Thread: Indie Games & Hidden Gems |OT| It's Not About Size
Official Thread
Damn, scrolling through this thread, most of the games are heavily discounted at the moment.

My poor wallet.
 
Wargame: Red Dragon

Its an exceptional RTS that gets very little love. In fact I only found it after scouring Steam for a new RTS 3 or 4 years ago. Some might remember the Ubisoft game Ruse about a decade ago, this is the successor series(more or less). Where this game really excels is in the units/decks. You are able to craft a deck of units from a massive database. Each unit with meaningful stats that must be monitored in combat. Things like fuel and ammo are finite. This can make logistics the key to winning a war of attrition. I have ~550hrs into the game and it is safely in my top 5 RTS games of all time. Also a good time to check it out since they are doing a new Country (s. Africa) later this fall.



AND BOUGHT
 
  • Love
Reactions: Arkam
I try not to kickstart games anymore after numerous disappointments, but bugger me does that look absolutely amazing. Pledged for a Switch cartridge. Hopefully I won't regret it.

Fuck me I think I'm in as well.

Btw it's an Unreal Engine 5 game, curious what they'll achieve with it as an end result. Looking very good so far already.
 
  • Cheers
Reactions: Stilton Disco
Can I get a recommendation from somebody in here please? I really enjoyed Slay the Spire a year or 2 ago. Is there a similar game somebody can recommend? Must be available on PS.

I'm playing Street Fighter 6 most days but I need something different to play on the side.
 
Can I get a recommendation from somebody in here please? I really enjoyed Slay the Spire a year or 2 ago. Is there a similar game somebody can recommend? Must be available on PS.

I'm playing Street Fighter 6 most days but I need something different to play on the side.

depends on what you liked about Slay The Spire. There are plenty of card-based RPGs/roguelikes on the market but Slay the Spire is still up there near/at the top in terms of quality and fun. Here's a rundown of the ones I've played:


Fewer cards and more items/abilities to shore up your deckbuilding. Feels less random than StS but also feels like your power never quite grows to absurd game-breaking levels. Runs are longer than StS


Uses cards and character classes, but also has a heavy "choose your own adventure storybook" style. Runs are about as long as StS.


Sci fi theme is cool, and you have more flexibility in how you handle encounters.


Mega Man Battle Network, essentially. The focus isn't so much on random deckbuilding and more on creating efficient combos


Card based strategy RPG (grid). Haven't sunk a ton of time into it, but it's probably the least "roguelike" out of the ones I've mentioned here.


Kinda similar? It has cards but the narrative is moreso the focus. I thought Ring of Pain was better, personally


Cards plus tabletop combat. I haven't spent much time in it but I thought it was neat.

A non cardgame one that often gets mentioned is Dicey Dungeons



There are a couple others I've tried (not on PS) like Banners of Ruin, Ring of Pain, Steamworld Quest, Monster Train, and Cardaclysm that I think are worth checking out if you have the platform.
 
Can I get a recommendation from somebody in here please? I really enjoyed Slay the Spire a year or 2 ago. Is there a similar game somebody can recommend? Must be available on PS.

I'm playing Street Fighter 6 most days but I need something different to play on the side.

I've always enjoyed the Steamworld Dig games since they are good metroidvania games, saw Steamworld Quest was on sale for Switch for currently $4.99 (might be on sale for other platforms as well):



It reminded me more of Slay the Spire than the Dig games, but I have not played it. I will probably pick it up though, but figured I'd also offer it here and would suggest looking into it in case you may be interested.

I have played Slay the Spire, I like it, but it has not drawn me in enough to keep going back to it. Probably need to give it some more time. Of card based games, Culdcelpt on the PS2 is the one that I have played the most. That reminds me, may have to see if they have some newer Culdcelpt games out.

But @DonDonDonPata has a lot of better recommendations listed.
 
@fatty the latest Culdcept was on the 3DS. Pretty solid game from what I remember (played it years ago)

Thanks. Yeah, I remember the 3DS one but never did get around to getting it because I was too cheap at the time.

---

As for recommendations for this thread, I really like Into The Breach:



It is by the developers of FTL. Reminds me of Advance Wars, which I really love. It is a strategy game that is really easy to learn and get into, but has deep and fulfilling gameplay. I really want to get into the deeper strategy games, but I currently don't have the patience to invest and learn them...yet. But games like this, Advance Wars and Fire Emblem scratch that current itch.
 
depends on what you liked about Slay The Spire. There are plenty of card-based RPGs/roguelikes on the market but Slay the Spire is still up there near/at the top in terms of quality and fun. Here's a rundown of the ones I've played:


Fewer cards and more items/abilities to shore up your deckbuilding. Feels less random than StS but also feels like your power never quite grows to absurd game-breaking levels. Runs are longer than StS


Uses cards and character classes, but also has a heavy "choose your own adventure storybook" style. Runs are about as long as StS.


Sci fi theme is cool, and you have more flexibility in how you handle encounters.


Mega Man Battle Network, essentially. The focus isn't so much on random deckbuilding and more on creating efficient combos


Card based strategy RPG (grid). Haven't sunk a ton of time into it, but it's probably the least "roguelike" out of the ones I've mentioned here.


Kinda similar? It has cards but the narrative is moreso the focus. I thought Ring of Pain was better, personally


Cards plus tabletop combat. I haven't spent much time in it but I thought it was neat.

A non cardgame one that often gets mentioned is Dicey Dungeons



There are a couple others I've tried (not on PS) like Banners of Ruin, Ring of Pain, Steamworld Quest, Monster Train, and Cardaclysm that I think are worth checking out if you have the platform.

