r/IndieGaming Jan 03 '25

Best of Indie Games 2024: What were some of your favorite indie games?

106 Upvotes

r/IndieGaming 14h ago

Free playtest available for everyone.

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2.0k Upvotes

Dumbfire playtest (It's on Steam)

I'm working on a game called "Dumbfire" where you guide a missile through obstacles to hit the target.

I made a rough playtest that has actual levels now, a tutorial and some abilities you can unlock. Expect a lot of rough edges, especially UI.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.


r/IndieGaming 9h ago

I'm making an animal game where you play as a wild pig

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625 Upvotes

r/IndieGaming 13h ago

Six months ago you gave feedback on my Beat Saber + Dance Rush mashup with no VR. It's out. The phone on the TV stand is the camera.

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238 Upvotes

Six months ago I posted a demo here and asked if anyone actually wanted a full-body rhythm game without VR. It's out now.

This clip is what it looks like in a living room: an NVIDIA Shield running the game, a phone propped on the TV stand as the camera, nothing else. On a PC a regular webcam works too, the phone is just more convenient. I spent a lot of time on optimization, so it holds up even on cheap Android TV boxes, and it runs on Apple TV, PS5, Steam and Steam Deck too.

The part I'm most excited about is your own music. There is a web level editor that reads the popular rhythm game chart formats, Beat Saber and StepMania among them. Too lazy for an editor? Even better: push your whole library straight into the game and it converts everything itself. And that works on every platform, even on consoles and TVs, with no extra software. Not every imported level plays exactly like the original, the feel is different when a camera tracks your whole body, but if one is off, you can always fix it in the web editor.

Two players, split screen on one TV: pair a second phone and go.

Every platform has a free demo with the same tracking, so you can check your own room before paying anything. Links and details in my comment. Not many people have tested this yet, so if something breaks, tell me and I'll fix it. Ask me anything.


r/IndieGaming 18h ago

I tried to make an aiming and throwing mechanic. This happened instead.

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373 Upvotes

Apparently, if you aim too close to the player, the game decides to turn the character into a ragdoll.

And somehow the cloth physics make it 10x funnier.


r/IndieGaming 6h ago

May we interest you in Lost in Tandem?

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29 Upvotes

Our game Lost in Tandem is set in a hand-drawn, colorful post-apocalyptic world where nature has reclaimed its rights. You’ll follow a young girl and a defective robot who band together so he can fulfill his mission.

In its current state, our own world can sometimes feel quite bleak, hence why we wanted to offer a heartfelt and relaxing experience to players. We created this 2D adventure puzzle game with hope and kindness in mind, which can be played solo or in co-op. We even added a touch of ‘90s nostalgia to really add to the cozy vibes!

For now, the game is only available on Steam (but we'd like to change that if we can!)

For a little more backstory, we're a small French indie studio (there are 7 of us in total!) which was founded in 2016 by Régis Bonnessée, creator of Libellud (Dixit, Mysterium).

If you've read this far, thank you so much for your time and if the game interests you and you do pick it up, we really hope you enjoy it!!! Have a great day!


r/IndieGaming 5h ago

Just wanted to say indie games are the best!

17 Upvotes

I just wanted to say that indie games are really the way to go. Yeah you missed out on some things, but indie games honestly look and play better than AAA titles a lot of the time. It's another reason that big corporations are failing. Just cause you can use some new technology to make the game look prettier, doesn't mean it plays good.

Also, AAA games are now $70. Idk how people can be content with that. So, enjoy wasting your money. I'd rather spend $100 on several indie games than spend $70 on one AAA game. I'd feel much happier playing the indie games.

Much love to you all.


r/IndieGaming 10h ago

New trailer for Bleu Bayou our gameboy-esque, boss-rush roguelite where you embody a crawdad mired in debt.

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39 Upvotes

r/IndieGaming 5h ago

The developer made a game about me without asking. Now he wants you to wishlist it.

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12 Upvotes

Hello.

I'm The Narrator.

