In the world of gaming, there is almost nothing more sad than absolutely loving a game, and then not seeing any conversation about it. If you love a video game, you generally want the world to share in that joy you felt while playing it.
When you dive into the world of indies in particular, you jump into many games knowing that you might be the only person you know to play that game. I have felt this many times. This list does not mean all of these games didn’t sell well. Some of them were made by one person, and I imagine they were huge successes. But every game on this list didn’t sell enough for my liking and deserves more discussion and players.
I got into game blogging because I find it fun to write about video games. The other reason was to hopefully attract just a little more attention to some of the games I care about. This is my attempt at drawing some interest into some recent and further back gems that I still think about a lot. Hopefully, it inspires you to give one of these games a try!
10. Roboquest
2023 was so packed that Roboquest was one of many games that seemed to pass on by without much notice, despite the fact that it is really freaking good. This made my honorable mentions list last year, but there are definitely plenty of years that it could have been in my top 10. I think the generic name and look made this one easy to overlook, as I know I did that at first too. But once you dig in, this is a really fun FPS roguelite, with a fantastic and diverse array of weapons and intense difficulty. There are several different characters to play as, and branching paths that all keep things fresh. The nature of the game makes it pretty easy to pick up and play for short stretches in between other releases, too. If you like FPS at all, you should give this one a try. As a bonus, it is on Game Pass.
9. Cursed To Golf
When I was a kid, I was absolutely in love with Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color. Ever since then, I’ve craved anything that can fill that weirdly addictive retro/arcade golf itch. Obviously, there aren’t a lot of options out there. While Cursed to Golf isn’t Mario Golf, it did at least give me some of the same types of satisfaction that game did, while being incredibly unique in its own right. This is a 2D golf roguelike instead of a more standard isometric golf game, and I’ve truly never played anything like it. Despite the cutesy art and great sense of humor, this game has a lot of bite to it and some real difficulty. I actually wonder if I may have enjoyed it more as a normal golf game instead of a roguelike, but if you think the concept is interesting at all, this nails the gameplay enough to be well worth a shot. Especially for the $8 it is currently at for the Steam Sale.
8. Islets
This is one of three games on the list that were made by one person. This also snuck onto my top 10 games of 2022. There are a lot of fun indie Metrovanias out there, and this one is easily one of my favorites. It nails everything. Combat is fun, the platforming has some nice twists, and this actually has some of the more rewarding exploration I’ve seen in the genre. As you explore the world, you actually put pieces of the world back together that have separated, which in turn aids more in exploration. It’s a brilliant concept. The game also gets broken up with the occasional bullet hell fight. That may sound odd, but trust me, it works.
I have no idea how, but the developer, Kyle Thompson, already has another game coming out in 2024. Anything this guy makes going forward, I’ll be playing.
7. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
This is the only “major” release on the list. I played Enslaved 14 years ago, and it still sticks with me. 2010 was an extremely packed year for games, with Red Dead Redemption, Halo: Reach, Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake, and more. Yet this is the one I probably think about the most. Enslaved had some of the best art design for its time, fun cinematic platforming, and pretty good combat. Maybe most of all, it has some incredible characters and performances and a story that I also loved.
Most of the time, when a game like this flops commercially, you expect that developer to go away, but Ninja Theory has hung on and continued to make a lot of games that I think are really good. Knowing they are still around makes the lack of sequel here hurt, and I’m always hopeful that one day, some hype will build around this title, and we will get the Enslaved 2 that we always deserved.
6. Ms. Splosion Man
The early 2010s were one of my favorite eras in gaming. That was when I truly discovered how awesome indie and smaller titles could be through Xbox Live Arcade. Perhaps my favorite of them all was Ms. Splosion Man. This was the follow-up to Splosion Man naturally. Ms, Splosion Man is a super difficult 2D platformer where you “explode” instead of jump. The developers just had an absolute ball with this concept and crafted one devilishly tough level after another. The instant respawns keep things from getting frustrating, and beating a tough sequence is a thrill like no other.
