• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

IndieGAF recommends: The 50 Best Indies of 2013

Shard said:
Valdis Story: Abyssal City is a rather good Metriodvania game that I am sad to not see on that list.
Click to expand...

This was the one game that really jumped out at me on my first look too.

Zeliard said:
Brothers is like 3 hours long. You can easily start and finish it in a sitting.
Click to expand...

Also it's like breathtakingly gorgeous.

NichM said:
Surprised to see two pages of posts and no mention of the excellent Hate Plus.
Click to expand...

I think the "need" to play H:AAS first probably kind of limited its reach. I haven't made it to H+ yet despite hearing positive things for exactly that reason.
 
charlequin said:
Great thread and very well-curated list. Thanks for the effort that went into this.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am really glad to see how the list turned out. Definitely would look a lot different if we didnt have quite a few people over in the Indie threads who play so many games that totally fly under the radar.

Its very nice to see people appreciating the thread, lets hope we can keep the community together and can make another one next year.
 
Teknoman said:
If I really like Rogue Legacy, any other Steam recommendations?
Click to expand...
Spelunky of course
If you're more of a action roguelike fan rather than just platformers, Teleglitch is a lot of (masochistic, fast-paced) fun.
If you like turn-based roguelikes, NEO Scavenger is amazing, just a gritty, desperate, ruthless survival roguelike
 
It was really great year for indie games, many games I like made to the top 50.
It only somewhat saddens me that my most surprising as being so royally fun and good Long Live the Queen gets no love, except in the steam thread.

aside of that, good work Toma, as always.
 
SpacLock said:
Recommend Gone Home and Fez (even though the creator is a complete dick).
Click to expand...
Ha, yeah, I finally saw Indie Game: The Movie a few weeks ago and now I see what people mean when they talk about Fish. On the flip side, McMillen and co. seemed extremely personable and down to earth.
 
More_Badass said:
Ha, yeah, I finally saw Indie Game: The Movie a few weeks ago and now I see what people mean when they talk about Fish. On the flip side, McMillen and co. seemed extremely personable and down to earth.
Click to expand...

Still need to see that, but yeah, Fez was a genius game, which is kinda jarring considering the attitude of the dev and how I usually percieve Indie devs.
 
Toma said:
Still need to see that, but yeah, Fez was a genius game, which is kinda jarring considering the attitude of the dev and how I usually percieve Indie devs.
Click to expand...

For the record, I thought Phil Fish was totally fine in the movie. Your perception may vary, depending on the number of oversensitive, eccentric "artist" type of people you have to deal with on a regular basis.
 
PandaPedinte said:
What did you like exactly in Rogue Legacy?
Click to expand...

More_Badass said:
Spelunky of course
If you're more of a action roguelike fan rather than just platformers, Teleglitch is a lot of (masochistic, fast-paced) fun.
If you like turn-based roguelikes, NEO Scavenger is amazing, just a gritty, desperate, ruthless survival roguelike
Click to expand...

Difficulty, art style, and the gameplay style of it. Honestly, everything about the game. I've already got Spelunky and on a related note, La Mulana.

I guess more platformer roguelikes if they exist.
 
Teknoman said:
Difficulty, art style, and the gameplay style of it. Honestly, everything about the game. I've already got Spelunky and on a related note, La Mulana.

I guess more platformer roguelikes if they exist.
Click to expand...

Specter is very similar in a lot of regards, only more megaman-ish (in the way you acquire new abilities) in lieu of the roguelike component. The demo was very promising; seems like they took down the build for now, but I'd keep an eye on the project.

I don't think there's anything quite like RL, though, sorry.
 
Teknoman said:
Difficulty, art style, and the gameplay style of it. Honestly, everything about the game. I've already got Spelunky and on a related note, La Mulana.

I guess more platformer roguelikes if they exist.
Click to expand...
Check out Towerclimb
And keep an eye out for Catacomb Kids, which is currently in alpha.
 
daydreaming said:
Specter is very similar in a lot of regards, only more megaman-ish (in the way you acquire new abilities) in lieu of the roguelike component. The demo was very promising; seems like they took down the build for now, but I'd keep an eye on the project.

I don't think there's anything quite like RL, though, sorry.
Click to expand...

I played that... but it was the demo or Beta or something? The level layout wasnt too terribly interesting, but I should get back to it, I wasnt even close to seeing anything they are showing on their website.
 
Toma said:
I played that... but it was the demo or Beta or something? The level layout wasnt too terribly interesting, but I should get back to it, I wasnt even close to seeing anything they are showing on their website.
Click to expand...

