"Whether you want game suggestions or are just curious, this article will cover five of my favorite indie games from this year, their strengths and downsides, and a brief GAMEPLAY summary." -- winter johnson, 7th grade
Whether you want game suggestions or are just curious, this article will cover five of my favorite indie games from this year, their strengths and downsides, and a brief gameplay summary. It also includes a rating system that ranks the story, how original the idea is, the visuals, and how fun it is to play from 1-10.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Story: 9
Originality: 7
Visuals: 7
Gameplay: 8
Chicory: a Colorful Tale is a cozy puzzle game about bringing color back to the world. You play as a cute little anthropomorphic golden retriever who goes from being the janitor in the brush-wielders tower to the one tasked with recoloring the world after the corruption makes everything black and white. If you like sweet, story-focused, cozy games with little to no violence, this is probably a game you should try. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this game, as it might be my favorite game ever.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Story: 9
Originality: 7
Visuals: 7
Gameplay: 8
Chicory: a Colorful Tale is a cozy puzzle game about bringing color back to the world. You play as a cute little anthropomorphic golden retriever who goes from being the janitor in the brush-wielders tower to the one tasked with recoloring the world after the corruption makes everything black and white. If you like sweet, story-focused, cozy games with little to no violence, this is probably a game you should try. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this game, as it might be my favorite game ever.
Deep Rock Galactic
Story: 2
Originality: 9
Visuals: 8
Gameplay: 9
The online co-op first-person shooter (FPS), Deep Rock Galactic, is many things, the most important of which are its community and originality. In this game, you and your friends take on the role of dwarf miners in space completing various missions as workers for Deep Rock Galactic. With four playable classes, each with a unique loadout, over 50 weapons and tools to unlock, and 100+ enemies to crush, there is a load of content to discover. I recommend this game to anyone who likes frantically fighting hordes of space bugs with their buddies and doesn't mind a bit of alien blood. While this is quite the amazing game with quite an amazing community, it lacks a story, as the only thing you know about your character is that you work at Deep Rock Galactic. Still, that doesn't make this any less of a masterful game, but if you like games with a little more story and less goofiness, this probably isn't the one for you.
Story: 2
Originality: 9
Visuals: 8
Gameplay: 9
The online co-op first-person shooter (FPS), Deep Rock Galactic, is many things, the most important of which are its community and originality. In this game, you and your friends take on the role of dwarf miners in space completing various missions as workers for Deep Rock Galactic. With four playable classes, each with a unique loadout, over 50 weapons and tools to unlock, and 100+ enemies to crush, there is a load of content to discover. I recommend this game to anyone who likes frantically fighting hordes of space bugs with their buddies and doesn't mind a bit of alien blood. While this is quite the amazing game with quite an amazing community, it lacks a story, as the only thing you know about your character is that you work at Deep Rock Galactic. Still, that doesn't make this any less of a masterful game, but if you like games with a little more story and less goofiness, this probably isn't the one for you.
It Takes 2
Story: 8
Originality: 9
Visuals: 7
Gameplay: 8
You've probably heard of games that can be played multiplayer, but what about a game that can only be played with a buddy? Enter It Takes Two, a 3D puzzle platformer like no other. This game takes you and a friend on a wild ride through a series of collaborative puzzles as you play Cody and May, a divorcing couple who were turned into dolls and need to become human again. Every puzzle needs both people to try their best, and death is barely punishing, only bringing you back to the beginning of each puzzle. The creativity behind all the puzzles makes it a joy to play.
Story: 8
Originality: 9
Visuals: 7
Gameplay: 8
You've probably heard of games that can be played multiplayer, but what about a game that can only be played with a buddy? Enter It Takes Two, a 3D puzzle platformer like no other. This game takes you and a friend on a wild ride through a series of collaborative puzzles as you play Cody and May, a divorcing couple who were turned into dolls and need to become human again. Every puzzle needs both people to try their best, and death is barely punishing, only bringing you back to the beginning of each puzzle. The creativity behind all the puzzles makes it a joy to play.
RoboQuest
Story: 6
Originality: 7
Visuals: 9
Gameplay: 10
This amazing, rogue-like FPS is unlike any other game I have played. With its speedy movement-based combat and colorful comic vibe, RoboQuest immediately climbed my list of favorite games within a week of playing it. In RoboQuest, you are a robot that must save the world by killing an evil AI and discover what happened to humanity. This game has a massive arsenal of weapons, classes, upgrades, trinkets, and enemies. What I love so much about RoboQuest is that every weapon is special in its way. This quality makes this game so unique that no two runs are the same. However, if you don't like games as fast-paced as this, don't fret; the game can be beaten by taking it slow(You’re just rewarded more for going fast).
Story: 6
Originality: 7
Visuals: 9
Gameplay: 10
This amazing, rogue-like FPS is unlike any other game I have played. With its speedy movement-based combat and colorful comic vibe, RoboQuest immediately climbed my list of favorite games within a week of playing it. In RoboQuest, you are a robot that must save the world by killing an evil AI and discover what happened to humanity. This game has a massive arsenal of weapons, classes, upgrades, trinkets, and enemies. What I love so much about RoboQuest is that every weapon is special in its way. This quality makes this game so unique that no two runs are the same. However, if you don't like games as fast-paced as this, don't fret; the game can be beaten by taking it slow(You’re just rewarded more for going fast).
Rounds
Story: 0
Originality: 8
Visuals: 8
Gameplay: 9
If you like some friendly competition and multiplayer madness, this game is for you. With absolutely no story whatsoever, Rounds still doesn't cease to impress. You and your friend play as little squishy orbs with hands and feet, trying to kill each other in fast-paced, platforming, gunslinging combat. Both people get to choose a perk at the beginning, and every time someone wins a round, the loser gets one. The bullets are affected by gravity so they arch, leading to some amazing accidental trick shots. In addition to what the base game offers, Rounds is a favorite for the modding community (modding means when fans make changes to the base game, and add some crazy stuff). So, if you want a tad more chaos, try that out. As a side note, only the Steam version can be modded. All in all, Rounds is just such a chaotically fun mess to play with anyone.
Indie games are some of the best games due to one key factor: creativity. Indie developers(DEVS) have more space to be creative without the pressure of the game making a bunch of money. The games end up with so much more heart in them. That is why I love indie games so much. And I hope these games help you see that too.
Story: 0
Originality: 8
Visuals: 8
Gameplay: 9
If you like some friendly competition and multiplayer madness, this game is for you. With absolutely no story whatsoever, Rounds still doesn't cease to impress. You and your friend play as little squishy orbs with hands and feet, trying to kill each other in fast-paced, platforming, gunslinging combat. Both people get to choose a perk at the beginning, and every time someone wins a round, the loser gets one. The bullets are affected by gravity so they arch, leading to some amazing accidental trick shots. In addition to what the base game offers, Rounds is a favorite for the modding community (modding means when fans make changes to the base game, and add some crazy stuff). So, if you want a tad more chaos, try that out. As a side note, only the Steam version can be modded. All in all, Rounds is just such a chaotically fun mess to play with anyone.
Indie games are some of the best games due to one key factor: creativity. Indie developers(DEVS) have more space to be creative without the pressure of the game making a bunch of money. The games end up with so much more heart in them. That is why I love indie games so much. And I hope these games help you see that too.
