Which indies did you discover and would love more people to know about? I’ll start: The Pale Beyond. Not sure if it’s a hidden gem tbh, but it’s such a good story rich game. I laughed, I cried and felt the characters struggles. If you like story rich games/ choices matter, check it out.
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Starsector: It’s an Elite style open world space game. What makes it special is that it’s been in constant development for over a decade and has a crazy number of ships, weapons, lore and features. And a vibrant modding scene.
Also the devs are vehemently against DRM, so the only place you can buy the game is their own website. Or not buy. They put the full version up for anyone to download.
I’ll have to check that out. An indie game in a very similar vein is Evochron Legends. It’s available on Steam, too. I have a couple of hours in it, but it’s been a while since I last checked it.
Shadows of doubt is a sandbox detective game. You are a detective and you have to solve crimes, which are totally randomized. What makes this interesting is that the world does not stop:
- the NPCs actually have daily routines
- the murderer might not stop killing
- you can talk with anyone
- and so much more
It is truly a sandbox! I havent played it too much yet, but i feel if i really start playing it, then i will skip going to bed!
I bought that game a while back, but I couldn’t get into solving anything. Maybe I was just playing it wrong or something.
I mean, if Josh from Let’s Game it Out fucked around nonstop in almost every possible way and still “solved” a case, I doubt you could be playing the game wrong 😆
Invidious linkie - https://invidious.baczek.me/watch?v=ckmPfn-KCGg
Signalis
Antichamber
Cave Story
The Beginner’s Guide
Uplink
Hypnospace Outlaw
Exit Fate
The Red Strings Club
Oolite
LocoRoco (not an indie gem but forgotten)
Upvote for Antichamber.
Hypnospace Outlaw is hilarious and perfectly captures the weirdness of the early Internet.
Also don’t forget to talk to your kids about the dangers of shonking.
Unciv for Android. It’s basically Civilization 5, but FOSS.
Shoutout to Iji, too. Amazing soundtrack and lots of replayability. It’s an old game by now, but it’s also free. Sidescrolling platformer, killing is optional.
Assault Android Cactus. Dunno how well known the game is, but it’s one of the best twin stick shooters/bullet hell I’ve played, with the android girls full of charm.
I recommend Nex Machina if you enjoyed that one.
Uh, which one? I mentioned 3 games
Sorry, Assault Android Cactus. The formatting in my app made it look like two separate comments when I was skimming quickly.
I was going to say Iji. Such an amazing game, it’s like the 2D version of an immersive sim. I wish there was a remake only so the dev could make the money they rightfully deserve.
Gunpoint. Story based detective game where you solve a murder. Gameplay mechanics make you feel like a badass. You can pretty much finish it in a single sitting but its great.
Heat signature. A stealth based top down bounty hunter game with roguelike elements. Really well done. Made by the same guy that made Gunpoint.
Neo scavenger. A murder hobo roguelike with a surprisingly long storyline.
Super house of dead ninjas. Great fast paced platformer where you’re a badass ninja. Great to pick up and play in short bursts.
Fez. 2D exploration platformer with to change the perspective. Pretty chill and has a cool art style
More well known games that I’ll list anyway in case someones looking for some awesome ones:
Super meat boy
Project zomboid
FTL
Celeste
Crypt of the necrodancer
Enter the gungeon
Spelunky
Noita. Saw it mentionned in this thread and I am seconding this. Great game. But brutal as fuck.
Cave story. A classic. And it’s free.
Owlboy. Took the developer like 10-15 years to make. I’ve heard good things but I’m only just starting to play it.
Also pro tip: if you want more recommendations go look at what speedrunners are playing. People that spend that much time playing a single game over and over generally choose very good games to play.
Good list. Also by ftl devs, into the breach
I haven’t played nearly all of these but the ones I have played are absolutely dynamite. I suspect this is a killer list
Antichamber is hidden gem or simply forgotten? I don’t know how much attention it got in its time.