Yes, it was a demo of sorts. The level design was alright, I thought, certainly more linear than RL because it's more of an action platformer.

The game had a shiny and vibrant look to it, though, and the player character is obviously reminiscent of Rogue Legacy, that's why I mentioned it. The jumping felt weird, that was my main complaint, iirc.
 
Teknoman said:
Difficulty, art style, and the gameplay style of it. Honestly, everything about the game. I've already got Spelunky and on a related note, La Mulana.

I guess more platformer roguelikes if they exist.
Click to expand...

Already said but get Risk of Rain and if you like metroidvanias Valdis Story and Dust.
 
daydreaming said:
Yes, it was a demo of sorts. The level design was alright, I thought, certainly more linear than RL because it's more of an action platformer.

The game had a shiny and vibrant look to it, though, and the player character is obviously reminiscent of Rogue Legacy, that's why I mentioned it. The jumping felt weird, that was my main complaint, iirc.
Click to expand...
How far did you get in? The screenshots show some sort of magic system for example. I definitely can't judge the game properly, so it would be great to have some impressions from someone who played the full version :p
 
Toma said:
How far did you get in? The screenshots show some sort of magic system for example. I definitely can't judge the game properly, so it would be great to have some impressions from someone who played the full version :p
Click to expand...

That wouldn't be me, though. I only played the free alpha (that's what it was, just went back and checked) like everyone else. Actually, the link from the November thread still works. Guess they forgot about it. :P
 
Teknoman said:
Difficulty, art style, and the gameplay style of it. Honestly, everything about the game. I've already got Spelunky and on a related note, La Mulana.

I guess more platformer roguelikes if they exist.
Click to expand...
Super House of Dead Ninja's.

Not a whole lot of emphasis on grinding for unlocks (even if it allows you to choose from various tools at your disposal) à la Rogue Legacy, but it's fast-paced and has tight controls that almost rival Spelunky's. Wouldn't say it's easy, but it's not brutally difficult either; it's just right in that regard, especially with the DLC and optional environments. It's old-school in art style, but it absolutely nailed that retro 90's feel down to the audio design. It's a solid second in my book (because I don't like Rogue Legacy at all) and I can't wait for an expanded sequel one day if at all feasible, with Spelunky being #1 for me. Also, check your PM if it seems like you would indeed be interested in the game at first glance.
 
Toma said:
I am curious, general question to people coming in here, does the list have a few titles that you didnt have on the radar?
Click to expand...

Nope, pretty much knew them all and had the ones I was interested in. Two exceptions were Factorio (which I didn't know about and will try) and FJORDS (which I knew about and reaaaaaally wanted to play, but never knew had been released on PC and thus had forgotten).

edit: oh and it also reminded me of Sentinel which I have on Desura but forgot about because Desura.
 
Accent said:
Nope, pretty much knew them all and had the ones I was interested in. Two exceptions were Factorio (which I didn't know about and will try) and FJORDS (which I knew about and reaaaaaally wanted to play, but never knew had been released on PC and thus had forgotten).

edit: oh and it also reminded me of Sentinel which I have on Desura but forgot about because Desura.
Click to expand...

Well, at least you still get to play 2 of my highest rated games last year (and sentinel was also ace) :p

Please feel also free to jump over in the Indie thread if you can share some impressions. We are always looking for impressions on releases.
 
Toma said:
Please feel also free to jump over in the Indie thread if you can share some impressions. We are always looking for impressions on releases.
Click to expand...

I do once in a while but time isn't particularly in abundance! But I'll probably write something about Mirrormoon EP soonish.
 
Strange to see games that haven't been finished yet on the list, like Broforce and Mercenary Kings. Both look awesome...but they weren't completed in 2013, and haven't even been released so far in 2014...
 
Decado said:
Strange to see games that haven't been finished yet on the list, like Broforce and Mercenary Kings. Both look awesome...but they weren't completed in 2013, and haven't even been released so far in 2014...
Click to expand...

No one said the games need to be finished. Our only rule was that the version of these games that we vote on need to be openly available for playing (meaning everyone could play it either for free or by paying for it).

My favourite game 2013 is still in prerelease Beta/Alpha whatever (Factorio), so why shouldnt it count if it already was better than any other game in 2013?
 
*shrugs* I said it was "strange", not that they shouldn't be included or the list was inaccurate.

I was simply expecting the games on the list to be finished.
 
Decado said:
*shrugs* I said it was "strange", not that they shouldn't be included or the list was inaccurate.

