Indie Recommendations
Indies I've rated 3.5* or higher that I personally think are worth your time.
40 Games
Abzu is a true sensory experience filled with visual and auditory delights. It’s art style, world design and the regular juxtaposition of nature and technology throughout is truly breath-taking. A fantastic soundtrack and clever audio design only add this gorgeous underwater world. However, considering this game is set in the ocean, the gameplay itself is pretty shallow (sorry not sorry). Movement feels great, but its fluidity can be hampered by poor controls. Also, there is too much repetition of simple puzzle and traversal mechanics within the game. More fresh ideas throughout that were more engaging would really have added to the sense of wonder. These gameplay shortcomings only slightly dampened the experience for me, but I can understand for some gamers this can be a bit of a dealbreaker. The narrative of the game is fairly simple, and while it didn’t have much of an emotional impact for me, I found a certain charm in the arc that it took.
I really enjoyed my time with Abzu. I recognise that its gameplay can be basic and controls troublesome, but I still found this to be a captivating experience. It doesn’t hit the highs that its spiritual predecessor Journey did, but it’s still well worth the time of anyone who enjoys these sort of games.
I really enjoyed my time with Abzu. I recognise that its gameplay can be basic and controls troublesome, but I still found this to be a captivating experience. It doesn’t hit the highs that its spiritual predecessor Journey did, but it’s still well worth the time of anyone who enjoys these sort of games.
Affordable Space Adventures is undoubtedly the Wii U’s best exclusive eShop game. The premise of the game is that you have bought a package with a company called UExplore which enables you to explore an undiscovered planet’s surface surface in your own personal vehicle. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse when you crash land on the planet. As a result, the game has you completing puzzles and traversing through various environments to try and work out how to get off the planet. The game does a great job at immersing you via its environmental storytelling and the occasional video from UExplore providing more context about how you ended up in this situation. The gameplay itself is fantastic, utilising the Wii U’s gamepad as the control system for your ship. As you progress through the game you unlock new control system abilities that allow you to tackle increasingly challenging puzzles. The puzzle design is exceptional, really challenging your problem solving skills and forcing to use all the abilities at your disposal in clever ways to proceed. However, there is a bit too much repetition in certain puzzle types and there is a drop in quality in the final few levels where the gameplay gets a bit gimmicky.
If you are one of the few people on the planet who own a Wii U, you owe it to yourself to play this game before the eShop closes. Exceptional world building, puzzle design and use of the Wii U gamepad make this a joy to play.
If you are one of the few people on the planet who own a Wii U, you owe it to yourself to play this game before the eShop closes. Exceptional world building, puzzle design and use of the Wii U gamepad make this a joy to play.
Fast and frenetic, but with enough depth to the gameplay to make it incredibly rewarding when you pull off that flawless run. The gameplay is really elavated by the vivid colour palette and excellent audio design. A short but sweet experience.
Bastion oozes personality. Whether it be with its witty narrator, its eye-catching art style or its sublime soundtrack. All these elements have aged gracefully. Though the plot didn’t pull me in like I was hoping it would, the puzzle solving was very simple and the combat a bit stiff. However, the game constantly introducing new gameplay along with its meaningful upgrade trees and layered combat systems kept me engaged throughout its duration to the point where I stuck around after completing the campaign to try high score challenges and upgrade my weapons. This game’s attention to detail has helped it stand the test of time surprisingly well, and while it has its flaws, its easy to see why it is considered amongst the crowning jewels of the first wave of indies which came out in the early 2010s.
Brothers is an incredibly emotional experience that left me in complete shock after the credits rolled. The art style is beautiful and there’s a distinct charm to the brothers and the world itself. The gameplay doesn’t quite hit the high mark of the storytelling, but this is an experience that’s still well worth your time.
Whether it be through the poetic storytelling, the hand drawn aesthetic or the stellar soundtrack Child of Light is an experience packed full of charm. The battle system is a tonne of fun, albeit a bit easy and the environments are a joy to explore. This is the perfect escape from the world and one of the reason why I love videogames.
A stellar co-op shooter with a high level of polish and great variety.
Escape rooms fantastically encapsulated in video game form.
Simple yet powerful. Full of relatable moments in a relationship, Florence manages to capture so much by doing so little. The art style is gorgeous, the narrative engaging and the gameplay fits perfectly with these. As Florence’s life changes, so does the gameplay and it really helps you empathise with her position. The gameplay itself is nothing special, but it doesn’t need to be. This is a short, emotional experience that is another reminder of how games can be an artform.