Thank you so much for this! It is more than I could have hoped for, you are an absolute legend 👍👍

Must have been the perfect time to ask this question as lots of the games you have shared are in a deep sale. I checked out all trailers and liked the look of most. I bought Griftlands and Dark Quest 3 straight away. It turns out that I already own Inscyption which means it must have been on PS Plus at some point, I would have bought this.

DungeonTop and Roguebook have been added into my wish list. The moment that Roguebook hits the sales I am on it.

I'm so deep down the Street Fighter 6 rabbit hole and I know you like some fighters yourself. I'm at that point where I've improved so much that the game can be exhausting. These games will without doubt give me some good down time gaming fun very different from SF.
 
  • Strength
Reactions: DonDonDonPata
@fatty

Thanks so much! SteamWorld looks excellent. I would have bought this 100%. I couldn't find it on the PS store. It had later releases on the Stadia and Amazon Luna.

Funnily enough I saw a video covering Into the Breach on YouTube a few days ago. I played and enjoyed FTL many years back. It was actually watching a video for this game that got me thinking about other smaller titles I had played and enjoyed, and reminded me of Slay the Spire - which brought me here with my question 😂

Unfortunately ITB does not have a console release date as yet. But I am 100% interested when it does.

More solid recommendations honestly. Thanks so much 👍👍
 
For anyone hankering for a pure arcade experience, this one fits:



Although there is a randomized Infinite mode, the game lacks all of the modern roguelike features typically added to these types of games. It's nothing but a good ol' button-mashy Gauntlet clone, with a healthy dose of nostalgia and indie references (e.g. I once saved a villager named 'Derek Yu'). Enemies spawning everywhere, then getting blown to pixelated bits. The dark elf melee-focused character is the best imo
 
Just found Volcanoids on Steam, a base building shooter that's in EA since four years. It does look neat though, got many updates and has very positive reviews. Will keep an eye on that game.



 
I need to post here alot more. Playing a bunch of random things. Busy at the moment but realized I need to.
 
  • Love
Reactions: regawdless
No disrespect to Slay The Spire but Monster Train is everything and more. Similar "pick your route" structure but more decks, more overpowered combos, more artifacts, more ways to add challenge, plus the art is better. Instead of picking one character-class, you pick a main clan, a champion (two options per clan) and an alternate clan. The cards you get are based on the two clans selected and there are multiple upgrade paths for each champion. LOOOTS of build variety, to the point where I don't have much desire to go back to Slay the Spire.



(Also on Switch)

Been playing it a lot this week after @skeem 's thread (which was lumped into this one?), unlocking more clans and cards. If there's any knock against the game, it's too similar to StS, not really innovating beyond the basic format like many of the other card-based games have done.
 
Oh I just asked the question in here as I thought I might get good recommendations. And I did 🤣

I'm surprised how many of these games aren't available on PS. It turns out I've been naively thinking that most things end up on the PS Store. I'd heard of the Monster Train game before and would have tried it.
 
Oh I just asked the question in here as I thought I might get good recommendations. And I did 🤣

I'm surprised how many of these games aren't available on PS. It turns out I've been naively thinking that most things end up on the PS Store. I'd heard of the Monster Train game before and would have tried it.

Yeah, since Jim Ryan took over PlayStation has really dropped the ball on Indie game support.

PlayStation used to have a dedicated Indie game liaison team infact, tasked with ensuring the widest and best variety of titles were given financial and technical support in porting to PlayStation systems, which old Jimbo of course shut down. Can't have people thinking about spending money on anything but the next AAA, big budget, cinematic, third person action adventure after all.

It was also headed by a total legend that was one of the biggest Vita fans over at team Blue, which was why Vita got so many great Indie ports for years after first parties and established third party publishers gave up on the system.
 
  • Like
  • Strength
Reactions: Eneru and skeem
Yeah, since Jim Ryan took over PlayStation has really dropped the ball on Indie game support.

PlayStation used to have a dedicated Indie game liaison team infact, tasked with ensuring the widest and best variety of titles were given financial and technical support in porting to PlayStation systems, which old Jimbo of course shut down. Can't have people thinking about spending money on anything but the next AAA, big budget, cinematic, third person action adventure after all.

It was also headed by a total legend that was one of the biggest Vita fans over at team Blue, which was why Vita got so many great Indie ports for years after first parties and established third party publishers gave up on the system.

Is that what has happened? They threw that good work down the drain? That's very sad if so. I definitely feel a shift has happened over the past 5 or so years with Sony's big budget games. Kind of similar to Ubisoft once they created Assassin's Creed.

Was the Vita guy Shahid Ahmad by any chance? Feels like both yesterday and a long time ago, that.
 
Is that what has happened? They threw that good work down the drain? That's very sad if so. I definitely feel a shift has happened over the past 5 or so years with Sony's big budget games. Kind of similar to Ubisoft once they created Assassin's Creed.

Was the Vita guy Shahid Ahmad by any chance? Feels like both yesterday and a long time ago, that.

Think that's the guy, aye. Absolute legend.
 
  • Love
Reactions: skeem
Remember Brigador? Prepare for Brigador Killers!

BRIGADOR KILLERS is an intense story-driven isometric action game. Can a secret hit team of Solo Nobreans get revenge on the traitors deep in enemy territory, and still get out alive? The mercenary violence of BRIGADOR (2016) spills over onto a new planet, with revised controls and an all-new storyline.