun puzzle platforming with an eerie and frankly mysterious environment that tells a very intruiging story with absolutely no words. You play as a nameless boy and traverse levels while interacting with the environment and solving puzzles that the environment throws at you. Inside also does a good job at making you look small and helpless in the world and while there aren’t any enemies that would require you button smashing a few times to beat, the game presents a host of weird antagonists instead that will make your skin crawl. Explaining why inside works is like explaining why a joke is funny and you’d need to experience it yourself to get a full grasp of what makes it a very worthy contender for one of the best games of all time.
Spelunky(2008)
Spelunky is a 2D platformer game with very similar mechanics with dead cells. Players take the role of an adventurer as he explores dangerous procedurally generated caves while collecting treasures, finding more durable equipment and duelling monsters. The game also features a permadeath mechanic where players have to start all over from the beginning after death, another feature found in dead cells. Spelunky which was originally released for windows in 2008 was ported to a lot of other platforms as a result of its success. A HTML5 version of the game is even available meaning it can be played on a browser. Regarded by many as the father of modern rogue-lites, Spelunky received a lot of critical acclaim for its gameplay and design. A sequel, Spelunky 2 is also available.
Cup head(2017)
Cuphead is a robust 2D indie platformer that is known mainly for its challenging boss battles and a visually appealing cartoony art style that imitates early cartoons from the 1930’s.Don’t let the cartoony art style fool you though as cuphead is extremely brutal under the hood but fair nonetheless. The game sees Cuphead and Mugman try to get the better of the devil after making a deal that goes very wrong with him. The game offers a variety of boss-fight levels all requiring unique and separate mastery to beat. Every stage in Cuphead is like learning a completely new language. You start off as a complete beginner and try to figure out your enemy’s attack sequence and master them to beat the level.A co-op mode is also available and it can be played along with a friend. It is indeed a great indie game to get into if you own a PC or Xbox. Keep in mind though that the challenging levels would make you question you gaming skills and you’d probably stick your controller right through your screen at some point if you’re anything like me.
THE WITNESS(2016)
The witness is a first-person exploration-focused puzzle-adventure indie game that sees players solve a series of puzzles on a quiet and colorful island with the help of the environment. Though, the story is quite minimal, the gameplay aspect is highly engaging and intuitive. Most times, players can’t even tell why they are able to solve the puzzles. Players progress through an island while solving a variety of puzzles that get more complex as they progress through the game.The goal is to activate eleven lasers scattered all over the island. The witness is indeed one of the most transcendent puzzle video game experiences you can ever have with lots of intuitive puzzles to solve and a genius implementation of exploration.
FIREWATCH(2016)
Fire watch is a story-based first-person indie title that tells a mysterious story of a forest fire lookout known only as Henry and his supervisor Delilah as they team up to investigate strange events that begin to occur on their watch.Set in the Shoshone National Park,Wyoming, Firewatch tells a story of a middle-aged man and his only physical and emotional lifeline throughout the the game, Delilah. Both find themselves a long way from the rest of human civilization as is the nature of their jobs and they try to build a bond and figure out series of mysterious events they encounter throughout the game.The game focuses mainly on exploration and story-telling. A huge part of the exploration also has to do with investigation and solving simple problems. Though, many have dubbed it a walking simulator, it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. Its definitely a walking simulator that’ll make you enjoy walking in my opinion and a great indie title to experience.
STARDEW VALLEY(2016)
Stardew valley is a mix of top down indie action-RPG and a farming life simulation. Players control a customizable resident of stardew valley who decides to relocate from the strain and stress of office life in the city to manage their grandfather’s abandoned farmland in the rural region of stardew valley. The game is indeed a life simulator as players can do a variety of things ranging from but not limited to building and maintaining relationships, embarking on various other trades and making a noticeable impact on the world.Characterized by very addictive gameplay and containing tons of content, Stardew Valley is a game you’ll definitely get too hooked in to quit but heck, you need the fun don’t you?
ROCKET LEAGUE(2015)
Rocket league is one of those games you never knew you needed until you get to play it for the very first time.heck, you don’t even need to be that big into games to enjoy this one.It is a multiplayer sports/action indie game that sees highly mobile four-wheeled vehicles as opposed to normal humanoid models get in the frenzy that is soccer. Though, a rather crazy concept to think of, there’s no denying how much fun and addictive the game is. Scoring your first goal is definitely something you’ll indeed never forget in a hurry.Developer, Psyonix really outdid themselves in implementing a physics system that works like magic in a game as abstract as a motor racing soccer game. Rocket league is now free to get on the epic games store and it remains a worthy time investment for sports, racing and action games fans alike looking for something new,cohesive, extremely fun and adrenaline packed.
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