There are so many amazing indie games out there, but some of them stand out as must-play experiences. What are your favorite indie games of all time?
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I would say Hades.
The gameplay loop, the art direction and the story are all very good.Subnautica. One of the best experiences I’ve had in gaming.
Outer Wilds. One of the most creative and thought-provoking games I’ve played. Definitely go into this one knowing as little as possible about it.
Hollow Knight also deserves a spot here, but personally I preferred Salt and Sanctuary.
Factorio has been my crack-torio for many years. Satisfactory may have better graphics, but I prefer the simplicity and depth of Factorio.
Gris. Gorgeous visuals and stress-free gameplay
Not incredibly long either
Celeste took much of my time, even though I’m usually not a big fan of this genre. Stray was pretty interesting for me as a fan of cyberpunk culture. Plague Tale was a breath of fresh air
Stardew Valley
Valheim - especially if you fork out for a dedicated server. I was playing with family and friends across the Atlanic, so we’d log on the next day and find new bases and bridges built, etc.
I just wish you could modify and expand the boats!
Airships: Conquer the Skies - a great little 2D airship builder and combat game
Songs of Syx - a fun city builder even if combat is largely unfinished still
Yeah, building in Valheim is mad fun. Adding meaning and difficulty to the acquisition of resources made it so much more satisfying to make things.
There are a lot I’d recommend, but I think the only must-play for me is Cave Story.
When I was growing up, Cave Story was like the paragon of games as art, and was a major inspiration behind me making games as a hobby and getting into software development professionally. Cave Story was made by a single talented auteur, not for profit, and released for free. And it was as good as Metroid and Mario, or maybe even better. It proved to everyone that such a thing was even possible.
I think the only indie game that could possibly compete with Cave Story for the title of “most influential” would be Minecraft. Though Minecraft should probably be disqualified from that title for having sold out to Microsoft as soon as it started to get big…
The original Cave Story is truly a piece of art. I could not believe back then how good this game is that was created by a single person. He did everything. In an Interview Pixel(?) said that he learned composing music while creating the game. He had no knowledge in that field and just tried and stocked to what sounded nice to him. He created one of the most memorable soundtracks I ever heard! What an unbelievable talented and creative person. So inspiring!
Hades, though I don’t know if it’s a must-play for everyone. I like it a lot and is probably my most-played game on the Steam Deck.
Disco Elysium blew me away with the writing, absolutely a must-play.
The games that stuck with me are (in no special order) Paradise Killer, Sable, Disco Elysium, Gris and of course What remains of Edith Finch.
My partner and I loved playing Plate Up! We’ve also played Overcooked 1 & 2, but spent more time playing Plate Up!.
Factorio with a friend. (Alone is still good)
There is this little hidden gem called The Witcher 3.
Ok, real answer: To the Moon and Doki Doki Literature Club are two indies that really left a mark on me, specially the former. Both games are fantastic.
Superhot, Katana Zero, Hotline Miami, Celeste
