It’s time to throw a bone to the little guys. Especially now that the little guys are often just as good as the big guys. Indie games are shaking it up, year in year out, and keeping the AAA giants on their toes, and there’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition if you ask me.
Here are 10 incredible indie games releasing this year so grab your calendar and post up.
These are 10 of the most exciting indie games releasing around the globe in 2020. Buckle up, this is going to be one hell of a year for gaming.
Röki – TBA 2020
PC, Switch
Developed by Polygon Treehouse, Röki is a point and click adventure title that draws heavily on Scandinavian folklore, walking the line between charming and chilling.
The surreal tale follows Tove, a young girl who enters a dark forest in search of her family. There is a certain mythic quality that pervades the artistic direction and it looks simply wondrous. Somewhat of a darkhorse, we predict Röki will one of the best indie games of the year.
Backbone – TBA 2020
Linux, Mac, Switch, PS4, PC, XONE
Backbone is a pixelated dystopic, detective adventure. Think L.A. Noire but you are a raccoon piecing together clues to solve a mystery. You play Howard Lotor, a stoic marsupial investigator who works for a private detective, prowling the streets of Vancouver.
Developed by Eggnut, it has already received positive reviews on Steam and looks to be a gorgeously unique concept.
Luna: The Shadow Dust – Out Now
Linux, Max, Windows
Lantern Studios have created something truly special in Luna: The Shadow Dust. The hand-drawn, point and click adventure is wrapped in fantasy and allure, making good use of clever puzzle design and a superb soundtrack.
Playing out like a 2D picture book story, the game plays on physics and light-based mechanics to tell its tale and craft its gameplay.
Hollow Knight: Silksong – June 12
Switch, PC
After the wildly triumphant Hollow Knight in 2017, South Australian developer Cherry Team has seen massive success since then—and it’s wholly deserved. 2D Metroidvania platformers are definitely commonplace in the indie scene but the ones that nail it are simply brilliant.
Taking all the best parts of Cuphead and Limbo and blending them with the sombre design of Dark Souls, Cherry Team have artfully built their own identity with a game that is dripping with beauty. Hollow Knight: Silksong will drop in June and is shaping up to be a blockbuster indie game.
Empire Of Sin – TBA 2020
PS4, XONE, Switch, PC
Empire Of Sin is a turn-based, strategy game set in the gangster underbelly of Chicago in the roaring 1920s. Tasked with building a villainous empire brick by brick, the game looks incredibly in-depth and completely enveloping.
Expanding your influence, eliminating threats, and managing a slew of rackets such as speakeasies, union protection, and casinos will help you take over rival turf and ultimately the city. If you’ve been waiting for a Peaky Blinders game, then this is it.
Moving Out – April 28
PC
With their latest release just under a month away, SMG Studios have once again brought the laughs in what looks to be a purely joyous ride. Dropping April 28, Moving Out is the latest from SMG and we simply cannot wait to play it.
The action puzzler centres around one of the most challenging experiences in life: moving furniture. By inserting a comic cartoon ethos, you’ll also be traversing tidal waves, deadly boulders, lava, and lasers. While it may seem silly it still looks like an engaging prospect. The trailer below says it all:
Maneater – May 22
PS4, XONE, Switch, PC
Described as “Grand Theft Auto with sharks”, I never thought I would be playing an RPG as a White Pointer. Nevertheless, Tripwire has made the impossible possible with Maneater.
As you progress from a baby shark to an alpha predator, an enthusiastic narrator voiced by Archer and Rick and Morty voice actor Chris Parnell, comments on your terrifying acts. Simultaneous a thoughtful comment on our unrelenting pollution of the ocean, this is certainly a game to keep a close eye on.
Way to the Woods – TBA 2020
PS4, XONE, Switch, Windows
Anthony Tan is a one-man powerhouse. The 16-year-old has been working on Way To The Woods since 2015. This incredibly unique, profound, and gorgeous looking game has pricked up the ears of countless people around the globe.
Centred around the theme of light as power, you play as a deer traversing a post-apocalyptic landscape with his calf. The trailer looks very surreal with fish swimming in the air and metaphoric, glow in the dark antlers.
Haven – TBA 2020
PS4, XONE, Switch, PC
The Game Bakers are best known for their combat-action romp Furi which gained popularity in 2016. Now, the French studio has forged an entirely different experience on Haven, and it looks like pure bliss.
The romantic RPG is set in a futuristic, alien world, where two lovers fly over a beautiful planet. Likely inspired by No Man’s Sky the art direction is magnificent. While it’s hard to grasp the full depth of the story just yet, consider our interested well and truly peaked.
Atomic Heart – TBA 2020
PS4, XONE, Windows
While Atomic Heart was originally slated for release in 2018, it is still one of the most exciting releases in the works, and a shining example of indie games doing AAA work.
Created by Russian based indie studio, Mundfish, it takes direction from steampunk classics like Bioshock and Fallout. The game takes place in an alternate reality where the Soviet Union’s research has led them to a technical revolution in the early 20th-century. It looks intriguing, gory, and a little twisted, so basically it ticks all the boxes.