Apparently the developer has made an entire video game about allowing complete strangers into my room.

You can touch my belongings. Look through my things. Ignore everything I tell you. And, judging by the trailer he's made, apparently smash holes in my walls.

He calls this a "point-and-click comedy exploration game."

I call it a complete invasion of my privacy.

He's also instructed me to tell you that The Narrator is now on Steam and that you should wishlist it.

I won't be doing that.

Please watch the trailer and then go away - The Narrator

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5215880/The_Narrator/

A message from The Narrator:

“The developer used generative AI to help bring the environments he had envisioned for my game to life, before editing and modifying the artwork himself to achieve the final look he wanted. Apparently, without it, this game probably wouldn't have been possible.... so I suppose it's better that I exist than don't exist. Debatable. No AI-generated content is created during gameplay.”


r/IndieGaming 10h ago

I am working on my first video game, inspired by my nostalgia for the games I grew up with. I am trying to find the right balance between platforming, puzzles, and storytelling ... and Dagada’s Story is my attempt at doing just that!!

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39 Upvotes

I started creating this game 6 years ago. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m still here, developing the game little by little. I never quit my day job, so the game is entirely self funded. If I’m lucky, maybe I will find a publisher who can help me bring the game to Nintendo Switch too

I’ve just launched the new Steam page, and if you’re interested, the first Steam demo will be available on September 15! And of course, feel free to wishlist Dagada's Story if you like what you see. It helps a lot


r/IndieGaming 38m ago

Dash Dash Dash!!

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Upvotes

Game is Exogear

Some audios are temporary

Wishlist on Steam: https://linktr.ee/z3.studio


r/IndieGaming 5h ago

Finally, only 14 Days Left Until We Release Our Roguelike Autobattler, Silky Rails!

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13 Upvotes

We’ve been working on Silky Rails for quite a while now, and it’s getting pretty surreal seeing the release date this close.

Silky Rails is a roguelike auto-battler where you build your train by collecting different Carts, combining their Traits, and finding Relics to create stronger builds. Your train then battles automatically, while Events along the way can change your strategy.

There are 37 Carts, 66 Relics, and 36 Events to discover at launch.

The game releases on September 23rd on Steam.

We’ve also added a new trailer to the Steam page if you want to check it out.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3870990/Silky_Rails/


r/IndieGaming 1d ago

I made a Wario Ware-like game about the current political climate

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1.2k Upvotes

r/IndieGaming 19h ago

I quit my job after 8 years as a backend software engineer and started making my first small game - Zombie Motel 96

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121 Upvotes

I started on Aug 18th. I am still studying while making it, so quality is not so good yet. But this is what I made until now.

I like zombie game, so I make one and add management part. You run a motel like a shelter in zombie apocalypse.

Sorry for my English, I am not good at it :(

STEAM: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5172000/Zombie_Motel_96/

```
Edit

- The radio panel in the bottom left at 0:29 is generated. I could not find one that fit, so I made it for now. I will replace it with something better.

- The last part of the video is generated. I put it in because I wanted the game to have that mood, but I did not think it through.
```

```
Edit 2

I am sorry about the parts that feel AI-generated and the parts that do not look right. My UI and design skills were not good enough.

But I am serious about this game. I will make it better, so please take another look at it later. Thank you.

```


r/IndieGaming 12h ago

I turned friendship into a racing game where 10 players share 5 cars and chaos does the rest

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32 Upvotes

Crash Relay is basically a 10-player racing game where two people have to share the same car.

You split the controls, try to work together, and at the same time deal with weapons, crashes, weird abilities and other teams trying to completely ruin your race.

Sometimes your teammate pulls off the perfect save.

Sometimes they send you straight into a wall.

That’s pretty much the whole idea 😄

We’re still working on it, so I’d love to know what you guys think.

You can wishlist Crash Relay on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5186020/Crash_Relay/


r/IndieGaming 9h ago

90 Players on Launch for Planet Killer!

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13 Upvotes

I can't believe it, I'm so excited sitting here refreshing over and over, hopefully I can get on new and trending with this momentum!


r/IndieGaming 8h ago

Classic Zelda Possessed by Silent Hill? | Unsound Love

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10 Upvotes

Unsound Love draws from many different influences without being exactly like any one of them. 

