The 151 Best Indie Games of 2023
I often think on why I do this. Write about games.
This year has felt like an inflection point; we’ve had the most “highly rated” video game releases in a year maybe ever, while an estimated 9,000 developers, artists, community managers, level designers, QA testers and every other discipline in the industry have been laid off.
I know I love this industry, and all the joy, thoughtfulness and inspiration it brings the world. If you’re reading this, it’s likely you do to.
I worry for where it’s headed. Suits extracting every dollar they can, consequences be damned, has wreaked havoc on it for too long. It feels like things are going to seriously break before they get better.
At the same time, away from the eyes of the big players, some of the best, most meaningful experiences you can find don’t come with $100 price tags and a constant nag for more purchasing; they are made by small to medium sized studios, or sometimes just one person, pouring their souls and dreams into their work for us to enjoy.
Not just a few, either; there are so many. I do like to use this end of year time to shine a light on as many as possible - even if my platform is pretty small, I know in my heart that so many of these games are deserving of more attention. While it’s not as extravagant as last year - boy did I run out of time fast this year - I still wanted to compile this list of 150 indie games from 2023 that you should be paying attention to.
It runs the gamut, ranging from solo projects with barely any reviews right up to the indie darlings with tens of thousands. The list covers December 2022 right up to today. I had a lot of good times with AAA this year - Octopath Traveler 2 might be my outright GOTY, with Zelda TOTK, Forspoken and Assassins Creed Mirage weirdly really doing it for me - but so damn many of the games on this list are the ones that I think of when I think “games of 2023”.
These games, and the creators behind them, are what give me hope for the future of this industry.
Please enjoy this collection; bookmark it, take your time weaving your way through it, add some to your wishlist. No doubt a ton of these will be on sale over the break. If you do pick any up - and even better, if you really enjoy them - let me know. I also love knowing I can bring a little extra joy to others.
Alright, enough of my waxing. Let’s get to the in-completely-random-order list of the 150 best indie games of 2023.
Cocoon
Top Down Puzzler
A very well edited and extremely polished puzzle game about jumping between realities as a bug traveling the cosmos.
Axial Disc 2
Gameboy RPG
Fantastic GB style RPGs with a great world and characters to get to know. Go play the entirely free Disc 1, then complete the story with this excellent part 2.
Quasimorph
Turn Based Extraction Shooter (EA)
A corporate space hellscape top down systems based RPG where a completely viable strategy - I'm not even kidding - is to amputate your own limbs, sell them for extra cash, then regrow your body back on your space ship.
The Lotus Holidays
Surrealist First Person Experience
From the minds behind the wild Mango comes a new bizarre creation about staying at a spa resort for a weekend, that is clearly much more than it sounds.
Blacktail
First Person Story Adventure
A very polished with high production values first person game based on Slavic lore with Baba Yaga at its center. Feels a bit like first person modern Tomb Raider.
Lake: Seasons Greetings
Cozy Christmas DLC
The perfect holiday game for chilling by the fire / under the air con over the break. Deliver packages around a cozy community with low stakes and great vibes.
Thronefall
Stripped Down Strategy (EA)
A minimalist tower defense where you make choices on what parts of your settlement to build up, then fight off predetermined waves of forces when ready. Gorgeous and exceedingly fun.
Stacklands: Cursed Worlds
Stellar DLC
Sokpop's Stacklands is easily their most popular work, with free updates already expanding on the initial experience, then this DLC comes out and makes the game even better than it already was.
Romancelvania
Dating Sim Metroidvania
A horny mashup of a monster dating reality show and castle exploration metroidvania gameplay. Well written characters and sex jokes aplenty will keep you entertained for many hours here.
Moonstone Island
Creature Collecting RPG
Explore 100 different islands, uncovering secrets of the world while Pokemon-esque creature capturing, glued together with some classic deck building. Throw in some fishing, farming etc and you have a banger.
In Stars and Time
Cut-to-the-heart 2D RPG
A time loop 2D RPG that doesn't pull any punches. An easy to love cast of characters pulls you through a fascinating time loop story with a land and history worth becoming utterly absorbed in.
