Like any thriving industry, video games rely on the innovation and fresh perspectives of indie developers. Established companies are all well and good, but sometimes these gaming juggernauts lack the capacity for a more personal touch. With their smaller teams, more targeted scope, and sheer passion behind the project, indie games connect with audiences in ways that AAA studios cannot emulate.
Something that indie games often do well is their stories. Mechanics and design are meaningless without a compelling narrative to drive the player forward. As many indie games start off as one key project in the mind of the developer, their storylines are rich with years of careful thought and love. And, the good news is, there are plenty of indie games out there with unparalleled storytelling.
12 Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer is a sweet management simulation game set within a beautifully designed sandbox setting. Players control the protagonist, Stella, who is tasked with the role of the Spiritfarer - a mystical ferry master responsible for helping souls pass on to the afterlife.
The world of Spiritfarer is rich with unique characters that Stella will form a close bond with. Players will also slowly unravel the truth behind Stella’s own history and how she came to be a guide for lost souls. The game deals with the complex theme of death in a graceful and compassionate way.
11 Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons
Released in 2013, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a little older than many of the other entries in this list. However, this indie game is often used as a key example of compelling video game narratives. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons sees players take control of Naiee and Naia – two brothers on a journey to find the cure to their father’s illness.
As each brother has their own key skills, they must work together on their journey and overcome many challenges along the way. Players will also meet other characters throughout the game, which will help them overcome challenges of their own. Without spoiling the ending, the game closes its emotional tale with a gut punch that players will find hard to forget.
10 SOMA
Developed by the horror game experts at Frictional Games, SOMA is an eerie narrative-driven title set in a complex post-apocalyptic world. Players take control of the protagonist Simon, who wakes up in a dilapidated undersea research facility with no memory of how he got there.
Though the gameplay itself is interesting enough, if a little formulaic, it is the story of SOMA that makes it such an engaging and popular game. As players explore more of this chilling underwater world, they will encounter characters that make them question what it truly means to be human.
9 Oxenfree
Inspired by the coming-of-age story genre, Oxenfree is a supernatural horror game set on an abandoned and mysterious island. Players assume the role of Alex, a young teenager camping on the island for a weekend with a group of her friends. While exploring nearby caves, Alex inadvertently opens a dimensional rift using her radio.
The group finds themselves waking up in different parts of the island and begin to be plagued by supernatural occurrences. Though the game has many enthralling events, there is a heartfelt focus on relationships and organic communication that helps to unravel the story.
8 Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium is a surreal RPG with a unique oil painting design and a wide range of complex themes at its core. Asking the central question of “what kind of cop are you?”, the game allows for any number of answers as players are free to mold their protagonist how they wish.
Waking up in a trashed hotel room, players take control of the protagonist of Disco Elysium, who is revealed to be a detective with drug-induced amnesia. Piecing together his past will reveal the complexity of the human experience in all its hilarious, sorrowful, and eccentric glory.
7 Night In The Woods
As a single-player adventure game, Night in the Woods is predominantly a story-first experience. Players will witness the journey of the protagonist, Mae, as she returns to her hometown after dropping out of college due to her declining mental state.
Mae and her childhood friends begin to unravel a mystery within their town involving disappearances and a strange cult in the woods. Featuring themes of mental illness, financial stagnancy, and the death of small towns, Night in the Woods is a wonderful narrative experience.
6 Gone Home
Another adventure game that features a strong central story is Gone Home, which was released by The Fullbright Company in 2013. Players control Katie, a young woman who returns home from overseas to visit her family only to find their home deserted.
Interestingly, the game features little in the way of action or specific events and instead reveals itself through interaction with various items around the house. Players will slowly piece together the story of what happened to Katie’s family in this more artistic interpretation of gaming.
5 Inside
Sometimes the best stories are ones that can be hard for audiences to grasp, and Inside certainly delivers. This popular puzzle platformer features an unnamed child protagonist who moves through a strange and dystopian world. Where he is going or what his goal is remains unknown and players must simply keep moving forward.
As more of this eerie world is revealed, players will have to decide what it means for themselves. Inside has many plausible narrative interpretations and the game is widely believed to be one of the greatest video games of all time.
4 Life Is Strange
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Life is Strange is a graphic adventure game that takes place over several episodic installments. The protagonist of the narrative is a young girl named Max, who develops the ability to rewind time when she witnesses her childhood friend being shot.
The narrative plays with the butterfly effect concept, in which every choice Max makes can shape and reshape reality. Players will be required to solve puzzles, make difficult decisions, and watch as their choices unfold into unintended consequences.
3 What Remains Of Edith Finch
Though it takes the form of the oft-criticized "walking simulator" games, What Remains of Edith Finch is an award-winning game that focuses heavily on narrative storytelling. Players explore the mysterious Finch house and its surroundings as Edith Finch, the last surviving member of her family.
As players uncover more of Edith’s family home, they will reveal details of a strange curse that struck down her relatives before their time. These untimely deaths are revealed through a series of vignettes in which Edith offers her own thoughts upon. The game will make players question the authenticity of what they’re being told and expose them to a compellingly dark narrative.
2 Firewatch
Bringing the outdoors and video games into one neat package is Firewatch, an indie adventure game released in 2016. The protagonist of the game is a man named Henry who has taken a job as a fire lookout in Shoshone National Forest. Though his day-to-day duties may seem dull, Henry quickly becomes embroiled in a set of mysterious circumstances.
Henry encounters a shadowy figure who watches him from afar and returns to his watchtower to find it ransacked. Two teens go missing and later Henry discovers some strange belongings, including transcripts of his conversations with another lookout. Players must unravel the story as they progress through the game and overcome the immersive isolation of the forest.
1 Undertale
Undertale is about as indie as indie can get, having been almost entirely created by solo developer Toby Fox. This cult classic RPG follows the story of its young human protagonist who has fallen into the world of monsters known as the Underground. Players must navigate this strange world and its inhabitants in order to find their way back home.
The narrative of Undertale is incredibly unique and sets out to subvert many of the more traditional video game tropes. Multiple endings can be achieved depending on the actions of the player and are more generally known as neutral, pacifist, or genocide runs. Each ending has its overarching narrative and is well worth the effort to unlock.