Geometry Wars 3 is a fantastic schmup with a tonne of content and tight, visceral gameplay. Vibrant colours and explosive particle effects really provide a distinct flair to the minimalist art style, even if when the screen is packed full of enemies it can be difficult to discern what’s coming at you. Gameplay itself is very tight with responsive controls and customisable drones and abilities adding an extra layer of depth to combat. Customising each of these to suite the stage and knowing when to take advantage of them for the best results is a satisfying learning curve.
There is a ridiculous amount of content in this game, especially for its price. There are essentially 3 campaigns to play through, many modes to rack up a high scores on and great co-op integration. Modes feel diverse and varied with more traditional ones such as elimination where you have one life to rack up the highest score possible and more novel modes such as king classic where you can only shoot at enemies in bubbles scattered across the stage that disappear after a short time. This variety helps keep things fresh, although the campaigns pacing is inconsistent with some level types being repeated too many times in a row. On the other hand, there are some real standout levels that test your skills in unique ways. The bosses themselves aren’t that interesting as they all follow the pattern of spawning waves of enemies before trying to collide with you. The stages themselves are pretty varied with a mixture of 2D planes, 3D shapes and stage hazards to contend with making you approach each level in a different way. Similarly, there are a tonne of enemy types with clever designs and distinct looks. Once you learn them, it is incredibly rewarding to exploit their weaknesses by taking advantage of your mobility and firepower.
It’s just a shame not many people have played this gem. On the PS4 leaderboards only 15,000 people have finished the adventure mode. Geometry Wars 3 is so well polished and full of interesting, albeit slightly repetitive content. It’s good arcadey fun and an absolute steal especially as its regularly on sale for next to nothing.
There is a ridiculous amount of content in this game, especially for its price. There are essentially 3 campaigns to play through, many modes to rack up a high scores on and great co-op integration. Modes feel diverse and varied with more traditional ones such as elimination where you have one life to rack up the highest score possible and more novel modes such as king classic where you can only shoot at enemies in bubbles scattered across the stage that disappear after a short time. This variety helps keep things fresh, although the campaigns pacing is inconsistent with some level types being repeated too many times in a row. On the other hand, there are some real standout levels that test your skills in unique ways. The bosses themselves aren’t that interesting as they all follow the pattern of spawning waves of enemies before trying to collide with you. The stages themselves are pretty varied with a mixture of 2D planes, 3D shapes and stage hazards to contend with making you approach each level in a different way. Similarly, there are a tonne of enemy types with clever designs and distinct looks. Once you learn them, it is incredibly rewarding to exploit their weaknesses by taking advantage of your mobility and firepower.
It’s just a shame not many people have played this gem. On the PS4 leaderboards only 15,000 people have finished the adventure mode. Geometry Wars 3 is so well polished and full of interesting, albeit slightly repetitive content. It’s good arcadey fun and an absolute steal especially as its regularly on sale for next to nothing.
The premise of this Golf Club Wasteland is so intriguing. Earth is no longer inhabitable, so the ultra-rich were flown to Mars leaving the rest of the population to die out. Now Earth has been turned into a golf course for the ultra-rich to visit at their leisure. This raises so many questions as to what went on and the developers have done a fantastic job of weaving a narrative into the experience. This is done primarily through a radio station that plays in the background throughout the game. It plays some fantastic diverse tracks, that all have a futuristic twist. Between these tracks, fascinating stories are told by the survivors, helping piece together an idea of what went so wrong on Earth and how the rich on Mars live now. Short cutscenes, text in between levels and diary entries add to this world building. These are really clever ways of spoon-feeding insights without being too direct with the player.
Unfortunately, the golf gameplay itself is pretty basic. All you can do is control the angle and power of your shots. I wish more layers had been added, either with different abilities and clubs or via more varied environmental factors such as weather conditions which impact your shots. There’s nothing wrong with the gameplay, it just feels like a lot more could have been done here. The actual courses you play on have a nice aesthetic, being quite varied and having lots of nice details that feed into the world building and atmosphere. Though these can all be finished within two hours. It would have been great to have a level select, more courses or even challenges to add a bit of replayability.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Golf Club Wasteland. The narrative and radio station were outstanding, completely immersing me in the world that the developers have created. There were some missed opportunities with the gameplay, but regardless if what I described sounds interesting to you, I’d definitely recommend checking this out.
