Indie recommendations Hub

[Sinmenon]

Fields of Mistria if you like Stardew Valley. It has 80s anime aesthetic, a cool breeding mechanic for the animals and a very engaging main story, and the individual stories are also fun. If you want a 3D version with mermaids too, try Coral Island.
I'm also eyeing Welcome to Elderfield, which mixes the farm sim like Stardew Valley with the horror (and some RNG ) of Fear & Hunger.

Speaking of Fear & Hunger! If you want a very hard dungeon crawler, try Fear & Hunger and its sequel. The 3rd game is coming, apparently.

Void Stranger is my current pick. It has GB-like graphics and it is a very interesting puzzle game that you need to traverse an abyss to save someone, and that description is a disservice to a great plot with many twists and turns. You need to traverse rooms using a staff that removes blocks and places them back, creating a path. You also need to avoid monsters and some other obstacles and get to the deepest parts.

Vampire Therapist is a visual novel and it is exactly what it says in the tin, and it is amazing. Another visual novel that I very highly recommend is Slay the Princess. Both are incredible. This later is better going in blind.

Speaking of vampires, Cabaret is something I played the demo and is on my wishlist. You are a recently-awakened vampire and your decisions change your path, and you also have skill points that also give different options, but this one is more of a point-and click and not a VN.

Adventure/Point-and-click gamer? Lacuna, Kathy Rain, The Darkside Detective duology. Thibleweed Park was created by the minds behind Maniac Mansion.Wait, do you want 3D? Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is a good pick if you miss the Telltale games. Gray Matter was made by the creator of Gabriel Knight and while it misses the mark in some areas, it is solid.

King's Field and other dungeon-crawling? Lunacid is very good (from the creator of Lost in Vivo), Monomyth is also highly recommended. If you want something unique, try Cryptmaster, which mixes dungeon crawler and...typing.

Do you like Darkest Dungeon? There's the sequel, and there is also Iratus: Lord of the Dead, which is the polar opposite: you are the necromancer getting body parts and climbing out of the dungeon to enact your revenge and turn the entire world into a place of the undead.

 

[GamingWarthog]

MerFight: Curse of the Arctic Prince: 2D Fighter about Merfolk, with a story mode for each base game character (DLC chars are free and gotten just by patching the game), online, arcade, and challenge modes.

Mechanically what sets it apart is that for each of the three bars of super meter you earn, you get one pop gem that can be used for various actions, such as canceling out of any attack. Since you can only hold three pop gems at a time as well you're encouraged to constantly spend resources, and the ability to cancel out of anything gives you a lot of freedom once you get the resources.

Schwarzerblitz: This is a free 3D fighting game with a faux retro PSOne aesthetic and a good sized roster. No native online play, so it focuses on single player content with a story mode and plenty of unlockables. It has a bullet cancel mechanic, where you have a set of bullets at the start of a match you can spend on advanced mechanics, once you're out of bullets you're out, but you get a few at the start of each round, only one if you won the last round. Has one of my favorite fighting game villains.

The Crush House: More of an oddball title, this has you play as the producer/camerawoman for a realty show, going around the house and filming what the audience wants to see so you don't get canceled, while trying to complete crew requests and make enough money to buy more props. It's a bit flawed in some ways, filming the scenery is too effective too consistently, but if you're into stuff off the beaten path and rough around the edges it's worth a try.

 

[Yuki Senoue]

Jitsu Squad, a very fast paced beat'em up with great art and a even greater sound track.

Jitsu Squad on Steam

Jitsu Squad is a Marvel vs Capcom inspired 4 player co-op TAG TEAM beat ‘em up with epic character transformations and fast paced combat.

store.steampowered.com

Hell Clock, it isn't released yet but the demo is awesome, I'm waiting the release anxiouly.

