My favorite indie game is Brigand: Oaxaca, a labor of love by one developer over the course of 10 years to produce in what is all honesty the best immersive sim since Deus Ex. There have been a relatively small amount of immersive sims relative to the genres it hails from, rpgs and fps mostly, but almost all of them seem to avoid associating with deus ex in favor of thief or system shock. Brigand is not like that, it is the closest to a true successor we ever have gotten to the original Deus Ex. The world is exceptional open with multiple solutions to many quests, various factions to align with or betray and much much more I can't get into. It's not really a good looking game by traditional standards but the simplistic visuals allow for a high degree of clarity to what is interactive and what is merely set dressing. I can't recommend Brigand highly enough, even though it is a brutal game that is not for everyone -- it should NOT be your first immersive sim.

Kerbal Space Program is the one indie game for me. There are always stories from other people that say they were inspired by this game to pursue a STEM field. Well, when I first played this game back during version 0.21 I was on the edge of deciding what it is I wanted to do in the future, either begin working or continue onto to university. Playing through KSP allowed me to see the equations that I studied in high school and allowed me to experience a small fraction of the joy that the engineers and scientists felt when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Today, I am only a few months from graduating university with a degree in mathemathics and statistics.

I'm going with Gorogoa on this.
It's a charming game that deserves some recognition for its beautiful graphics and thought out game mechanics. It's a bit on the shorter side, but I prefer that over games that overstay their welcome.

Rimworld, played that way too much over the past couple of years. It is a wonderfully addictive game that has caused problems in my real life. Ha! everyone should experience rimcrack!

There are so many great Indie Games, I play them a lot, for example Dusk, Ion Fury, Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Stardew Valley, Unavowed, Transistor, Undertale, Limbo, Braid and Doki Doki Literature Club, just to name a few, but I think my favourite is To The Moon.
Why it's my favourite? Well, I always loved a good story, in a book, in a movie, in a TTRPG or in a video game. My first game was Doom and we couldn't say it's a game with a deep narrative, but it was the game that introduced me to gaming, and with games like Metal Gear Solid, Deus Ex and Bioshock discovered a new way to tell stories that was only possible on the world of gaming.
To The Moon, it's more a narrative experience, with very basics gameplay elements (just a few minor puzzles, that you need to solve to progress), but really good story.
Eva and Niel are two doctors that work for Sigmund Corp, a company that use a technology that allow you to create artificial memories in dying patients so they could die happy. You have the task to help Johnny to go to the moon, but he doesn't remember why he want to go there, you will have to travel through his mind to know the answer and help him before is too late.
You will find a well written story, with great characters, funny dialogs and a lot of details that you will notice in another playthrough.
Despite I can name other indies with incredible good stories, like Braid or Unavowed, To The Moon stays with you long after you finish the game, with that heartwarming premise of love, regret and redemption at the end of life.

Undertale

Its best to go into it with little to no knowledge of what the game is about.


The demo was my first introduction to the game, and already this small slice of a bigger pie had me captivated in its story/ characters and music.

It was one of a few games that made me emotional while playing it, and to imagine that this was only a demo made me excited to play the full experience.

5-6 years would pass before the full game would come out, so it became only a fond memory in the back of my mind.

I was reminded of its existence when overhearing a friend talking about a game coming out with the same name, and sure enough it was the full package of that demo from long ago.

The time that was spent making Undertale the best it could be was well worth the wait, being filled to the brim with great characters and some of the best music that gaming can offer.

As the game stands now, I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't heard anything about it yet and is looking for an unforgettable experience that will stay with you long after you finish playing.

If your for an interesting story, engaging game mechanics and great music, give this game a whirl, especially if you can snag it when it goes on sale.

Stardew Valley. All the content for a supposedly "small farm", the love of the creator who keeps adding things, the capacity of adding mods, the relaxing pace (or stressful if one wants to XD) make it a great game. The best indie I have played.

Dungeon of the Endless - Amplitude is owned by Sega now, but they were indie when they made this gem.

It's everything I like in a game - bite sized, strategic, clever with its mix of tower defense/dungeon crawler/rogue-like. It's the game I can play and replay and not get bored. I've got over 100 hours of playtime on it, and would have a lot more if I actually played games these days :(

[If you want an indie game that's still indie, then I'll say Papers, Please. It works on so many levels.]

Turmoil would be one of my more returned to indie games. No super flashy graphics just plain ole' addictive replayable game play, and a decently priced title even if you spring for the DLC

Faster than Light

I've played hundreds of hours to this game, and I still play frecuently a run. I love the idea about having some subsystem in a ship that may fail due to damage or other thing. I usually tend to purchase this kind of management games, where you are controlling the crew of a ship / submarine, unless it has too many negative reviews.

Hard to decide between this one and Uboat or Slay the Spire.

Darkest Dungeon.

Having played RPG games for so long, it is refreshing to have a game that deals with stress of the situation and being supposed for going into a dungeon. Oft times these are overlooked in many murder hobo games of fantasy RPGs. I quite prefer having to consider these things.

I also enjoy having to decide how I upgrade the town with the limited resources I have available. Do I improve stress relief to eliminate negatives from a party member? Do I want access to more likely recruits as my parties become whittled down.

Finally, I enjoy the DLC expanding.and adding new facets to the game. The Crimson Court and vampirism and not understanding it. Having to adjust tactics and account for this new affliction.

Perhaps difficulty and outside thinking attract me, do I leap in courageously against a boss with a torch for my single party remaining or does the light die and I struggle? Only my decisions and choices determine this outcome with my masochistic kleptomaniac.

It is Hotline Miami, for its surprising grip on the player.

More than another shooter filled to the brim with blood and gore, Hotline is a game that shows the consequences of using violence as THE solution. The revenge quest that you undertake on the first game has severe repercutions on the second game, affecting society as whole and creating a predatorial enviroment where the lost youth follow the steps of a psycopath like he is a prophet, a cop creates his own muder-mystery just to satiate his needs of blood and combat and gang wars erupt for the pettiest of reasons. All this can only culminate in a mass explosion of violence, taking the lives of guilty and innocent alike and wiping the slate clean.

This amazing story is never hamfisted to the player. He has to think and to care in order to appreciate it. And it all happens with gameplay that makes extreme violence a fun and entertaining passtime for you, thereby making you part of this hellish culture. A game that is both subtle and as in-your-face that it could possibly be. A true work of art.

Streets of Rogue

It's an amazing game, you can do whatever you want in a way you desire, the best part is the dev is fantastic and he always want to hear his community to improve the game.

What I like:

- Multiple classes to play with, each with its pros and cons - can't find one that suits you? Create it from scratch.
- Are you a pacifist? You can be, a genocidal? Also!
- Lots of weapons and objects at our disposal.
- Each area has its own particular style with its own rules and inhabitants.
- At the end of each area there is a special event, from zombies to battles between cannibals and military. If you wish, you can program your game to have none or to be an unparalleled madness.

Hope my english was good enough!

Have a great day. <3

ill pick Darkwood for being able to create a compelling horror setting and atmosphere without the use of cheap jumpscares

Project Zomboid. Have been playing it on and off for almost a decade now, it was good when I originally got it and only got better since then.