The “super difficult 2D indie platformer” genre is a crowded one. Ms. Splosion Man always stood out to me for just how much fun they had with the concept. In between sweating bullets, there are lots of laughs to be had as well. I’m sad that we will likely never get another one. The game is still hanging around though, including a Switch release several years back, and still very worth playing.
5. Tinykin
This is a game that came up in my mailbag post last week. The only reason I ever tried a Pikmin game was because I played Tinykin first. And even after playing Pikmin 4, I’d still say that Tinykin has better level design and more appealing visuals. This was my #6 game of 2022 as well. If you have ever enjoyed a Pikmin game, this is a fantastic way to get a taste of it that genre while waiting for another release. If you’ve never played a Pikmin game, the snappier pacing here might make it a better entry point into the genre than the Pikmin games themselves.
4. Outland
Housemarque gained a lot of fans in 2021 with its PS5 roguelike Returnal. I’d humbly request that its new fans go back and check out Outland, which in my opinion, is still the best game the developer ever made. Outland is a Metroidvania with bullet hell/Ikaruga elements. The game uses those elements within its boss fights and platforming elements masterfully. Essentially, depending on the color of your enemies and their attacks, you have to switch your own color so you can avoid damage. The game keeps implementing this in unique ways from start to finish, and it is very unique and satisfying. Considering Housemarque is now under Sony’s banner, and Outland was published by Ubisoft, I doubt we will ever see a sequel, and that bums me out.
3. Littlewood
I love the concept of the cozy genre, but I tend to fall off on most of these games pretty quickly. The pacing just drags a bit too much for my taste. Littlewood fixes that by essentially making an Animal Crossing game with way, way more RPG elements. Literally, everything you do has RPG elements, so there is a constant feeling of satisfaction as you play. If you even pick up the game for 30 minutes, you can level up one of your many skills or one element of your town, so you always feel like you are accomplishing something. There are different areas to explore, but it’s not overwhelmingly big either. Everything sets up for one of the most satisfying cozy games I have ever played.
To top it off, Littlewood also has one of the better plots of any cozy games in the genre. You are a hero who just saved the world, and now you are helping to rebuild. They even throw a small twist or two in there as you go. That and the RPG mechanics were enough to get me playing through until I had done everything there was to do, which is something I’ve never done with any game in this genre, including Stardew Valley.
This is another game on the list that was made by one person, Sean Young, and anything he does going forward is also a must buy for me.
2. Chained Echoes
I wasn’t going to include Chained Echoes on my list because I do feel like a fair amount of people have played it, especially given that this too was a one man project.
But honestly, it’s still not enough. More people need to play this game. I truly think this is one of the best turn based RPG games of all time, standing with titans like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6.
Chained Echoes has perhaps the best turn based battle system I have ever seen. It has a top-tier story, great exploration, and there is no grinding. It is truly a masterpiece.
I kind of thought the number of people that played this game was about the most you could hope for given the genre and the one man development team, but then Sea of Stars came along. Sea of Stars has had 5 million people play it now, and I constantly see people recommending it on social media. And look, Sea of Stars is a very good game, but I truly believe Chained Echoes is far better in almost every way, and I think it deserves the amount of love Sea of Stars has gotten. So if you have played Sea of Stars but not Chained Echoes, consider this your sign to get a move on and make that happen.
1. Astral Ascent
If you have been following this blog, you already know the passion I have for this game. I gave it a 9.5/10 in my review and even had a little interview with the developers about how they improved from their last game. I suggest reading both of those pieces, but definitely the interview in particular.
I view this as one of the best roguelites in recent times. The gameplay mechanics are easily on par with Hades, and I would actually say the roguelite mechanics are better and some of the best in the genre in general. And while the developers seem happy with the sales and reception, I am just not. I think this game deserves to go viral like a Vampire Survivors, or a Dead Cells, or a Hades. I truly hope one day it does.
Big Nerd Gaming 
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