Some of the most interesting indie games manage to succeed without exploding in the way that big hits do. They sell well, receive praise for the excellent work they do, but become cult games. A category we should start talking about more in video games, as is done in cinema, because it is undoubtedly a good place to look when searching for interesting games. Such is the case with the game at hand. Space for the Unbound is a game from the Indonesian studio Mojiken Studio that puts us in the […]
Some of the most interesting indie games manage to succeed without exploding in the way that big hits do. They sell well, receive praise for the excellent work they do, but they become cult games. A category we should start talking about more in video games, as is done in cinema, because it is undoubtedly a good place to look when searching for interesting games. Such is the case with the game at hand.
Space for the Unbound is a game by the Indonesian studio Mojiken Studio that puts us in the shoes of two high school students living in a small town, who are in love and share a secret: she has strange supernatural powers. All of this will quickly become complicated when their sweet everyday life turns into a story about anxiety, depression, love, and what it means to grow up.
Released in 2023 for all consoles and PC, the game was a modest success with critics and audiences, captivating those who played it with its exquisite pixel art, beautiful story, charming characters, and vibrant music. And now it arrives on iOS so it can be enjoyed in the easiest way possible.
Space of the Unbound is now available for registration on the App Store, to be downloaded on a date yet to be announced, offering the first chapter completely free. If you like it, to play the rest of the game you will need to make an in-game purchase to unlock the rest of it. But trust us: it’s worth trying. Because if the first chapter with Atma and Raya captivates you, everything that follows is only even better.
A Space for the Unbound is an atmospheric exploration game that features a pixel art style. It is set in the 1990s and tells a story about overcoming anxiety and depression. The game centers around two characters, a boy and a girl with supernatural powers, and the romantic relationship between the two.
Terraria, one of the longest-running indie successes in history, has reached an impressive milestone by surpassing Super Mario Bros. in sales numbers. This achievement highlights the game’s popularity and longevity since its release. Despite this significant advance, Terraria still has a way to go to catch up to other industry giants in total sales. This milestone reflects not only the dedication of its player community but also the game’s continuous evolution and expansion over the years.
There are games that sell in a way we can’t imagine. And they are played so much that we can’t even conceive it. This is helped by the fact that the longevity of video games nowadays is much greater compared to a decade ago, but that doesn’t take away from how surprising it is to see how the best-selling and most played video games are changing. How timeless classics are making way for new games.
This has recently happened when Re-Logic, the studio behind the indie success Terraria, has confirmed that it has surpassed the total sales of the original Super Mario Bros.. Having sold 58.7 million copies, 32 million of them only on PC, this game published in 2011 and generally referred to as the pixelart Minecraft, has proven to be an absolute silent success. Surpassing the approximately 50 million copies that the original Super Mario Bros. has sold to date.
Is Terraria close to the best-selling games in history? We’re afraid it has a harder time. First, it would have to beat Wii Sports, with 83 million units sold, then Tetris, with 100 million, and then two giants like GTAV and Minecraft with over 200 and 300 million respectively.
That doesn’t take away from the amazing numbers of Terraria. Hardly any game stays alive for almost fifteen years and manages to sell almost 60 million copies. And that deserves recognition.
Those who haven’t touched a bit of grass in years scream too much. And, of course, they could even ruin the good intentions of a small indie publisher who wanted to ask for their audience’s opinion.
I don’t think anyone will be shocked if I say that the world of video games and gamers is full of people you wouldn’t want to have dinner with if you can avoid it. Good people win, yes, but those who haven’t touched a bit of grass in years shout too much. And, of course, they have been able to even ruin the good intentions of a small indie publisher who wanted to ask for their audience’s opinion.
Introducing Crytivo, a small video game studio that is creating ‘Farm Folks’, which, as the name suggests, is a farmer simulator. So far, so good. The problem is that in a couple of days they gained 29,000 followers on Twitter, and that usually only happens for two reasons: either you’re the best, or you’ve messed up big time.
In this case, it was the latter, of course. More specifically, Crytivo tweeted (and deleted shortly after) asking for opinions on a topic that is, to say the least, controversial: “Alright, folks, it’s time for our next serious talk about game development! We’re tweaking the character physics in ‘Farm Folks’. Let’s open up a can of worms: Which version has the perfect breast physics?“. In the image, a video showed the breast movement at 30, 50, and 90%. You can imagine the rest, but I can already tell you that they answered themselves with a “Do you want to see how it looks at 150%?”.
