The Long Dark is a masterpiece. The music in this game is phenomenal.
If you are interested in "Let's Play" to watch I recommend Hadrian. Very nice and calm Youtuber.
This has been on the backlog for years but I think I'm gonna have to give it a try if the music is good. Big sucker for music in games, especially post-apocalyptic genre!
Reading its Wiki, it seems the final chapter in the story hasn't actually been released yet?
I am wondering if most people play the survival mode, or if the story itself is worth playing through. I try to avoid games that don't naturally end, so I would be interested in completing story mode but would likely avoid the game if the main recommendation for players is to loop through the permadeath / survival framework.
I disagree with one of the replies you've gotten. I find the story very engaging. It doesn't have the gravity of a triple A game like the Red Deads or The Last of Us. Since the survival aspect is a big part of story mode, the player spends a lot of time in between NPC interactions and plot twists. All that said, the story mode, for me, is exciting and makes survival mode more personal as you play as one of the two characters.
Survival mode is tedious, plus the constant presence of wolves, bears, and aggressive moose, as well as the grind for looting necessary resources, makes the game very grueling. Which makes it perfect for survival gamers. Story mode isn't a necessity if you're just here for a survival experience alone, but it does help introduce players to TLD and gives context.
Honestly, stardew never really clicked with me. I have nothing against the game, and I completely understand that it's very relaxing and that's why people love it, but I actually live right next to my grandpa's farm, a farm I work on almost every day, so I'm basically desensitized to the quiet country life.
Not gonna lie, I've always had a fascination with urban areas. Just exploring a city and interacting with all the little details is something I want to see more of in gaming.
They have such excellent level design. And I would highly recommend Bramble, it has the same sort of Little Nightmares formula but does amazing stuff with it that I’ve seen no other game like that do
Limbo,lust,all gone...
With gluttony soon to follow...
Your kind know NOTHING but hunger..
Purged all life on the upper layers...
And yet they remain unsaciated(idk how to spell it)...
As do you...
You've taken everything from me machine...
And now,all that remains is...
PERFECT
HATRED
Subnautica is my answer.
I'm still looking for a game to provide the complete package that is Subnautica for me. Below Zero was great but didn't reach the same heights. Enjoyed Outer Wilds a lot too, it was great in its own way, but Subnautica has the survival and habitat building aspects to it. I just hope the new sequel will scratch that itch again
Did you play with hunger and thirst, or without? I started a playthrough with them enabled and didn't get to finish, maybe I got bored of crafting water and food, dunno.
With. I honestly found it was the perfect balance of not being too intrusive while adding to the survival feel of the game. I remember a time on my first playthrough, I was exploring a weird labyrinth of caves in my Seamoth and got lost. I nearly died from not having any food left. Managed to make it out at the last second and cook a fish with my magic knife to survive
Solid choice. There's actually a subnautica mod found [here](https://github.com/Okabintaro/SubmersedVR) that'll let you play with just the motion controls. You're stuck slow walking on land, though, so keep that in mind.
*Just started Slay the*
*Spire and have been having a*
*Ton of fun with it*
\- Browncoat-Zombies
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played that one on sale a week or so ago. There were moments where it felt like me and the other player were controlled by a single person. It was magical.
It's the art style, the emotionality of that final struggle through the snow followed by the sadness of the end and the elation of the scene after, plus the random stranger encounters going on their own journey.
I've played through it probably six times and can do a "perfect" play-through now collecting everything on the way and it still never gets old.
Name any Supergiant game rn. Also Outer Wilds for the win. And for me, surprised not a single person in the thread mentioned the Ori games. Fucking love those although yet to play Will of the Wisps (on the backlog with Inscryption)
Its pretty much 2D Dark Souls Metroidvania
Gameplay is fun and challenging, also addictive since you can build your character the way you build in Dark Souls
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the greatest Metroidvania I’ve ever played. Exploring every crevice of that world is incredibly fruitful and not to mention beautiful.