Lil Gator Game
Chill Exploration
An absolutely joy filled experience where you play as a lil gator wandering an island getting into all sorts of innocent mischief. Wholesome in all the best ways.
Dordogne
Painterly Story
Gorgeous water colour visuals lead a formative coming of age heartwarming adventure with novel mechanics throughout.
The Bloodline
First Person RPG Sandbox (EA)
While there's definitely plenty of jank to be found here, the open world sandbox style adventures just waiting to be had more than make up for it. Sometimes they are even augmented by it.
Casette Beasts
Monster Collecting RPG
Absolute top tier take on the well worn 2D Pokemon space. Amass your creature army, duke it out in turn based battles and explore a wonderful world filled with adventure.
Goodbye Volcano High
Rhythm Narrative Teen Apocalypse
Coming of age story mixed with a literal end of the world impact. Teen angst mixed with dinosaurs coming to terms with a meteor on its way to destroy the planet. Will likely leave you in tears.
Snacko
Chill Farm-N-Explore (EA)
Almost sickly cute lifestyle sim game with farming, fishing, exploring and general hangout vibes.
How We Know We're Alive
Short Story
A less than movie length point-n-click with emotional devastation at its core. Been out for a while now elsewhere, but its Steam release is a great excuse to highlight this (free!) must-play.
Worldless
Genre Stretching 2D RPG
A beautifully animated 2D game that is a little bit metroidvania, a little bit RPG and a little bit platformer. An ATB style battle system rounds out a largely interpretative narrative.
Shardpunk
Tactical RPG
I don't know why removing the "Verminfall" from the name made this one more appealing somehow, but the steady growth of love for this tactical RPG with resource management is more than deserved.
Blood West
Immersive Stealth FPS
Horror themed shooter with stealth and ImSim elements, a cool art style and fun as hell gameplay. Excellent expansion on the Boomer Shooter boom.
Last Train Home
Pretty RTS Management
A gorgeous exhibition of a train rolling through the eastern European countryside in civil war times. Fight off enemies on all fronts as you try and bring your legion of soldiers home in RTS battles.
MINDHACK
Dystopian Philosophical Story (EA)
Get in the heads of bad people and forcibly change their minds to become better, happy people.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
Cyberpunk Heist Tactics (EA)
A squad tactics game very much for fans of XCOM and Shadowrun. Built by the two brothers behind Star Traders: Frontiers, which still gets weekly updates five YEARS later, so you know this one is going to continue to evolve for a long time to come.
Astral Ascent
Sidescrolling Roguelike
a 2D Roguelike following in Dead Cells' footsteps, but with a premise based around the Zodiacs. Snappy gameplay, fantastic artwork and some great build variety here.
The Iron Oath
Role Playing Strategy
The micro and macro of building up a mercenary company in a fantasy land with freedom to explore and fight as you see fit. Turn based battles, company management and overworld event based exploration.
Nine Years of Shadows
Georgeous Metroidvania
Wonderful animation, pixel work and use of colour give this 2D metroidvania a striking look in a competitive field.
Bus Simulator 23
Vibes Driver
A short narrative game about driving around to various bus stops while chatting to your friend who also happens to be a skeleton.
Conbunn Cardboard
Cute 3D Platformer
A fun platformer with a neat art style and chill vibes. No combat, just exploration, collecting and all round cuteness.
Museum of Monoliths
Foreboding Walking Sim
A neat walk through experience with sounds to take in and sights to behold.
Sally Can't Sleep
First Person Platformer
A collectathon platformer with some devious challenge. If you aren't frustrated by needing to repeat platforming sequences over and over, you will be well rewarded.
Thirsty Suitors
Earnest Bisexual RPG
A mashup of gameplay and genre where individual parts may not excel, yet is the epitome of "more than the sum of it's parts".
Wandering Sword
Wuxia RPG
My full thoughts are here, but suffice to say this wuxia RPG tells a fantastic story, has a fun grid based battle system and a fantastic world and cast of characters to enjoy.
