In a video game industry enamored with big publishers, AAA titles, and revenue; it’s often difficult for the smaller more risk-tolerant indie projects to stand out. For this reason, many gamers clamoring for more creative, challenging, and engaging titles are left sifting through the Call of Duty's and Maddens to find the great indie games that exist. Well today we will share some great indie games you need to stop sleeping on in 2023.
Disco Elysium is an RPG that shuns the combat centric model of the gaming industry and focus on problem solving via skills and dialogue. Yes, if you're looking for your Fallout fix you'll find yourself in great hands with this game. The Final Cut of the game introduces full voice acting, new quests, new characters, and more. If you're looking for an isometric RPG reminiscent of the older Fallout's this is definitely the best indie game for you.
Buy Disco Elysium
Untitled Goose Game is a sandbox game that has players control a goose whose goal is to be a general pest to the villagers in town. Reviewers loved the game due to its originality, great controls, and streamlined design. In addition, it's minimalistic art style gave the game a unique character that made being a pest even more satisfying. While it is rather short it was still rated as one of the top 100 PS4 games on Metacritic. Sometimes less is more.
Buy Untitled Goose Game
Super Meat Boy is a challenging platformer video game that sees a cube of meat traverse through 300+ soul-crushing levels on a path to save his girlfriend. The game received critical acclaim for its expert level design and uncompromising experience, reminiscent of 2D stalwarts such as Mega Man and Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels. It was named one of the best indie games the year of release and is still lauded as one of the best modern platformers to this very day.
Buy Super Meat Boy
Now on its 10th Season, Rogue Company is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical third-person hero shooter video game available on all major platforms. While seemingly derivative, it’s well-polished, fun to play and multiple characters to choose from. It offers game modes such as 6v6 Team Deathmatch, Demolition (Bomb Plant/Disarm), Strikeout (King of the Hill + TDM), and Extraction (Capture the Flag). If you’re a fan of Rainbow Six Siege or Team Fortress this is a game you definitely want to pick up.
Update: On April 11th, 2023, Hi-Rez announced that they will end support for the Nintendo Switch version of the game. RIP.
Splitgate is what would happen if Master Chief found himself milling around an Aperture Science lab, Halo with Portals! While Splitgate offers run-of-the-mill game modes, it is one of the few games that mixes a portal mechanic with fast paced combat. But the fun doesn’t stop there, the shooting in Splitgate is crisp and while it may look like a Halo clone, it’s no Nova. This is a unique experience with a great art style that every Halo fan should experience.
Buy Splitgame Merch
Castle Crashers may go down in history for having one of the best soundtracks in a side-scrolling video game, ever. From the very beginning you are greeted with an epic theme song that sets the tone for the nostalgic goodness that’s to come. Castle Crashers pays homage to classic arcade brawlers such as Final Fight, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage. What makes it a must play is how accessible it is. It’s easy and light which makes it simple to pick up and play whenever time permits. The game was a financial success with over one million copies sold.
Buy Splitgame Merch
If the Expendables movie was turned into a 2D shooter video game, it would be Broforce. With an art direction much like Metal Slug and Contra of yesteryear, Broforce is a 4 player side scrolling shoot ’em up that keeps you engaged from start to finish. In the same style of Castle Crashers, it’s a 7 hour long adventure that can be played solo but is better with friends. Broforce features fully destructible environments, a level editor, and new missions released monthly.
Buy Broforce Merch
While often concealed by the shadow of Final Fantasy, YS holds its own as a traditional RPG. For one, it has better combat, memorable characters, exciting boss battles, and the cut scenes and dialogue are a must-see for anime fans. It also has a great art style that feels akin to a high-resolution Playstation 1 JRPG. If you’re looking to get your JRPG fix, cop YS: Origin.
Buy Ys Origin
Axiom Verge is Metroidvania video game for those who do not want to purchase a Nintendo console.The game focuses on a scientist named Trace who is teleported to an alien world and must find his way out. From then on it's a game of mystery and exploration as Trace tries to understand the ancient high-tech world he now finds himself in Upon release, this game received critical acclaim and was applauded for its level design, variety of weapons, and replay value.
Buy Axiom Verge
In addition, all major gaming platforms: XBOX Series, Nintendo Consoles, and Playstation have made a significant push towards encouraging indie game development on their platforms. It is our hope that the growing indie scene becomes direct competition for the major publishers so that they are forced to progress beyond mindless triple a games that put dollar signs above the fun.
Rocket League - Rocket League is one of the most successful indie games ever made which is why it is omitted from the list. No one is sleeping on Rocket League.
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#indievideogames
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#gaming
Disco Elysium The Final Cut | Indie Game By ZA/UM
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation 5, Microsoft XBOX Series, PC
Disco Elysium is an RPG that shuns the combat centric model of the gaming industry and focus on problem solving via skills and dialogue. Yes, if you're looking for your Fallout fix you'll find yourself in great hands with this game. The Final Cut of the game introduces full voice acting, new quests, new characters, and more. If you're looking for an isometric RPG reminiscent of the older Fallout's this is definitely the best indie game for you.