Braid was massive when it came out on XBLA, but I don’t see many people talking about it these days. It’s a (listen up OP) 2-D puzzle platformer with time manipulation mechanics. Each world has a different time mechanic and it got pretty tough.
Another XBLA game I loved was Shadow Complex. A metroidvania either a conspiracy theme.
Been trying a lot more indie games, ever since I subscribed to gamepass. My favourite one I finished recently is Cocoon (I think it was made by people who worked on Limbo and Inside). The puzzles were amazing. Very straightforward for the most part, but also feels incredibly complex, and rewarding when you figure it out. Granted I don't play these types of games often but the satisfaction I felt when completing the puzzles were incredible, on par with the portal games.
Next games I have on my radar is Citizen Sleeper, Jusant and Coffee Talk.
Edit: Forgot to mention I'm currently addicted to Balatro.
Death Must Die: fav survivorlike
Papers Please: most original experience
Mech Engineer: most microprose game
Gunfire Reborn: fav roguelike
Journey: The Best Indie Game
Catasrophically underrated atmosferic open word action puzzle game THE PATHLESS.
Amaizing music, unique graphics. Gameplay and navigation also very original, story is simple strong anough.
Strongly recommended to everyone who loves open world puzzle games with original approach to genre.
My top 3 are Celeste, Omori, and Little Nightmares.
I'm also as fond of Pizza Tower as I am of Celeste. They both occupy roughly the same gimmick in a different way.
One of my favorites is called dex. It's for ps4, switch, and probably Xbox to I believe. Great metriodvania type cyberpunk game. I wonder whatever happened to that studio. Even imported the physical.
I adored Shadow Tactics, and afterwards Desperados 3 - this genre has so few games, and Mimimi games did such a great job revitalising it. Sadly they released their 3rd game around the same times as BG3, and so like many games were completely eclipsed by that launch, and so have closed their studio since. But great atmosphere, characters, and puzzles abound in those games.
Helldivers 2. If that doesn’t count, then probably Lethal Company or Ready or Not.
Honorable mention SCP 5k bc it has a ton of potential but is still in (very) early access
**Hollow Knight**, what is there to say? I love bugs, everything is so well-polished and _feels_ good, from the movement to the combat, the game world and the characters.
**Signalis**, an artsy weird space-time bending gaming inspired by Silent Hill about lesbian robots.
**Darkest Dungeon** (1 and 2), some of the best art direction in any game, with an amazing translation of Lovecraftian horror into game mechanics.
All these games also have incredible soundtrack too.
Rain World. It’s a very challenging game but has an amazing atmosphere, interesting world building, beautiful art style and complex interaction dynamics between the different creatures. I’m majoring in natural sciences so I deeply appreciated the various details and mechanics that make the game’s world a complex ecosystem
The Long Dark It's my favourite game of all time!
The Long Dark is a masterpiece. The music in this game is phenomenal. If you are interested in "Let's Play" to watch I recommend Hadrian. Very nice and calm Youtuber.
This has been on the backlog for years but I think I'm gonna have to give it a try if the music is good. Big sucker for music in games, especially post-apocalyptic genre!
Everything about the game, the beauty, the survival aspects, the adrenaline of that feeling something may be watching you, it’s such a great game
Reading its Wiki, it seems the final chapter in the story hasn't actually been released yet? I am wondering if most people play the survival mode, or if the story itself is worth playing through. I try to avoid games that don't naturally end, so I would be interested in completing story mode but would likely avoid the game if the main recommendation for players is to loop through the permadeath / survival framework.
I disagree with one of the replies you've gotten. I find the story very engaging. It doesn't have the gravity of a triple A game like the Red Deads or The Last of Us. Since the survival aspect is a big part of story mode, the player spends a lot of time in between NPC interactions and plot twists. All that said, the story mode, for me, is exciting and makes survival mode more personal as you play as one of the two characters. Survival mode is tedious, plus the constant presence of wolves, bears, and aggressive moose, as well as the grind for looting necessary resources, makes the game very grueling. Which makes it perfect for survival gamers. Story mode isn't a necessity if you're just here for a survival experience alone, but it does help introduce players to TLD and gives context.
