Indie games continue to be on fire. They are one of the biggest reasons that I love video games so much.
I have completed five different indie games this year. One was a cozy game that turned the conventions of the genre on its head. One was a narrative game with heavy RPG elements. One was a minimalist narrative game based around our relationship with dogs. One was a visual novel with tabletop dice elements. I’m currently playing Blue Prince, which is a roguelike puzzle game with architectural design built into it. If I want a new and interesting game that also doesn’t overstay its welcome, indie games are almost always up to the task. I doubt I would love games enough to do this blog if I was only playing AAA games.
I’m always excited to discover more about upcoming indie games, but indie reveals can be tough to track down. They don’t tend to go as viral as AAA announcements, so it’s rare to come across a new indie trailer on my social media feeds. They do get featured in things like Summer Game Fest, but they also seem to get overshadowed in a lot of those presentations.
This is why I love the Triple-i Initiative so much. This is year two of what appears to be a yearly show that exclusively shows off big upcoming indie games. There is no host, just one reveal after another, with no trailer going any longer than about two minutes.
I thought the show was fantastic last year, which is why I ranked my favorites from it. After watching this year’s show, I have decided to do it once again. While I recommend watching the full show, these are my 10 biggest winners from it. These are all games that caught my attention and are now on my radar thanks to this presentation. If you are looking for new games you’ve never heard of to get excited for, this is the post for you!
10. Void/Breaker
Void/Breaker might have had the most intense trailer of the entire show. This was balls to the wall from start to finish. This looks to be a roguelite FPS with really fast-paced shooter combat and very destructible environments. It had some really nice looking visuals as well. I think the mix of skills, pace, and those destructible environments could be enough to set this apart from the pack.
Interestingly, this game is from the makers of The Entropy Centre, which was a puzzle game. That actually almost makes me more interested. Much like another developer that will be highlighted later in this post, I feel like completely switching genres after making a successful game is a great sign of confidence and skill. I’m excited to see how this one comes together.
9. Ikuma: The Frozen Compass
I can’t say I learned tons about what Ikuma: The Frozen Compass is during this trailer. It looks like a narrative adventure game of some sort, perhaps with some platforming, maybe even some co-op elements.
But at the very least, I did learn that this game is freaking beautiful. Like, absolutely stunning. The art direction and fidelity both look incredible here. At the very least, this looks like a world worth exploring. It’s a long wait until next year for this one, but I will officially be tracking it thanks to this trailer.
8. Tears of Metal
I’m not really into musuo type games, which Tears of Metal seems to be, so this would usually be an easy pass for me. But this one has a lot going for it, and it’s impressive how much it was able to show off in about 45 seconds.
The style and overall aesthetic look so cool, the combat actually looks pretty crisp, and the roguelike elements look like an interesting twist on this formula.
I have seen coverage for this one at past showcases, and I don’t think anything new was really shown off here, but it was a nice reminder that it exists, and that a beta is coming. I’m excited to see more out of this one.
7. Outbound
I’m not big on crafting games, so the many indie games in that genre don’t tend to end up on my radar. Several games like that were showcased here, and none of them really moved me, except for this one. Outbound just seems to have such a beautiful atmosphere. The colors are vivid, and the vibes seem absolutely immaculate in this one.
The crafting stuff shown doesn’t really appeal to me, but it seemed like it might be a bit simpler than some other games in this genre. I just hate spending tons of time in menus in those types of games, and I’m not creative enough to build cool stuff on my own. Hopefully, with the emphasis on the atmosphere in Outbound, the crafting stuff isn’t quite as hardcore. It remains to be seen. Either way, it was an impressive accomplishment to even get me somewhat interested in this one.
6. Sacrifire
This was a pretty cool trailer from all fronts. First off, I love the visual style. It has some Octopath Traveler vibes, but it seems to be a bit more colorful overall.
And them it shows off what appears to be a turn-based combat system, but no menus are shown, and it seemed to have some action elements potentially in there as well. The game also seemed to even have a platforming section. It’s also pretty balls to the wall and epic the entire time.
