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If I'm sick of the state of the gaming industry, what are some genuinely good indie games to check out?

bad guy

as bad as Danny Zuko in gym knickers
(PC)
Dwarf Fortress
Nuclear Throne
Hotline Miami
Into the Breach
Slice & Dice (mobile)
Hammerfight
Legend of Grimrock
 
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Some of my favorite indies ever:

Dead Cells - A Metroidvania Rogue-like.
Hades - An isometric Rogue-like.
Hollow Knight - A Metroidvania/Souls-likes.
Hotline Miami (skip HM2) - Top down shooter.
Lies of P - Not truly Indie, but an amazing AA Souls-like. Probably my favorite Souls-like not made by Fromsoft.
Momodora: Reverie Under Moonlight - Surprise. Another Metroidvania. Super cute initially, but takes some creepy turns.
Returnal - Again, not truly an indie. More like a AA, but I feel like it was overlooked. A Sci-fi Rogue-like.
Rogue Legacy - Surprise again. Yet another Rogue-like.
Ruiner - Isometric shooter. Super cool art design.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - Another Metroidvania and the best of the Shantae series. I enjoyed the other Shantae games, but this one stands head and shoulders above the others.
Streets of Rage 4 - Not sure it can be considered an indie since it's a Sega IP, but this modernized the 2d side scrolling beat'em up while remaining faithful to the source material.
Super Hot - FPS puzzle game. Enemies and bullets only move when you do, meaning you have to carefully think about your movements
The Messenger - Starts off as an 8-bit Ninja Gaiden game and turns into a 16-bit Metroidvania halfway through. Sea of Stars (mentioned a few times in this thread) is a prequel apparently (I haven't played SoS yet).
The Mummy Demastered - Metroidvania and the only good thing to come out of Tom Cruise's The Mummy.
Transistor - Isometric action game.
 
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Technically not an indie but throwing it out there anyway. I've currently downloaded Dreams and playing Tren, which is one of the more unique and charming games I've played in a while. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Otherwise Ape Out and Pool Panic are a couple of my favourites which I feel are overlooked.
 

Buggy Loop

Member
Hi gaf, with all the constant bullfuckery in the industry right now, I'm looking to support some games made by people who actually give a fuck and have a passion for what they create.

I've never really bothered with indie games but am, finding myself being drawn ever closer to them.

Can anyone recommend some good indie games, I don't even really care what genre, as long as it's fun. PC or PS5. Thanks.

Hyper light drifter
Hollow Knight
Celeste
Slay the spire
Noita
Tunic
Disco Elysium

There's too many of them..

But these are GOTY material for each years they released.
 
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Dead Cells
Hallow Knight
Bulder’s Gate 3 (amazing game)
Helldivers 2
Teardown
Hades
Risk of Rain
Risk of Rain 2
Ruiner
Rounds (with mods and friends)
Lethal Company
Magicka
Besiege
Tunic
 
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Edgelord79

Gold Member
Last Epoch is so hot right now.

so hot right now hansel GIF
 

elhav

Member
There is a sea of great indies, but these are the best off the top of my head (in no particular order):

Disco Elysium (best writing)
Undertale
Hades
Bastion
Celeste
Ori and the Blind Forest
Return of the Obra Dinn
Fez
Spiritfarer
Hollow knight
Tunic
Cuphead
Steamworld Dig 2 (1 was also good)
Guacamelee
Enter the Gungeon
Papers Please
Shovel Knight
Talos Principle 1 and 2
A Hat in Time
Dead Cells
Firewatch
Journey and Flower
Axiom Verge
Getting over it
 
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Neon Xenon

Member
There's many indies I could mention here, but here's the ones I liked the most, off the top of my head. Many different genres.









 
Hi gaf, with all the constant bullfuckery in the industry right now, I'm looking to support some games made by people who actually give a fuck and have a passion for what they create.

I've never really bothered with indie games but am, finding myself being drawn ever closer to them.

Can anyone recommend some good indie games, I don't even really care what genre, as long as it's fun. PC or PS5. Thanks.
I'm sick of virtue-signalling posts like this too. Maybe if people like you bought some games it would help and you may find out AAA do care and make good games

My advice mind, get GamePass PC and enjoy the likes of Caccon and Jasunat for starters and then buy What Remains Of Edith Finch
 
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Well worth the $20 CDN I spent.

But that assumes a gamer likes a combo of poker, deck building and a rogue progression system. It's SP and has no mtx too.

