While 2019 has been host to some pretty great AAA games over the course of the year so far, there have been plenty of indie darlings that have gotten our attention that we cannot stop talking about. Here are 9 indie games from this year that you need to play.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer
Cadence of Hyrule is a Legend of Zelda spin-off developed by Brace Yourself Games, a team known for the brutally difficult dungeon-crawler, Crypt of the Necrodancer.
The title throws together all of the familiar enemies and items from the Zelda universe, as well as the catchy tunes, and gives it a roguelike and rhythm makeover.
Every move you make has to be on rhythm with the music that’s playing and if you fail to hit the beats successfully, prepare to die… a lot.
It can be hard at first to get accustomed to this new type of gameplay that’s never been seen before in a Zelda game, but once you get the hang of it you might find that Cadence of Hyrule is one of the best indie games of the year, maybe even one of the best top-down Zelda games out there –and just wait until you hear rock versions of your favorite Zelda themes.
This may have been published by Nintendo, but Brace Yourself Games has managed to make the best indie Zelda game of all time, and while it’s the first one, that’s quite a feat.
Gato Roboto
Gato Roboto comes from doinksoft by way of Devolver Digital and if you’ve seen any gameplay or images of this one, you might notice how similar it is to Metroid and Castlevania games, but let me tell something: Gato Roboto is a straight Metroid game but with a few interesting bells and whistles.
Yes, you do backtrack and explore a deep cave full of robots and other enemies, but you do all of this as an adorable little kitten. You can scale walls, creep into tight spaces, and even find yourself in a mech suit that somehow fits perfectly for our little feline hero.
There are difficult bosses, new weapons to collect, and a minimalistic monochrome art style that’s simple yet very nice to look at. Gato Roboto only has a few short hours of gameplay to offer, but boy those few hours are charming and fun as ever.
My Friend Pedro
Think of Hotline Miami mixed with the aesthetic of the Trials games and you got yourself a heaping batch of My Friend Pedro.
It’s a frenetic 2D action title that allows you to unleash destruction on foes by way of guns, time manipulation powers, and cool flips and tricks.
My Friend Pedro has no shortage of insane and explosive gunplay that is so over-the-top, that you’ll find yourself experimenting with different moves just to see what’ll happen.
We have My Friend Pedro a 4/5 when we reviewed it earlier this year –it’s definitely a good time and it will be on the lists for best indie of 2019 for sure.
Katana Zero
Another indie that was published by Devolver Digital, Katana Zero is a beautiful, bloody 2D action title that has you playing as an assassin and going through section after section, murdering hundreds of people by planning out your kills.
You gotta plan these kills because, in Katana Zero, you die in one single hit and so do your enemies. You’re going to fail countless times, but you’re able to watch a recorded video of your gameplay to see what went wrong and then act accordingly.
Thanks to the time manipulation, interesting story beats, and funky neo-noir-themed music, Katana Zero is one indie that cannot be missed this year.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an exploration-focused, 2D action title that comes from the mind of Koji Igarashi, the man behind the gothic, vampire-fueled franchise, Castlevania.
Playing as Miriam, you must go through a castle that’s been summoned from Hell and stop a Shardbinder called Gebel. There are tons of enemies to fight, dozens of abilities to use, and an array of weapons that let you play the game however you want.
The backtracking and grinding to level up Miriam’s stats is genuinely enjoyable, the dark music sets the tone for the gothic setting, and if you’re looking for a new Castlevania game, look no further.
Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds is one of the most chill and laid back space exploration experiences out there, even going above and beyond games like No Man’s Sky, by offering a tight world to discover that’s teeming with things to do and uncover.
The main catch here is that every 22 minutes, there is a catastrophic event that kills you, making you start from scratch as a new space explorer, but you still retain the knowledge of planets and other things.
It’s a beautiful playground that has so much personality and surprises around every corner just waiting to be discovered. The engaging solar system will leave you wanting more and more as you perish time and time again.
Wargroove
Before Fire Emblem: Three Houses came out this year, Wargroove was toted as being one of the best turn-based strategy games to come out this year.
It pays homage to Advance Wars, an old Nintendo franchise that has yet to be revitalized, and delivers on the fun and deep combat that Advance Wars was known for.
The pixel art style will remind you of GBA games from the past and after playing, you can see how the team went all out to provide animations that, while simple, give character and personality to all of your units on the battlefield.
There’s so much content in just the single-player portion of the game, that you’ll find yourself wondering how the heck this little indie title managed to become jam-packed with things to see and do.
Baba Is You
There’s no deep lore or story behind Baba is You, but it’s just one cute and very clever puzzle game that lets the player change the rules of the world by using words and letters.
It’s hard to explain but the idea is quite smart and inventive and is also very tough to figure out at first. It reminds us of 2016’s The Witness, as you learn how the game works the more you progress.
It looks very simple when you seek out screenshots, but get a good look at Baba is You and you’ll probably find yourself encaptured by its design almost immediately.
As far as puzzle games go, Baba is You is up there in terms of the best indies this year.
Ape Out
Ape Out is a minimalistic top-down action title that’s published by Devolver Digital, so you already know that it’s a unique and fresh experience that’s never been done before.
Playing as an ape who’s attempting to escape a prison, Ape Out is all about getting revenge on the annoying humans who caused you harm and turmoil by literally tearing them apart and destroying everything in sight.
You can smash them, hold a human in front of you and use their gun against their comrades, and smash through barriers to unleash hell.
It’s a madhouse and thanks to the jazzy beats and drums, the instrumental soundtrack does wonders at helping flesh out the entire experience –this game has no right to be left off any best indie game list for this year.
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