in the realm of gaming there’s no
shortage of fine independent works to
celebrate welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’ll be counting down our picks
for the top 10 indie video games but
please please whatever you might find
don’t tell mom and dad but this list
we’re diving into the divers realm of
independent game development finding
those titles that most enchant intrigue
and entertain us we’re avoiding any
indie games that started out being
published or funded by a major company
for example while the 2012 game journey
isn’t lacking for excellence its
publisher being Sony Computer
Entertainment excludes it from this list
number ten Bastion the bastions real or
sound a finer tale of calamities and
heroes there may not be this 2011 action
role-playing game puts the players in
the role of the kid one of the few
survivors of a world shattering
apocalypse he don’t stop to wonder why
however as the story progresses the kids
quest shifts from survival to rebuilding
his city of Caledonia the old worlds
finished but the new worlds just getting
started that strong premise leads into
an effective story about loss and
sacrifice further bolstered by tight
combat and a deep voiced narrator
constantly following the action it’s at
once bittersweet and charming look the
gods are alive and must be plenty sword
number nine Kade story
when classic and modern game design
combined this is the wonderful result
at first glance cave story seems like
your typical action platformer
concerning an amnesiac hero’s journey
through dangerous
well caves yet all is not as it seems
the plot focuses on a struggle between a
mad doctor and persecuted bunny people
with a magical artifact caught in the
middle and our hero being more than
meets the eye this blend of an
increasingly intricate narrative with
classic gameplay may seem odd but we
feel that it works
number eight the Stanley parable stana
decided to go to the meeting room
perhaps he had simply missed a memo
simple but effective in a nutshell
developed as a means of questioning
video game limitations the Stanley
parable puts the player in the role of
Stanley an office worker whose task is
to repeatedly push buttons based on his
boss’s orders until one day the orders
don’t come never in all his years of the
company and this happened this complete
isolation from there it’s a surreal dive
into the nature of choice as you follow
or disobey the commands of an all-seeing
narrator whoa you really end it Stanley
nothing could hold you back yes I’m very
proud of how far we’ve come today equal
parts funny and thought-provoking it’s
quite the interesting game now would you
say that competitive leaderboard helped
you feel motivated to keep walking
through doors again honest answers
please number seven
hotline Miami hallucinations brutal
violence and animal masks that’s just
the tip of the iceberg denizen games
subversive hotline Miami is something of
an odd Beast split between a psychedelic
thriller and a gruesome top-down action
game its premise is simple you were a
lone hitman sent from location to
location with the task of killing
everyone in sight what makes the game
special in spite of its basic set up is
the bold combination of challenging
no-holds-barred combat neon-colored
visuals and a piecemeal story that
rewards one’s efforts with intriguing
ideas
number six limbo from the Denmark based
developer play dead comes this offbeat
and restrained yet compelling indie game
limbo tells the tale of a young boy
searching for his sister in a land
populated by hostile foes and deadly
traps what takes this puzzle platformer
from simple to surprising territory is
its grim and foreboding atmosphere
compounded by a monochromatic art style
and unexpectedly brutal death animations
it doesn’t hold back in a lot of ways
and it keeps a steady base on the way to
its fittingly ambiguous conclusion
number five Fez
it’s the little details that can
distinguish a game such as the case here
Fez is designed as a blend of
environmental puzzles and clever level
traversal appearing at first glance to
be an old-fashioned platformer yet
beneath its astounding pixelated visuals
lies a thoroughly modern game based
around deep thought and reasoning
from its puzzles that ask player to
question their situation to a rotation
mechanic that shows 2d views of a 3d
world it’s daring players not to enjoy
themselves but also to think deeper
about their enjoyment
number four shovel knight who need
swords and shields when you got a shovel
shovel knight puts the players in the
role of the titular hero a knight who
embarks on a quest to find his lost
partner shield Knight from there it’s a
full-fledged throwback to the era of
challenging side-scrollers the bosses
are colorful and buried the levels are
deliberately presented with 8-bit
visuals and the moment-to-moment shuffle
based combat is as tough as it is
rewarding in short it’s a sincere
snapshot of gaming’s past and we
couldn’t be happier
number three braid one part symbolic
fable one part platforming puzzle game
and entirely compelling developer
Jonathan blows 3-year project braid
starts in the mold of a classic game
story players take on the role of Tim a
man on a quest to save a kidnapped
princess
however throughout the game six worlds
there lay variations on time
manipulation puzzles to overcome as well
as hints that Tim is not necessarily a
hero
add in an art style not unlike
impressionist paintings and you have a
beautifully and constantly engaging game
that keeps you guessing to the very end
number two Super Meat Boy
a hero made of meat a villain meant a
fetus and over 300 levels of
unadulterated madness that’s what the
platformer Super Meat Boy has to offer
for those who venture into its stylized
depths though its sheer level of
difficulty can seem monumental the
game’s charm makes it a worthwhile
endeavor from the prominence of its
classic game references to the
surprising cuteness of the character
designs to the variety of the levels and
deadly traps on display there’s no
shortage of challenges to overcome and
things to appreciate
before we unveil our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
number one minecraft with a simple
premise and fascinating mechanics this
is one for the history books
minecraft is first and foremost a
sandbox game in which players are
dropped into a randomly generated world
to explore and act as they see fit with
no rules to follow this adventure it’s
up to you this openness combined with
the depths of the game’s mining and item
crafting has permitted gamers to build
and create unimaginable worlds resulting
in everything from recreations of pop
culture icons to wholly original
landmarks and with its pixelated art
style plus its origins as an independent
endeavor by Markus notch Pearson
minecraft more than earns its place here
do you agree with our list don’t be
worried okay what’s your favorite indie
game for more distinguished – top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com
