Games from large studios are often groundbreaking and surprising, but oftentimes there are games that take the industry completely by storm without supporting studio fame.
Indie RPGs with some of the most famous AAA games are serious gemsand these games deserve all the love they get.
Indie games often incorporate aspects of different video game genres and combine them with award-winning games, so it’s no surprise that most indie RPGs fit comfortably into multiple other genres. A small release comparable to the pull of AAA games takes a lot of time, but many indie developers are on the challenge.
8
Sea of Stars
Create your own solar eclipse
Turn-based RPGs have always been the mainstay of my library, and Sea of Stars was no exception. The world is beautifully designed and magical attacks are extremely detailed, whether it’s a basic attack, ultimate, or a mana boost.
Magic really feels like an essential part of the world’s ancient times, and is often cleverly incorporated into puzzles.
Outside of combat, you can feel the details this little studio has poured into every interaction with the enemy. The attack animation alone shows the love they had when making this game.
Each character’s personality balances each other very well, so it’s very easy to defeat the rabbit hole that plays this game for hours. plus, Watchmaker DLC is free if you own the game. It really should be more common than that.
It’s just as engaging and an expansion of the base game while having its own story.
7
A scary fantasy
A nostalgic apocalypse scenario
The graphics in Dread Delusion are extremely nostalgic and brings the feel of an older RPG over the last decade. Everything is well implemented, whether it’s combat, spells, looming apocalypse, or even direct alternatives for combat, like stealth, romance, or simply stealing items.
As someone who has always chosen the available pacifist or non-violent routes, this game about healing the devastated world around you really spoke to me.
This is an impressive milestone in a seemingly simple indie game with retro visuals, and while it pulls away such AAA vibes well, this is a beautiful and complicated world.
The game’s studio is smaller than the AAA studio, which developed a game with similar graphics. Dread Delusion is a great example of maintaining the best aspects of keeping the nostalgia of the game alive, and it’s a victory for the indie gaming community to receive a positive reception.
6
Cthulhu saves the world
Lovecraft Adventures
It’s great that Cthulhu, both this game and the holiday edition, saves Christmas. As this original game of Duology, Cthulhu saves the world It’s an unexpectedly fascinating experience.
By starting with the power as a central plot point, this game becomes much more playable for me, leaving room for customization and character Growrth.
Even while the focus is on Cthulhu as the protagonist, the way each character’s story arcs at once is a difficult aspect to write, especially when throwing comedic flavors into the mix. Cthulhu saves the world easily.
The game’s witty dialogue and the way its premise and storyline are mostly distributed as a parody-style game are a serious winning factor, and that’s why I kept playing for hours at a time. It’s really surprising that this game isn’t that well known.
A few hints of party-based combat, comedy, adventure and lovecraft horror with all the embodiment-playable characters all make this game a real gem. Even if you’re not a Lovecraft fan, this game will make you laugh, and it may win you.
5
Chains Echo
Perfect blend of medieval and modern times
The only thing you can make pixel art RPGs with Dragon and Airship coolers is to add a mecha suit that can handle bulky battles. If you’ve never played a round of turn-based combat within a giant robot, you definitely need to start with chain echo.
Many JRPGs have their own versions of the robot fighting suit, but the game separates in the portrayal of the mech as another enhancement to the already dynamic fighting style of the main character.
The looming threat of war and crime will add to the sense of urgency in almost every corner, and conflicts between smaller groups of bandits will return you to see the resolution of this dangerous world’s plot.
Chained echo is ultimately one of the RPGs you don’t remember just for graphics. The character’s character, further layered through the themes of thief and moral ambiguity, is more than sufficient.
4
Hyperlight Drifter
I’m floating in a ruined world
The game adds to the indie tradition of drawing inspiration from classic gaming styles. If there’s one thing you can rely on in Hyperlight Drifter, it’s nostalgia, but it’s also a vast world and subtle story techniques.
Top-notch realistic graphics will never make the game successful or be loved, and the pixelated style of Hyperlight Drifter will not be an impactful game. The bright colour and story RPG draws you in by being just the right amount of ambiguity about the plot details.
The praise surrounding Hyperlight Drifter for that, and its precise action RPG gameplay and more are making a lot of money. Play as a terminal castaway and you can rethink many of your choices in this game.
3
Stardew Valley
Fall in love with agriculture
This absolute classic of agricultural life has endless playthrough possibilitiesespecially when the biggest attraction of this game is how customizable your farm and your farm space can be. Stardew Valley It’s one of those games that draw me in for days when it comes to tweaking every detail of my farmer’s story.
A year, or even three years, isn’t long enough to reveal a fully realized farm vision. The developers had made sure to keep in mind how many updates the game would get. It’s more of a passion project than anything, and it’s in the spotlight as many fans share that passion.
There may not be a large team of developers or a large budget behind this game. tHe can you play Stardew Valley for longer, discover more and love. It’s deep, involved and a real joy.
2
kill
A deep, dark journey
kill It’s one of the games I remember for a while after I finish playing. It deals with some heavier mental health topics and the story is so persuasive that it quickly gives the character a sense of And their struggle.
If you’re like me, you love a little extra darkness and challenges thrown into the game. Weights cover both fronts, even if they are not at the level of a soul that is difficult to fight.
The sketch art style combined with a more faithful turn-based RPG style combat is a unique combination of game traits and will definitely work in courtesy of this game. The soundtrack is always beautiful and emotional, even when you meet an enemy.
1
Undertail
Homage to in-game games
It would be a crime not to mention Undertale and the serious impact on the gaming industry. From the intricate characters to the incredibly detailed area designs to the melodic soundtrack, everything is top tier.
The game has multiple different endings and passes like many of these other games, so you can (and should) experience it multiple times. I played at least four times the whole time on the pacifist route alone.
Not only does Undertale have a compelling story, it also has more secrets and items than you would expect from a seemingly simple game developed by Toby Fox. The effort to create such a fascinating, destructive, surprising and engaging game is reverberating today with a love for the original gaming experience filled with Undertail nostalgia.