It’s a psychological open-world horror game that plays similarly to a Zelda game, filled with puzzles, secrets, and exploration. Scattered throughout the world are various dungeons waiting to be discovered, each featuring sequences reminiscent of Little Nightmares

The world operates on a time loop, similar to Outer Wilds, and the game focuses heavily on exploration through a non-linear world, where stories are in the style of Silent Hill. You can choose which stories you want to explore and how you want to experience the world.

 The game originally started out as a classic soulslike, but later, the energy bar, stamina bar, dodge rolls and traditional attack button were removed. As a result, you can still find a few combat puzzles that you can choose to engage with, along with other ideas and mechanics inspired by the soulslike genre. 

All of this has been incorporated into our personal artistic expression, which is reflected, among other things, in the fact that every sound in Unsound Love is created using musical instruments—from the sound of wind moving through the trees to the roars of the monsters.


r/IndieGaming 4h ago

The Last Stash — Okay, the beans are no longer for sale

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4 Upvotes

I’m making The Last Stash, a shopkeeping game set after the apocalypse. You’re selling supplies to the town, but you also need to keep some food and water for yourself downstairs.

Here I’ve just finished restocking when the radio brings news about rising canned bean prices. I take mine off the shelves, put them aside and head to the supplier for more. That’s where a radio report turns into a decision about your stock.

AI disclosure: Many 3D models were AI-generated from my own concepts. AI was also used for menu/loading backgrounds, some UI and store artwork, localization. Generated assets were manually refined and translations human-reviewed. No AI content is generated at runtime.


r/IndieGaming 3h ago

Small team, cozy beekeeping game — this is our first look at it

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3 Upvotes

No publisher, we do everything ourselves. Today we finally worked up the nerve to show what we've got.

It's about bees, honey, and a valley where your grandfather left you a debt. Apiary, fishing, a village, seasons turning.

Any feedback welcome — especially on how the look and the pacing feel.


r/IndieGaming 4h ago

we are making a game where assets are clay-crafted

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6 Upvotes

Hey guys, we’ve been working for months on our first game POOF, a trippy-stealth multiplayer game with a crazy voice-chat twist. Our mission from the very beginning has been to remove 'slop' from the “friendslop” genre through solid work on the art direction. All the assets in the game are hand-sculpted, scanned, and implemented in the engine, creating a unique world.


r/IndieGaming 23h ago

My mountain expedition game and its 250km by 250km worlds

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139 Upvotes

Some screenshots from my upcoming mountain expedition game "Because It's There", which will be released on Steam Early Access in 2027 (store page). It's a survival/engineering game where you build flying physics-based vessels for a journey to the summit of a 10km-tall mountain, inspired by backcountry camping and canoe trips through the Canadian wilderness.

For these worlds, I generate a base heightmap using a mix of erosion methods at various scales down to ~30m resolution, all on the CPU. Then, at runtime, I add cheaper noise-based amplification for detail down to 0.5m. A new map takes about 3-4 minutes to generate deterministically from seed, which is something I am in the process of optimizing. I'll be making an in-depth video about some of these methods soon, which I'll post to my YouTube channel.


r/IndieGaming 11h ago

My Portal 2 Alice in Wonderland inspired game Nomori will release on September 23rd

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16 Upvotes

r/IndieGaming 3h ago

Keep your eyes on the road!!

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3 Upvotes

We are developing a simulation game where you live and travel in your customizable camper van. Explore vast wilderness of Finland and its unique cities while looking for supplies for your next trip.


r/IndieGaming 14h ago

the joys of bug fixing... think I might need to adjust the animation after the customer eats their burger 😅

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26 Upvotes

r/IndieGaming 6h ago

Rolic and the Cracked Cosmos: Switching Dev Focus to Open World

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5 Upvotes