As the gaming industry moves more towards a digital future, indie games continue to be a rising force that boast some of the most creative experiences players can find. While indie games generally come from small developer teams, most leave a big impact with the unique stories they tell, gameplay mechanics and concepts, and intriguing aesthetics they carry. In the past, these smaller titles from unknown studios would often get lost on shelf alongside triple-A franchises and big first-party titles. However, as digital stores have become a bigger part of the industry, indie games stand a better chance than ever and even rose to greater prominence than most the big games that once kept them obscure.
Just thinking about what games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Five Nights at Freddy’s have been able to accomplish from their small starts is nothing short of incredible. They’ve grown from just being games that come from unknown developers to some of the biggest mainstream successes of all-time. Fortnite and Minecraft have especially continued to grow and gain notoriety to the point that they are historic and pivotal forces within pop culture. Last year alone we saw plenty of great indie games hit big. Supergiant’s Hades was a major game of the year contender, Mediatonic’s Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout delivered an incredibly fun and accessible battle royale experience, and Among Us brought the world together in a tough time to become one of the biggest streaming hits of all time.
However, with so many indie games continually releasing, it’s easy to wonder where the best place to start is when exploring the indie scene. While there’s plenty of indie games to play, there’re just some indie games that everyone SHOULD play – well, at least in my opinion. Maybe they have an incredibly unique concept, innovative gameplay, or are just fun as hell to play, but these games are the indie games that everyone needs to play at least once. Before we get to that, it’s worth giving some much-deserved shoutouts to games like: Guacamelee, Party Hard, Shovel Knight, and Untitled Goose Game for being awesome and worthy of checking out.
Castle Crashers (Available on PS4, X-Box One, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
No list of must-play indie games would be complete with Castle Crashers. Castle Crashers is the true OG of great indie games and was a major success when it released on X-Box 360 in 2008. The game delivers incredible hack and slash adventuring that has players take on the role of knights being tasked to save the stolen princesses, recover a magical crystal, and defeat an evil wizard. The game’s cartoon medieval aesthetic is iconic and gives it a nostalgic flash game feel – which is fitting considering how heavily involved the Newgrounds community was in the game’s music. All the characters have this adorable charm to them, and the game has some visually hilarious moments.
The gameplay is simple and satisfying with players being able to unleash a flurry of attacks and utilize the amazing special abilities of each character. There are dozens of characters to play as, both honorable knights and even the minions of big enemies, and it adds an immense amount of replay value to discover and unlock new characters. You can go into Castle Crashers alone, but it’s really meant for you and your friends to squad up, save the princesses, and slay some monsters together. Castle Crashers is cooperative hacking and slashing at its finest and there’s even moments for friends to turn into foes in order to kiss the princess. Even over a decade since its release, Castle Crashers remains an easily enjoyable indie that’s truly timeless and offers a rich amount of variety and charm with each playthrough.
Golf Story (Available on Nintendo Switch)
RPGs are a dime a dozen nowadays. Whether you’re a gun-toting soldier going through a war zone or a sword-wielding warrior trekking through a medieval landscape, the genre definitely can have some déjà vu. That’s what makes Sidebar Games’ Golf Story so special as it brings a lot of great RPG mechanics onto the golf course for an incredibly fun adventure. Players jump into the story of a golfer taking one last shot at golfing glory and explore unique environments with their own style and hazards. From the ghastly and morbid Oak Manor course to the tar-filled dig site that is Lurker Valley, Golf Story offers a lot of great course variety that’s a great mix of mini-golf themes and regular golf.
The golf gameplay is incredibly accessible and easy to learn. There’re great RPG leveling mechanics that create a great balance in your play and a great set of equipment that can have an impact outside your golfing. You can even do some disc golf and get your Frolf on. The real thing that makes Golf Story special though is its story as you really feel your golfer climbing the ranks and making the comeback he’s dreamed of for years. It’s got a good heart to it that’s matched with some charming animation and humor. The way that Golf Story utilizes text dialogue is incredibly unique and gives characters distinct personalities without ever having to hear their voice. It also comes with a clean and charming art style and with it being on Switch, you can golf on the go. Look, there’re cool adventure games, sport games, and RPGs out there, but Golf Story blends these genres like never before.
SUPERHOT (Available on PS4, X-Box One, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
Independent developer SUPERHOT Team created something truly unique and unassuming at first glance when they released SUPERHOT in 2016. While it may not have a charming or visually stunning art style like many of the other games talked about here, SUPERHOT presents ambitious and innovative FPS mechanics that can’t be missed. The game has players go through levels with one thing in mind: kill all the attacking enemies before they kill you. There’s a catch though as time only moves when you move meaning that bullets, thrown weapons, and enemies only move when you move. SUPERHOT turns a John Wick/Matrix action sequence into an action-packed puzzle that’s visually stunning to see.
It’s a perfectly surreal experience with a standard controller, but it’s even better with a VR headset. SUPERHOT is the epitome of an excellent virtual reality experience and you can easily create unforgettable gaming memories. I’ll never forget strapping on my friends Oculus headset and dropping to my knees to dodge bullets like Neo or grabbing an enemy’s thrown gun mid-air like any hardcore action fan dreams of doing. It’s also probably one of the easiest games to pick up and understand and that has gameplay that’s instantly rewarding. If I somehow haven’t sold SUPERHOT to you yet, definitely check it out yourself and prepare to have your mind blown.