shortage of fine independent works to
celebrate welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’ll be counting down our picks
for the top 10 indie video games but
please please whatever you might find
don’t tell mom and dad but this list
we’re diving into the divers realm of
independent game development finding
those titles that most enchant intrigue
and entertain us we’re avoiding any
indie games that started out being
published or funded by a major company
for example while the 2012 game journey
isn’t lacking for excellence its
publisher being Sony Computer
Entertainment excludes it from this list
number ten Bastion the bastions real or
sound a finer tale of calamities and
heroes there may not be this 2011 action
role-playing game puts the players in
the role of the kid one of the few
survivors of a world shattering
apocalypse he don’t stop to wonder why
however as the story progresses the kids
quest shifts from survival to rebuilding
his city of Caledonia the old worlds
finished but the new worlds just getting
started that strong premise leads into
an effective story about loss and
sacrifice further bolstered by tight
combat and a deep voiced narrator
constantly following the action it’s at
once bittersweet and charming look the
gods are alive and must be plenty sword
number nine Kade story
when classic and modern game design
combined this is the wonderful result
at first glance cave story seems like
your typical action platformer
concerning an amnesiac hero’s journey
through dangerous
well caves yet all is not as it seems
the plot focuses on a struggle between a
mad doctor and persecuted bunny people
with a magical artifact caught in the
middle and our hero being more than
meets the eye this blend of an
increasingly intricate narrative with
classic gameplay may seem odd but we
feel that it works
number eight the Stanley parable stana
decided to go to the meeting room
perhaps he had simply missed a memo
simple but effective in a nutshell
developed as a means of questioning
video game limitations the Stanley
parable puts the player in the role of
Stanley an office worker whose task is
to repeatedly push buttons based on his
boss’s orders until one day the orders
don’t come never in all his years of the
company and this happened this complete
isolation from there it’s a surreal dive
into the nature of choice as you follow
or disobey the commands of an all-seeing
narrator whoa you really end it Stanley
nothing could hold you back yes I’m very
proud of how far we’ve come today equal
parts funny and thought-provoking it’s
quite the interesting game now would you
say that competitive leaderboard helped
you feel motivated to keep walking
through doors again honest answers
please number seven
hotline Miami hallucinations brutal
violence and animal masks that’s just
the tip of the iceberg denizen games
subversive hotline Miami is something of
an odd Beast split between a psychedelic
thriller and a gruesome top-down action
game its premise is simple you were a
lone hitman sent from location to
location with the task of killing
everyone in sight what makes the game
special in spite of its basic set up is
the bold combination of challenging
no-holds-barred combat neon-colored
visuals and a piecemeal story that
rewards one’s efforts with intriguing
ideas
number six limbo from the Denmark based
developer play dead comes this offbeat
and restrained yet compelling indie game
limbo tells the tale of a young boy
searching for his sister in a land
populated by hostile foes and deadly
traps what takes this puzzle platformer
from simple to surprising territory is
its grim and foreboding atmosphere
compounded by a monochromatic art style
and unexpectedly brutal death animations
it doesn’t hold back in a lot of ways
and it keeps a steady base on the way to
its fittingly ambiguous conclusion
number five Fez
it’s the little details that can
distinguish a game such as the case here
Fez is designed as a blend of
environmental puzzles and clever level
traversal appearing at first glance to
be an old-fashioned platformer yet
beneath its astounding pixelated visuals
lies a thoroughly modern game based
around deep thought and reasoning
from its puzzles that ask player to
question their situation to a rotation
mechanic that shows 2d views of a 3d
world it’s daring players not to enjoy
themselves but also to think deeper
about their enjoyment
number four shovel knight who need
swords and shields when you got a shovel
shovel knight puts the players in the
role of the titular hero a knight who
embarks on a quest to find his lost
partner shield Knight from there it’s a
full-fledged throwback to the era of
challenging side-scrollers the bosses
are colorful and buried the levels are
deliberately presented with 8-bit
visuals and the moment-to-moment shuffle
based combat is as tough as it is
rewarding in short it’s a sincere
snapshot of gaming’s past and we
couldn’t be happier
number three braid one part symbolic
fable one part platforming puzzle game
and entirely compelling developer
Jonathan blows 3-year project braid
starts in the mold of a classic game
story players take on the role of Tim a
man on a quest to save a kidnapped
princess
however throughout the game six worlds
there lay variations on time
manipulation puzzles to overcome as well
as hints that Tim is not necessarily a
hero
add in an art style not unlike
impressionist paintings and you have a
beautifully and constantly engaging game
that keeps you guessing to the very end
number two Super Meat Boy
a hero made of meat a villain meant a
fetus and over 300 levels of
unadulterated madness that’s what the
platformer Super Meat Boy has to offer
for those who venture into its stylized
depths though its sheer level of
difficulty can seem monumental the
game’s charm makes it a worthwhile
endeavor from the prominence of its
classic game references to the
surprising cuteness of the character
designs to the variety of the levels and
deadly traps on display there’s no
shortage of challenges to overcome and
things to appreciate
before we unveil our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
number one minecraft with a simple
premise and fascinating mechanics this
is one for the history books
minecraft is first and foremost a
sandbox game in which players are
dropped into a randomly generated world
to explore and act as they see fit with
no rules to follow this adventure it’s
up to you this openness combined with
the depths of the game’s mining and item
crafting has permitted gamers to build
and create unimaginable worlds resulting
in everything from recreations of pop
culture icons to wholly original
landmarks and with its pixelated art
style plus its origins as an independent
endeavor by Markus notch Pearson
minecraft more than earns its place here
do you agree with our list don’t be
worried okay what’s your favorite indie
game for more distinguished – top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com
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