Indie Games I Recommend
Ongoing list of Indie Games I recommend. Mostly trying to focus on stuff that isn't already huge, but if the game is particularly meaningful to me then I'll include it.
22 Games
My current favorite game of all time. I could spend hours in this solar system, just soaking in the atmosphere. One of the best endings in a video game of all time.
An amazing Zelda-like with a novel concept and a perfect example of why I don't feel basic enemy combat is necessary for every game with this game reserving "combat" for big boss set pieces. Another banger Lena Raine soundtrack and some good vibes overall.
Medieval Nun's and a murder mystery? It's like this Visual Novel was tailor made to appeal specifically to me. The trip hop album is also extremely fun to listen to and the art style works really well. I could go on and on about what I love about this.
A compelling and ominous descent into a dark hole in the ground filled with exceptional music and great vibes. Another game that feels tailor made specifically to appeal to what I find interesting.
Layers on layers on layers, just when you think you've pealed it all away you find yet deeper layers. One of the most complex games I've played mechanically with one of the most emotional moments I've experienced in a game. Literally sends shivers down my spine.
Not sure what to say about Inside that hasn't been said a million times. A compelling and strange game that stands out among some of the best in the Indie space.
If you haven't played or heard of Terraria at this point I'd be a little shocked. This game was touted as "minecraft but 2d" when it came out, but it's honestly so much more. I've played through this game probably at least 6 or 7 times and it's always so much fun. The sense of progression and the way you combine your weapons and equipment together to make new and better stuff is so good. It's honestly a shock to me that nobody has used that kind of combination crafting system in any other game.
One of the best puzzle games of all time. A killer art style and soundtrack mixed with some very good lateral thinking puzzle. The kind of game you want to forget completely and play agian.
It's Hollow Knight, what else can I say. Its the quintessential metroidvania-indie. A great combat system mixed with an interesting story, a great map, and a great soundtrack. There isn't anything this game does poorly or half way.
A killer soundtrack with some fun combat mechanics, just another great short narrative indie game.
The kind of story that can only be a Video Game. Maybe the best use of the medium to tell a story that isn't game play focused and yet has so much to say about Video Games and Art.
It takes a lot for me to recommend a Survival Crafting game but Subnautica feels like the pinnacle of the genre. The setting is unique and the compulsion to go deeper and deeper really really works. Maybe the most tense I've ever felt playing a game.
A tragic story that inspires a lot of thought about memories. Played or seen it played several times and cried every time.
Continuing the tradition of games with killer soundtracks, the use of diegetic audio in this is so fun. An interesting mystery game that I think makes great use of it's open, but small and strange world.
The first of two games I know in the "Language translation" genre, the other being Chants of Sennaar. There are parts of Heaven's Vault I don't much care for, it's a bit slow at times, but the language mechanics and approach to story and the way words can have multiple meanings is top notch and I think it's well worth checking out.
It's bugsnax!
One of the best Zelda puzzlers of all time. I love how every puzzle is solvable using only the tools provided by the game and yet some of them were so dense I felt like a genius when solving them.
Far less overtly grotesque (even if I like that sort of thing) than it's predecessor in a way I think makes the game more accessible to the average person. The way time progresses in this game and changes the world state is honestly a masterclass and I think makes it the better game than it's predecessor.
Some of the most fun I've had just interacting with a games mechanics. Feels very much like the designers chose fun over anything else and it makes the game a joy to play.
The writing in this game is spine-tingling. Absolutely some of the written word I've every seen in a video game. I don't think I could count all the moments I was blown away by a moment of prose, on both my hands. It's a miracle too because the way the thoughts interact is so luck based and yet they always play off each other in a way that's enthralling.
Let me introduce you to The Witnesses even indier cousin. This game isn't perfect by any stretch but it is very good and is filled with mind and perception twisting puzzles.
Fans of lateral thinking games have been eating really good lately.