Neyasnoe
Vibe Experience Sim
Vibes, Eastern European existentialism and PS1-era graphical nostalgia mix in a moment to just lose yourself in. "A lost world for a lost generation."
Elephantasy: Flipside
Isometric Puzzle Platformer
A secret-laden puzzle box of a game that is for those who really want to work their brains and their fingers to the fullest.
The Tartarus Key
Horror Mystery Thriller
Some PS1 style Silent Hill vibes lead an escape room experience with puzzles and traps to solve and navigate.
American Arcadia
Experimental Genre Mashup
Such gorgeous style matched with a multi-perspective puzzle game about a daring escape from a reality TV show.
Outpath
Addictive Number Go Up
First person Forager. Absolutely tickles the part of your brain that go brrr with upgrade loops on loops focused on expanding and exploiting the world around you.
I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival
Post Apocalyptic Cosy Farm Sim
The world has gone to hell, but everything is bright and cheery on your own. Scavenge and re-purpose old tech to build your own cozy rooftop space.
Eye4Eye
Abstract Mystery
Dig into company secrets using an in world search engine to solve puzzles and flesh out an intriguing mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young girl. It's also free!
My Time at Sandrock
Farm Life Sim
Everything from the already great My Time At Portia, but fine tuned to greater heights. Even the character models look better this time around.
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Role Playing Musical
An original take on the Greek Gods as people that live among us leads to a highly unique game played out as a musical, with great character writing and dialogue choice direction.
Interior Worlds
Existential Photographic Vibing
Pulling on our fascination with liminal space while layering on just enough creepiness to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. A real soak in it style experience.
Back to the Dawn
Furry Prison Break RPG (EA)
A 2D immersive sim RPG where the focus is on finding a way out of prison, with many options available to make or break your attempts with more development still to come.
Pioneers of Pagonia
Bright City Builder (EA)
A classic expansionist city builder about building a civilization of pioneers and taming the wilderness. Got a lovely look about it as well!
This Bed We Made
50's Americana Murder Mystery
The cleaning lady of a hotel presents a perfect excuse to uncover dark secrets and mysterious deeds in this third person murder investigator.
Alder Forge
Turn Based RPG
An indie take on beloved Trails style JRPGs, with a great ensemble cast, a politically intriguing story and that classic turn based combat we all know and love.
Smushi Come Home
Chill Exploration
One of the greatest Hike likes out there. A cozy platformer with great movement and a nice contained adventure to lose yourself in.
Afterimage
Hand-Drawn Metroidvania
An incredibly rendered metroidvania that is much larger than you'd expect. Excellent design, fun combat and a huge world beg to be experienced and explored.
Cobalt Core
Top Tier Roguelike
The fabled mix of FTL and Slay The Spire, spiked with furies. Sprinkle in a heavier emphasis on story and you have a winner.
Bilkin’s Folly
Puzzle Based Adventure
A lovely island adventure where cartography and wit will serve you well on your quest for family, secrets and treasure.
Anode Heart
Old School Pokemon Adjacent
Old school RPG with a few modern flourishes, tame monsters and explore a wonderful blend of digital and analogue realities.
Howl
Puzzle Tactics
A little Into The Breach but with a more linear take. A beautiful painterly art style meets folklore tale of a deaf heroine searching for the cure to a plague.
A Highland Song
2D Survival Adventure
Inkle does it again, this time with a 2D adventure to truly get lost in. Make your way across mountain ranges to see your uncle at his lighthouse.
Golden Idol Mysteries: The Spider of Lanka & The Lemurian Empire
Story Expanding DLC
How could you not want more of one of the best puzzle games of the decade?
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
Stealth Pirate Strategy
While stretching the definition of "indie" somewhat, the kings of the stealth tactics genre mimimi put out their best work ever this year. To see them close up shop is a sad, massive loss.
Coral Island
Harmonious Farm Sim
Part of the post Stardew Valley wave of cozy farm sims with all the right ingredients, with a bit more focus on diversity and nature awareness
Landlord's Super
House Building ImSim
A highly specific and original game even for the builder genre. Absolutely nails what it's trying to do.