It may seem like an innocuous tweet, but the truth is that it started a cultural war, like basically everything right now: the responses were predominantly negative and in the Discord of the game they directly asked why they were posting misogynistic things. The game director tried to pour water on the fire: “Our goal is not to oversexualize our characters, it’s the opposite. We want to achieve realistic physics (…) It feels natural to have movement in the character’s breasts that is not obscene”.
The post was deleted, the director stated that the team had crossed a line and that’s when the other side of the Internet came to say that it should not have been deleted and that they still had a chance of success if they re-uploaded the post about breasts. Álex Koshlekov, the director in question, has ended up saying what is obvious: he had no interest in creating controversy and the apology still stands. “We don’t want to attract disgusting people, we don’t want them. We will have some limits, but I want the player to choose how their character looks”. Fights over character customization. 2024 is coming strong.
We bring you a complete list of the best indie video games arriving in 2024; at least the ones we know of, because there are always surprises!
Video games never stop, not even in 2024. Many promising indies are expected to be released during the upcoming year, including many that we probably don’t even know exist. But we are aware of the existence of quite a few, and although we had to leave many out, here we have made a selection of the most promising ones. With something for everyone, it is impossible not to find a game here to keep an eye on during this 2024.
Pacific Drive
Having to investigate a place known as The Zone, we will have only one tool to survive: our van. Pacific Drive is a driving and survival game that promises supernatural encounters as we investigate things beyond our understanding. One of the most promising indies of the beginning of the year.
Garbato is a hero who, according to his story, is brave and managed to save his friends from the forces of evil. At least until the villain Funfuñón expelled him from the story to a strange 3D world very similar to ours. An adventure game with a mix of 2D and 3D elements that strongly resembles the classic The Legend of Zelda.
Holstin
How does Silent Hill in a Polish village in the 90s sound to you? Because that’s the basic idea behind Holstin. With a 2D isometric design for puzzle parts and a first-person 3D design for combat, Holstin is one of the most impressive games that should be coming to us next year. Pure terror.
Ultros
The artist and musician behind the classics Hotline Miami, El Huervo, is venturing into the development of his first video game with his own studio. Ultros has a very peculiar psychedelic aesthetic and promises to be a very interesting twist on the classic metroidvania formula with a compelling story. If someone can promise that, it’s precisely El Huervo.
One of the few downsides of GTA’s success is that Rockstar ignores its other franchises. That’s why we’re excited about Butcher’s Creek. Inspired by Manhunt and Condemned: Criminal Origins, the developer of Dusk and Iron Lung offers us a gore fantasy where we have to survive a group of psychotic killers who want to make a snuff film with us. Not suitable for faint-hearted, but for lovers of the darkest Rockstar.
SKALD: Against the Black Priory
Role-playing and dark fantasy come together in a retro game that strongly resembles games like Ultima or Eye of the Beholder. Except with a modernized UI and controls perfectly adapted to the sensitivity of contemporary players. A game that can become the obsession of many players.
Mariachi Legends
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Halberd Studios is ready to release their new game. Clearly inspired by Blasphemous, but drawing from Mexican folklore, we will have to help Death in its ultimate purpose. With a highly refined combat system and elements of action and platforming, it wouldn’t be surprising if it ends up being the indie game everyone is talking about.
An RPG for up to four people that can be played in one-hour sessions sounds like something made with the players’ material reality in mind. And that’s exactly what it is. Baladins promises us what we have always been looking for: a game that we can play with our friends and that is something deeper than the typical shooter. Now, with extremely cute art.
Demonschool
What would happen if Persona were a tactical RPG with an art style directly inspired by Go Nagai, creator of Devilman? Well, it would probably look a lot like Demonschool. A game that wears its influences on its sleeve, but is much more than the sum of its parts. A game with the potential to be one of the best hidden gems of 2024.
Rift of the Necrodancer
Returning to the Crypt of the NecroDancer is always good news. And this time we do it with a rhythm game that reminds more of a combination of WarioWare and Guitar Hero. A little fighting game, a little rhythm game, all arcade, Rift of the Necrodancer can be not only one of the games of the year, but of the decade, if it lives up to its ambition.
And people, of course, have complained saying that even ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ is a more independent game than ‘Dave the Diver’. It’s nothing against the game itself, but rather the lack of definition of the term.
