It’s been an incredible year for indie games. While AAA developers chased technical highs, indie studios left their mark with prismatic worlds, heartfelt characters, and quirky mechanics. To celebrate them, we’ve made a list of the best indie games of 2023 that took the scene to a new level.
Innovative systems and colorful backdrops are what most gamers may attribute to indie games, but this year also showed these titles can deliver impressive quality rivaling that of AAA teams. More than ever, the playing field across the industry is far closer with current technology. But beyond a technical standpoint, indie games have a personal edge to them, directing you through soul-stirring setpieces or using movement controls to connect you with their settings and history.
I’ve reviewed and previewed many great indie projects this year, and it’s hard to pull from a lineup of absolute bangers down to a numbered few. That said, the best indie games of 2023 are a step ahead of the rest and deserve their flowers.
Dredge
As someone who loves Lovecraftian-styled narratives, Dredge immediately appealed to me. Its sinister undercurrent of an archipelago gone mad from eldritch horrors in the sea and strange happenings with the locals kept me hooked, and the fishing part of the adventure provided a cozy break from the danger. Developer Black Salt Games masterfully blends these feelings of terror and comfort while tasking the player to progressively grow their meager vessel to cut through the wild darkness at night and blow through environmental obstacles.
Dredge started the year off as an indie darling to many gamers and still holds that status even as other amazing games joined the 2023 roster. Nothing is quite like Dredge because it doesn’t just aim to be a fishing title with horror elements, but rather a mysterious adventure of self-discovery and mistakes that keep you coming back to peel back its world further.
Sea of Stars
What’s there not to say about Sea of Stars? It’s the satisfying childhood return for gamers who grew up on Chrono Trigger, Mario & Luigi, and other RPGs featuring turn-based combat with timed inputs, a beautifully pixelated world, and a protagonist cast of underdogs you can rally behind.
Sea of Stars modernized the nostalgia of what those RPGs meant to gamers and expanded into newer untouched areas in this framework. From the story to battle mechanics, the main parts of the indie game aren’t trying to stand apart from the legacy of older RPGs, and that was totally fine. The game’s biggest strength was its self-awareness and purposeful progression, which led developer Sabotage Studio to pull off some clever and jaw-dropping gameplay moments across Sea of Stars to make its mark alongside the icons ages ago.
Lethal Company
Out of nowhere, it seemed Lethal Company blew up overnight. Imagine playing a co-op horror about scavenging scraps from abandoned moons with strange creatures roaming about, and whenever anything goes south, you and your buddies freak out as all hell breaks loose. In that moment of chaos, Lethal Company cemented itself as the game to play, spawning a slew of hilarious video clips from content creators and tasty memes only the internet’s finest could whip up.
Its popularity doesn’t overshadow that Lethal Company is actually a good game with a sense of exploration, risk, rewards, and more to enjoy. The memories created as players communicate through walkie-talkies and use tools together elevated the strong gameplay loop in Lethal Company to heights even developer Zeekerss probably never anticipated.
Cocoon
At a glance, Cocoon is an odd game about an alien bug, colorful balls, and massive alien bugs. Early trailers provided a peek into the gameplay, but it doesn’t really click until you start playing. Throughout the experience, you’ll discover dozens of thoughtful puzzles, forcing you to wash away how you completed past puzzles to surpass newer ones with new clever twists.
You can never anticipate what’s next and how your powers of deduction will get tested, and that’s not to say Cocoon is a stressful game. Like Limbo and Inside, the puzzles in Cocoon intend to create intrigue and expand the fringes of what a player thinks is possible. Developer Geometric Interactive expertly pads out this theme, culminating in a unique experience unlike anything else.
Jusant
Jusant is a game about rock climbing, but more importantly, it’s a journey about humanity, connection, and everything else in between. While scaling an abandoned rock tower where humans lived inside, you’ll piece together their history through heartful notes and explore various biomes with the help of your climbing tools and magical companion.
It’s a simple game by developer Don’t Nod that might not look like much to certain players, but once you boot it up and sink your teeth into it, you realize this gem has a lot to adore. Its delivery is fantastic, from the reflective soundscape to the rhythmic rock climbing, and it has a lovely aesthetic that puts Jusant beside artsy greats like Journey and Gris.
For more of our Best of lists for 2023, check out the following:
Best Action-Adventure Games of 2023
Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2023
Best Apple Arcade Games for 2023
Best Xbox Series X/S Games of 2023
Published: Dec 30, 2023 12:38 pm