Void Stranger
Mind Boggling Sokoban
How deep does the rabbit hole go? This sokoban style puzzle game goes places you just do not expect. If you like puzzles on puzzles and secrets on secrets, please do not pass this one up.
Tears of Adria
Novel RPG
An exploration RPG with auto-battle mechanics that are more about party management than strategic combat. I can't believe there's not a single published review for this game.
HROT
Czech Boomer Shooter
The brownest boomer shooter on the market, with a very specific eastern Euro style. Well deserving of its overwhelmingly positive reception.
Season
Thoughtful Adventure
An incredibly beautiful adventure that is as thought provoking as it is pretty. Fill your scrapbook with memories for those who will never experience your world.
A Quest That Became Legend
Classic First Person RPG
Despite the (deliberately?) generic name, much joy can be found exploring the world, getting into turn based battles and digging into the meaningful RPG system loop here.
Station to Station
Railroad Puzzle Sim
A chill time about building a railroad to connect places, wrapped up in lovely voxel based architecture.
Artifice: War Tactics
Grid Based Roguelike (EA)
A roguelike for the chess-heads out there. A turn and grid based tactics game where planning out moves ahead is key to victory. More cerebral, yet still comes with flashy animation.
Franzen
Turn Based Micro RPG
You know when something free is so good, you feel guilty not paying at least something for it? That's this RPG with a distinct world that doesn't waste any of your time.
Great Houses of Calderia
Feudal Grand Strategy (EA)
A lite Crusader Kings style game with a focus on family dynamics in feudal times. A bit less intimidating than the genre traditionally is, maybe because of its early access status.
The Muller-Powell Principle
First Person Puzzler
Right up there as part of the Portal like pantheon. First person puzzles, an interwoven story and a dash of the surreal.
Wartales
Open World Tactics
Going from strength to strength since leaving EA this year, a fantastic mercenary company RPG where you build a crew and strike out into the world in search of riches. Open ended exploration with a tactics based combat system to boot.
Linked Worlds
Mechanically Novel RPG
For a top down classic RPG, the way this game thinks about and uses time, as well as the turn based in-world combat, are very neat takes on the old tried and true formula.
No Sun to Worship
Minimalist Stealth Action
An indie Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes adjacent game in keeping the level design and scope very tight and focused. Antonio's small games are always ones to keep an eye on.
Pseudoregalia
3D Metroidvania Platformer
Incredibly great game feel has you leading your goat(?) lady through a castle maze to unlock abilities and master this 3D space.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
Cosmic Storytelling
A narrative deckbuilding-esque adventure where your fortune telling has legitimate stakes for the futures of your clientele and also fate itself.
Eternights
Dating Sim Hack-N-Slash
Indie Persona with hack and slash combat, built around teenagers just trying to live their lives during the apocalypse.
Hero’s Adventure: Road to Passion
Open World 2D RPG
Massive open ended wuxia RPG adventure with an absolute wealth of player driven direction and character building. Lean into the role play with this one.
Mondealy
Story Based Undertaler
A top down story based adventure with Undertale vibes minus the battling while keeping the lovable characters and compelling story. One for the furies out there.
Hill Agency: PURITYdecay
Point-N-Cllick Mystery
A detective noir point and click mystery wrapped in cyberpunk and indigenous culture.
El Paso, Elsewhere
Third Person Surreal Shooter
That Max Payne slo-mo tho. A stellar shooter with a wonderful high octane ride to experience, with a worthwhile story to boot.
Torn Away
Heartfelt Gameplay Mashing Story
An emotionally charged story of war meets gameplay mixed between side scrolling and first person vignettes.
Paquerette Down The Bunburrows
Bunny Sokoban
Capturing bunnies might seem easy at first, but boy does this puzzle game have some devious brain teasers! Gives Baba Is You a run for it's money in more ways than one.
Warlords Under Siege
Base Defending Builder
Protect your small home against waves of enemies for as long as you can in this RTS base builder tower defense.