Hell Clock on Steam

Forge powerful builds with endless loot in this relentless combination of Roguelike and ARPG. Blast through dungeons and unleash inhuman powers in a dark fantasy twist on Brazil’s War of Canudos.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Your_Homie_Gale]

2 Words. Hotline Miami. Fast paced top-down retro action that is both addicting, difficult, and gory. Very satisfying with lots of subtle storytelling in the small details if you're willing to check out. Honestly reminds me of the top down levels from Contra 3 while also remaining arcade like as the levels don't take too long to beat. I also recommend its sequel, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. Even though many people hated the sequel, I still think Hotline Miami 2 is just as good as the first, but for different reasons. It definitely jumps the shark by making the levels harder and larger while also having the story play out like a Quentin Tarantino movie; but nonetheless, I highly recommend both games and they often go on sale. Plus the steam version comes with a level editor for the sequel which I also recommend. They're about $15 USD and the soundtrack for Hotline Miami 2 is the same price but absolutely worth listening to if you love synthwave. That's 52 tracks for the price of $15 USD right there.

 

[carb0n0x]

crow country. crow countryu crow country crow country crow country
it is without one doubtzors the only example i can think of for this scenario: a new game coming out in a genre and immediately standing toe to toes with its truly classic old world peers
crow country is a survival horror game that to me is such a complete blitz of style and presentation it comes across as beautifully as resident evil 1 and 2 or silent hill 1 and 2 or any of those viewtiful joes
it is so unbelievably unhinged in the silence of what it does not that say that i do not even want to post the final boss theme, as perfect to me as it is - the insanity of the implications of the narrative as it ends is too good to even slightly hint at, musically or otherwise
if you like ps1 era horror games you really should play crow country (without looking into it too much to spoil how delightful all the little things are)

Seconding this, Crow Country is easily the best RE/SH-like of the decade.
I also wanted to recommend another really good game of the same genre, Tormented Souls, incredible visuals, puzzles and story, also very fun to play (and it's also possible to play the whole game with melee only if you're up for the challenge ) . Eagerly waiting for the sequel which is in the works by the way.

 

[Deleted member 393056]

FlyKnight
A short, but fun little King's Field inspired game you can get for $6 USD on Steam. Like it's inspiration it has even an even more methodical approach to combat than your typical indie Souls-like due to the first person perspective. There's plenty of weapons, armor, spells and accessories you can equip to tailor your build to your liking while you're exploring the game's dungeons. Has a neat hit detection system which allows you to de-limb certain enemies and either make them powerless to stop you or change how they fight against you. Also has JOLLY COOPERATION if you can get anywhere from 1-3 buddies to agree to play the game with you.

 

[vulonkaaz's iconvulonkaaz]

ENA: Dream BBQ

ENA: Dream BBQ on Steam

Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Deleted member 560402]

Vividlope. It's a good puzzle platformer.

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Neon White is like a small fuzzy kitten, you can’t put it down

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You WON’T put it down

It gives me Bleach vibes. :D

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I know this starts to become mainstream but...

ULTRAKILL is what I would recommend if you like doom like first person shooters. Great game mechanics, lots of secrets and AWESOME soundtracks. Game is no means easy, but most who have said they are not great on retro fps games have played fairly well so no need to be scared Oh yeah there's also a timer for levels and devil may cry style "style" meter Retro graphics are also fun

Mullet Mad Jack is NUTS. It's a FPS but on crack! You have a ticking time clock and you need to keep killing and moving forward to stay alive and keep adding seconds to it. Basically you are livestreaming in the game and you get extra time added with likes from fans watching you. The device is plugged into you and keeping you alive. It also has a cool 80s anime aesthetic and a Tsundere girl giving you directions. The goal is to make it to the top of the tower and save a kidnapped influencer.

 

[Naltic]

This is pretty much a no-brainer to me:

Kenshi (Amazing sandbox, you can literally be what you want, and it also captures the feeling of 2000s samurai the best, imo, of course):
https://store.steampowered.com/app/233860/Kenshi/

Ostranauts (This one is very difficult, and I mean very difficult, it's not for everyone, but if you want the best space RPG where you can do what you want and be what you want, then this one is for you):
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1022980/Ostranauts/

Songs of Syx (I feel like I am only doing sandbox games, but whatever, this one is the best for city builder):
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1162750/Songs_of_Syx/

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

Purrgatory - A unique and distinct visual novel title. You’re trapped in purgatory, awaiting a reckoning that may never come. You adapt to this new life with a small selection of others who’ve been waiting here longer than you have, but whom are all relatively temporary. But, perhaps, with your help, you can change their fates and make them not feel so alone in this barren place.