I left this trailer with a lot of questions, but I also left pretty interested in a game I hadn’t heard of at all to this point.
5. OPUS: Prism Peak
God damn this game is very pretty. You seem to play this one as a photographer on a journey with a girl who says she is fading away. The concept seems fine, but everything from the environments to the character designs are so good that this just feels like a world that would be a lot of fun to get lost in. It looks like you can take pictures of the world to discover more information about it as well.
The story also seems primed to be both emotional and touching. Time will tell if it lives up to the trailer, but this certainly caught my eye in a major way.
4. Rematch
The first Rematch trailer last year was one of the most baffling trailers I’ve ever seen. Not because of the trailer itself, but because it seemed so bizarre that the developers fresh off the very successful Sifu were going in such a different direction and making a Rocket League with actual soccer players.
Now that the disappointment has faded, the more I see from this game, the more I’m getting sold that it could be pretty fun. I don’t enjoy soccer games because of the general slowness they have. I don’t really care for Rocket League because it takes way too much practice to actually get decent at it. This seems like the perfect arcade soccer game, where it’s easy to pick up and play, but it takes time to master.
I also like that Rematch looks like it will be a much more fun game to play as a team. Most of the best Rocket League plays I’ll see online involve someone doing something insanely skilled by themselves. It’s not easy to pass the ball in that game. Much like real soccer, it looks like you’ll really have to stay engaged with your teammates here, which I think will give this game a unique flavor.
Honestly, I feel even more sold on the game after writing this blurb. Screw it, bring on Rematch!
3. Neverway
Neverway grabbed my attention pretty quickly by showcasing that the pixel artist from Celeste was working on the project, and then it never let go.
Neverway has this creepy sort of vibe that also had me engaged, especially when it then pivots to some classic looking cozy gameplay with farming and fishing. Then, it suddenly showcases some combat in more eerie looking areas. Then it shows off way more weird stuff.
Simply, I came away from this trailer unsure of what exactly Neverway is, but I viewed that as a good thing. I wanted to know a lot more about this game after watching this. I enjoy a lot of elements of cozy games, but many of them feel very played out for me at this point. Especially after playing Wanderstop earlier this year, I love the concept of any cozy game that is willing to buck genre conventions in various ways. Neverway looks like it wants to do something different and interesting, and I can’t wait to find out more.
2. Over The Hill
Everything about this trailer screams “indie Death Stranding with Jeeps.” It looks like you are mostly just trying to traverse difficult off-road terrains here, in an absolutely beautiful setting. Seriously, this game is drop-dead gorgeous.
I think before I played Death Stranding, I might be more concerned about how slow and almost mundane the game looks, but I see all the ingredients here that made Death Stranding’s navigation so fun, and I’m excited to experience it again in a very different way.
The game also showed off co-op elements, which is nice, but I hope those aren’t super ingrained into the experience, as this feels like a perfect game to play solo. But either way, with how gorgeous and interesting this looks, this might be a day 1 buy for me.
1. The Eternal Life of Goldman
The Eternal Life of Goldman caught my eye at a Nintendo Direct recently. Now, it got one of the longest trailers of the Triple-i initiative, and it absolutely delivered with its full two minutes.
Like I’ve said of many games here, this looks absolutely beautiful. It is hand drawn, and every little thing looks so good here. I especially love the animations. I actually got some Cuphead vibes watching this, which is a very rare thing for me to say.
Meanwhile, the gameplay also looked fantastic. The platforming looked fast and furious in the best possible ways. I didn’t really notice any combat, which I kind of like, as it shows a real focus on the platforming.
The music also sounds great, and the trailer focused hard on all the work they are doing there. They also touch on all of the themes they will be touching on, like love and loss. It seems like they are really going for it here. I felt like they wanted this to be a truly complete experience, from gameplay to story to music.
Watching this trailer made me think about Celeste for some of its deep themes and tricky platforming. It also made me think about Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The visuals had me thinking about Cuphead in terms of quality. Yeah, this is a freaking winner. I can’t wait to play this one.
Big Nerd Gaming 
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