What is ‘indie’? The question has been among us almost since the word started to become fashionable. In the past, it was clear: it was a game made by an independent producer, as the name itself indicates, with fewer resources but more imagination. However, lately, and to avoid missing out, major studios have been experimenting with the ‘indie style’ (pixel art, retro music, etc.) to make a profit… And, in the end, what had to happen happened.
By the pending indie
The Game Awards have decided to nominate five games this year for best indie game of the year: ‘Cocoon’, ‘Dredge’, ‘Sea of Stars’, ‘Viewfinder’, and… ‘Dave the Diver’. And there lies the problem. The last game is the first from a small studio called Mintrocket. And Mintrocket is a subsidiary of Nexon, a giant South Korean company in the sector. It smells like an indie, tastes like an indie, and seems like an indie, but, from every angle, it’s not an indie.
And people, of course, have complained, saying that even ‘Baldur’s Gate 3‘ is a more independent game than ‘Dave the Diver’. It’s not about the game itself, but about the lack of a clear definition of the term. For years, the nebulous concept of indie has grown so vast that it has blurred its very existence. However, the Game Awards defend their decision, even if it’s with excuses that, frankly, seem far-fetched.
“Does independent mean the game’s budget? Does independent refer to where it was funded? Is it based on the team size? Is it the independent spirit of a game, meaning a smaller, different game? Everyone has their own opinion.” The internet doesn’t quite agree, but Geoff Keighley, president of the association, has added fuel to the fire.
“With ‘Dave the Diver,’ you can argue in any direction. It’s independent in spirit and in being a small game with a relatively small budget, but it’s from a larger entity whereas the rest of the games on this list are from smaller studios. (…) It’s a very complicated matter to have strict rules, so we let people judge for themselves.” In other words, he doesn’t plan to give in while indie developers of other games are banging their heads against a wall.
This Spanish indie promises to take us on a trip to an exotic, hot place that we probably never want to go to in real life: hell itself.
In Spain, excellent independent games are being developed. This shouldn’t come as a surprise by now, considering the number of exceptional games that have been released in recent years. Yet, it still manages to be somewhat surprising. That’s why we continue to give them visibility, shine a spotlight on them, trying to remind everyone that, even if it might not seem like it, the country is a small powerhouse in the realm of video games. This is further evidenced by the latest announcement of a homegrown indie game.
Baroque Decay, the developers behind games like “The Count Lucanor” and “Yuppie Psycho,” have announced their new title. A game previously known under the codename Project Mosquito has now been unveiled as “Catechesis.”
“Catechesis” is an RPG with a pixel art style similar to their previous two games. Players take on the role of an altar boy who has been possessed by the devil. According to the Steam synopsis, “now, every good action he takes opens a door to hell. He must be virtuous during the day and fight demons at night, all while trying to save his grandfather’s life without condemning the world to the eternal fires of hell.” It’s a dark yet spectacular premise for a horror game.
With dual-stick combat mechanics, stealth phases, exploration, and anime-style cinematic scenes, this seems to be Baroque Decay’s most ambitious project to date. Their level of ambition demands our attention as the game develops.
The only hiccup is that it still lacks a release date. Nevertheless, it’s already possible to add it to your wishlist on Steam. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, and PC.
The next great indie game of the year is Spanish-made and promises us a lot of action and more feelings, and it is called Laika: Aged Through Blood
In Spain, video games are also made. Some of them have nothing to envy compared to those from other countries. Although it may not seem like it, we live in a country that is a powerhouse in the video game industry, especially when it comes to indies, and as such, we should show them more love and respect. Pay more attention to them. Consider them more. That’s exactly what we are going to do now. Talk about one of the most promising games of this year.
“Laika: Aged Through Blood” is a game developed by Brainwash Gang, known for games like “Friends vs. Friends,” “Nongunz,” or “The Longest Road on Earth.” After four years of development, its release was announced last June, still without a specific date, but with a trailer and a spectacular demo of over an hour available on Steam. Now we know its release date, and it’s right around the corner: October 19th.
This game, described by its developers as a “motorvania,” is a mix between a shooter and a 2D platformer. In it, players will embody a mother coyote seeking revenge after occupying military forces take the lives of her people. The way to do it will be the only possible one in a post-apocalyptic world consumed by the desert: with acrobatics and bullets.
