this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2023
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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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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh disco elysium for sure. Fantastic crpg.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It's such a shame what happened to the creators. They've even encouraged people to pirate it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Outer wilds is ridiculously good, it's such a crazy unique experience. But you have to go in without spoilers, it's not nearly as fun if you know where things are.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Perfect list! I have two things to add

Astroneer Minecraft, but with a space vacuum cleaner that makes digging holes addictive

Brawlhalla a smash Brothers clone that gave me hours of fun.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Stardew Valley

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Disco Elysium blew me away with the writing, absolutely a must-play.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

FTL, Into the Breach, Celeste, Hollow Knight, Banished

[–] FantasticFox 6 points 1 year ago

The Return of the Obra Dinn.

[–] WallCactus 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Subnautica

Tunic

The Legend of Grimrock 1 and 2 (I've convinced 0 people to try these)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Subnautica is horror in its most subtle form.

"Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in the region. Are you certain whatever you’re doing is worth it?”

[–] toofarapart 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Don't care too much about Grimrock 1... But the sequel? Fantastic. (Though I don't particularly care for the hunger mechanics)

Edit: missed that you included Tunic... That's one of my top games of recent history.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I loved LoG, the 1st one even more than the 2nd.

[–] toofarapart 5 points 1 year ago

Not posted here yet: Hades. Though, all of Supergiant’s games are worth playing.

[–] nivenkos 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would say Hades.
The gameplay loop, the art direction and the story are all very good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Can't wait for Part 2!

[–] IntangibleSloth 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My partner and I loved playing Plate Up! We've also played Overcooked 1 & 2, but spent more time playing Plate Up!.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Upvoted, we had so much fun with PlateUp! I think we also have more playing time for PlateUp than for Overcooked 1 & 2 combined (both completed). I love the roguelike element in it and building our own restaurant.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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!

[–] RQG 3 points 1 year ago

A ton of great suggestions here already. Let me add some more.

Dead Cells: amazing 2D action rogue lite with metroid Vania elements. A game that keeps getting updates faster than I can play them. And they are good.

Battle Brothers: hex based tactics and management game where you play a band of mercenaries in a fantasy world. It's insanely deep and we'll made.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Factorio with a friend. (Alone is still good)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I'm not sure what the cutoff is for indie these days, but I think the Ori games are perfect.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Gris. Gorgeous visuals and stress-free gameplay

Not incredibly long either

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I usually play indie stuff. It feels more like a labor of love than big, corporate AAA titles. That said, the only two must haves, Imo, are Omori and Dwarf Fortress. Neither game is perfect, but they are both incredible, unique experiences. With Dwarf Fortress, enter with plenty of prior knowledge, but with Omori, play it blind. Very important for both games.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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.

[–] pr1zm 2 points 1 year ago

Celeste is one my favorite games of all time!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Gone Home.

Celeste.

Most of Pokemon fan games (my boyfriend loves fangames)

[–] tmijail 1 points 1 year ago

Superhot, Katana Zero, Hotline Miami, Celeste

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I play Ring of Pain a lot. It puts me in “just one more time” mode a lot and I end up playing for way longer than I intended.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Chained Echoes. Hollow Knight. Gloomwood. Project Zomboid.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I usually only play the large bombast blockbuster titles, but Actual Sunshine did leave me speechless.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We will need a topic for the AAAs as well. 🙂

Do you mean Actual Sunlight?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yes. My bad on the name. It’s been a couple of years.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Ones that come to mind are Crosscode and Chained Echoes. I really enjoyed both of them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Factorio has been my crack-torio for many years. Satisfactory may have better graphics, but I prefer the simplicity and depth of Factorio.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Shovel Knight + DLC, what a fantastic MegaMan clone!!!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

First. Second is nice, but it's 3D, makes it a little harder. Also they are releasing a new revamped version of the first.