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Indie games to look forward to in 2016 and beyond

So it's December, and that's means GOTY lists and praising what came out this year (And don't worry, there'll be a Best Indie Games of 2015 list coming too)

But looking ahead is just as exciting as reminiscing, and the future is bright for indies. 2016 is one packed years, not just for AAA heavy-hitters like Uncharted and Horizon, but for indies too. Here's a look at some promising indie titles coming next year and beyond

What are you looking forward to?

Astroneer - early 2016
As an Astroneer, you must find a way to dig out a life on one of a multitude of harsh new worlds. Blast through the terrain to uncover precious artifacts and materials you can use to fuel your quest to become a wealthy baron in the stars. Along the way, discover oddities, raise questions, and uncover mysteries.
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Aurion - early 2016
Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is a 2D African Fantasy Action-RPG which seeks to innovate in this genre. The dynamic gameplay partly inspired by the old school ‘Tales of’ series, focuses on 2D real-time combat sequences while the narration and its environment both draw deeply from African culture, myths and lores.
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BitUp - 2016
A side scrolling, exploration Hack-N'-Slash game in a 3D-Impressionist world. A game kept hidden by its legendary creator, while its protagonist looks for answers
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Bleed 2 - 2016
Bleed 2 picks up about a week after the events of the first game. Wryn has ushered in a new age of heroes, and the ones she defeated are already a distant memory. However, since she defeated the greatest heroes of all time… she’s the only hero the world has left.
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Dawn of the Ronin
Dawn of the Ronin places you in control of an unnamed Ronin warrior right in the heart of 16th Century Japan. Your only companion cut down by Tokugawa’s soldiers, you become one of the thousands of warriors that Toyotomi calls to defend Osaka and stand against the Tokugawa regime.
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Death's Gambit - 2016
Explore an alien medieval planet filled with horrors, beasts, and knights. Every new enemy encounter is a complex hack-n-slash puzzle to solve. Every piece of environment and mechanic tells part of the story. Use everything in your power to survive
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Drift Stage - 2016
Drift Stage is a modern evolution of the classic arcade racer, bringing the gameplay up to date a bit while keeping the late 80's style intact.
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Enemy Starfighter
Enemy Starfighter puts you in the cockpit of the universe's most terrifying interceptor and gives you command of a vengeful fleet of Imperial warships.
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Everspace - 2016
A rogue-like 3D space shooter with non-linear storytelling from the creators of the critically acclaimed "Galaxy on Fire" series
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FAR - 2016
In FAR, the player controls an extraordinary vehicle across the endless desert of a dried out sea. The driver and the vehicle have to drive together through a desolated world, its dangerous weather and towards an unknown end.
The game combines an atmospheric journey with intuitive but complex mechanics.
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Firewatch - February 9th
Firewatch is a mystery set in the Wyoming wilderness, where your only emotional lifeline is the person on the other end of a handheld radio.
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For The King - mid 2016
Weave your own unique tales in an epic single or multiplayer RPG adventure that spans across the realms. Trek across perilous badlands, trudge though poisonous swamps, brave the high seas and shifting mystical forests. The land is in chaos and the odds are stacked against you. Answer the call and help bring peace back to Fahrul!
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Flotsam
Flotsam is a building sim where you try to survive and build a functioning society in a world flooded by water.
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GRIP - 2016
Inspired by the Rollcage games of 1999 and 2000, GRIP is a new IP for a new generation. A return to the hardcore combat racer, bristling with heavy weapons and packing ferocious speed, the game is an intense, sensory feast. Harnessing the awesome potential of Epic's Unreal Engine 4, GRIP will take you back to your nostalgic past, while simultaneously propelling you into a kick-ass future.
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Hunger
Hunger is an adventure-suspense game about a girl named Six and her attempts to escape the strange world of The Maw.
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Induction - early 2016
Induction is an abstract puzzle game about time travel and paradoxes. You are given the ability to jump through time, and are tasked with exploiting its counter-intuitive consequences. You must learn to choreograph your actions across multiple timelines, and to create strange loops of cause and effect, where the future depends on the past and the past depends on the future. Induction does not pander, but gives players the satisfaction of mastering an imaginary yet honest set of physical laws.
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Jetpack Squad - 2016
Jetpack Squad is a SHMUP with a focus on speed, interactivity and explosions, from the creator of Intrusion 2
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Necropolis
Welcome to Necropolis - a game of brutal combat and survival, set in a magical deathtrap that shifts and reconstructs itself around you. Will you find the exit, or die trying?*
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Orphan - 2016
Orphan is a young boy and presumably the sole survivor of an overnight alien invasion.
You will sneak across the countryside through open fields and dense forests, over dangerous mountains and through lush valleys, ducking behind rocks and trees all while being pursued by an army of machines designed to destroy all life. However the machines have their weaknesses and they carry powerful weapons that may be able to be used against them.
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Overland - 2016
Overland is a new 3D survival tactics game from the creator of Canabalt. In Overland, players guide an evolving cast of survivors on a road trip through a ruined continent. To survive the trip, players scavenge for fuel, weapons, and other supplies to help them keep moving and protect themselves from the strange, sound-sensitive creatures roaming the remains of North America.
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Prey For The Gods - 2016
Prey for the Gods is a brutal journey set on a desolate frozen island, where your only chance of survival is to destroy the very gods you believe in.
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Rain World - 2016
You are a nomadic slugcat, both predator and prey in a broken ecosystem. Grab your spear and brave the industrial wastes, hunting enough food to survive, but be wary— other, bigger creatures have the same plan...
