I thought it might be nice to have a thread devoted only to indie games. Recently I've been playing Rogue Legacy

http://store.steampowered.com/app/241600/

Which reminds me a bit of Dark Souls in that you are expected to die, and you will probably die a lot, but if you're very skillful you don't have to. However, unlike Dark Souls your character is permanently dead. Kinda. Instead, your successor takes over, but you retain the money you found which can be used to upgrade your characters (heirs) and equipment, etc. Very clever and addictive! Oh, tons of characters with different strengths and weaknesses, clever humor, interesting story, simple and challenging, and of course a kicking soundtrack!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8J4pTNZFjc

For the price, truly a wonderful game! More fun than I've had with many so-called AAA titles. Oh, and if you're an NES/SNES child, this will remind you of Castlevania... in a good way

Indie games are very hit or miss for me since a lot of them wear out their welcome in the first 30 minutes or so, but Rogue Legacy is fantastic.

I also really loved Guacamelee, which is one of the better Metroid-clones out there.
Metroid-clones are a dime-a-dozen in the Indie industry, but most of them are actually pretty good!

I concur. I can't tell you how many people I've seen curse the fact that Castlevania dropped the whole metroidvania formula... but there are just so many indie games that carry on the spirit that I don't see the point of fretting over it.

Glad to see you joined 2008 like the rest of us, avatar!

In a few weeks I plan to get Axiom Verge and give it a go.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/332200/

On steam it has a 10/10 after 510 reviews. I've never seen such a score before! It very much pays homage to Metroid and other classic games such as Contra. Oh, and apparently it's entirely a one-man project... quite amazing, we are living in a new golden age for gaming!

I know what you mean, but isn't that true for a lot of AAA games too? I guess the difference is that AAA games often have long cut-scenes or something that pulls you in, but after all that is said it's still a hit or miss. I played Danganronpa for a few hours before realizing I'd rather watch paint dry. Of course, it had long cut scenes and whatnot, so my actual "play time" is significantly less. Regardless, I feel that indie games are often as good as AAA titles just without all the glitz.

Happy to be here
Although I have to add, I still do NOT play digital games. My indie games are all physical!

Played a bit of "The Next Penelope"
http://store.steampowered.com/app/332250

Graphics are gorgeous, music is great! It's very fun and addictive, and damnably hard! Short levels, short game (although have yet to beat it), but no complaints. The whole thing was done by one person... amazing!

I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys games such as F-Zero and likes anime along the Ulysses 31 vein.

If the Indie scene were known for its endless quality of games, I'd be able to stomach the self-serving egotists and wannabe artists that permeate it. Unfortunately, most Indie games are complete shit and even the ones that do garner decent press, you need to make sure there isn't a decent bit of back-scratching going on. There's too much nonsense for me to even begin exploring it. Same reason(s) I've never supported the fan arrange scene for VGM.

Looking beyond that, I'm hesitant to throw support behind a "retro-style" game. People are quick to forget, the great "retro" games often pushed older systems to the maximum and were blockbuster, mainstream titles in their day. Doing "retro-style" games is a sincere form of flattery to the older games, but it's really a stylistic choice.

I totally disagree that we are in a golden age for games...On one side, you have the AAA games that HAVE to be predictable (and predatory, in some cases, with the DLC) because they are so damn expensive to make. On the other side, you have the low-budget Indie glut with virtually no quality control. People that can accept the flaws of either scenario won't have too much trouble, but I'd prefer a balance somewhere in there. The slow-agonizing death of so many great Japanese companies is also hard to watch.

