Games from larger studios are often groundbreaking and amazing to play, but every so often there will come a game that completely takes the industry by storm without needing the studio’s fame to prop it up.
Indie RPGs that have the quality and potential of some of the most well-known AAA games are serious gems, and these games deserve every bit of love that they get.
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Indie games often take aspects of different video game genres and combine them into an award-winning game, so it’s no surprise that most indie RPGs fit comfortably into multiple other genres.It takes a lot for a smaller release to rival the pull of a AAA game, but plenty of indie developers have risen to the challenge.
8Sea of Stars
Create Your Own Eclipse
Sea of Stars
Turn-based RPGs are always mainstays of my library, andSea of Starswas no exception. The world is beautifully designed, and the magic attacks, whether they’re basic attacks, ultimates, or mana-boosted, are so detailed.
The magic really feels like an ancient, essential part of the world, often cleverly incorporated in puzzles.
Even outside of combat, you can feel the detail this smaller studio poured into every interaction with an enemy. The attack animations alone showcase the love they had for this game when making it.
Each of the characters' personalities balance each other so well, too, that it’s so easy to fall down a rabbit hole of playing this game for hours. Plus,the DLC, Throes of the Watchmaker, is free once you own the game,which really should be more common than it is.
It’s just as engaging and is an extension of the base game while still having its own unique story.
A Nostalgia-Filled Apocalypse Scenario
Dread Delusion
Dread Delusion’s graphics are so nostalgic, bringing an older RPG feel into this decade. The combat, spells, looming apocalypse, and even the directalternatives to combatlike stealth, romance, or even just stealing items are all so well-implemented.
As someone who picks the first available pacifist or non-violent route at all times, this game about healing the blighted world around you really spoke to me, and it’s one of the biggest reasons I picked up the game.
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If I ever need to fish in Terraria ever again, I’m going to lose it.
It’s an impressive milestone for a seemingly simple indie game with retro visuals to successfully pull off such AAA vibes, but this is a beautifully complex world.
This game’s studio is smaller than any of the AAA studios that developedgames with similar graphics. Dread Delusion is an excellent example of keeping the best aspects of gaming nostalgia alive, and for it to have a positive reception is a win for the indie gaming community.
6Cthulhu Saves The World
A Lovecraftian Adventure
Cthulhu Saves the World
Both this game and the holiday edition, Cthulhu Saves Christmas, are excellent. As the original game in this duology, Cthulhu Saves The Worldis such an unexpectedly enthralling experience.
Starting with no powers as a central plot point makes this game so much more replayable for me, leaving room for customization and character growrth.
The way you experience each character’s story arc at once, even while the focus is on Cthulhu as the protagonist, is a difficult aspect of writing to pull off, especially when you throw comedic flavor into the mix. Cthulhu Saves The World does it with ease.
The game’s witty dialogue and the way its premise and story are delivered almost as a parody-style game is a serious winning factor, and it’s what kept me playing for hours at a time. It’s truly a surprise this game isn’t more well-known.
Party-based combat with all the fleshed-out playable characters, and a mix of comedy, adventure, and just the slightest hint of Lovecraftian dread all make this game a real gem, too.Even if you’re not a Lovecraft fan, this game will still make you laugh, and it might just win you over.
5Chained Echoes
The Perfect Blend Of Medieval And Modern
Chained Echoes
The only thing that can make apixel art RPGwith dragons and airships cooler is the addition of bulky battle-ready mech suits.If you’ve never played a turn-based round ofcombat inside a gigantic robot, you should definitely start with Chained Echoes.
Plenty of JRPGs have their own versions of robotic fighting suits, but this game stands apart in its portrayal of the mech as just another enhancement to the main characters' already dynamic fighting style.
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The looming threat of war and crime around almost every corner adds a sense of urgency, and the conflicts between even smaller groups of bandits keep you coming back to see the resolution of the plot in this perilous world.
Chained Echoes is ultimately one of those RPGs that you won’t just remember for the graphics. The personalities of the characters, layered further through the themes of thievery and moral ambiguity, are more than enough.
4Hyper Light Drifter
Drift Through A Ruined World
Hyper Light Drifter
This game adds to the indie tradition of drawing inspiration from classic game styles. If there’s one thing you can count on in Hyper Light Drifter, it’s the nostalgia, but it’s also the expansive world and the subtle story techniques that don’t lay every detail out for you.
Top-tier, realistic graphics don’t automatically make a game successful or well-loved, and Hyper Light Drifter’s pixelated style doesn’t make it any less of an impactful game.RPGs with bright colors and stories that draw you in by being just the right amount of vague about the details of the plot are some of my favorites.
The praise surrounding Hyper Light Drifter for that very thing, as well as its precise action RPG gameplay and more, is well-earned. Playing as the terminally ill Drifter makes you rethink so many of your choices in this game, since you never know what could affect your ending.
3Stardew Valley
Fall In Love With Farming
Stardew Valley
This absolute classic of a farming life sim hasinfinite playthrough potential, especially when the biggest appeal of this game lies in how customizable your farmer and your farm space are.Stardew Valleyis one of those games that draws me in for days on end when it comes to tweaking every detail of my farmer’s story.
One year, or even three, isn’t long enough for a fully realized farm vision to come to light, and the developer definitely kept that in mind with how many updates the game gets. It’s a passion project above all else, and so many fans share that passion that it keeps the game in the limelight.
There might not be a huge team of developers and a massive budget behind this game, butthe longer you play Stardew Valley, the more there is to discover and love. It’s deep, involved, and a real joy.
A Deep, Dark Journey
Omoriis one of those games that you remember for a while after you finish playing.It addresses some heavier mental health topics, and the story is so compelling that it makes you immediately feel for the charactersand their struggles.
If you’re like me, you love a little extra darkness and challenge thrown into a game. Omori has you covered on both fronts, even if the combat isn’tDark Soulslevel of difficulty.
The sketch art style combined with the more faithful turn-based RPG style of combat is a unique combination of game traits, and it absolutely works in this game’s favor. The soundtrack is beautiful and emotional at all times, even when you’re encountering an enemy.
1Undertale
An Homage To Gaming Within A Game
It would be a crime to not mentionUndertaleand its serious impact on the gaming industry.Everything from the complex characters to the stunningly detailed area design to the melodic soundtrack is top tier.
Since the game hasmultiple different endings and pathslike so many of these other games, you can (and should) experience it all more than once. I’ve played at least four times all the way through the pacifist route alone.
Undertale not only has a compelling story, it has so many more secrets and items than you would expect from a deceptively simple-looking game developed by Toby Fox. The effort towards making such a fascinating, subversive, surprise-crammed game ensures the love for Undertale’s nostalgia-filled original gaming experience is echoed to this day.
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