Indie games are precious gems hidden within the vast landscape of AAA games, mostly shying away from the spotlight. Despite not boasting a colossal budget like AAA games, their art direction and story-telling aspect often offer players a thoroughly intriguing and engaging gaming experience. For many, indie games are a breath of fresh air because of their beautiful designs, soothing vibe, and light-hearted gameplay. Fortunately for independent developers and studios, indie games are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
In recent years, indie games and studios have gotten more time to shine in the limelight, with games such as Stray receiving PlayStation GOTY at Golden Joysticks. Often, indie games come from a small studio with limited resources, where a handful of people work tirelessly for their imagination and creativity to come to fruition, which results in these unique and captivating experiences. Indie games have finally made their own little space in the gaming world which was once saturated with AAA games.
A number of metrics have been used to determine the popularity of these indie games, such as critic scores, user scores, player base, and the total number sales that these games reached.
5 Undertale
Developed by the talented Toby Fox, Undertale is a 2D role-playing platform game with an impressive Metascore of 92, averaged from the reviews of 43 critics, and a user score of 8.5, resulting from 5314 global ratings. Hence, Undertale is definitely one of the most popular indie games. The game was released back in 2015 and quickly gained recognition and a loyal fandom. As of 2018, the game had a player base of over 3.5 million players on Steam and sold over one million copies across various platforms. Complex storytelling and narrative-based gameplay are what make Undertale stand out from the rest of the heard.
Players assume a role of a child who falls into an underground world filled with strange monsters and draws them in by constantly engaging with their humanity and making them question their choices. They have to navigate through the underground to find their way home while meeting new characters and fighting various monsters. Undertale features an innovative fighting mechanism combined with quirky humor and multiple endings that motivate players to experience the world of Undertale over and over again.
4 Hollow knight
Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight is one of the best indie games of recent times, accumulating a Metascore of 87 with 27 critic reviews and a user score of 9.0 with 2191 global ratings. The game was released in 2017 and by the end of 202 had sold over 3 million copies. Hollow Knight is an action-adventure platform game with 2D elements. The game features a dark but crisp art style combined with a soothing soundtrack which makes the gameplay feel more engaging.
Hollow Knight puts the player in the shoes of a nameless knight, known as simply the Knight, who explores an underground world called, Hallownest, in search of its hidden secrets. Hallownest features a mix of ruined cities, jungle-like environments, and fungus-inhabited places, all waiting to be explored by the player. Players have to journey through the underground world to uncover an ancient mystery while fighting insects and monster-like creatures. The game features a ton of content which is sure to keep players engaged for hours upon hours.
3 The Forest
Endnight Studios' biggest invention, The Forest is a survival horror game with open-world elements and basic crafting. It garnered a rating of 78 on Metascore with 16 critic reviews. The user rating is not far behind and currently sits at 7.5 with 641 global ratings. As of 2018, The Forest sold over 5.3 million copies. The game has become somewhat of a cult hit in the gaming world. The Forest was such a game-changing commercial success that the studio behind it decided to develop a sequel for it, called Sons of the Forest, which is still in early access.
The story of the game involves a plane crash on a remote island, brimming with cannibals and mutant-like creatures, where players have to survive. Players take control of a man named Eric LeBlanc, the lone survivor of the plane crash, and work towards rebuilding the plane by exploring the island and crafting the required materials, all while surviving against deadly enemies. Fans of The Forest are now eagerly waiting for the complete release of Sons of the Forest, scheduled to come out somewhere in 2023.
2 Stardew Valley
Eric Barone’s and ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley is an indie role-playing farming game that made quite the noise when it was released back in 2016. The game features a relaxing and wholesome gameplay experience, designed to help players relieve their stress. Stardew Valley mustered up a Metascore of 89 with 30 critic reviews and a user score of 8.8 with 1538 global ratings. By the end of 2022, the game had sold over 20 million copies. The core gameplay of Stardew Valley involves farming, where players have to grow crops, tend to the livestock, and harvest their bounties.
One of the most defining features of Stardew Valley is that it allows players to choose different professions and play the game the way they want to, whether as a successful fisherman, a cave explorer, or a farmer. The game revolves around a character who inherits land from his grandfather in a rural area known as Pelican Town. After customizing their character and selecting a farm plot, players have the freedom to do whatever they want. The main goal of the game is to get the farm to renowned greatness. Stardew Valley is much more than a simple farming simulator, as in it players can develop relations with others and even marry someone.
1 It Takes Two
Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two is an action-adventure co-op game that received high praise upon its release. The game garnered a Metascore of 89 with 17 critic reviews while user ratings stand at 9.0 with 625 global ratings. In 2022, Hazelight Studio announced that It Takes Two sold over 5 million copies across all platforms. The game features innovative gameplay with complex level designs and puzzle solving. The story features a couple named Cody and Mary who are on the verge of divorce.
However, a strange event transforms the couple into dolls created by their daughter Rose. Together, the players control the dolls and navigate through various levels to proceed through the game's intricate and creative world. It Takes Two is solely a co-op game, meaning that players can not go through it alone. It was also nominated for many awards and accolades. The notable moment in the indie game world came when this game took home the award of GOTY in 2021 and paved the way for other indie games to shine.