(I’d like to thank my lovely partner for introducing me to this game. Love ya’ Eve.)

 

[Sfjeov]

Streets of Rogue is a pretty fun roguelite
cataclysm dark days ahead is the only reason I haven't tried out project zomboid tbh.
Signalis is like a gateway drug cuz I wanna check out classic RE afterward.

 

[Zerohour2k12]

I'd recommed most already posted.
My picks are

 

[Yousef Yousef]

Momodora

 

[Moreno909]

Apotheon
The Final Station
Slipstream

 

[Graves Ruinwalker]

1. Knights of Pen & Paper-series
Loved the small homages , the humour and actually great gameplay that is akin to TTRPGs .

2. Blazing Chrome
That game scratches my Contra-itch to this day . The music is a huge banger , the action is bombastic and the pixel-art is great .

3. Slipstream
Great racing game with a nice drift mechanic and the soundtrack just oozes style . Love it .

4. Project Warlock
Simple yet awesome boomer-shooter with alot of customisation .

 

[iisoide]

I love Lethal League Blaze. It's made by the same people who made Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and it's a nice stylistic fighting game based on softball where every hit makes the ball go faster.

 

[eddy]

I love Lethal League Blaze. It's made by the same people who made Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and it's a nice stylistic fighting game based on softball where every hit makes the ball go faster.

absolute banger. those guys have an eye for style like no other.

I would have to say my favourite recent indie I've played is Who's Lila?. Super sick little horror game with lots of meta elements and a really interesting story and also some of the coolest game mechanics I've ever seen. I encourage everyone ehre to check it out you won't regret it.

 

[LastValsion]

More recommendations from me:

---

Cataclysm: Bright Nights - A roguelike with sci-fi elements set in a post-apocalyptic world. Cataclysm: Bright Nights is a fork of Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead before it chose to go the simulation route. There are constant updates and plenty of new stuff to find/do. The game cares less about the mundane stuff you can eat, while Bright Nights asks whether a single survivor can do X thing. You can go from zero to hero, but you will have to work to earn it while surviving, and you can still build cool deathmobiles

Game Link: https://github.com/cataclysmbnteam/Cataclysm-BN

Time Break Chronicles - A mix of classic JRPGs and modern roguelites that has over 100 playable classes (characters) to find and unlock. You can build your own team, customize their abilities, equip relics for various bonuses, and venture into a procedurally generated adventure through space-time and beyond. There is a main story that takes place in different areas, and completing the same area multiple times has its benefits. You can upgrade your home base to unlock more options to make your teams more overpowered. The game is still being updated with new content and characters

Game Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1393500/Time_Break_Chronicles/

 

[Deleted member 560402]

CHAINSTAFF IS AWESOME!

 

[pingugaming]

plenty of good stuff to go around! some of my favorites are kenshi, little goody two shoes, crow country, hypnospace outlaw, broken reality, yuppie psycho, 1000x resist, repella fella, the pedestrian, mouthwashing, arctic eggs, cruelty squad and many more!

 

[Deleted member 560402]

I love Lethal League Blaze. It's made by the same people who made Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and it's a nice stylistic fighting game based on softball where every hit makes the ball go faster.

AINT NOTHIN' BUT A FUNKY BEAT!

 

[DorfleFlorp]

Cultic is great best fps I have played in years

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Mina the Hollower got a demo!

Ditto with that

CHAINSTAFF IS AWESOME!

I like the logo style. Reminds me of 90's PSX, PC and N64 games.

 

[Kamako]

I thought Iconoclasts was so good I was inspired to write to its creator. They're a cool dude!

 

[GamingWarthog]

I thought Iconoclasts was so good I was inspired to write to its creator. They're a cool dude!
View attachment 79750

Oh Iconoclasts, I enjoyed that one too. Cool that you wrote to the creator.

Spoiler: Iconoclasts Spoiler

Having to leave Royal behind was such a gut punch.