My issue with indie games isn't so much the content of the games themselves, as it is the distribution. Downloadable games don't really tickle my fancy. (That's totally on me though, I can't really fault independent developers for releasing digitally, of course.) You have some here and there though that get releases. Stuff like Minecraft and Terraria made it. Cave Story eventually made it. Journey made it. Apparently Teslagrad is getting a release too? I hope to see more making the jump to physical. (But can they still be classified as indie once they've found a publisher to print discs? *shrug*)
Don't like indies? ITT NeoGAF helps find indies you may enjoy! Also: CONTEST
- Thread starter Amir0x
- Start date
It seems to me to be honest that the opposite trend is going to get larger the more we go forward in time... less physical releases, not more
Anyway one more time for top of the page so people know:
AWESOME ANNOUNCEMENT
Thanks to the generosity of Lab Zero Games and Ravidrath, I have five codes for Skullgirls to give away - and these codes include all the DLC characters as well!
These codes will be open to anybody in this topic who actively engages in a back and forth on the subject of indies. That includes those of you who love indies, so everyone is invited! From here on out, all people who participate in this thread will be entered into the contest randomizer for selection by 14 August 2014 @ 4:30PM(EST).
Thanks again for all the recommendations and participation so far!
exmachina64
Banned
Endless Space and Endless Legend
Yeah. That will be true for games as a whole too.It seems to me to be honest that the opposite trend is going to get larger the more we go forward in time... less physical releases, not more
I'm not a fan of the reality, but it makes sense.exmachina64
Banned
It's currently Early Access. While that may disqualify it as released to you, Amplitude is much better about their development schedule and patching than other companies that have tainted the Early Access name.
More_Badass
Member
Stasis is an in-development sci if adventure game (well sci fi horror, but this isn't Dead Space), with an heavy Alien-esque atmosphere
http://www.stasisgame.com
Rings Runner is a space shooter RPG, a lot of customization and flashy combat
http://ringrunner.net
Limbs is a cool free game, like Papers Please but you're repairing bionic limbs
http://rezoner.itch.io/limbs-repair-station
Infested Planet is a tactical RTS where your small squad fends off hordes of hundreds and hundreds of aliens
http://www.rocketbeargames.com/infestedplanet/index.html
Wings of Saint Nazaire is a space combat game in the vein of X Wing. You can download the alpha here
http://www.wingsofstnazaire.com
exmachina64
Banned
Xenon
Member
I haven't had much luck with indie games. But, I loved Miner Dig Deep from the Xbox community games. I also like the android version Gem Miner: Dig Deeper. It's an itch I have not been able to scratch since. The game had the perfect balance of lootish type reward and mindless relaxing play. But I don't want people to confuse that with the pointless grind style F2P gameplay like Farmville and its ilk.
I played Don't Starve. I wasn't a fan of the art style, world or characters. The concept was cool. Spelunky is fun but far too unforgiving and not relaxing at all.
I played Don't Starve. I wasn't a fan of the art style, world or characters. The concept was cool. Spelunky is fun but far too unforgiving and not relaxing at all.
Vlodril
Member
first and last are alpha/early access (although i have backed stasis already loved the demo).
Next three have gameplay that does't interest me (rts i avoid usually except a couple of th em like total war and rebellion).
anyway thanks for the suggestions i know i have a particular taste. just hoped maybe there was a good sci-fi game i have missed.
I was trying to trace back where a friend and I first started actively looking for Indie Games. I just recently remembered that it was both of us playing Cave Story and Gravity Bone that set us off on a journey into the depths of looking for weird games to send to eachother.
That time of discovery and of .exe files flying back and forth through email was pretty fun.
That time of discovery and of .exe files flying back and forth through email was pretty fun.