Goldfish, I don't even know where to begin answering you. Not that I need to answer you, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. Since you seem to feel that indie games are all about "self-serving egotists and wannabe artists" it's probably best for you to simply not bother. Just because an indie game, "Undertale" is the highest rated PC game of all time (not just by one person or group, but by all of them, ie. highest metacritic score): http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevange … game-ever/
and just because the British government has put £4m to help develop indie games:
http://www.twinfinite.net/2015/10/12/uk … -industry/
and just because indie games are coming out not only digital but physical because there's now a demand for them (e.g. all PS4 releases -Teslagrad, The Escapists, Brothers, Shovel Knight, and many more...) and just because many of those games are developed, written, produced by people who are highly respected in the field (as well as newbies) such as Inafune, Iga, Chris Avellone, to name a few. And just because these games are produced for fans and have received critical acclaim (e.g. Divinity Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity and of course the other titles I have mentioned) and just because many of these developers spend hours upon hours and sometimes make very little back (i.e. it's a labor of love)... just because all of what I mentioned...
well, I'm sure you and your personal opinion with no facts to back it up must be right in that  "most Indie games are complete shit and even the ones that do garner decent press, you need to make sure there isn't a decent bit of back-scratching going on". I'm sure the whole indie industry is just back scratching. Supposedly it's mostly fleas, but who knows? Personally, I blame Obama. I heard he's the one that started all this "indie shit"...

You're mentioning the high profile ones (high profile Indies...now there's an oxymoron), but I think anyone familiar with the scene knows what I'm referring to when I say the good games are in the vast minority and the quality varies wildly. Go out and look on Google Play or the Apple Store to see what I mean (I believe the quality standards are higher for console/Steam releases, but I'm not sure exactly what the requirements are...I know Steam has the Greenlight system).

Plenty of balance there. There's a tons of great games that aren't $60 mammoths -- EVEN FROM THE MAJOR PUBLISHERS. Not to mention a good deal of Japanese games that fit that.
I think the bigger issue is more how easy it is for the little one or few team devs to make actual shit and have it be put up for sale (rather than old times where they needed to be shareware and given partly for free to get ANY exposure), rather than any sort of problem with the ones that are actual quality, oh which there are many.

I hate to admit it, but I can't help but agree with the notion that most indie games are crap... but the reason why is not that simple. Stream has made it WAY too easy for people to cobble together something (e.g. anything) regardless of quality and call it a game. If Steam had much better quality control I honestly wouldn't feel this way. 

Disagree with last part while agreeing with the first. Making a indie game look retro usually has to do with monetary and manpower limitations... but these kind of games were the blockbusters in the 8-bit era.

Agree with most of this... but while I enjoy older games more I'm probably viewing them rose tinted goggles.

As for Japanese companies, no, I'm sorry, I don't feel sorry for them. When your last freakin' card to play is dumb ass sex appeal you've not only failed your audience, you've failed yourself.

Edit: I should probably clarify this a bit... I would actually love to come to the defense of the Japanese game industry but I really have no fight left in me when it comes to this topic and this is from someone who absolutely adored their output (despite how cliche it really was) a few console generations ago.

The companies that don't really do this either beat the same drum to death (uh, can we kind of cut it out with the Tales games already?) or announce five games before they complete one (God I just hate how Square Enix operates... I wish they'd just keep some games under wraps until they're in the home stretch so I don't have to look at screenshots for four to five bloody years.)

Super Win the Game
http://store.steampowered.com/app/310700/

Haven't played it, but I hope to at some point. It's a homage to classic Nintendo games, and has also received critical acclaim. Notice how it's even meant to look like it's played on an old CRT!

Just another example of why I feel that we're living in a golden age of gaming. Lots of creativity, and yes a bit of nostalgia. However, this is just another example of an indie game developed entirely by one person!! Amazing that not long ago it would have cost millions to develop such a game...

and with enough money today an indie group can produce a game along the likes of Divinity Original Sin
http://www.divinityoriginalsin-enhanced.com/

While I admit that there are always more "poor" selections than "good" ones, that has always been the case with video games. Or perhaps some of you feel that all 713 licensed NES games were "great"?? That of course is a joke! Most NES, SNES, Genesis, etc. games suck. Much like movies. Or do some of you also think that all movies in the 1980s/1990s were great?? Fortunately, like movies, the industry is self regulating and great games will stand out. A golden age, for most many of us anyway...

I remember when one used to be able to get physical copies of games like Braid, Super Meat Boy, Trine, Amnesia, World of Goo, and many others, but most indie games these days are digital only.

If you ask me, too many assets are taken straight from other games for me to think of it as more than just an over-glorified ROM hack. And there are ROM hacks out there that are really good, that do something completely original with another game's code, but they're still offered for free. They're still someone else's code, just remixed and re-arranged to represent something completely different.