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Redout - early 2016
Redout is a tribute to the old racing monsters such as F-Zero, WipeOut, Rollcage, and POD. No bollocks: get in the ship and slam that throttle. You’re in for an uncompromising, fast, tough and satisfying driving experience, soaked in that vertigo that stands at the core of the arcade racing genre.
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Slain - January 27th
A heavy metal inspired combat-puzzle with gore galore. Stunning visuals and true old school gameplay accompanied by the most metal soundtrack you've ever heard. Prepare to be Slain!
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Somerville
SOMERVILLE at it's core is an episodic cinematic platformer with responsive shooter mechanics. It draws influence from my beloved days of grinning through Eric Chahi's Another World but dragged through a nice contemporary wash. Expect a core mechanic that borrows a little bit of Treasure shooter, a smidge of rhythm action, bookended by a fleshed out adventure game experience.
Told through a series of narrated chapters from a primary school teacher to her class. The book chronicles the life of author JOHN E. SOMERVILLE. A key historical figure that rose from the wake of a devastating alien occupation of earth.
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The Soul Keeper - 2016
Play as a diverse cast of characters, each with their own story and internal conflicts. Utilize different gameplay mechanics, and explore new environments with each character. Engage with a huge a variety of personalities through your encounters with a multitude of unique civilizations.
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That Which Sleeps
That Which Sleeps is a turn based strategy game in which the player takes on the role of an awakened evil from the world's past and must manipulate a living, reactive world from the shadows using a cast of unique corrupted Agents. The player must balance an aggressive approach utilizing his considerable power and eager hordes with the need to remain unknown to the Champions and Heroes of the world. You must be sure that when your name is again spoken by mortal tongues that it is spoken in dread, for it is too late to stop That Which Sleeps.
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Thumper - 2016
Thumper is a rhythm violence game. It combines classic rhythm-action with breakneck speed and brutal physicality.
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Tusks and Tigerskins
Essentially, you're in charge of a shipping company at a jungle British Outpost circa 1927, and you use a little boat to go up and down the river and sell things. It's inspired by the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland/Walt Disney World, Heart of Darkness, and the movie African Queen and plays a bit like if Recettear, Far Cry, and a boat-driving simulator had a baby.
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Twin Souls - Spring 2016
You are Aragami, a spirit of vengeance summoned by Yamiko, a mysterious girl imprisoned in a guarded fortress. As you come back to life, your souls are bound together, sealing your destinies. To achieve your goal you must engage in a dark journey through land and memories to destroy her prison seals. As Aragami, you have the power of 'Shadow Control'. The darkness is your ally and the source of your strength. You have a diverse array of Shadow Powers at your disposal.As you advance you will need to sneak past guards, teleport between shadows, create your own areas of darkness and strategically assassinate your targets.
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Wanderer - Late 2016
Wanderer tells the tale of a man called Rook, a greying convict who wakes from cold sleep aboard a massive orbital prison facility to find that it's crash landed on the ruins of an abandoned Earth. With the guidance of a hacker named Jin and the aid of a ragtag group of survivors he recruits along the way, Rook must locate and explore the nine cell blocks which have detached from the prison's central tower and scattered across Earth's ghostly wasteland.
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Wartile - 2016
A real time strategy game for PC and tablets in which you control a small band of figures by picking them up and placing them on the miniature battle map, just like a game of chess without turns. Each figure has special attributes and abilities that counter each other, forcing you to strategically time and plan your moves against the enemy player.
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We Shall Wake
Engage in lightning-fast combat with legions of enemies. Intelligent, aggressive AI will challenge your skills, decision making, and reflexes.
Experience sonic speeds as you traverse through supermassive structure of Yarib. Run, jump, dodge and attack freely with extremely smooth and responsive controls.
Construct your own customized movesets from more than 50 individual moves. Build and place defensive structures and allies wherever you choose.
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The Witness - January 26th
An exploration-puzzle game.
Explore an abandoned island
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Wizard of Legend - 2016
Battle your way through each council member’s challenge by defeating powerful conjured enemies! Collect valuable spells and relics to build up your magical arsenal to fit your playstyle! Achieve mastery over magic by chaining spells together to create devastating combination attacks! Face each council member in combat to earn your right to become a Wizard of Legend!
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Their is no firm release date set, but I would be very surprised if we don't get Defenders Quest 2 in 2016. They've been in alpha for a few months now.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
More_Badass: anything interesting being developed in the FMV game space? After Her Story and Contradiction I'm hyped for more
 

stuminus3

Member
I'm chomping at the bit to see what Jeff Minter's new game will be, but he hasn't even shared its name yet.
 
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

I'm looking forward to Prey for the Gods, Jetpack Squad, FAR, Rain World and especially Spark the Electric Jester.

I didn't know about Redout but it looks good. I'm really happy to see the space sim genera coming back, but the glut of titles makes it hard to choose which one to really follow. I guess I'll have to wait for reviews and feedback.
 

Spirited

Mine is pretty and pink
The good ol' hyper light drifter also.

Hoping the creator is fine and can continue his work after the heart surgery.
 

KTT

Member
These look amazing. Is there something like this for 2015? Full of games that I can play now?
 

megalowho

Member
Sounds like Kentucky Route Zero: Act IV will be arriving in early 2016 too. Looking forward to ignoring that release and waiting another few years for Act V to finally play that game in full.
 

slash3584

Member
I would like to add Stardew Valley to this list. It's a game based on old school harvest moon with festivals, farming, mining, animals, marriage and even coop.

Don't have a gif but here's the project's site

www.stardewvalley.net
 
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