It’s a puzzle platformer but I was feeling my brain bend the whole game. And at the same time I never felt like the new mechanic was explained too little or something was artificially dragged out. Very good design.IMO it was better than Portals
Phoenotopia: Awakening – an amazing metroidvania-related game. Relatively more popular than the other games I list, but is honestly one of my favorite games of all time.
Vision: Soft Reset – a metroidvania, but you can travel backwards and forwards in time and this really matters for gameplay.
Bombe – Minesweeper, but instead of solving the puzzles manually, you create rules (“if there is a cell with the number N and there are N empty cells around it, mark them all as mines”) which the game applies automatically.
SOLAS 128 – a puzzle game where you redirect signals in a huge machine, just a great experience if you like puzzle games.
Shadow of the Forbidden Gods - a strategy game where you play as the ancient cthonic entity waking up because the stars are right. Set in a fantasy world where the forces of good slowly become aware of the coming apocalypse and attempt to forestall your return. You have to get past the janky UI and some dreadful AI art, but the gameplay is unique and satisfying.
Parkitect - an amazing RCT spiritual successor with cute graphics, some new mechanics (covering operational buildings and logistic routes). I have 100+ hours in it with my wife. It’s such a chill experience.
Nine Parchments - its a dual stick isometric shooter with wizards and elemental spells from the creators of Trine. Great co-op, unlockable characters/spells and creative mechanics. You can combine elements and the spells affect everyone, so for example a poorly placed healing spell can restore enemies health, or a misplaced fireball can hurt fellow players. Great fun!
Wildermyth - turn-based rpg with multiple characters and bite-sized modular quests and random encounters. The storytelling is simply amazing and each campaign plays out over a certain amount of time. The heroes age, retire, their kids can become adventurers as well. They can fall in love, compete, or based on the player’s choices even become other creatures or die heroic deaths which will also change how the story plays out. The art style is really nice and unique. I had many hours of fun with this one.
Citizen Sleeper - From the same publisher as The Pale Beyond, it’s another one of those story games that borders on visual novels. It’s a game about precarity and personhood set on an anarchic, decaying space station. Gorgeous art, fantastic soundtrack and it’s uniquely hopeful. Might be favourite game of the last few years.
It’s old enough that I can’t attest to how hidden it was/is, but Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery is likely the greatest 3 hours I’ve spent in a single videogame. It’s chock-full of confidence and style and atmosphere. The story is nothing unique but the presentation is everything. Pixellated graphics contrasted with vivid sound design and a glorious soundtrack. I love everything about it.
Oh this is a neat game I’ll just build this little gun turret and oh my god 14 hours have passed
yes I’ve lost hours on that game
- To The Moon: Absolutely heart breaking.
- Tales of Maj’Eyal: An incredible rogue-like with 30+ classes and God knows how many achievements.
- Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead: Apocalyptic rogue-like. Zombies, bandits, aliens and Lovecraft shit. Want to raid a dojo? Learn Judo from a book and proceed to race around town on a pair of rollerblades practicing on the undead? Feel free.
Null Gravity Labyrinth for everyone who likes labyrinths
Sebil Engineering has a really fun mechanic I’ve never seen before. Its like those Hot Wheels tracks you always wanted as a kid but your parents never got you, but even better. I guess its a traffic control game? Anyone have other examples of these?
Doesn’t look like it offers the chance to build a “hot wheels track”. Feels like that idea of bridge constructor, but applied only to angles of roads
True, its not the best description of it. I was trying to land on something that would resonate with the type of person i thought it might appeal to, without fully explaining the thing. Maybe I failed lol.
Yeah there’s no track building. Each stage is a physics puzzle where you’re at some section of road, and there’s an infinite stream of cars. You’re allowed to make crude adjustments to verts on the road, in attempt to get the stream of cars to drive to some goal. The puzzles are very satisfying, and even when you’re not at a solution, its just fun watching the wagons fly into whatever direction your road positioning happens to take them.
Also its truly independent in the strict sense of the term. Solo dev, no publisher. Not that I have anything against small publishers.