It's on consoles too. But it's a game that will definitely play better on PC due to the point and clicking of cards as opposed to using a gamepad.

Seconding this, but also adding in I can’t imagine playing it any other way than touch screen on Switch.
 

SHA

Member
Gone Home
Life Is Strange
What Remains of Edith Finch
Comic Jumper
The Medium
Too Human
Crypt of the Serpent King
GodFall,

I don't really get what's considered indie or not, to me, any games plot with shallow atmosphere is indie to me, that doesn't mean it's bad,

Immortals of Aveum
Mass Effect Andromeda
The Quarry
Duke Nukem Forever
Metal Gear Rising
Bayonetta
Doom, 2,64,Eternal, 2016
REmake2,3,cv,R1,2
The original Walking Dead Tell Tale series
DMCV
Hellblade
COD campaigns
Mirror's Edge, Catalyst
STREET Fighter Campaigns, 4,5,6
Mortal Kombat Campaigns 10,11
Tekken Campaigns 7,8
Metro Campaigns
Burnout Paradise .
 
OP, I would suggest completely ignore reviews and general reception.

Go to steam, check all new releases, how they play, 1-2 videos. Give a cursory glance to reviews for any obvious major issue.

If anything catches your eye, download and play, make your own opinion on it.

Alternatively, if you wanna do it cheap, get an xbox console, download all gamepass games that release. Their curation is decent and you will find few gems here and there.Again form your own opinion on it.

I think these are only ways you can keep playing new and fresh games instead of falling into a runt. Especially avoid hype cycles and stuff everyone is trying to sell you.
 

Dazraell

Member
Hades
Stardew Valley
The Banner Saga series
Bug Fables
Journey
The Stanley Parable
Talos Principle series
Stasis series
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Dave the Diver
To the Moon series
Golf Story
Emily is Away series
Bastion
 

Portugeezer

Member
Well worth the $20 CDN I spent.

But that assumes a gamer likes a combo of poker, deck building and a rogue progression system. It's SP and has no mtx too.

It's on consoles too. But it's a game that will definitely play better on PC due to the point and clicking of cards as opposed to using a gamepad.

Switch version has touch screen support.
 

Jesb

Member
For indie games I appreciate the ones that are not too big on time investment. I also like something with a creepy charming atmosphere and limbo and inside delivers that.

One of the best Indies has to be mark of the ninja. But there are just too many.
 

hemo memo

Gold Member
Can anyone recommend some good indie games, I don't even really care what genre, as long as it's fun. PC or PS5. Thanks.
I’m new to PC so don’t know and PS5 is not the place for indies in my opinion. Get a cheap Switch. You’ll be swimming with indies.
 
For indie games I appreciate the ones that are not too big on time investment. I also like something with a creepy charming atmosphere and limbo and inside delivers that.

One of the best Indies has to be mark of the ninja. But there are just too many.
I played limbo a good few years back and it blew me away. Amazing atmosphere.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
I’m new to PC so don’t know and PS5 is not the place for indies in my opinion. Get a cheap Switch. You’ll be swimming with indies.
Tbf, overwhelming majority of indies that make it to switch came from PC so its really a matter of what form factor OP prefers.
 
There's a youtube channel called 'best Indies games' that uploads several times a week. Check em out and see what's available/on the horizon that may be in your tastes.
 

Sonik

Member
Subnautica (the first one, do NOT play Subnautica Below Zero, it sucks) is a masterpiece that makes survival games look good, I can't think of anyone that would give this and chance and not like it.

Hollow Knight also a masterpiece, if you like Metroidvanias this might be the best one in many years, it's kind of difficult though

If you like management/strategy games I couldn't recommend Rimworld enough, but be warned if you come from AAA gaming the graphics are a little rough

And speaking of AAA games, Robocop Rogue City looks like one and is very fun

Frostpunk has one of the best atmospheres I've played in a game, also management game


Here's the problem, if someone suggested to me some of the games we do here indie gaming would have alienated me, especially because of the graphics and often weird genres of these games so start with whatever feels better to you. I didn't even know that management genre existed back then and now it's one of my favorite ones. I had also connected graphics with quality back then and was subconsciously shitting on every game whose graphics didn't meet my expectations, now all I care about is gameplay and how fun a game is which is the only AAA game I've touched the last couple of years is Elden Ring. So yeah, take your time and familiarize yourself with everything first, you don't have to play hardcore rogue like games or, you know, Rimworld
 
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