Unfortunately, the golf gameplay itself is pretty basic. All you can do is control the angle and power of your shots. I wish more layers had been added, either with different abilities and clubs or via more varied environmental factors such as weather conditions which impact your shots. There’s nothing wrong with the gameplay, it just feels like a lot more could have been done here. The actual courses you play on have a nice aesthetic, being quite varied and having lots of nice details that feed into the world building and atmosphere. Though these can all be finished within two hours. It would have been great to have a level select, more courses or even challenges to add a bit of replayability.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Golf Club Wasteland. The narrative and radio station were outstanding, completely immersing me in the world that the developers have created. There were some missed opportunities with the gameplay, but regardless if what I described sounds interesting to you, I’d definitely recommend checking this out.
Golf Story is a fantastic RPG, packed full of personality and charm. From the get go I fell in love with the games pixelated art style and vibrant colour palettes. There have been a tonne of pixel art indies in recent years, but very few have even come close to looking this good. What’s more I love the modern touches they’ve added with the dynamic speech bubbles and audio cues which really convey the characters personalities and emotions. This feed into the (mostly) great writing, with the game showing excellent self awareness by not taking itself too seriously, leading to some really wacky and funny plot points.
The gameplay mechanics are solid and have a surprising amount of depth, with customisable powers and different club types adding some strategy to proceedings. An issue I’ve always found with golf games is that they get repetitive quick, but Golf Story does a great job of keeping things fresh with a diverse set of courses and mixing in none traditional golf activities ranging from solving a murder mystery to treasure hunting. However, even with this, pacing is an issue in the latter half of the game where you frequently revisit courses you’ve already completed and there is an unnecessary difficulty spike right at the end. There is a tonne of content here, especially for the price point, and though a lot of the main and side quests are enjoyable, some of the repetition and more mundane tasks could’ve been removed to make a shorter and sharper package.
Though it has its flaws, Golf Story is such a wholesome and well-crafted experience that is among the best games available on the eShop.
The gameplay mechanics are solid and have a surprising amount of depth, with customisable powers and different club types adding some strategy to proceedings. An issue I’ve always found with golf games is that they get repetitive quick, but Golf Story does a great job of keeping things fresh with a diverse set of courses and mixing in none traditional golf activities ranging from solving a murder mystery to treasure hunting. However, even with this, pacing is an issue in the latter half of the game where you frequently revisit courses you’ve already completed and there is an unnecessary difficulty spike right at the end. There is a tonne of content here, especially for the price point, and though a lot of the main and side quests are enjoyable, some of the repetition and more mundane tasks could’ve been removed to make a shorter and sharper package.
Though it has its flaws, Golf Story is such a wholesome and well-crafted experience that is among the best games available on the eShop.
Gone Home’s world building is sublime. Purely with interactable objects in your family home, that you find abandoned on your return from travelling around Europe, the game manages to tell so many rich and relatable stories. Most of these stories have satisfying arcs as you discover more and more of the house’s secrets. I love how interacting with certain items triggers wonderfully voice acted audio diaries from your sister and how a series of letters details the downward spiral of your Dad’s failed writing career. The house itself is rich with detail and has a spooky, ominous tone which I personally would’ve liked the game to lean more into, as this aspect of world building is just brushed aside towards the end of the game. I also would’ve appreciated more complex interactions with the environment, perhaps with puzzles to open up different areas of the house. Regardless, the game’s narrative is fantastic and for the short time it took me to complete, I was completely lost in this incredibly well-crafted experience.
The king of schmups. Brutal, frenetic action with an insane, intriguing narrative.
Unravelling my thoughts on Hotline Miami 2 was about as difficult as it was to understand its story. On the one hand it iterates on the gameplay of the original in interesting ways, there is a tonne of variety thanks to the whole host of characters you control throughout the story and the gunplay is as tight as ever. However, for me the story was disjointed and there are a few missions with weak level design. I think the more open level design is effective in some scenarios but in others it slows gameplay down too much. Overall though this is still a thoroughly enjoyable gameplay experience, and as gameplay is king for this genre of game, the lacklustre story is forgivable.
From the offset Inside manages to establish an incredibly dark tone that it carries throughout. You are a boy trying to survive in a bleak world that’s completely unknown to you. Playdead manages to convey so much atmosphere and mystery in the design of this hauntingly beautiful environment as progression gradually unveils more layers to this incredibly twisted world that seems to draw parallels with our own humanity. The story of Inside leaves much open to interpretation and although some might not like so many unanswered questions, I appreciate the developers letting you put together your own picture of what’s going on. There are a myriad of clever puzzles and platforming section throughout, with only a few not quite hitting the mark. The boy you control feels very grounded, with impeccable animations and sound effects really immersing you into his character. Inside is a chilling, unforgettable experience that will leave you thinking about it long after its conclusion.
