Hey folks! It’s been a while. I’ve been so busy with streaming that I haven’t shown any love to my blog. Let’s talk about indie games today.
Often on streams people will ask me, “How do you hear about all these random games?” The answer is simple: I like discovering “off-the-beaten-path” titles and purposely seek them out. There are tons of AAA titles that I love, but I believe that the true innovation in the gaming industry comes from the indie game scene.
My top ten favorite indie games as well as how I found them and the impression they made:
- Subnautica
- Outer Wilds
- Wattam
- The Witness
- Slime Rancher
- Journey
- Gone Home
- The Talos Principle
- I Expect You to Die
- Spiritfarer
This is in no way a ranking of the “best” indie games. These are simply my personal favorites. Also note that I played all of these on PS4, but many are available on multiple platforms.
Descend into the depths of an alien underwater world filled with wonder and peril. Craft equipment, pilot submarines and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and more – all while trying to survive.
Unknown Worlds Entertainment (Developer)
I found Subnautica by picking it off the shelf; it was a habit of mine pre-pandemic to peruse through GameStop and look for hidden gems. The game was on sale for pretty cheap, and my choice was solidified when the staff commented, “Nice, this is our only copy of the game.”
Finding it that day was nothing short of destiny, because it turned out to be my absolute favorite indie game of all time and within my Top Ten of any game category. There is so much to love: the sci-fi underwater setting, the mysterious environments, and unique base management mechanics. When I finished the game I fell deep into what I can only describe as a “gamer low” – when you play something so amazing you start to wonder if any other game will ever make you feel so moved. Thankfully I discovered many more wonderful games (most listed below), and I can also look forward to the Below Zero sequel.
Developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment.
Outer Wilds is a first-person space exploration game where you uncover the mysteries of a solar system stuck in an endless time loop. Blast off into a fully physically simulated cosmos and seamlessly journey from one planet to the next as you search for the answers hidden in the unknown.
Mobius Digital (Developer)
I’d heard great things about Outer Wilds when it came out, but I didn’t make the jump on playing it until it was on sale.
I’ve already written a bit about Outer Wilds and how much I love it, so I won’t go into too much more detail here on it. Read my full spoiler-free review on it here.
Developed by Mobius Digital; published by Annapurna Interactive.
In Wattam, more than 100 wacky and carefree characters are waiting to be unlocked and become your friends, from sushi to seashells, and gigantic trees to normal-sized toilets. The Mayor will be your tour guide through this whimsical world, as you dance, chase, climb, stack, float, explode and hold hands through all the fun.
Funomena (Developer)
This is by far the wonkiest game on this list, in a good way. The hours I spent playing Wattam were some of the most head-scratching, funny, and heartwarming moments in all my time gaming. I heard about this game by word-of-mouth recommendation via a coworker.
Developed by Funomena; published by Annapurna Interactive.
You wake up, alone, on a strange island full of puzzles that will challenge and surprise you.
Thekla, Inc. (Developer)
The Witness involves exploring an open world island teeming with unique and challenging puzzles. As someone who loved the Myst series, this game instantly resonated with me.
This is another game I heard about from coworkers. I started a #puzzle-games Slack channel at work for people to share recommendations, and this consistently came up as a must-play.
Developed and published by Thekla, Inc.
Slime Rancher is the tale of Beatrix LeBeau, a plucky, young rancher who sets out for a life a thousand light years away from Earth on the ‘Far, Far Range’ where she tries her hand at making a living wrangling slimes. With a can-do attitude, plenty of grit, and her trusty vacpack, Beatrix attempts to stake a claim, amass a fortune, and avoid the continual peril that looms from the rolling, jiggling avalanche of slimes around every corner!
Monomi Park (Developer)
I played Slime Rancher right after finishing Subnautica. I was trying to overcome my “gamer low” by playing something that seemed fun and bright. This was yet another game found off the GameStop shelf, and I knew I made the right choice when the staff member commented, “Even though they don’t look anything alike, this game reminds me a lot of that game Subnautica.”
What I thought would be a lighthearted game about “slime management” turned out to be one of the most memorable games I’d played in a long time. The story crept up on me in unexpected way, and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering all the species of Slime.
Developed and published by Monomi Park.
Alone and surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert, you soon discover the looming mountaintop is your goal. The passage will not be easy but this experience of a lifetime will help you discover who you are, what this place is, as you arrive at your purpose.