Always riding on our motorcycle, we will have to speed through desolate landscapes while taking down our enemies with gunfire. At the same time, we’ll have to reload our weapons with acrobatics, use the bottom of the vehicle to block bullets, and employ our shots to parry attacks. All this while the story tells a dramatic tale of loss, where hope for a better future is never absent.
As mentioned earlier, Laika: Aged Through Blood will be released on October 19th for PC. It will also be launched on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch at a future date yet to be announced.
Doki Doki Literature Club continues to gain fans. Here are some other great games to consider!
Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC) combines the cute romantic aesthetic of dating sims, while hiding a dark and creepy psychological horror element. By seamlessly merging these two opposite styles, DDLC has become increasingly popular among anime fans. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find more games that fill the same role of dark and cute. Thankfully, we’ve found some of the best games that give the same feeling as DDLC, for the fans that are still looking for more.
Best games for Doki Doki Literature Club fans
Hatoful Boyfriend
Some consider this to be the original Doki Doki Literature Club as it combines the a similar dating sim aesthetics with a much deeper hidden darkness. While DDLC is more upfront about its dark side, Hatoful Boyfriend is more subtle about it. That is, unless you get the secret ending. Hatoful Boyfriend also adds a level of humor as you date different kinds of pigeons.
If you’ve ever seen a movie in the “Saw” series, then you have a good idea on how you’ll feel about Zero Escape. This series features a group of people trapped in various locations, who have to undergo horrific trials in order to escape.
While the rest of these take place in high school, Always Sometimes Monsters is a choice heavy RPG where every choice the player makes affects the outcome of the story. It is somewhat an inverted version of DDLC, as it has a dark aesthetic but hides a deep charm underneath. Fans of DDLC will like the same level of emotional investment available in this game.
One of the first games to popularize visual novels in the west, Steins;Gate has a deep and captivating story that is sure to keep your attention. The game is similar to Always Sometimes Monsters, where it heavily focuses on the choices you make, and allows for you to travel through time to affect the present in various ways.
This game was actually part of what inspired DDLC, according to lead developer Dan Salvato on Twitter. An indie horror game centered around the nihilistic nightmare that a girl has to go through.
An anime-style high school horror with a dating sim element to it; Danganronpa is the ideal series to try for anyone who has played DDLC. The series follows a class of students who are trapped together by their teacher, and their only escape is to kill another classmate without getting caught.
Anime games like Doki Doki Literature Club can be really compelling with their use of visuals and aesthetic. Along with these games, you can also check out the best anime to look forward to this season, in order to get some closure from playing DDLC.
Tower defense games are a unique breed of games that are somewhat of a mismatch of genres. They follow the same pattern of setting up defenses to prevent waves of creatures from taking over your base. However, outside of that, they all have their own style of gameplay and how to go about doing that. This is most likely due to the fact that these games are dominated by indie companies, rather than higher performing ones. Here are some of the best ones out there:
One of the few tower defense MMOs, this game is more active than any other tower defense game out there. While most games are focused on creating turrets to defend your base, this game instead allows you to actively control a character as you try to defend your crystal. This is a great choice for those who prefer not to focus on the passive style that many tower defense games employ.
Probably the most standard tower defense game on this list. It is definitely a perfect game for those who like traditional flash tower defense games, as it is one of the best made, and is shockingly good for the indie budget it was given. Lovers of the genre may recognize it as it has reached high on mobile game charts.
You’ve probably heard of this iconic indie tower defense game. Using plants to defend a garden against an onslaught of zombies, this game is as addictive as it is charming. The gameplay is unique but with the same charm of many other tower defense games.
Fans of idle games will love this take on tower defense, where the passive gameplay is the main focus, and the game essentially plays itself. The game ends up revolving more around strategy, rather than being able to react quickly to oncoming waves.
The original tower defense MMO. Despite its age, this game is incredibly fun and intricate. While the online play has diminished, it can still be enjoyed locally with a group of friends. Each class has unique mechanics, in a similar way to Dungeon Defenders II, but the leveling system is customizable, so your character’s stats are self-defined. Worth checking out for any fan of the genre.
This genre is not typically known for its strong compelling storylines, instead focusing more on its interactive gameplay. Defender’s Quest changes the tone completely, as it follows the story of a Medieval librarian trying to survive a supernatural plague. The story is thrilling, while the game offers unique and captivating gameplay as well.
If you’re interested in finding even more great tower defense games, our Softonic Solutions community has a list of over 30 different games for you to try!