Viewfinder
World Altering Puzzler
One of the best first person puzzle games of the decade. Take pictures of the world to create wholly new geometry to platform around.
Aces & Adventures
Deckbuilder
A deckbuilder with poker at its base, but expands into so much more. Play through 13 different campaigns or play as a classic roguelike.
Redemption Reapers
Foreboding Tactics
Very high production values back a solid tactics game with a campaign based on trying to slow down the inevitable, even for just a little while. Emphasis is on making your party fight as one, rather than as one-man armies.
Universe for Sale
Non-Linear Cosmic Story
Gorgeous artwork meets non linear storytelling to create a unique narrative experience in a wholly original world.
Above Snakes
Survival World Builder
A unique cozy survival game where you build out the world and your place in it, with fishing, crafting, hunting, base building and more.
Mars First Logistics
Vehicle Building Puzzler (EA)
Physics based shenanigans meets rover creation in this game about getting things from point A to point B in the smoothest, jankiest, most unintentionally hilarious ways possible.
Fortune’s Run
Retro Cyberpunk ImSim FPS (EA)
While still a work in progress, this blend of boomer shooter and immersive sim with 90s graphics is already a joy to jump into.
Vactics
Tactical Roguelike
Build your own cool mech to fight on hex based grids in chess-style combat in an attempt to save the city for its citizens.
Islands of the Caliph
Old School RPG
A keyboard only, grid based, first person RPG with an incredible art style based on middle eastern folklore. A very niche but very cool open world game ready to be explored.
Wretched Depths
Foreboding Fishing
A free fishing student game with PSX style graphics that bleeds atmosphere and dread.
Undying
Survival Mum Game
A zombie survival game with a twist - you are an already bitten mother, with your sole goal of teaching your child how to survive once you're gone.
My Little Universe
Microworld 3rd Person Clicker
I find the idea of a mobile first built game with clearly hooky mechanics, converted to a PC game with all mobile monetization removed, a fascinating look at (indictment of?) predatory game design around monetization in the mobile space.
Lunacid
Dungeon Delving RPG
With atmosphere through the roof, an intricate, interconnected dungeon to explore and some incredibly cool magic to play around with, this is easily one of the best games of the year full stop.
Beyond Sunset
Cyberpunk Boomer Shooter (EA)
Ye olde pixel FPS with cyberpunk flavouring, more open level design and a tinge of RPG mechanics.
Loddlenaut
Oceanic Chilling
Clean up the bottom of the ocean in this 3rd person chillax game. Satisfying blend of Powerwash Simulator serotonin crossed with wholesome vibes.
Escape From Mystwood Mansion
First Person Escape Reason
An escalating series of puzzles sees you work your way through and (hopefully) out of a mansion.
Windy Meadow - A Roadwarden Tale
Slice-Of-Life IF Story
An isolated tale from the world of Roadwarden that is more slice of life / coming of age, with a bit more graphical oomph. A side story that expands out the world you may have come to already love.
Hexarchy
Bite Sized 4X
Grand Strategy Civ style game but condensed to 60 mins tops per game. Classic hex based maps built out using cards instead of endless menus.
Growth
Chill Puzzle Strategy
When Dorfromantik really blew up, the floodgates were opened. The hook here is on using unique abilities of animals to explore out into the wilderness, building out a lovely luscious world of nature in your stead.
Pan'orama
Chill Hex Based City Building
Create elaborate lands with hex grid piece. A permutation of the Dorfromantik formula, with just as much chill.
Moose Lost in the Woods
Chill 3D Platformer
A lovely little Hike like forgoes dialogue to make a universally understood adventure.
Svarog's Dream
Open World ARPG
A true hidden gem RPG built around Slavic lore, intense action combat and more than a metric ton of soul poured into every inch.
The Last Spell
Tactical Grid Based Roguelike
A mashup of so many genres; tactics, roguelikes, base building and tower defense. A near perfect concoction of elements generates a unique and addicting experience.
En Garde!
