Some indie games are becoming equally, if not more, popular than triple A retail games these days. Games like Braid, Hotline Miami, Fez, and Minecraft, just to name a few, have garnered much attention and praise. Indie games allow the developers to be more creative than if they were working for a large developer or publisher, thus creating games at a lower cost with some interesting gameplay.
Here are 5 indie games that exude creativity and look to be white-hot when released.
5. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Neon, the 80’s, ability masks, gratuitous blood and violence, a fast-paced environment that makes you feel like you’ve funneled mounds of cocaine up your nose…Hotline Miami is one of the most addictive games I have played within the last couple of years. It was one of those games that I had heard a lot about but was too apprehensive to actually throw a few bucks down to try. It wasn’t until I watched the Giant Bomb guys play it in one of their Quick Looks, and released on the Vita, that I became interested in purchasing this maniacal game. Hotline Miami is also one of the best scored games, ever! So good!
So, obviously, seeing as how good Hotline Miami was, it was only natural that the sequel would make this list. Hotline Miami: Wrong Number picks up where the first game left off with “escalating levels of violence through multiple factions born from the events of the original game and driven by uncertain motivation.” Wrong Number will come packed with 20 high-paced chapters, an interconnecting story lines, and multiple different characters that span over a variety of new locations and time periods. So basically Pulp Fiction, almost.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will definitely be out on PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, PS4, and Vita sometime in 2014.
4. Broforce
If Minecraft, Contra, and every big 80’s and 90’s male action star had a baby, Broforce would be the product.
Broforce is a side-scrolling action action game with destructible environments where you play as like-versions of randomly generated 80’s and 90’s action stars – such as Brobocop or Rambro – 15 in all with more on the way. These characters make up the team Broforce.
Developers, Free Lives, explains Broforce as:
Broforce is a co-operative patriotism simulation. You play as 80’s and 90’s action heroes waging war against terror in almost entirely destructible nostalgic settings.
While superficially a run ‘n gun in the vein of Metal Slug, Broforce’s reactive environment encourages tactical play. Each bro out of the 15 the game currently features (with many more to come) has distinctive attacks and special abilities, and, aside from spraying terrorist blood across the landscape, mastering all these abilities is one of Broforce’s core pleasures.
In Broforce death is instant and often surprising, but this is balanced by the incompetence of the enemy. The explosions (which are numerous) often result in unpredictable chain reactions, but this shouldn’t discourage you from permanently holding down your trigger finger. Yelling “‘Murica!” while you do so is optional.
Broforce also has various other game modes such as Explosion Race and Deathmatch, to name a few.
Broforce is being developed by South African indie studio Free Lives and is available through early access on Steam.
3. SOMA
I love science fiction and horror, so naturally SOMA makes the list.
SOMA is a first person psychological horror game developed by Frictional games – yes, the Amnesia guys – for the PS4 and PC. So you know this game is going to be ripe with atmospheric tension.
Through a series of videos showing a woman who is documenting her interactions with these machines, she is confronted with the sobering fact that these machines are taking on a life of their own and in one video, showing her own death.
To see more, go to the SOMA website. This game is slated for a 2015 release on PC and PS4.
2. Invisible Inc.
Developed by Klei, the guys behind Shank and Don’t Starve, Invisible Inc. is a tactical espionage turn-based strategy game.
Not much is explained on their website, but doing a little sleuthing of my own and extracting from the teaser trailer I found there will be various classes (Sniper, Stealth, and Cyber Psychic) working in tandem that you control to sneak and traverse your way through a variety of maps. Similar to games as XCOM and the original Fallout series.
Invisible Inc. is still in Alpha development phase but can be bought and played through the Invisible Inc. website.
1. Below
Not much is given about this title either. On the Capy website all they give you is a slew of videos and on the Below website all is given is a video and a few screenshots. But here is what I’ve heard about this title. I hear it is akin to Zelda and Dark Souls. Punishing in the way of Dark Souls where if you die, that character is dead – like, perma-dead. When you respawn, you respawn as a different character and have to try to get to the previous dead character to collect all your belongings from your previously deceased self. And I hear its akin to Zelda due to its dungeon crawling.
Like I said, not much has been given to the player in regards to mechanics, story plot, or any other mechanical aspect of this game, but from what I hear, I like. Also noteworthy is it’s art style – it is an absolutely gorgeous looking game. Probabaly one of the most innovative art styles I’ve seen in some time. The soundtrack is also being produced by Jim Guthrie.
Look for it on Steam and Xbox One.
Digital Humanoid 