Cuphead (Available on PS4, X-Box One, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
Studio MDHR instantly grabbed the attention of gamers across the board with Cuphead and it wasn’t just because of the art style. The game is an action-packed platformer where players assume the role of troublemaker Cuphead, and his partner in crime Mugman if you play co-op, to pay off a fatal debt to the Devil. The game has excellent attack variety to allow players to use different attacks to find a deadly combination to take down the game’s difficult levels and bosses. It’s crazy how each boss challenges you in unexpected ways and constantly feels more difficult than the last. The bosses you end up jumping into an airplane to fight are an absolute blast and the King Dice boss fight is easily an all-timer for most unique boss fights. Not to mention, their designs are absolutely immaculate.
While Cuphead is great beyond its art style, its use of classic rubber hose animation, mostly seen in classic cartoons like Popeye, Animaniacs, and old-school Mickey Mouse cartoons, is iconic. The boss designs are just an absolute delight and bosses like Djimmi the Great, Phantom Express, and Ribby and Croaks are easily my favorites. The animation is what gave Cuphead an identity and initially drew in the gaming community. Whether it’s traversing a wild platforming level or taking on a crazy, multi-layered boss, Cuphead allows players to basically play through a classic cartoon episode and that’s pretty damn incredible. Even the audio cues and the delightful dialogue before each level is a testament to how committed MDHR is to authenticity. Cuphead is an experience unlike anything else and is a nostalgic and challenging indie everyone needs to check out.
Outlast (Available on PS4, X-Box One, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
Imagine how much scarier a horror experience would be if you couldn’t fight off enemies and were forced to run and hide. Well, that’s Outlast in a nutshell as it puts players in the middle of an unholy asylum and forces them to find an exit while eluding the monsters and maniacs that roam. With narrow area design and an incredibly effective lighting, or lack thereof, Outlast keeps you on the edge of your seat. There’s this anxiety that consumes you as you peek around every turn and when the battery on your camera, which is pretty much the only way to see anything, runs low. Frankly, I’ve never had such enjoyable panic come from the sudden realization that I’ve been seen and now have to run and hide in a locker hoping that I won’t be found.
The horror genre can drift into more action-oriented gameplay and focus less on delivering effective scares but Outlast doesn’t fall into this trap because it’s scary as hell. The shocks and scares it delivers easily make it one of the scariest games of all-time and the story is surprisingly strong. It certainly takes a strange turn towards the end but uncovering the secrets of the asylum creates intriguing lore and there’re surprises that give you chills. Developer Red Barrels hit big with Outlast for good reason and created a horror experience that resonated incredibly well with fans of the genre.
Overcooked 2 (Available on PS4, X-Box One, Nintendo Switch, PC)
Team 17 and Ghost Town Games created a strong cooperative experience with Overcooked in 2016 but perfected its recipe with the 2018 sequel. The game brings players and their friends into the kitchen for some chaotic cooperative gameplay as they work together to get food orders out on time to please hungry customers. It’s funny how playing it seems simple at the start but gets messy real fast. On top of each order needing to be done in a certain amount of time, the level design and settings constantly challenge players and force them adapt on the fly. From dealing with rotating platforms to oncoming traffic that can block you out of a necessary station, there’s always a refreshing challenge that keeps things interesting and pushes you and your friends to overcome tough scenarios.
The beauty of Overcooked 2 is in effective communication and it makes you and your friends work together like never before. At times it can feel like you’re working in a real kitchen with how you’re yelling out ingredients and for dishes to be washed. It can definitely get really crazy and plenty of chaotic yelling and mishaps can ensue, but that’s all part of fun. Frankly, both Overcooked games are great, but what gives Overcooked 2 the edge is the added online play that makes it much more accessible to play. Not to mention, the recipe variety in it is super strong and never spoils the fun. In the search of a great co-op game that challenges you and your friends to work as a team, Overcooked 2 is the holy grail.
OctoDad: Dadliest Catch (Available on PS4, X-Box One, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
Oh, where to begin with Octodad. The game has players take control, or attempt to, of an octopus posing as your average American dad while escaping the grasp of a dastardly chef. Octodad’s gameplay is absolutely wild as hell as players try to complete pretty standard tasks like mowing the lawn and doing some grocery shopping while trying to control Octodad’s wacky and wavy tentacles. It’s crazy how seemingly mundane tasks become a full-blown comedy skit with how crazy it is to control Octodad. The interactions are even funnier with how everyone is unsuspecting of Octodad being a cephalopod in disguise. Even better, the story of Octodad has a genuine heart to it because of how undeniably charming he is, and his origin story is quite surprising.
Honestly, just watching someone play OctoDad is hilarious, but there’s so much more to get out of the game from playing it. It offers a rich gameplay challenge with some surprising stealth elements. Each situation is incredibly varied and the discoveries that players can make are a lot of fun. The wacky gameplay is something that needs to be experienced to truly believe it and it never gets old. Also, it’s impossible not to fall in love with OctoDad’s wholesome design and he has one of the most enjoyable theme songs I’ve ever heard. There’s nothing like OctoDad out there and it’s such a great experience that I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that developer Young Horses will bring the character back one day.