I see a lot of SMB2, Zelda II, and even some Metroid in that game.

I've watched video reviews about the game, that exposed it as a buggy, glitchy mell of a hess; I'd link those, but don't really feel like searching them out again.

I play Fez, and I intentionally ignore anything people have to say about Phil Fish; I don't know why people hate Phil Fish, but I already spent money on his game, so I'm just going to enjoy it. Rest assured, if I found out why people hate Phil Fish, I wouldn't feel like I could play his game anymore.

Sometimes, an artist's work IS disassociatable (not really a word, but I'm having trouble grasping the right word) from the artist; that's how I can stand listening to Wagner, even if Wagner was a Nazi-sympathizer.

I dislike how people make generalizations about other people based on the media they consume, like saying you're a devil worshipper just because you listen to Ozzy Osbourne. No, I don't believe in biting heads off bats. Geez!

P.S. In the spirit of giving indie games quirky titles, if I made an indie game myself, it would be called "Go Here, Do This." It would be a platformer or action game with RPG elements, and tasks and quests with no real rhyme or reason to do them, if only so you had a game to play. Many modern games feel like that, especially when I skip out of the the flavor text or context that explains why you're doing what you're doing. I don't NEED a reason, so long as it's fun.

I would probably use the Atari 2600 library more as an analogy, where there was NO quality control whatsoever. You know what happened historically after that...

Anyway, my point is, if you're motivated enough to see through the piles and piles of shit (on both a personal and content level), you'll probably find something decent. Some of us lack that motivation and have little tolerance for it.

Well, that's what you have internet friends like us for - to provide recommendations on things to check out!

If it weren't for boards like these, I'd hardly own even half the games or music that I do.

Well, okay, I also depend pretty heavily on podcasters, Let's Players, and other sources, but you get the point.

Yeah, I guess one of the highest rated PC games ever, Undertale, in your book would be "probably something decent". Anyway, please don't reply. You've made your stance clear, now let those of us that like indie games have our own little thread.

More physical copies are actually coming out now than anytime else. As for Divinity Original Sin, it was buggy on first release. However, they've patched it up nicely. Besides, Skyrim after all the patches, is still buggy but nevertheless a masterpiece. Divinity Original Sin is arguably a masterpiece as well, and I really hope Larian manages to get over a million copies sold (they deserve it)!

This. I'm not really the biggest fan of Ozzy Osbourne (or any member of the family in general) but I do like most of his music.

I think all of those games got physical copies AFTER having proved successful though.
And like Avatar said, this actually still happens quite frequently, but, again, only with games that have already proved successful.
I don't think this is a break from the norm.

Same here.
I DO know why people hate Phil Fish, and I think he's a gigantic douchebag too, but Fez was a wonderful little game, so I don't care, and I'd love to see more of his games, which is probably never going to happen.

I also think what Goldfish said is greatly exaggerated. Yeah, there's some asshole indie devs out there who think they're God's gift to mankind, but it's really only a tiny handful, and most indie devs are just normal, sometimes even cool people.

http://www.polygon.com/2015/10/19/95670 … nks-to-you

This piece is exactly what I am referring to (please note, I made no effort whatsoever to find this...it popped up on my Yahoo feed today). I get it, the guy is frustrated, probably financially strapped and he's entitled to his opinion (it IS an opinion piece afterall), but the bulk of the article is focused on slamming consumers. Which is something that I regard as a professional no-no...You don't tell consumers who vote with their money "you're doing it wrong". I have read too many sentiments, opinion pieces, Twitter posts, etc that basically mirror that entire article, especially over the last couple years.

Consider this gem and every logical fallacy contained within:

"Many serious gamers complain about all the casual games coming out for mobile, but don't support the serious game developers that build the games that they want! Remember when you would fork over $40 for Zelda or Pokémon games on Game Boy? Imagine the amazing games we could play on our phones if we paid developers enough to create them! One such game that you can support is Battlestation." <- note: Battlestation is HIS game. It's a plug. He's comparing HIS game to Zelda or Pokemon. No...just, no.

Amazingu is PROBABLY right, I'm probably overstating the amount of true douches within the scene, but the anti-consumer sentiment is something that I've found very consistent, very unprofessional and VERY offputting (and let's be fair...it's not unique to indie gaming...Indie films and indie music are the same way for the most part).