Buy Disco Elysium
Untitled Goose Game | Indie Game by House House
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC
Untitled Goose Game is a sandbox game that has players control a goose whose goal is to be a general pest to the villagers in town. Reviewers loved the game due to its originality, great controls, and streamlined design. In addition, it's minimalistic art style gave the game a unique character that made being a pest even more satisfying. While it is rather short it was still rated as one of the top 100 PS4 games on Metacritic. Sometimes less is more.
Buy Untitled Goose Game
Super Meat Boy | Indie Game by Team Meat
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC
Super Meat Boy is a challenging platformer video game that sees a cube of meat traverse through 300+ soul-crushing levels on a path to save his girlfriend. The game received critical acclaim for its expert level design and uncompromising experience, reminiscent of 2D stalwarts such as Mega Man and Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels. It was named one of the best indie games the year of release and is still lauded as one of the best modern platformers to this very day.
Buy Super Meat Boy
Rogue Company | Indie Game by Hi-Rez
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC
Now on its 10th Season, Rogue Company is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical third-person hero shooter video game available on all major platforms. While seemingly derivative, it’s well-polished, fun to play and multiple characters to choose from. It offers game modes such as 6v6 Team Deathmatch, Demolition (Bomb Plant/Disarm), Strikeout (King of the Hill + TDM), and Extraction (Capture the Flag). If you’re a fan of Rainbow Six Siege or Team Fortress this is a game you definitely want to pick up.
Update: On April 11th, 2023, Hi-Rez announced that they will end support for the Nintendo Switch version of the game. RIP.
Splitgate | Indie Game by 1047 Games
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC
Splitgate is what would happen if Master Chief found himself milling around an Aperture Science lab, Halo with Portals! While Splitgate offers run-of-the-mill game modes, it is one of the few games that mixes a portal mechanic with fast paced combat. But the fun doesn’t stop there, the shooting in Splitgate is crisp and while it may look like a Halo clone, it’s no Nova. This is a unique experience with a great art style that every Halo fan should experience.
Buy Splitgame Merch
Castle Crashers Remastered | Indie Game by The Behemoth
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC
Castle Crashers may go down in history for having one of the best soundtracks in a side-scrolling video game, ever. From the very beginning you are greeted with an epic theme song that sets the tone for the nostalgic goodness that’s to come. Castle Crashers pays homage to classic arcade brawlers such as Final Fight, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage. What makes it a must play is how accessible it is. It’s easy and light which makes it simple to pick up and play whenever time permits. The game was a financial success with over one million copies sold.
Buy Splitgame Merch
Broforce | Indie Game by Free Lives
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC
If the Expendables movie was turned into a 2D shooter video game, it would be Broforce. With an art direction much like Metal Slug and Contra of yesteryear, Broforce is a 4 player side scrolling shoot ’em up that keeps you engaged from start to finish. In the same style of Castle Crashers, it’s a 7 hour long adventure that can be played solo but is better with friends. Broforce features fully destructible environments, a level editor, and new missions released monthly.
Buy Broforce Merch
YS: Origin | Indie Game by Nihon Falcom
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC
While often concealed by the shadow of Final Fantasy, YS holds its own as a traditional RPG. For one, it has better combat, memorable characters, exciting boss battles, and the cut scenes and dialogue are a must-see for anime fans. It also has a great art style that feels akin to a high-resolution Playstation 1 JRPG. If you’re looking to get your JRPG fix, cop YS: Origin.
Buy Ys Origin
Axiom Verge | Indie Game by Thomas Happ Games
Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBOX, PC, Wii U
Axiom Verge is Metroidvania video game for those who do not want to purchase a Nintendo console.The game focuses on a scientist named Trace who is teleported to an alien world and must find his way out. From then on it's a game of mystery and exploration as Trace tries to understand the ancient high-tech world he now finds himself in Upon release, this game received critical acclaim and was applauded for its level design, variety of weapons, and replay value.
Buy Axiom Verge
Conclusion
If you’re tired of the yearly Madden, Call of Duty, and Ubisoft release then you owe it to yourself to check out the indie developers above and the many games they offer. The era of digital distribution and digital storefronts such as Steam and Epic Games Store makes it much easier to navigate around the major publisher to find the best indie games.In addition, all major gaming platforms: XBOX Series, Nintendo Consoles, and Playstation have made a significant push towards encouraging indie game development on their platforms. It is our hope that the growing indie scene becomes direct competition for the major publishers so that they are forced to progress beyond mindless triple a games that put dollar signs above the fun.
Honorable Mentions
Cave Story - An older Metroidvania game created by Daisuke Amaya with multiple iterations Cave Story + and Cave Story 3D.Rocket League - Rocket League is one of the most successful indie games ever made which is why it is omitted from the list. No one is sleeping on Rocket League.
#videogames
#indievideogames
#dpad
#gaming
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