Swashbuckling Swordfighting Spectacle
A tight action game focused on a young protagonist fighting tyranny with buckets of charisma and more than a little comedic intervention.
Chants of Sennarr
Language Based Puzzles
Pulling from the legend of the Tower of Babel, use contextual clues and your deductive reasoning to learn languages and culture.
Colony Ship
Turn Based Tactical RPG
A crunchy tactical RPG set aboard a huge colony ship traveling among the stars. Heavy choices and nail biting combat will keep you on the edge of your seat with this one.
Time Bandit - Part 1: Appendages of the Machine
Literal Time Management
I like games that do weird things, and the actual real time management that's a part of this one is fascinating. Using game mechanics to think and talk about labour and labour exploitation is catnip.
Against The Storm
Roguelike City Builder
A legitimately excellent city builder highlighting the best parts of the genre while doing away with the boring bits. Build settlements, explore your surrounds and move on before the all consuming storm wipes it all away.
Babbdi
First Person Platformer
An incredible platformer with more to it than meets the eye. Why this is free is beyond me, this level of creativity should be applauded.
Beast
Gritty Horror Tactics (EA)
You know when nearly every early access review is "just want the full release" there's something special brewing in this turn based tactics outing with a darkness at its heart.
Black Forest
Challenging Town Builder
Kind of Banished adjacent, except your focus is more on carving out and defending a small, sustainable life for your villagers in this harsh world, rather than expand endlessly.
Captains of the Wacky Waters
High Seas Roguelike
Fun ship combat meets a dynamic roguelike structure with some fun crew/weapon combinations, with the intention of making it to heaven alive(?).
Berry People
Chill Photography
A neat couple of hours spent wandering around taking photos of, you guessed it, berry people.
Kona II: Brume
First Person Mystery
A worthy follow up to a classic first person mystery game set amongst a small mining town sitting on the edge of reality.
Space Wreck
Contained CRPG
With an aggressively sized down scope comes a CRPG an inch wide but a mile deep. One simple task - get fuel - creates a massive wealth of approach and gameplay options based on your build and choices.
Videoverse
Nostalgic Story
A short exploration through "the old internet" via an imagined old game system's social network equivalent. For the "good old days" people who remember the dot com boom and bust.
Kujlevka
Decision Led Story
A choice driven story game about being the first point of contact for an alien race, in which your decisions will determine the future of the entire human race. A quite amazing hidden gem, this one.
Hometopia
Detailed House Builder (EA)
Though it's initial EA release was a bit rocky, continued updates make the idea of sitting down and designing your own dream home(s) in virtual space a strong pull.
Sea of Stars
Throwback RPG
A love letter to Chrono Trigger and other classics of the time, a top down RPG with a gorgeous world, turn based battles with active elements and a highly praised score.
Wildmender
World Restoration Base Builder
Transform a barren desert to a lush, vibrant ecosystem full of life. Per one Steam review, "A cute, less intense version of Valheim".
Kowloon's Curse: Lost Report
Story-N-Vibes
A small free chunk of what's to come, the cyberpunk atmosphere amongst the oppressive streets of Kowloon are a sight to behold.
Paleo Pines
Prehistoric Farm Sim
Dino collecting meets ranch rebuilding. Ride your prehistoric pals while exploring the world, grow crops and create the ultimate dino "sanctuary".
Moonring
Retro RPG
From a co-creator of Fable, this (free!) turn based top down RPG is a fantastic homage to (really) old school RPGs while still being it's proud own thing.
Frame - Portals on Steroids
First Person Puzzle
What it says on the tin, basically. In the absence of a deluge of Valve made Portal games, this one stands up mechanically as a pretty great one of those.
The Talos Principle 2
Philosophy Puzzler
A first person puzzle experience that lives up to the legacy of the original, both mechanically and philosophically.
dotAGE
Turn Based Village Builder
Chunky pixel graphics meets an easy to get into city builder. Being turn based gives it even more of the "just one more turn" feel.
Chained Echoes
16-bit Style RPG
Not so secretly one of the best, if not THE best, turn based indie RPGs on the market. The scope of this one is quite incredible.