Journey manages to pack so much emotion and heart into such a bitesize experience. It draws parallels with life’s journey, with the freedom in the early game having a childlike quality and the hardship later on being much like what you experience growing up. The game looks stunning and god damn the soundtrack is something special! Traversal through everything the mountain throws at you feels nice and fluid although I would like to have seen a few more mechanics introduced throughout rather than recycling old ones. The co-op integration is done perfectly with the right balance of interaction without it becoming too intrusive. Every bit of the jigsaw that makes up this game fits together perfectly and the resulting experience is beautiful. This is a journey that should not be missed.
Limbo is dark, harrowing experience that’s aged surprisingly well. The storytelling is driven by the atmosphere alone and Playdead has done a fantastic job of creating this eerie tone through the sounds and animations of the world with puzzles that are both challenging and fun. Limbo’s a short but sweet game that leaves a lasting impression.
At its best, Little Nightmares is a nail-biting experience which bathes you in tension as you creep through environments past vile creatures and try to work out how to get escape with the threat of death looming over your shoulder. At its worst it’s a simple puzzle game which constantly reuses basic mechanics. Luckily Little Nightmares is at its best far more than it is at its worse, and the intriguing and twisted world the developers have created is fascinating, becoming increasingly warped till you reach its shocking conclusion.
Don’t let the simple aesthetics fool you, this game is well worth your time. Its gameplay is outstanding with fantastic physics, well designed mechanics and responsive controls. Learning tracks and how to take advantage of the different bike’s design takes practice, but luckily the game lets you tailor the challenge to best suite you. Each track starts off with an exploration stage where you just need to make it to the finish line, allowing you to really soak in the sights and get a feel for the course. Then you can take on beginner and expert challenges where you are either trying to finish with less than a certain number of deaths or within the time limit. The beauty here is that at any point you can move onto the next course, meaning you don’t have to frustrate yourself if the challenges are getting too difficult, but if you persevere, you’re rewarded. You can unlock new bikes that drastically change how you approach courses, as well as cosmetics and even an alternate mode if you can complete the entire course without crashing. It’s really up to you whether you want to have a zen experience or push yourself more and become a bit of an adrenaline junky.
The courses themselves have lots of shortcuts and alternate routes which encourage experimentation to get the best time possible. Not only are they well designed, but they are stunning with a fantastic colour palette and some beautiful biomes with eye-catching vistas and backdrops. The chill and immersive sound design adds to this to make this a really relaxing experience. I wish some of the courses were a bit more adventurous, but with 16 courses across 4 mountains and daily challenges, it’s difficult to complain with this much great content for the price point. To be honest there is very little I have to say wrong about the game. It’s such a polished experience and was a joy to playthrough, being perfect for me to just chill and escape from reality.
The courses themselves have lots of shortcuts and alternate routes which encourage experimentation to get the best time possible. Not only are they well designed, but they are stunning with a fantastic colour palette and some beautiful biomes with eye-catching vistas and backdrops. The chill and immersive sound design adds to this to make this a really relaxing experience. I wish some of the courses were a bit more adventurous, but with 16 courses across 4 mountains and daily challenges, it’s difficult to complain with this much great content for the price point. To be honest there is very little I have to say wrong about the game. It’s such a polished experience and was a joy to playthrough, being perfect for me to just chill and escape from reality.
A fantastic and addictive puzzler with a a really unique core concept and plenty of content to keep you coming back for more.
More of what made its predecessor so enjoyable with enough unique elements to add to the experience.
A fantastic overcooked esque co-op game.
So much fun to play with friends, with surprising layers of depth to the gameplay and forces you to commnicate well otherwise chaos ensues. I just wish it had online co-op like the sequel does.
Overcooked 2 is at its best when you’re screaming at your mates as the kitchen gets set ablaze because of their careless cooking. It’s also at its best when you’re working as a unit, effortlessly taking care of order after order. That’s the beauty of the game, working well as a team can be just as fun as the chaos that ensues when things don’t go to plan. The sequel does a great job of improving some of the shortcomings of the original, with the much-needed inclusion of online multiplayer and more variety in the level designs and recipes. Being able to throw food is a great addition, adding a bit more depth to proceedings. It’s a fantastic co-op experience that’s an absolute blast to playthrough, especially with friends.
Easily the most fun I've had with a tower defence gun.
A fantastic puzzler that feels right at home on the 3DS. The depth added by the 3D effect fits perfectly with the cute, colourful art style and also makes it easier to visualise and solve puzzles. The puzzles themselves are well designed and there is a nice difficulty curve as you progress through the game. I just wish more gameplay mechanics were added over the course of the game to add a bit more variety. Regardless, this up there with the best games the 3DS eShop has to offer and there is plenty here for puzzle fans to enjoy.