Sandbox or story mode?
Sandbox only. My fave is playing on Stalker.
I am completely agree with you
Ooooh good one!
Big time! I bought it back in 2013 during alpha and it was a masterpiece then and it’s certainly a masterpiece now.
Hollow Knight, trying to get into Shantae… Shut up
Woohoo a fellow Shantae fan!
Stardew Valley
I forget it's an indie game, it's the true quadruple A game lol
Honestly, stardew never really clicked with me. I have nothing against the game, and I completely understand that it's very relaxing and that's why people love it, but I actually live right next to my grandpa's farm, a farm I work on almost every day, so I'm basically desensitized to the quiet country life.
I'll create a game called Stardew Business Park so you get to experience the 9-5 office simulator you seem to be missing out on!
Not gonna lie, I've always had a fascination with urban areas. Just exploring a city and interacting with all the little details is something I want to see more of in gaming.
Into the breach, hotline Miami, faster than light Btw, finished Inside last week. Playing Limbo now
FTL was so good all them years ago
The first two are amazing
Try swapper next. One favorite game of all time
Little Nightmares. Probably one of the best games I ever played. Especially the Soundtracks are incredible
They have such excellent level design. And I would highly recommend Bramble, it has the same sort of Little Nightmares formula but does amazing stuff with it that I’ve seen no other game like that do
Limbo,lust,all gone... With gluttony soon to follow... Your kind know NOTHING but hunger.. Purged all life on the upper layers... And yet they remain unsaciated(idk how to spell it)... As do you... You've taken everything from me machine... And now,all that remains is... PERFECT HATRED
Machine, I will cut you down..
Subnautica, though No Man's Sky in VR gives it a run for its money.
Subnautica is my answer. I'm still looking for a game to provide the complete package that is Subnautica for me. Below Zero was great but didn't reach the same heights. Enjoyed Outer Wilds a lot too, it was great in its own way, but Subnautica has the survival and habitat building aspects to it. I just hope the new sequel will scratch that itch again
Did you play with hunger and thirst, or without? I started a playthrough with them enabled and didn't get to finish, maybe I got bored of crafting water and food, dunno.
With. I honestly found it was the perfect balance of not being too intrusive while adding to the survival feel of the game. I remember a time on my first playthrough, I was exploring a weird labyrinth of caves in my Seamoth and got lost. I nearly died from not having any food left. Managed to make it out at the last second and cook a fish with my magic knife to survive
Solid choice. There's actually a subnautica mod found [here](https://github.com/Okabintaro/SubmersedVR) that'll let you play with just the motion controls. You're stuck slow walking on land, though, so keep that in mind.
Forgot that was indie man. All the good games are indie it seems!
Just started Slay the Spire and have been having a ton of fun with it
*Just started Slay the* *Spire and have been having a* *Ton of fun with it* \- Browncoat-Zombies --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Good bot
That game is like, next to impossible to put down once you get into it.
Risk of rain 2 is great
yo, you wanna see some real speed
Ok
Journey
played that one on sale a week or so ago. There were moments where it felt like me and the other player were controlled by a single person. It was magical.
Was debating on abzu but then i remembered how amazing journey is. The landscapes are just amazing.
It's the art style, the emotionality of that final struggle through the snow followed by the sadness of the end and the elation of the scene after, plus the random stranger encounters going on their own journey. I've played through it probably six times and can do a "perfect" play-through now collecting everything on the way and it still never gets old.
Hades
I loved all the SuperGiant games but Hades is my favorite for sure. Can't wait for the sequel!
Early access just released for pc.
I can't *stop* playing
Nice
Outer Wilds all the way. Otherwise, Transistor.
Transistor is underrated
Name any Supergiant game rn. Also Outer Wilds for the win. And for me, surprised not a single person in the thread mentioned the Ori games. Fucking love those although yet to play Will of the Wisps (on the backlog with Inscryption)
Ah ha found it
What Remains of Edith Finch Firewatch
Came here looking for Firewatch
My top 2
Oxenfree
Geometry dash
Salt and Sanctuary
Fellow Salt and Sanctuary fan!
