Indie Games & Hidden Gems |OT| It's Not About Size

Thread: Indie Games & Hidden Gems |OT| It's Not About Size
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Hostile_18

Hostile_18

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Mod edit:

This is the OT for indie games and hidden gems now.


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What hidden gems do you recommend to D-Pad? Ones that have flew under most peoples radar, or perhaps the critical reception wasn't great or they never got much media coverage in the first place.

My first up is Race the Sun. It was actually a free PSN game when the PS4 first launched. It's gameplay loop is both relaxing at first and then super intense as the game goes on. The team have supported the game really well, adding extra levels and even VR support. I've always come back to this over the years and that's extremely rare for me.



Next up is What Remains of Edith Finch. Now this did get quite a bit of critical praise. It is however still a walking simulator but it absolutely is the best one I've ever played. Its more of a "one and done" but its an exceptional magical journey. This is the gaming equivalent of eating Steak.

 
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Lost in Shadow for the Wii comes to mind. One of the strangest and longest games I've ever played. It's a 2D/3D hybrid action RPG that has some inventive puzzle mechanics that make great use of the Wiimote IR aiming and such. Feels like it has elements from Fumito Ueda's works and Nier (Replicant) for example the enemies you face in Lost in Shadow are reminiscent of the Shades in Nier
 
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Defcon. It got a little press but missed by the masses. Its an awesome RTS that is stripped down to the basics and gives you nuclear weapons and a Wargames vibe. Very rarely have I won a match without incurring at least a few million casualties for my troubles.

 
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I really liked The Swapper



I played on PS4 so I imagine it's on most platforms, but this was a very satisfying puzzle game for me. It had the right mix of intuitiveness and difficulty. I never had to give up and look any solutions up, but some of them took me 15+ minutes to figure out.
 
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J-Roderton said:
Edith Finch is fucking great.
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Seconded. Definitely a walking simulator, but undoubtedly one of the best.

As for Indies, I've known a few.

Instead of throwing out one big old list, I'll just post a few choices one for now and follow up with more further down the road.

Wildermyth

I've banged the drum a few times already here about Wildermyth but it really is that goddamn good. If the idea of DnD & XCOM coupled with Papercraft intrigues you, do not sit on it: -





This is the Police

Basically, TiTP is a management game wherein as soon to retire Police Chief Jack Boyd you have to oversee your department and manage your resources as well as make decisions and choices regarding various story events that can have quite profound consequences. It is a very stylish game and extremely good bang for buck in terms of mileage.





Cultist Simulator

I'm somewhat hesitant to recommend Cultist Simulator because it's not a game that is in any way easy to play or master in large part because it doesn't handhold you and it is very much a case of trial and error, as you gradually figure things out. However once the allure of the Manus takes grip it's hard to escape its silken grasp.



 
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Battle Brothers



Lots of bang for your buck. You start and run a mercenary company, in fantasy almost-Germany/Central Europe. The expansions expand to other settings, and add new features. Characters can and will die as you progress through your adventure. Mostly sandbox, but overarching events and campaigns will generate as the days progress. Orc/goblin invasions can happen, as well as human civil wars and undead awakenings.

A really, really good game if you are interested in tactical war games. Worth the full price as is, but is often on sale as well.



Endless Sky



Free game that is better than a lot of $20-$30 games. Top down space game in the same vein as the Escape Velocity series. I highly recommend if you love these types of games. There is a small campaign, and the dev seems to add new content pretty frequently.
 
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A quite clever tycoon management game, which has you building assembly lines to make your own product, currently in early access it has changed dramatically in the year since launch and is pretty smooth now.
 
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This game is surprising. And it's free.


Maybe not the most obscure, but I'm still surprised how many people don't know about it.


This one basically shows you how little we actually pay attention. But it's a great but short game. I guess it's shorter the higher your attention to detail is.
 
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Someone opened a thread here on dpad and I love this little gem



Haven't finished it yet but I sank quite some hours into this game. If someone likes metroidvania and retro games you can pick this up. Love the music and art style. There's quite a lot to do and many hidden chambers and a lot to explore.
 
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I dunno how hidden it is but the Banner Saga series is a gem. One of my favourite tactical turn based games. I suppose it's kind of a squad based RPG though the story progression is completely linear.

FTL is the greatest roguelike of all time. It's so good to play on the iPad on the train.

Everybody's Golf is surprisingly decent if you're into golf. Didn't really know what to expect going in but the gameplay is tight. Could use some more customization options though.

Last but not least, Anno 1800. I've played the entire Anno series and this is the best yet. A must play for any city builder fan.
 
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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.

 
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Dr. Farnsgoth said:
Everybody's Golf is surprisingly decent if you're into golf. Didn't really know what to expect going in but the gameplay is tight. Could use some more customization options though.
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I really liked it on PS3 and even on the Vita. Kinda forgot about it after that, maybe because of the weird naming convention of calling it Hot Shots Golf in the US for no reason for all those older versions.

I see this game is just a tenner on PSN right now, might have to grab it.
 
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Rimworld looks like shit but it's fun and highly addictive. I quit because it started to feel more like a drug than a game.
 
Eneru said:
is this going to release on other platforms? perfect for the couch.
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It's on Switch as well. No word on the other consoles.

I don't know how it looks and performs on Switch though.

I mean, I play PC games on the couch, it's not a console exclusive feature lol
 
regawdless said:
It's on Switch as well. No word on the other consoles.

I don't know how it looks and performs on Switch though.

I mean, I play PC games on the couch, it's not a console exclusive feature lol
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yeah I know... I'm just a lazy piece of shit. Thank you I'll check it out
 
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zebraStraw said:
Yeah, but it's chill at the same time. Perfect for laying on the couch with Steam Deck.

FYI use proton 6.3-8 for this on Deck.
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I just installed it and it worked, as I do with everything on the deck. Didn't check versions.
 
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