Anyway, that's all I have to say on the matter.

So THAT'S why my Twitter feed was full of people talking about mobile games and pumpkin spice lattes a couple of days ago. I seriously had no idea what was going on.

A while ago, I got my backer edition of Broken Sword 5. Years before that, I *almost* finished the first Broken Sword. Now, my backer edition also included DRM-free versions of Broken Sword 1-4, so I figure why not play those in order? They're not long games, but WOW, are they beautiful! The first game was release back in 1996... and it's AMAZING how well it holds up today!

http://www.dotemu.com/en/download-game/ … ectors-cut

Even with today's fancy-schmancy graphics, the game is a work of art, the voice acting is top, and the theme very relevant (granted, it's not meant to be realistic, yet the story is not outdated)! Also, it has amazing humor, and reminds me of the classic LucasArts games (Monkey Island, Loom, etc) which are no longer being produced. Also has a bit of Dragon's Lair in terms of art style. It's $6 on Steam for those that use Steam. It's also available for the Playstation and Wii. Great stuff, great indie game.

By the way, apparently Ubisoft published this for the DS some years ago. It really looks great! However, they took out all the voice acting... which sounds like something Ubisoft would do to ruin a great experience. Also, I don't know if this was popular in Japan? However, I have to hand it to Japanese artist, they sure know how to make a sexy cover!

http://www.play-asia.com/broken-sword-n … u/13/705zy

I only ever played Broken Sword 1 and a little bit of 2, but 1 is indeed an amazing game.
Years after playing it, I read the Da Vinci Code and noted how many things it has in common with Broken Sword, except that Dan Brown is a shitty writer and Broken Sword is better in every single way.

The Director's Cut they released was very nice as well, although the added scenario wasn't that great.

I was really glad to see they went back to the visual style of the older games for BS5. Is it any good then, Avatar?

It sounds like something any smart dev would do to make sure their game actually fits on a GBA cartridge. There's TONS of dialogue in that game.

I'm glad you said that! I kept thinking "boy, this reminds me a bit of The Da Vinci Code, only it was written way earlier and I'm enjoying this far more!" I haven't actually played BS5, but I'll be happy to let you know my impression once I do (just don't hold your breath, it may be a while before I get to it)! As for the GBA cartridge, I do agree. However, it was also released on the DS as I noted. They most certainly could have put the voice acting in the DS edition, although not in the GBA cartridge.

Alright, alright, alright!

Everyone drop what you're doing, and check this game out:

Undertale (yeah, I know, he's probably borrowing queues from the fellow who coined the name "Cave Story.")

Official Page (DRM-Free): http://undertale.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/391540

The only reason I know about this game, was because I decided to look up Jim Sterling's videos, after not having watched his stuff for awhile, and stumbled upon the video he did about Undertale.

Jim Sterling on Undertale (plays the first half-hour): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHjQymYy8EM

Also, a good full playthrough of the game, just in case you want to watch beyond that:

Manly Badass Hero on Undertale (Full YouTube Playthrough): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn62by6 … 8L&index=1

It is little more than a quirk of fate that I even discovered this game, because I haven't heard it mentioned by any of the other podcasters or Let's Players that I follow (no, I don't follow Pewdie Pie; he's annoying, and he doesn't cover the kind of stuff I'm interested in).

This is probably my game-of-the-year. Possibly my game of the past 5 years. Or more.

It's a SNES-styled RPG, with quirky humor, probably inspired by games like Earthbound.

You can either kill your enemies, or pacify them through non-violent means (cheering them up, giving them hugs, petting them, flirting with them, etc.)

Your attacks involve hitting a point on an oscillating gauge (should you choose to attack), while defense (or dodging, more accurately), involves a bullet hell scenario in which you have to dodge projectiles.

I fully appreciate the humor, drama, and sentimentality poured into the story, character interactions, and battle system.

Also, great soundtrack.

So if you're feeling nostalgic about old SNES RPGs, and you've already burned holes through your Earthbound, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy II & III  (IV & VI) and Chrono Trigger ROMs, and Cthulu Saves the World (Indie) just isn't doing it for you, this's probably right up your alley!