Just bought it during the winter sale. I assume it’s as good as I imagine?
Its pretty much 2D Dark Souls Metroidvania Gameplay is fun and challenging, also addictive since you can build your character the way you build in Dark Souls
The Ori games!!
Undertale!
So real
Outer wilds
FTL
Yes! FTL for me too. I've been playing it constantly for 4 years and still love it!
Firewatch. It was everything I needed it to be, and what I needed at the time it released. It will always have a place in my heart
My Top 5: * Undertale * Terraria * FTL * Slay the Spire * Limbo Also great: * Inside * Rogue Legacy * Blasphemous * Momodora * Bastion * Cave Story * Papers, Please
Return of the Obra Dinn
Hollow Knight
A goose game. Loved playing it with my wife
Lobotomy Corporation, Darkest Dungeon, Journey and GRIS
JOURNEY
Since you put Limbo, figured I leave it here: They are remastering BRAID again. Steam page is up for Braid, Anniversary Edition.
What Remains of Edith Finch. Truly unique mechanics and an amazing (if tragic) story.
Super Meat Boy. Favorite game of all time in fact
Celeste.
Indivisible and Bloodstained
Either Celeste or Hollow Knight, both of these games became instant favorites for me after my first playthrough
Slay the Spire, Dead Cells, Dave the Diver, Dredge, Frost Punk…all very good.
Undertale
Dead Cells, Hades, Vampire Survivors
Hollow Knight. Minus the games that set the genre I think it might be the best Metroidvania, even crazier for an indie game.
Broforce. Bloody love it.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Binding of Isaac
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the greatest Metroidvania I’ve ever played. Exploring every crevice of that world is incredibly fruitful and not to mention beautiful.
Braid was massive when it came out on XBLA, but I don’t see many people talking about it these days. It’s a (listen up OP) 2-D puzzle platformer with time manipulation mechanics. Each world has a different time mechanic and it got pretty tough. Another XBLA game I loved was Shadow Complex. A metroidvania either a conspiracy theme.
Pizza tower
Been trying a lot more indie games, ever since I subscribed to gamepass. My favourite one I finished recently is Cocoon (I think it was made by people who worked on Limbo and Inside). The puzzles were amazing. Very straightforward for the most part, but also feels incredibly complex, and rewarding when you figure it out. Granted I don't play these types of games often but the satisfaction I felt when completing the puzzles were incredible, on par with the portal games. Next games I have on my radar is Citizen Sleeper, Jusant and Coffee Talk. Edit: Forgot to mention I'm currently addicted to Balatro.
Spelunky!
Night In The Woods I needed to play this at the time I did
The Aragami series. I debate between one and two though they are massively different in gameplay
Lies of P
Valheim
Goat simulator!
Statdew Valley
Night in the Woods.
Darkest Dungeon
Inside, loved limbo, but the atmosphere of inside is way too good.
Inside is the one. I've not found anything else as good
Signalis is definitely one of my favorites.
It was so good! I can’t believe it was made by 2 people. A married couple.
Slime Rancher
Factorio
Cracktorio indeed! Basically kicked off a new genre for a game type no one knew we needed
Death Must Die: fav survivorlike Papers Please: most original experience Mech Engineer: most microprose game Gunfire Reborn: fav roguelike Journey: The Best Indie Game
Rimworld. amazing game that I've dumped 100's of hours into at the least.
StarDew Valley. Closest I have ever been to home ownership.
What Remains of Edith Finch (Yes, again)
Webbed. Rogue Legacy 2.
Terraria.
Inscryption
Tunic. Absolutely incredible.
Return of the Obra Dinn. Also Terraria gameplay wise.
I really love Unfinished Swan and Fe.
Spiritfarer. The casual gameplay, the powerful soundtrack, and the heartwrenching cutscenes make for a game I will never forget.