Delve Deeper is a fair bit like Miner Dig Deep, with some added depth involving what to do. I haven't played it myself, but looking around it seems received well enough for the $5 it asks for, even with its flaws.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/63800/
Also, if you're interested in a bit more action and battling with your mining, Terraria might be a good fit for you, too. It's often considered to be a '2D Minecraft', but Terraria puts much more of a focus on combat than Minecraft does. It also goes on sale all the time, so as long as you wait a little bit you can pick it up at a low price point.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/105600/
Other than mining titles, what other genres do you enjoy? It might be a little easier to get into indie games if you try some games from the same genres as your favorite commercial games.
Just a heads up for anyone that might be interested in this one that it is currently on sale for 75% off on Steam.
Try SteamWorld Dig!
I'm a big fan of any sort of digging. My son and I remain addicted to Doug Dug, a simple 'endless digger', for lack of a better term, on iOS. The best part is how the terrain will cave in around you as you'd expect while you dig.
You should get Steamworld Dig immediately!
Lovely thread. Here are a few games that need more praise:
Orcs Must Die 2 - has been one of my favorite cooperative experiences in recent times. So many build/load out options. Give it a go if you like third person shooting or tower defense at all.
Rock of Ages - it's monkey ball meets monty python + RTS and a fighting game? I've never played anything quite like it. Great multiplayer modes as well.
Pixeljunk Eden - 2d platformer where you web swing to gather seeds to grow plants that allow you to reach new heights. Not retro/pixel graphics!
I will drop some more suggestions later. I'm on my phone at the moment.
Orcs Must Die 2 - has been one of my favorite cooperative experiences in recent times. So many build/load out options. Give it a go if you like third person shooting or tower defense at all.
Rock of Ages - it's monkey ball meets monty python + RTS and a fighting game? I've never played anything quite like it. Great multiplayer modes as well.
Pixeljunk Eden - 2d platformer where you web swing to gather seeds to grow plants that allow you to reach new heights. Not retro/pixel graphics!
I will drop some more suggestions later. I'm on my phone at the moment.
Xenon
Member
Delve Deeper looks cool but I don't like that it's turn based. I tried Terraria once but couldn't get into it.
Try SteamWorld Dig!
This looks great and it gives me a reason to dust off my vita. Ill try it this weekend.
I'm all over the place with my gaming likes. I don't think it will be of much help. But I'll list my favorite games from the last few years.
Knack
Ryse
LBP PSP(best controls)>LBP1>>LBP2>>>>>>>LBPV
Project Spark -Dominating my play time atm
Skyrim
Dragon's Dogma
Too Human
Tomb Raider
Donkey Kong 2K - Intellivision
Walking Dead
Crackdown
In some of the more open games above I am able able to find a play style that fits me. I think the problem with indies for me is the games are more narrowly focused.
JohnDoe8865
Member
I'm really interested in finding more games like Syberia, Syberia II, Still Life, Dear Esther, Gone Home, AMNESIA, Blue Force, Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit), Fatal Frame, and Outlast just to give a wide selection.
*SIngle-player only please.
*Like point and click but it doesn't have to be point n click obviously.
*I strongly prefer 3D over 2D but if the 2D is done well and not in 8-bit that's better.
*Also love games that revolve around crime mystery, ghosts, supernatural, etc but not really too sci-fi. I don't really care for the alien/space wars type stuff that much.
*I like a rich story/atmosphere almost as much if not more than the gameplay in some games.
*I'd prefer games that have controller support, but again, not a must.
Any suggestions? Thanks.
*SIngle-player only please.
*Like point and click but it doesn't have to be point n click obviously.
*I strongly prefer 3D over 2D but if the 2D is done well and not in 8-bit that's better.
*Also love games that revolve around crime mystery, ghosts, supernatural, etc but not really too sci-fi. I don't really care for the alien/space wars type stuff that much.
*I like a rich story/atmosphere almost as much if not more than the gameplay in some games.
*I'd prefer games that have controller support, but again, not a must.
Any suggestions? Thanks.
exmachina64
Banned
Thanks, I ended up purchasing it. Looking forward to digging into it soon.
You said you'd prefer 3D, but you might like The Last Federation. It's from the same developer of AI War: Fleet Command.