Welcome to two months ago, Dragonfish Dog!

Pretty much everyone I know has been talking about this game for a while now.
I'm only a couple of hours in, love the atmosphere, music, and battle system.

The only problem I have is that I hardly ever finish PC games, because the PC has just not found its place in my gaming biorhythm, which is in no way the game's fault, obviously.
Would love to see a console release!

I'd love to know the news outlets everyone follows to keep current with this stuff the day it happens; me, I'm always a step or two behind current events

I can understand that; versus console, I sometimes forget about the games I have on my laptop, either through Steam or the Humble Store. Indeed, HuniePop is pinned right to my taskbar, but it's amazing how I often I forget it's still there (I haven't even finished that game yet!)

If you're waiting for a console release, you're probably going to be waiting for awhile; Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, and Bastion were only just recently released on PSN (while they've already been out since at least the past 3 years or more), and they're only available for download on the PS4, as if the PS3 couldn't run them.

Undertale, supposedly, one playthrough only takes about 6 hours; the game was definitely meant to be replayed for different outcomes/endings, so it was made relatively short - short compared to say, Final Fantasy VII, anyway.

Chrono Trigger is like that too; a single playthrough of Chrono trigger was designed to be completed under 20 hours!

I'm on the flip side, I usually feel too lazy to turn on the console, when I'm already staring at the computer monitor and a PC game is just a few clicks away. Hell I've even re-bought some games on PC just for the ease.

(Not to mention being able to stream them)

I think in terms of ease of playing, consoles are top. Just plop in the disk (if you're like me) or you can download the files and it's always guaranteed to work. Computers on the other hand are trickier. More chances for errors, something not being compatible, yadda yadda. That said, I haven't had a problem with any of my indie games (which is basically all I play on the computer) in years. These days many indie games do eventually make their way to consoles, but not all.

I kind of disagree with this.

Consoles become more and more like computers with each passing generation and the plopping the disk in to play isn't entirely true because of massive day one patches.

Yes, the games are guaranteed to work on/with the hardware but I can''t help but think that the advantages of owing a console these days is null and void aside from console exclusives.

Yeah, I take some issue with the way "unfinished" console games are fast becoming the norm. I'm still a fan of the "closed box" approach, where everything works the same way on the same hardware, but the patches, the way games download to the hard drive, the DLC and the general unfinished nature of so many games has me skeptical about the future of game consoles. Especially with regards to Sony and Microsoft, who look to keep costs to a minimum while promising so much power.

Day one patches are just because AAA titles don't go through the playtest they should and/or they're just released way before they are ready. However, day one patches apply to consoles and PC. Secondly, a high-end gaming machine (PC) is usually around a couple thousand dollars. Unless of course you want a MAC, then you're paying closer to $6000+ (rip off, in my opinion). A PS4 on the other hand is $400. Also, some games (many in fact) you have to have online activation whereas for a console it's just plop and play. So I do still see advantages to consoles, although there are of course disadvantages.

This. I'm the same way.

For me, loading up a digital game, either on console or PC, is easier for me, rather than having to stick a disc in a disc drive. I have to find the game's case, or the disc wallet I put it into, and have to remember where I put either of those things, and hopefully haven't been misplaced.

Mechanical troubles and disc-reading errors can happen with disc drives. The disc itself may end up scratched, and when you consider that many popular (or once-popular) games seriously depreciate in value, having a physical copy - that you could otherwise sell back - isn't that much of an option anymore.

There are a lot of games I never played, but am getting around to now, because I'm able to download them for $15 or less.

And when a triple A title is still going for its original $60 as a hard copy, but is temporarily discounted to at least $20 for a downloadable copy, I'm all over that (especially with The Last of Us, or South Park: The Stick of Truth).

Offspring Fling: http://store.steampowered.com/app/21136 … 1_5_9__300

I'm hardly interested in the game itself - it looks like one of those action puzzle games that's limited to one screen at a time, like Bubble Bobble for example,

but damn, if that isn't some of the most ingenious advertising for an indie game ever! Nostalgia readings are off the charts!

Heck, I might even get it just because of the advertising, who knows, could actually be more fun than I think it's going to be!