Resogun is an incredibly well polished schmup. The gameplay is fast, frenetic and rewarding, having to balance surviving with saving humans scattered around the stage and accruing a multiplier to maximise your score. Do you use a bomb to clear all the enemies on the stage at the cost of reducing your multiplier? The cylindrical stage design is fantastic, allowing you to see enemies outside of you field of view, helping to plan ahead. Moreover, the enemy and boss design is outstanding with great variety and some really creative attacks. What’s more the over the top particle effects and distinct art direction gives the games visuals an almost timeless quality. Though the game isn’t perfect, with all of its stages being far too similar and a lack of content, with the campaign taking less than 2 hours to complete. However, these are minor hold ups and don’t take away from the fact that this is one of the best schmups out there.
The gameplay is so simple, but the well designed progression and fantastic polish and attention to detail are what makes this experience so special.
So glad I managed to persuade my friends to get this. The gameplay is so addicting and satisfying with the myriad of unlockable characters and randomised elements in every run keeping things fresh. The gameplay is so well refined, the characters distinct and each of the biomes unique. I love how mysterious the game is and the challenge, though punishing, means that teamwork is a must (unless you are playing solo then good luck my friend cause this game is tough as nails). Some quality-of-life improvements would be the icing on the cake, but this is still among the best experiences I’ve had playing online with friends.
One of the few games where touch controls feel like they truly add to the experience.
An outstanding rogue-like card game.
Steamworld Dig is a charming platformer with a delightful art style. It has a unique gameplay loop where you dig to create your own path between areas. As you progress, you are constantly given more mechanics to not only make traversal easier but enable you to access new regions. The pacing takes a dip towards the middle and the stellar final boss highlighted how the game could’ve done with more bosses throughout, but this is still an innovative platformer well worth a look.
One of the most innovative shooters I’ve played in years SUPERHOT The gameplay mechanics and physics are incredibly satisfying SUPERHOT The pacing of the campaign is fantastic SUPERHOT The art style is really bold and eye catching SUPERHOT I found the twisted, quirky narrative intriguing SUPERHOT The challenges and endless mode are great post game content, but I wish you didn’t have to grind to unlock all their levels SUPERHOT All in all, this game is SUPERHOT
A platformer where learning the mechanics inside out is critical to making it through this incredibly punishing but rewarding experience.
Addictive and engrosing with so much polish. It's easy to get lost in this one.
A short but sweet single player campaign, an exceptional multiplayer offering and wonderful gameplay make this a tonne of fun solo or with friends. Online multiplayer and some more single player content would've been the icing on the cake.
One of the best local multiplayer games out there. Pure chaos.
When the credits rolled on What Remains of Edith Finch, I was in awe. From the get-go the games fantastic narrative and storytelling had me enthralled. Edith’s narration feels so genuine and the clever use of multiple perspectives and animated subtitles is so unique. The stories of what happened to each of the family members is told through Edith narrating from written items left in each of the Finch’s rooms. This means that what the player is seeing may not actually be what happened, but what was recorded as happening. This adds a whole new layer of interpretation to proceedings that left me constantly questioning what’s real and what’s not. This all climaxes with a stellar ending that left me in pure shock. The story is undoubtedly very twisted, but its just grounded enough to stay relatable, with some very important takeaway messages.
In terms of the gameplay itself, the limited interaction you have with the world around you is executed well with control inputs mimicking what the character is doing. The pacing, for the most part, is superb with a wide range of greatly varying mechanics being utilised in each of the Finch’s stories, and these never feel gimmicky. A particular standout for me was Lewis’ phenomenally executed story, which is incredibly relatable for anyone that daydreams. The art style used throughout is fantastic, though some sharper textures in places or a greater visual variety would’ve been the icing on the cake.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a triumph in interactive storytelling and a fine example of how videogames can be used to create an experience like no other.
In terms of the gameplay itself, the limited interaction you have with the world around you is executed well with control inputs mimicking what the character is doing. The pacing, for the most part, is superb with a wide range of greatly varying mechanics being utilised in each of the Finch’s stories, and these never feel gimmicky. A particular standout for me was Lewis’ phenomenally executed story, which is incredibly relatable for anyone that daydreams. The art style used throughout is fantastic, though some sharper textures in places or a greater visual variety would’ve been the icing on the cake.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a triumph in interactive storytelling and a fine example of how videogames can be used to create an experience like no other.
A really creative game that is always throwing something new at you to keep things fresh that doesn't actually involve a lot of golf.