VisceralBowl
Member
The only indies I am looking forward to are NMS and Routine. Sadly, both feel very far away.
Vlodril
Member
That looks interesting thank you.
Check out Distance (sequel to Nitronic Rush) and Trackmania (not indie).
Try Grey Matter, Penumbra Trilogy and The Longest Journey series (the third one will be indie).
JohnDoe8865
Member
Grey Matter looks great, I'll definitely check out the Penumbra Games, since they are from the Amnesia guys, and I've played the Dreamfall/Longest Journey games but I'd forgotten about them. Great games.
Anything else? Especially real life crime drama type games? Just can't get enough of a good detective story. I loved L.A. Noire, the old Sierra Police Quest and SWAT games, etc. Are there any games like that on the indie scene?
More_Badass
Member
Door Kickers is a top down tactical SWAT game. I like it even better than Frozen Synapse
http://inthekillhouse.com/doorkickers/
http://youtu.be/TR6hb5WQVQg
Dhruv_hanom
Member
I had some problem getting into The Last Federation but after after a while I got used to the game and thoroughly enjoyed it.
This game has excellent replayability.
This game has excellent replayability.
I'll bite in this. Like a lot of people, I really am not a fan of 2D games. Also tend to dislike pixel art style but I can make an exception if it's very good. I own every console, but no PC, which is probably the kicker here. I enjoy most genres, with the exception of horror, RTSs, and SRPGs. My favorite are RPGs: Fallout, FFX, Persona 4, etc. Thoughts?
While it may not be grid based (It's more of the Disgaea free movement type) I whole heartedly recommend Skulls of the Shogun. One of the most enjoyable turn based SRPG type games I've played in quite awhile.
Fun campaign and Async multiplayer as well.
More_Badass
Member
What genre(s)?
There are hundreds, some information on the games you like would be helpful.
Billy Brown
Neo Member
I think somebody mentioned it earlier in reply to another post but it would be worth checking out Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller. It seems to tick a lot of your boxes: point-and-click adventure, crime investigation, supernatural elements.
I've only played Part One so far but it was much stronger than I was expecting it to be. It's 33% off for the full season on Steam at the moment and there's a free demo too.
Also: thanks so much for mentioning Blue Force. I loved the Police Quest games when I was younger and had no idea this related game existed. I see it's ScummVM compatible, too. Perfect!
I'll always recommend Master Reboot. A first-person sci-fi horror (in virtual reality, not in space) adventure game. Made my Top 10 for last year after I reviewed it here: http://www.gamersaurs.com/article/item/917-master-reboot-review
(The devs have since updated the game to fix most of the issues I raised there)
Gemini Rue and other games from that developer. Also if you haven't already play the Gabriel Knight series.
Try Path of Exile for a cool stat system. In fact it's pretty much exactly what you described.
Check out Eador or Age of Wonders III.
More_Badass
Member
NeonXSZ is like Descent meets Diablo. First person ship combat with a lot of loot, experience, customization
http://store.steampowered.com/app/296010
thanks for trying to help me, really appreciate that!
It's pretty hard to describe what I'm looking for, hmm.. but I really liked Don't Starve (+Reign of Giants).
I don't like minecraft (+ clones), "endless"/aimless/directionless games and first person view & horror things and it should be playable with the trackpad (i use a mbp 15"), because I don't use a mouse.
puzzles, visual novels and round based games are so-so.
other than that, I have no specific genre or artstyle I'm looking for.
to be honest I'm positively surprised that gaming has grown quite a bit on Mac OS, thought there would be... like... 10 good games only :3
That Cloudbuilt game looks so rad. What are the controls like?
Anything published by WadjetEye. Gemini Rue, Resonance and Primordia in particular, though their art style might not be your cup of tea.
I really like the controls, but they can take a little bit of getting used to. There's a few little things that can throw people off initially, like the direction you run along the wall being controlled by where you are pointing the camera. You also need to dedicate to your wallruns because you currently can't transition between vertical/horizontal runs unless you jump off the wall and "boost" back onto it.
