I love indie games.
I could leave that as the whole post, but I won’t. I like me some Triple A games, obviously, as Dark Souls III is my favorite game of all time, but overall, I like indies better. There are Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall), Hades (Supergiant Games), Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games) and Cozy Grove (Spry Fox). Add to that Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (Edmund McMillen), my most-played game of all time.
In addition, there are plenty of indie games that I liked even if they’re not my favorite. Going Under by Aggro Crab. Death’s Door by Acid Nerve. Cook, Serve, Delicious! by David Galindo. All three of them, but especially the second one. Nuclear Throne by Vlambeer. Then there are the ones that I’m not good enough to finish, but I love so much. Dead Cells by Twin Motion, Hollow Knight by Team Cherry, and the aforementioned Nuclear Throne. I did beat the Throne a few times, but I don’t consider myself having beaten the game because there is so much more after that ‘final’ boss. Same with Dead Cells. I did finally beat the ‘final’ boss once, but that’s just the beginning of the game.
On any given days, if you set aside Souls games, I would rather play an indie. Yes, they have the chance to fail miserably, but they also can soar in a way Triple As can’t. They can be out there like Boyfriend Dungeon by Kitfox Games, a game that had a misstep at launch, but ultimately, was a worthwhile game to play. The way it portrays stalking is real–too real for some–and it’s an important thing to talk about. Plus, being able to date people of all genders is a nice touch. I hope there’s DLC, which I would happily play.
Then there are the indie games that I really wanted to like, but I just couldn’t for one reason or the other. There are some I couldn’t play because they’re first person, Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope, who made the brilliant Papers, Please), What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow), and Paradise Killer (Kaizen Game Works) are three that spring to mind.
There are some I just didn’t get on with, even though they should have been for me. Disco Elysium (ZA/UM) was a game I was willing to hang out in and try to let it warm up on me until a child said something so egregious, it stopped me cold. I put down the game and refused to pick it up again. Then there’s Unpacking by Witch Beam, who made the delightful Assault Android Cactus, which I didn’t realize until a month or so ago. Unpacking came out this year (2021) to much acclaim about what a chill and soothing game it is. I found it stressful when I misplaced things, especially when it was something that I couldn’t discern what it was–and it showed up in house after house. Both of these games have been praised to the sky and I feel like it’s something wrong with me that I can’t get along with either of them.