LIST: Top 10 indie games of all time

This multi-genre game was designed and coded by one man, Eric Barone as a way to brush up on his programming skills. He never imagined how successful it would become. PC Gamer states it generated over $24 million in sales in 2016 alone. The game is an eclectic mix of farming simulator with adventure and role-playing elements intertwined. Nostalgia driven gamers will revel in the richly realized 8-bit pixel art and catchy retro tunes. Oh, and did I mention Barone also did all of the art and music himself? This game stands as a testament to what one person can really achieve with hard work and dedication.

Certainly a cult classic, “Undertale” takes what you expect from a video game and turns it upside down. Don’t let the simple graphics and style dissuade you from what this gem has to offer. This game is an emotional roller coaster and thus one that video game streamers have thoroughly enjoyed. “Undertale” has a unique and clever sense of humor and interesting narrative progression to keep players enthralled.

I first heard about this game from popular YouTuber “dunkey” and knew it was right up my alley. It is a hardcore and challenging shooter with a birds eye view perspective. Like many games that made the list, it features beautifully rendered 8-bit style retro graphics and an extremely catchy musical score. One of the most fun features of the game is that it contains hundreds of unlockable weapons, many of them quite comical or bizarre. For example, why shoot bullets when you can have a gun shaped like a bullet that shoots guns which then shoot mini bullets? Aside from its whimsical qualities, the challenging game structure is such that it will keep you coming back for more.

I doubt anybody is surprised that I had to include this cult classic. This genre defining game is an auto include partially just for how many spin offs it has inspired. It is arguable that games like “Terraria”, “Rust”, or even “Fortnite” many not have come to fruition without this godfather of the survival crafting genre.

“Terraria” brought me back to a time when games were more about gameplay than fancy graphics. This indie classic draws elements from survival based games like “Minecraft” but remixes it in a fresh way. Boss battles add a nice challenge and progression and the story is there but not overpowering, allowing players to play the way they choose. I love that mining is a huge part of the game as it is always fun to see how far you can make it down.

Fans of “Rust” will readily agree that this game is not for the faint of heart. This post-apocalyptic multiplayer survival game will give any gamer quite a riveting experience. Players start off with nothing but a rock and must gather resources and learn how to craft more useful items and weapons. Building is a large part of the game as well, and players are always coming up with creative new trap bases or even shops to sell items to other survivors. If my earlier warning about this game wasn’t enough, be warned that this game is likely one of the most refunded games on Steam likely due to the brutal gameplay and at times sub-par optimization.

The only game on my list that I admittedly haven’t played yet. I felt it deserves a slot and mention since it is new and appears to be widely loved. This smooth running platformer adds some unique style and gameplay choices to this classic genre. Gamers will assume the role of Madeline who can dash mid air in eight different directions.

Released in 2018, “Cuphead” took the scene by storm. Many people, including myself had seen the trailer years before and were captivated by its unique old school style. The games unforgiving difficulty did generate some controversy with many reviewers complaining that it is simply too hard. However, I would argue that the difficulty is what makes the game so rewarding to play. When you finally slay that dragon boss, it will feel even better since you know it took 100 tries and carefully studying of the boss moves.  

Some may remember this breakout hit from 2014. The most interesting part about this simple mobile game is the story and drama surrounding it. It was developed by a Vietnamese man, Dong Nguyen, who never thought it would be such a hit. Drama surrounding the difficulty and addictiveness of the game shockingly caused him to remove the game from the app store despite it netting him over $50,000 per day. I think it is worth noting that giant arcade versions of the game have been created and are still out there to enjoy.

As a huge fan of the sci-fi and space themed genres I had to include this indie hit. It can often be found on sale during the holidays on Steam and it is definitely worth a pickup for strategy minded folks. “Faster than Light” is a spaceship-simulator roguelike that has players managing and upgrading a ship as it journeys through the vast unforgiving void that is space. The critically acclaimed game was released in 2012 and was crowdfunded through Kickstarter.