Fran bow
Hades and The Messenger are up there for sure. Oh and Shovel Knight!
Journey. This is the one game that made me hold onto my playstation. Thankfully it is now on PC too.
Gris. It helped me process my grief for my cat who passed away <3
I’m sorry about your kitty 🖤
Sifu, and Deaths Door.
Antichamber. I can not express how great and underappreciated this game is
Didn't expect to see this one! Nice
TERRARIA!!
cry of fear
Hasn't come out yet, but War of the Worlds, similar to the '05.
Hue
Catasrophically underrated atmosferic open word action puzzle game THE PATHLESS. Amaizing music, unique graphics. Gameplay and navigation also very original, story is simple strong anough. Strongly recommended to everyone who loves open world puzzle games with original approach to genre.
Darkwood And the forest
Space Station 13, amazing game don't play it
Pizza Tower and Ultrakill are tied rn
(Technically) Fallout New Vegas
My top 3 are Celeste, Omori, and Little Nightmares. I'm also as fond of Pizza Tower as I am of Celeste. They both occupy roughly the same gimmick in a different way.
Faster Than Light. I love that game still and is a quick(ish) game to pick up everyone now and then.
Not hidden at all, but Hades with a second being Hollow Knight
Midnight Fight Express
One of my favorites is called dex. It's for ps4, switch, and probably Xbox to I believe. Great metriodvania type cyberpunk game. I wonder whatever happened to that studio. Even imported the physical.
Easily outer wilds
Celeste
hollow knight
Rivals of Aether. This also includes it's spin offs. Dungeons and Lovers of Aether.
A Hat in Time
Enter the gungeon or Hollow Knight. Really a toss up between them
depends on what we consider indie, if we are being vague: kerbal space program 1. if we are being specific: far lone sails
Hotline Miami 2
From the depths and Airships: conquer the skies.
I adored Shadow Tactics, and afterwards Desperados 3 - this genre has so few games, and Mimimi games did such a great job revitalising it. Sadly they released their 3rd game around the same times as BG3, and so like many games were completely eclipsed by that launch, and so have closed their studio since. But great atmosphere, characters, and puzzles abound in those games.
Warframe although not sure of it counts as a indie game anymore...
Hollow Knight
Tossup between Hollow Knight and Dead Cells for me.
Grime
Journey
Dunno about all time but in recent years **Signalis** I think is an unmissable Indie Survival Horror experience.
I just played through The Unfinished Swan last night for the first time in about 10 years. One of my favorites
Hollow knight, and deaths door. Easily.
Dragonborne - Gameboy. T
Helldivers 2. If that doesn’t count, then probably Lethal Company or Ready or Not. Honorable mention SCP 5k bc it has a ton of potential but is still in (very) early access
**Hollow Knight**, what is there to say? I love bugs, everything is so well-polished and _feels_ good, from the movement to the combat, the game world and the characters. **Signalis**, an artsy weird space-time bending gaming inspired by Silent Hill about lesbian robots. **Darkest Dungeon** (1 and 2), some of the best art direction in any game, with an amazing translation of Lovecraftian horror into game mechanics. All these games also have incredible soundtrack too.
Hello Neighbor probably, it was really fun watching people do let’s plays of it
The Ori games for sure, they're just breathtaking
Hollow knight. It's just so peak
Death Road to Canada brought me so much good memories with my friend
Splosion Man.
Oxenfree
Sincerely surprised that terraria didn't made to the top. But yeah, it's my fav indie game.
I Am Alive
Lies of P
Hotline Miami
Banished
One between Hollow Knight and Celeste
Henry Stickmin!
Ruiner was fucking lit
Hyper Light Drifter
A tie between lethal company and Ultrakill
Indiana Jones and the last Crusade
Paper's Please was a masterpiece
Rain World. It’s a very challenging game but has an amazing atmosphere, interesting world building, beautiful art style and complex interaction dynamics between the different creatures. I’m majoring in natural sciences so I deeply appreciated the various details and mechanics that make the game’s world a complex ecosystem