Experience the wonder in this anonymous adventure where you travel on a life’s passage, with the chance to connect with companions along the way.
Thatgamecompany (Developer)
It’s hard to make a Top Ten for indie games and not include Journey. Not only did it prove you can emotionally impact players in a relatively short game (without any audio or visual language!), it also pioneered a whole new genre.
When I played the game several years ago, I was impressed by how it challenges you to collaborate with an anonymous partner. You have no way to verbally communicate or identify the other person. In between levels it’s possible your partner leaves and you get a new one, but you might never know. I would try to pick up movement quirks to gauge if this was still the same person from the last level, forging a potentially one-sided bond with the anonymous character. The journey was already beautiful when playing alone, but it added a lot to experience it with a stranger.
Co-developed by Thatgamecompany and Santa Monica Studio; published by Annapurna Interactive and Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Gone home is an interactive exploration simulator. Interrogate every detail of a seemingly normal house to discover the story of the people who live there. Open any drawer and door. Pick up objects and examine them to discover clues. Uncover the events of one family’s lives by investigating what they’ve left behind.
I wish I could remember exactly how I heard about Gone Home. I played it shortly after playing Life is Strange, and I have a fuzzy recollection of someone recommending it to me saying “If you liked Life is Strange then you’ll like Gone Home.” The mechanics aren’t anything alike, but I think they are similar in that they both tell powerful stories.
It’s hard to talk about the impact of Gone Home without spoiling it. It was one of those games where I finished it and thought, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this done before.” Not only did it tackle a subject I hadn’t seen addressed much in gaming (the what of that statement being a spoiler to explain further), but it also did so in a very organic and unique way.
Developed and published by Fullbright.
The Talos Principle is a philosophical first-person puzzle game from Croteam, the creators of the legendary Serious Sam series, written by Tom Jubert (FTL, The Swapper) and Jonas Kyratzes (The Sea Will Claim Everything). .
As if awakening from a deep sleep, you find yourself in a strange, contradictory world of ancient ruins and advanced technology. Tasked by your creator with solving a series of increasingly complex puzzles, you must decide whether to have faith, or to ask the difficult questions: Who are you? What is your purpose And what are you going to do about it?
Croteam (Developer)
Another off-the-shelf GameStop find that I picked up because I was intrigued by the cover.
I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzles in this game, but what really solidified this in my Top Ten is the story and interaction with Milton – the entity in the computer terminals you come across throughout the game. Milton hits you with hardball questions to challenge you and your beliefs. In an activity like gaming where you follow instructions or rules to win / overcome an obstacle, Milton asks, “Tell me something, do you always do as you’re told?” There’s a really cool and detailed analysis of the philosophy in The Talos Principle at Playtesting Philosophy.
Developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital.
You are part of a special secret agency that aims to topple Dr. Zor and the Zoraxis organization.
You have been given telekinetic powers — a special treat for our Agents in the Enhanced Operative Division. Report to your office where your Agency Handler will provide you the information and training you need to successfully complete your missions. Welcome aboard.
Schell Games (Developer)
This is a rare game for which I can remember exactly when I first heard about it. I was at PlayStation Experience in 2016 walking around the demo area and came up on a booth for this game. As someone who loves puzzles, the concept of bringing escape games to VR was an immediate sell.
The game itself completely lived up to my expectations. I can also say without a doubt that this has one of the COOLEST opening sequences I’ve ever experienced. I won’t spoil it for anyone who might play it, but let me just say that the opening song is absolutely fantastic.
Developed and published by Schell Games.
Play as Stella, ferrymaster to the deceased, a Spiritfarer. Build a boat to explore the world, then befriend and care for spirits before finally releasing them into the afterlife.
Thunder Lotus Games (Developer)
This is the newest game on the list, which is why it is last (but not least!). I heard about this game on Twitter thanks to Shuhei Yoshida-san, who is the Head of PlayStation Indies initiative. He tweeted a couple times about the game and included a short clip that piqued my interest.
I love everything about this game: the concept, the game building mechanics, the characters, and especially the soundtrack. It is a bittersweet, emotional experience that will stick with me for a long time.
Developed and published by Thunder Lotus Games.
That concludes my Top Ten indie games! I hope you learned about at least one new game.
What are your favorite indie games? Are you going to try any of the games on my list? Comment below or reach out to chat about it!
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