Venba
Cooking Narrative
A short and meaningful story game about family, culture and growing up with cooking at it's center.
KAKU: Ancient Seal
Open World RPG (EA)
Kind of what open world games might've been if GTA 3 didn't make them all gritty. Hearkens to the PS2 era with it's colour and platforming, plenty of hints of Zelda lie within this one.
Planet of Lana
Beautiful 2D Platformer
A colourful successor to the likes of Limbo and Inside, this 2D unspoken adventure is a sight to behold.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Action Funk Grinder
The spiritual successor all the Jet Set Radio heads have been chomping at the bit to get for years now. Tony Hawks your way around levels in the most stylish way possible while fending off militarized cops.
Shadows of Doubt
Procedurally Generated ImSim
This game genuinely feels like magic. The closest we've come to the "fully simulated city block" game. Throw in some stellar detective work and you have yourself an experience like no other.
Before the Green Moon
Narrative Farming Sim
A story focused game with farming elements that deserves way more attention than it's gotten.
Arto
Artistic Top Down Action
While it is hard to stand out visually these days, Arto lives up to its name and then some with its breathtaking environs as you ARPG your way through this world.
Re:Fresh
Lovely 3D Platformer
A nice and small platforming adventure with expressive movement that doesn't outstay its welcome.
Cavern of Dreams
Nostalgic 3D Platformer
N64 style platformer pulling out all the stops. For lovers of Banjo Kazooie in particular.
Long Gone Days
Thought Provoking JRPG
Highly anticipated for a long while now, this turn based JRPG / slice of life game focuses on a real world modern war setting, with all the complications that come with that idea. Very relevant to this specific moment in time, sadly.
Dark Envoy
Epic Guns-N-Sorcery RPG
From the lauded creators of Tower of Time comes a new RPG pushing every boundary they can with the budget they have. Not only was the initial release quite good, Already there's been significant updates to improve the game further. Event Horizon are dedicated to creating the best experience they can.
Crawl Tactics
Tactical Roguelike
A tactics based battle system where using what's available in your environment is key to victory. SFD was brilliant, with this sophomore effort from icefill following in its stead.
Tiny Life
Life Simulation (EA)
Indie The Sims with a style that hearkens back to the original classic.
The Invincible
First Person Mystery
Classic Sci-fi story meets premium walking sim aesthetics. "Firewatch in Space" indeed.
Temple of Starlight
First Person Puzzle
A game made of the classic light redirection / colour mixing of many other beloved classics. Short and sweet from an up and coming dev team worth keeping an eye on.
A Space for the Unbound
Emotional Story
A heart wrenching tale of two high school sweethearts with strange powers. Make sure to make it all the way to the end.
CASTILLO: The Nine Circles
Boomer Shooter Collectathon
Move fast, collect all the things, shoot all the baddies. Pure ass fun.
Small Saga
Turn Based RPG
Wonderfully evocative animation and art direction in a turn based epic adventure of tiny proportions.
Caves of Lore
Old School RPG
A truly impressive solo creation by someone who clearly has a huge appreciation for, and a deep understanding of, RPG mechanics and writing. The graphics may be basic, but the exploration, tactical combat and, of course, lore, are top notch.
Dredge
Eldritch Fishing
While it certainly needs no introduction, this horror fishing game is one of the industry's indie darlings of 2023 for good reason.
Witchspring R
Joyful Alchemy RPG
An RPG pulling inspiration from the long running Atelier series with a narrative well worth experiencing, wrapped up in a turn based combat system.
Tchia
Indie Free Form Open World
While still not yet out on Steam, Tchia made a splash with it’s incredible setting, wonderful story and New Caledonian setting. Breath of the Wild with even cooler movement mechanics.
Corn Kidz 64
Nostalgic 3D Platformer
A classic 3D platformer with a Stephen King-esque bent. Talk about the joy of movement from the good old days.
And with that, we come to a close. Thanks for reading. I hope you find something here that tickles your fancy.
See you in the next one.