They opened a beta channel yesterday which experiments with some new controls, seems like it could be better for newcomers but I've only spent a few minutes with it. It also adds wallrun transitions, but in my practice there's quite a lot of delay on it.
scottzorus
Neo Member
I've played a few indie games that I've liked - Papers Please, Hotline Miami, Cave Story, and Guacamelee but overall I'm not into indies.
I like RPG's and FPS's, but just finishing Project X Zone I don't want another 50 hour strategy RPG right now.
If there's anything like Ys that would be awesome - that kind of combat, not a brawler.
I just finished up A Link Between Worlds and really enjoyed it, so some light puzzles would be okay, but not the core of the game.
I'm okay with top down, first person (although not my favorite in RPG's), third person, and 8-bit, 16-bit, new old is all good
I don't care about stories or cutscenes, just gameplay
PC only
I like RPG's and FPS's, but just finishing Project X Zone I don't want another 50 hour strategy RPG right now.
If there's anything like Ys that would be awesome - that kind of combat, not a brawler.
I just finished up A Link Between Worlds and really enjoyed it, so some light puzzles would be okay, but not the core of the game.
I'm okay with top down, first person (although not my favorite in RPG's), third person, and 8-bit, 16-bit, new old is all good
I don't care about stories or cutscenes, just gameplay
PC only
Have you tried Transistor? One of my favorite games released this year.
It is mainly played as more of a strategy RPG, but the combat system has a deceiving amount of depth. I played through in NG+ as purely an ARPG.
More_Badass
Member
Whenever I see comments that indies are nothing but puzzle platformers or pixel art, or can't look as good or as fun as AAA games, I always point out Distance
Here's the new trailer:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qJne-bId5nE
Here's the new trailer:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qJne-bId5nE
I still like the artsy fartsy Proteus. 
Indy is kind of a fuzzy term, but I really like all sorts of games.
The Real Texas was the best indy game I played in 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ModrKO5vc
He also has a cute new game out called PARADISE PERFECT BOAT RESCUE:
http://paradiseperfectboatrescue.com/
This game is great, hope that the author expands on it sometime...
Indy is kind of a fuzzy term, but I really like all sorts of games.
The Real Texas was the best indy game I played in 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ModrKO5vc
He also has a cute new game out called PARADISE PERFECT BOAT RESCUE:
http://paradiseperfectboatrescue.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI09lzfRiXw
This game is great, hope that the author expands on it sometime...
http://rymdkapsel.com/
Any suggestion for an indie rpg/jrpg (in the like of Final Fantasy, Tales of etc). I tried Dust and Elysian Tales, pretty cool game, couldn't grab my attention for some reasons. Edit: I played Transistor already too. That was a lot of fun.
Platform available:
PS3/PS4/PSV/PC (GTX 770) / 3DS / WiiU
Platform available:
PS3/PS4/PSV/PC (GTX 770) / 3DS / WiiU
Palette Swap
Member
Sorry for the late answer but if you're into shooters, I'd recommend Jamestown (a charming 2D Cave-like shooter) and maybe Resogun. Resogun is published by Sony but made by an indie dev. I feel it's pretty much this gen's Geometry Wars.
On the side-scrolling shooter front, I've been enjoying Broforce a lot.
Wonko_C
Member
If you don't mind top-down racers I can't recommend Real World Racing enough. The tracks are based on satellite photos from real cities, and the racing feels unlike any other top-down racing game I've ever played, kinda simmish (there even are license tests like in Gran Turismo) but still an arcade racer at heart. You can powerslide around corners with some cars, slipstream behind other racers, and it can get pretty challenging when you're trying to get gold in all events. It's the only racing game I've super enjoyed in 2014.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/253470/
Speaking of which, I'm on the lookout for more indie racing games, doesn't matter if they're top-down or behind the car, etc. Just don't recommend me Little Racers Street.
