With the huge amount of indie games constantly being churned out by independent developers it’s always a challenge finding the very best of the best. Out of the games that are currently in development, there are a select few that I am personally looking forward to, indie games that may or may not have been noticed already but are very much pivotal games to look out for. Here are the top 8 indie games to watch out for!
8. Snapshot
Developed by Retro Affect, Snapshot is another one of those indies that I personally had heard very little about but when it did immediately struck me as being a game to watch out for. In Snapshot, you take control of Pic, a prototype camera that can take a picture and actually cut and paste that part of the scenery somewhere else. The concept of manipulating your surroundings in order to finish each level is extremely clever and while I’ve seen it done before in past indie titles, Snapshot does it in new and exciting ways.
http://www.retroaffect.com/games/1/snapshot/
7. Blackwell Deception
Blackwell Deception, the fourth game in the ghostly point and click Blackwell adventure series, has finally been announced after a long, long wait. From seedy downtown nightclubs to penthouse apartments to a luxury yacht on the Hudson River, main characters Rosa and Joey will unearth the truth about the underground world of street psychics. Launching October 12, Wadjet Eye Games’ latest adventure game is sure to astound.
http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/
6. The Witness
Jonathan Blow, notable for his hit time-travel puzzle platformer Braid, is currently working on a new game almost no one knows anything about, The Witness. Described as an exploration puzzle game on an uninhabited island, The Witness is about solitude and the solitude of oneself. So many games nowadays rely on others characters for purpose, but The Witness is strange in that it helps you look for that purpose within yourself. Intriguing, to say the least.
5. The Binding of Isaac
Edmund McMillen, co-creator of the wildly popular Super Meat Boy, is releasing yet another insanely difficult, yet oh-so addicting game to his repertoire, The Binding of Isaac. This top-down, RPG shooter reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo is a game filled with dungeons, insanely powerful bosses, power-ups, shops and many ruthless enemies. Edmund’s games are bizarre, difficult, ultra-violent and so much fun. The Binding of Isaac can’t be missed!
http://edmundmcmillen.blogspot.com/
4. Spy Party
Spy Party, creating by Chris Hecker, is a multiplayer espionage game that demands you play by its rules, but quite honestly why wouldn’t you? While, these days, multiplayer games allow you to customize your experience on a whim, Spy Party wants you to learn its complexities and master its gameplay, or you lose. It’s as simple as that. This focus is also what makes the game so engrossing, as with each loss comes the desire to figure out just what you did wrong. Spy Party provides an interesting exercise, one definitely worth taking.
3. Owl Boy
Developed by D-Pad Studio, Owl Boy is a free-roaming flying game sure to peek your interests. This charming little game boasts some beautiful artwork and fun gameplay to boot! As you explore the game’s world, you will uncover a variety of useful items; in addition, some characters will join you in certain parts of the game for some tag-team action. A demo for Owl Boy is currently available here and, while short, displays great potential for a game with so much depth.
http://www.roflgames.com/DPadWebsite/www/OwlboyWebsite/index.htm
2. Monaco
Monaco, a top-down, four player co-op heist game took grand prize at last years GDC and to no avail. In Monaco, 1 to 4 shady players combine their powers of thievery to get rich and live free on the coast of the Mediterranean, each has a unique skill set and each must work together to progress further in the game. Regarded by its developers, Pocketwatch Games, as Pacman meets Hitman, Monaco may be visually simplistic, but packs a great deal of complexity.
http://www.pocketwatchgames.com/Monaco/
1. Antichamber
Formerly known as Hazard: The Journey of Life, Alexander Bruce’s extraordinary game Antichamber has received quite a bit of buzz after displaying the game at this year’s PAX. This first-person puzzle game, something Bruce has aptly called ‘First-Person Escher’, is sort of like Portal in that the game doesn’t play by other game’s rules nor by the rules of the real world. Antichamber is a sensory puzzle experience like no other and definitely one to look out for.
(Unfortunately, I can’t find any gameplay videos for Antichamber, aside from this 8.5 minute gameplay video courtesy of Kotaku)
So what indie games are you looking forward to playing?
