What Were Your Favorite Indie Games This Year?

[CaptainBlueSkies]

There's been so many 10/10s this year, it's easy to forget the little guys. What were your favorite games from independent studios this year?

[Exhuminator]

Panty Party was awesome:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/562410/Panty_Party/

[isiolia]

That came out this year... Doki Doki Literature Club, which is free (still free if you'd rather get it via Steam). It's fairly short, it's clever, and you should go into it knowing as little as possible...which is why it might seem like people undersell it. Suffice to say that it's actually a psychological horror game, hence the warning on the sites there or displayed before the game starts.


I also played/enjoyed VA-11 Hall-A this year, though it came out last year.

[Gunstar Green]

Everspace, a roguelike space-sim that was right up my Wing Commader/X-Wing alley.

It's predictable but I'd be lying if I didn't say I absolutely loved Cuphead.

One I haven't gotten around to playing yet that I grabbed on sale is Hollow Knight which is a really neat looking Metroidvania. I've also got Hellblade on my need to play list.

[katastrophic88]

I enjoyed Figment, Darkestville Castle
(an ode to Curse of Monkey Island) and What Remains of Edith Finch (if Giant Sparrow counts as an indie -- maybe more mid-tier?)

[noiseredux]

if Hi-Rez is considered an indie studio, then Paladins would be a big one for me. I played this stupid Overwatch clone for 100+ hrs this year. Ouch.

Is Telltale indie? Then Guardians Of The Galaxy was fantastic.

Is Gun Media indie? Then Friday The 13th was friggin' awesome - and continues to be awesomer with each new update.

[Xeogred]

Cuphead. But I don't love it like most. I went through a bunch of Contra this year and there's just no comparison for me, but I appreciate Cuphead's aesthetic a lot.

My favorite indie game overall this year that didn't release in 2017 would be Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight. Felt a lot like an SNES game with a little bit of Dark Souls atmosphere influences in there, loved it.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/42855 ... Moonlight/

[CaptainBlueSkies]

Definitely have to try some of the games you guys are saying. I've heard great things about Doki Doki.

[nullPointer]

I found Last Day of June to be a fantastic little game. I could see this one appealing heavily to fans of To The Moon and it's sequel Finding Paradise (another one that came out late last year which I've not played it yet, but am definitely looking forward to). The entire game is based on the Steven Wilson song Drive Home, and most particularly the accompanying video for that song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycYewhiaVBk

I wouldn't call myself a Steven Wilson fanboy per se, but I'm rather fond of much of his work, and it's definitely the initial factor that drew me to this game. If you can check at least two of the following boxes, I think you might dig this one.

• You're a fan of puzzle based adventure games
• You don't bristle at the idea of 'games as art'
• You seek out games with emotional resonance
• You're an unabashed fan of Steven Wilson

[Sarge]

I find it hard to classify "indie" these days, but if we're talking cheaper downloadable experiences, my favorites released this year were:

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King

If we're talking indies that I just got around to, then add the following:

The Blackwell Epiphany (play the whole series, though!)
Hyper Light Drifter
Exile's End
Pharaoh Rebirth+

And for those that feel like indies, but had some bigger backers:

Blaster Master Zero
Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue