Recently there’s been talks about the indie scene for games and where it’s headed. Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, and the Playstation Network have helped nurture the once fragile flower of independent developers into a hulking California redwood. Sprouting up high above with high risk and low-cost budgets, indie games have made a name for themselves and are here to stay.
Braid, Minecraft, Limbo… these are all names you’re familiar with if you enjoy video games. Those titles encompass what makes indie games appealing to us. Innovative gameplay with unforgettable experiences. Braid was one of the first major success on Xbox Live Arcade. It told a very emotional story about a boy looking for his princess, with a time-rewinding mechanic that made for a challenging puzzler melded with platforming elements.
Limbo was a little later but was equally well received. Limbo is another platformer focused on an intimate setting, using only silhouettes for both your character and the environments. Again, another platformer with the indie revolution.
Finally, Minecraft released on XBLA with open arms, selling over 2 million copies, and will soon be hitching a ride well into the next generation with both Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
The must haves
To follow-up with my “Top 5 Most Anticipated Indie Games for Next-Gen“, I polled the same group of gamers. I asked them what their favorite or most memorable games of this past generation. I present to you now, this generations best indie games.
1. Minecraft
Minecraft is an open world game created by Mojang. It single-handedly shows that it doesn’t take graphics to make a “good game,” which is evident by the 33 million units sold worldwide. This game has seen a release on basically every possible platform from Android/iOS to PC and home consoles.
2.The Walking Dead
Telltale Games created this Game of the Year in 2012. The Walking Dead is technically an episodic graphic adventure, which translated, means a point-and-click adventure game. Due to the game’s success a new season is underway before the end of 2013. If you still haven’t experienced this game, drop whatever you’re doing now and go play.
3. Dust: An Elysian Tail
Dust: An Elysian Tail is one of my personal favorites and helped renew my faith in the platforming genre. Dean Dodrill hand-drew the entire game in what makes for one of the most visually unique games out there. A vast color palate and variety of environments, engaging combat with light RPG elements. I still go back and play this game to just look at the “purtty pictures.”
4. Fez
Fez is the deepest platformer I’ve ever had to pleasure of exploring. Riddled with clues, questions, and even a written self-contained language, former developer/designer Phil Fish underwent tremendous amounts of stress from the media, both before and after this Indie Award winning game released. Fez is one of those games worth the hype IF you finish the game.
5. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Brothers is a unique game in both story telling and gameplay. What’s so phenomenal about this game isn’t just the teary eyed ending, but the way it conveys the story through your controller. In my 30 years of gaming, I’ve simply never felt this way while playing a game. Starbreeze Studios took everyone by surprise because they make great first-person shooters such as The Darkness and the recent success PayDay 2.
We’ve come so far
When XBLA and Playstation’s PSN first fired up the arcade stores, they were overrun with rehashes of Frogger, Pac-Man, Hexic HD and other very simplistic games. No one expected the industry to, ten years later, share the limelight equally on those small studios.
No one expected for so many unique experiences to come from a small corner of the internet. Where are indie games to go with this next-generation of consoles? Will consoles stay relevant? These are only questions we can answer with our wallet, and so far, our wallets are saying “more please.”
Your thoughts?
What have been some of your favorite indie games this generation? What platform do you play them on? Do you play indie games, why/why not? Please feel free to comment below.
@Coatedpolecat