I was simply expecting the games on the list to be finished.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry. Wasnt supposed to sound mean, just wanted to explain the "if we played it, its up for voting" rule :p

Same rule we go with in the monthly threads btw, with the addition that a game might be included twice in the monthly threads/votings, once for their first playable appearance and the second time for their full release.
 
If you were on the fence about Steamworld, it's currently 50% on Steam

I started playing Proteus again and while I didn't enjoy it as much the first time (which is weird because I usually like exploration games), I'm liking it much more now. The way the music, the vivid colors, and chunky abstract visuals combine create a wonderful atmosphere
 
Seems like a good list on a quick glance. Subscribing so I'll hopefully remember to check out all the ones I've missed next week when I've got holiday
 
I didn't play as many indie games last year as I had previous years, but my top 5 are probably:

1. AntiChamber
2. Skull Girls
3. Gone Home
4. Rogue Legacy
5. The Stanley Parable

I also own a bunch that I haven't played yet or haven't played much of: Guacamelee, Dust: An Elysian Tale, The Swapper, Proteus, Gunpoint, Valdis Story: Abyssal City, Zeno Clash 2 (probably put 2-3 hours into this one and did enjoy it, but it's quite flawed and I'd like to finish it before deciding how much I liked it... I loved the original despite mixed reviews)... probably others. I tend to buy quite a lot of indie games and try to get to them eventually.

I played a few other games on the OP list, but in their actual original years of release. I would also put Sound Shapes on my top 5 if it hadn't come out in 2012 (played it for the first time in 2013).
 
More_Badass said:
Five of the games on this list are in the new Humble Bundle 11

- Antichamber
- Dust
- Guacamelee
- Monaco
- The Swapper

So if you missed out on these great games, now's the time to rectify that
Click to expand...

Always mindbogging how cheap these bundles are considering the amount of content and quality they usually contain.
 
More_Badass said:
If you were on the fence about Steamworld, it's currently 50% on Steam

I started playing Proteus again and while I didn't enjoy it as much the first time (which is weird because I usually like exploration games), I'm liking it much more now. The way the music, the vivid colors, and chunky abstract visuals combine create a wonderful atmosphere
Click to expand...

Is the soundtrack all spaghetti westerny as well? Please say yes.
 
Wow, that list really reinforces how I'm getting SO much more enjoyment out of indie games over retail titles.

*quietly humbled to be on said list :)*
 
Noogy said:
Wow, that list really reinforces how I'm getting SO much more enjoyment out of indie games over retail titles.

*quietly humbled to be on said list :)*
Click to expand...

Ravidrath said:
Happy to have made the list!
Click to expand...

Haha, thanks guys for making Dust and Skullgirls :) This thread wouldnt exist without you developers making these great games.

Best of luck for your next endeavors!
 
Noogy said:
Wow, that list really reinforces how I'm getting SO much more enjoyment out of indie games over retail titles.

*quietly humbled to be on said list :)*
Click to expand...
Wait...you're the dev? Awesome, didn't even realize

Thanks again for doing that giveaway in the Steam Thread (I think it was in December). The story of the game's long and arduous development is quite humbling and really makes the game that much more impressive. The art style and animations are incredible, so fluid and vivid, as is the combat
 
Noogy said:
Wow, that list really reinforces how I'm getting SO much more enjoyment out of indie games over retail titles.

*quietly humbled to be on said list :)*
Click to expand...

Ravidrath said:
Happy to have made the list!
Click to expand...
As the others have said, awesome job guys. I was really impressed with both efforts. For Skullgirls in particular - I know how hard it is to impress the FGC and you clearly have done just that Ravid. Can't wait to see what you guys do next.
 
I saw some people posting this thread on other forums. Thanks guys! :)
 
Hate to be the one to bump this thread yet again, but the latest Humble Bundle added two more games from this list as part of the BTA tier
So now it includes

- Fez
- Starseed Pilgrim
- Antichamber
- Dust
- Guacamelee
- Monaco
- The Swapper

Seriously, I couldn't think of a better introduction to the quality and diversity of indie games than that list.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Eurogamer: The 50 best games of 2025, ranked
30
769
Artificial Heart replied
  • Poll
Best "of the" best
40
1K
uncreativename replied
Best Indie Games of 2025
2
54
5K
bender replied
Top 50 New Indie Games Coming in 2026
Opinion Trailer Indie 
25
2K
IbizaPocholo replied
I want to make 2026 the year where I play only the best of the best games. What are your recommendations?
Social Opinion  2
82
3K
Sand Dan Glokta replied
Top Bottom