This is my second month in social isolation and, to keep myself from going stir-crazy, I’ve been reacquainting myself with my video game library. Specifically, the indie video games I’ve been ardently collecting the past two years.
Indie games refer to an industry of games that have been developed by a small independent team: sometimes crowdfunded, and without the backing of AAA publishers. While I am an avid online gamer—Overwatch, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege—even I need a break from strangers screaming expletives into my mic when I mess up.
But since my city is still on lockdown and I caught my sister looking up symptoms of cabin fever on her laptop, it was a cue for me to play games that didn’t make me yell at the TV. As it turns out, indie video games were the perfect remedy.
The games I’m recommending are my all-time favorites. They’re a cocktail of immersive storytelling, rich world-building, smooth soundtracks, and fun game mechanics. Most importantly, I’ll detail out the price, where to digitally buy a copy, and which platforms they’re available to play on.
6. Alwa’s Awakening
I’m a competitive gamer. Not excessively, but enough that I can put in the hours for an exigent and worthwhile game. It’s pretty much what happened when I played Elden Pixel Studio’s Alwa’s Awakening—the indie game that strung that competitive chord in me.
Alwa’s Awakening is a solid throwback to the tail end of the ’80s gaming scene. Described as an “…authentic 8-bit look with sweet pixel art,” it’s a challenging puzzle game that introduces Metroidvania to a much younger generation while being a nostalgic trip for older gamers.
The game begins with a girl named Zoe summoned by a mysterious sage. The sage implores her to help the town of Alwa rebel against Vicar and his malicious sorcerers. Equipped with a magic staff, Zoe’s adventure is followed by a stylish, synthesized soundtrack. One of the strongest details is how challenging the devs made each advancing level, forcing you to learn the ropes through trial and error. While the fight sequences become repetitive, it’s a seriously fun and light-hearted good-versus-evil story. You can buy it on Steam.
Price: $9.99
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
5. Afterparty
Meet our unfortunate protagonists: Milo and Lola, two recent college graduates who die through mysterious circumstances and wind up in hell. They have one chance of escaping back to Earth, alive and whole, and that’s beating Satan in a drinking game. The only catch is permanent damnation if they fail.
Night Studio’s Afterparty came out in 2019, and I instantly bought it from their website after the release. I’m a big fan of Oxenfree, so purchasing their latest game was an obvious choice. It’s a single-player, dialogue-led adventure game, where the player can play as Milo or Lola. Instead of a combat system, you advance through completing various drinking challenges, solving puzzles, and doing side quests for NPCs.
Afterparty is a neon-colored game with an energetic, catchy OST. The setting is in hell, and it would be so easy to forget that except for the various denizens and tortured human souls reminding you exactly where you are. This is also one of the rare games where I loved most of the cast instead of just one or two characters.
Lola and Milo were relatable, enjoyable protagonists, but I loved Sam, the ferryman who genuinely tries to help our heroes; Beezlebub, the workaholic older brother of Satan; Apollyon, a pro-bono lawyer and Satan’s younger sister; Asmodeus, the head torturer of damned souls and recent divorcée, and Satan himself, the party engine of hell. My only caveat is that once you get into the story, you can finish the game pretty quickly if you don’t pace yourself. But I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s available at the Epic Games Store.
Price: $19.99
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
4. Unravel Two
I’ll be real with you: I only heard of this game because a friend of mine wouldn’t stop talking about it. In fact, she made me watch her play ten minutes of the game. But those ten minutes made a big impression on me and I ended up purchasing my copy. The graphics are breathtaking and the soundtrack is soft and lyrical.
The game opens with a cinematic scene of the red wool creature Yarny surviving a terrible storm at sea and landing on the beach of an unknown island. There, it finds a blue Yarny, and together, they explore an evergreen forest and help two human children along the way.
You can play as a single-player or a co-op, but neither options take away from the experience. The puzzles are fun, and you don’t need dialogue to follow the story. It reminds you of the familial bonds between friends, and how even through your darkest moments, you’re not alone. One thing IGN praised Unravel for that stuck with me is how, “[Unravel] demonstrates the power of positivity in the face of uncertainty” and it’s true. It’s a game visually brimming in optimism––of light and the threads that bind us together.
Price: $7.99 (PC & Xbox One), $19.99 (Nintendo Switch), $19.99 (PS4)
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
3. Abzu
I’m not a big fan of the sea.
As someone who frequents the beach, this is a weird confession, but even the idea of scuba diving makes my chest feel tight and my palms clammy. Playing Abzû is the closest I’ll ever get to exploring the sea and, oh my god, is it amazing.
Giant Squid Studio’s Abzû is an underwater adventure game that allows you to explore the gorgeous depths of the ocean. Sumerian mythology heavily influences the world-building–– according to Giant Squid Studio, “The name references a concept from the oldest mythologies; it is the combination of the two ancient words AB, meaning ocean, and ZÛ, meaning to know. ABZÛ is the ocean of wisdom.”
You swim with a Great White Shark and discover ancient ruins that transport you to other locations. Nothing tries to kill or eat you, and you can relax in your chair as you dive deeper than ever thought possible with ambient music immersing your headphones. Essentially, you’re bringing life back to the deep depths of the ocean, by solving puzzles and stopping mysterious pyramids from draining life from the sea. While the game is missing a conventional narrative, it doesn’t pull you from the experience and is a breath of fresh air from dialogue-heavy games.
Price: $19.99
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
2. Raft
Redbeet Interactive Studio’s Raft is basically Minecraft meets The Forest––except the game begins in the middle of the ocean with a hungry shark circling your tiny 2×2 square raft. This shark will actually start eating at your poorly constructed raft if you’re too slow to scavenge. And that’s the first five minutes of the actual gameplay.
Raft is an ocean survival-adventure game. You collect random debris that floats by you and start crafting items to enhance your chances of survival. What makes this game unique is that you can tailor the experience with Survival, Normal, and Creative modes, similar to Minecraft. It’s a single-player with the option of a co-op if you want to play with friends. There isn’t a story to follow, but you can find hidden lore items and wrecked ships on various islands that can give you clues on what may have happened.
What I appreciate about this game is the attention to detail it gives to your surroundings. The presentation is gorgeous and the sound effects breathtakingly realistic. In my experience, playing the game is much more rewarding if it’s with friends. Buy it from Steam.
Price: $19.99
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
1. Detention
For the horror fans who don’t care for the latest zombie shooter game, I present Red Candle Game’s Detention. It’s a 2D psychological horror game that draws from East Asian mythology to tell a terrifying story.
Here’s the premise: In the remote mountains of Taiwan, malevolent creatures haunt a mysterious high school. Two students, Wei Chung Ting and Fang Ray Shin, are alone and trapped within the campus with no memory of how they got there. To survive the night, they have to piece together what happened to the students and faculty and why they’re the sole survivors. As a player, you have to solve puzzles to explore the campus and traverse through their tragic memories.
While the gameplay itself isn’t the core strength of Detention, I will posit this: the game is more than what it appears. You really can’t predict how the story will unfold until you’re near the completion of the game. Even then, the ending is still spine-chilling. The game takes place in the historical White Terror period in Taiwan and how the characters react to the Terror is the fulcrum of the story. Personally, I can’t get over the soundtrack––it’s a genre blend of Lo-fi, Rock, and Electronic that seamlessly works with the game’s atmosphere. You can buy the game and OST only on Steam.
Price: $11.99
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, MacOS
Comments are closed.