Hey folks, not feeling too great for more than a few reasons right now, so do me a favour will you? Tell me about your favourite indie games, and what makes them so special to you.
Replies
Easy red 2 is the best world war 2 game. It is better than any AAA ww2 game
aug 28, 2025, 9:07 pm • 1 0 • view
I am personally a huge fan of Anchorhead. Big inspiration in making interactive fiction. Came w/ the v pleasant surprise of having a woman as the MC. Not common in that era of Lovecraft fiction. There's a Steam release but the OG unillustrated version is still available for people to play.
aug 28, 2025, 5:13 pm • 7 0 • view
I have always loved little text parser games even if they frustrate me, a person who overthinks puzzles at every available opportunity. Anchorhead appeared at a time in my life I really needed to see 'Oh I could do something like this' and imo greased the wheels enough to get me writing again.
aug 28, 2025, 5:15 pm • 6 0 • view
It even works secondhand! A friend of mine was a tester on it, and she spoke of it so glowingly it eventually drew me into the IF hobby scene.
aug 28, 2025, 11:31 pm • 2 0 • view
Ikenfell. No cishet characters in the whole game. And a very charming story.
aug 28, 2025, 4:41 pm • 2 0 • view
I played that and really liked it. Very cute game, and the mechanics were fun.
aug 28, 2025, 5:17 pm • 2 0 • view
OFF really came into my life at the exact right time, and it combined with a fan game, HOME, tell such an evocative, fascinating story, and while they’re not unique now, seeing where some of the wild things people have done with rpgmaker started was such a delight
aug 28, 2025, 4:55 pm • 5 0 • view
CrossCode, for revisiting the Seiken Densetsu ("of Mana" series) combat style from the 16-bit era and improving greatly on it. Too bad there is no multiplayer or job change, but I can overlook it for the elemental system and actually great exploration and puzzles.
aug 28, 2025, 4:51 pm • 3 0 • view
As an added note, this is not my all-time favorite game. I think it is REALLY good tho, and not talked about enough. Pretty sure Dwarf Fortress, Hollow Knight and Undertale will receive their flowers, and I do love them, but I'd like to shout out the likes of CrossCode, Odd Realm and Unsighted here.
aug 29, 2025, 11:59 am • 1 0 • view
My favourite indie game is Antichamber (2013). A genuinely novel concept, puzzles with mind-bending non-Euclidian and impossible physics. So very clever. PS: Sending virtual hugs🫂, with love and solidarity 🏳️⚧️
aug 28, 2025, 11:47 pm • 2 0 • view
I love Balatro because it's an endlessly engaging game I know I can play even if my mobility, reflexes, concentration, ability to form memories, and planning are all completely shot, because that's exactly how I learned to play it. I don't remember getting it or learning it. It's just there.
aug 28, 2025, 4:47 pm • 8 0 • view
There are other games I got after watching a streamer play it, but I think Vampire Survivors is the only one I got while still watching. I can't imagine ever having picked it up without being able to see the appeal in action, demonstrated and explained by someone who loved it and *got* it.
aug 28, 2025, 4:50 pm • 3 0 • view
And for both games, the appeal... well, I mean, I'm go to be honest. A lot of the appeal is arithmetic? I have some pretty compelling evidence that I can lose a lot of higher cognitive functioning before numbers stop making sense to me, stop mattering.
aug 28, 2025, 4:52 pm • 3 0 • view
I would have always said that story and characterization matter more to me than most things in a game, but it turns out the part of me that loves numbers and the part of me that loves system design... a good rogue-like builder game, build strategy amounts to designing a system to achieve a goal.
aug 28, 2025, 4:54 pm • 3 0 • view
I just started playing Herdling, which is just about a kid herding fantasy animals, and there's a good deal of petting the animals and feeding them and herding them through flowers and stuff and I dig it. Reminds me pleasantly of Sheep (old GBA game) but with fantasy vibes.
aug 28, 2025, 11:28 pm • 1 0 • view
It's still in development but I'm a huge fan of Voices of the Void, it's such a good aesthetic, lots of chunky cold war era tech, blurs the line between spooky and cozy too, and kinda helped me process some feelings about working from home I didn't know I had
aug 28, 2025, 4:42 pm • 1 0 • view
Hard to pick a strict favourite, but recently my brain is stuck on Slitterhead I know it might be a bit big budget for an indie, but the devs formed Bokeh Studio so they could make the game they wanted The cast is super unique,the monster designs are gorgeous and the combat rules Play it
aug 28, 2025, 11:44 pm • 2 0 • view
Let me elaborate: The playable cast contains a sex worker, a homeless ex-pro boxer, a fat Pakistani housekeeper who does kung-fu and several others They have rapport, they have banter, there's drama, the game touches on how people's social groups influence them and vice versa
aug 29, 2025, 12:10 am • 2 0 • view
The titular Slitterheads are all generally Mantis-shaped, but in a variety of flavours, from simply giant bugs, through tentacle monsters, to coral creatures
aug 29, 2025, 12:21 am • 2 0 • view
Oh and the music absolutely slaps, Akira Yamaoka just came in and chose violence www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNLz...
aug 29, 2025, 12:22 am • 1 0 • view
Oh and the gameplay itself is pretty honking unique You bring up to two Rarities - named characters - into any mission, but you can bodyhop into any random person you come across You have a bunch of powers, most of them blood-powered, costing HP. What powers those are is based on the Rarities
aug 29, 2025, 12:26 am • 1 0 • view
The combat is oriented around directional parries, there's a system that reminds me of MonHun's tail cutting but suitably more gruesome, everyone has a distinct fighting style and in chase segments, despite your quarries being monsters, you get to feel like the scariest thing around
aug 29, 2025, 12:29 am • 1 0 • view
The game is a bit jank and somewhat repetitive, but the thrill and the atmosphere just cannot be matched - to the point where once the plot went into A Direction I was vocally pleading with the game to not make me do what I was going to do
aug 29, 2025, 12:31 am • 1 0 • view
Honestly, not sure how much this one qualifies as an indie given who made it, but its been living rent free in my head for half a year now. Just, where do I start, the level design, the characters, the story and the soundtrack, after being burned by modern FE this game was made me love srpgs again
aug 28, 2025, 4:43 pm • 1 0 • view
If my PC didn't combust at the start of the month and the shop handling the warranty wasn't dragging its feet, I would be knee deep into making a video about it, was in the middle of replaying the game and writing the script before my plans were ruined.
aug 28, 2025, 4:44 pm • 1 0 • view
The Freedom Planet series really takes me back the earliest days of the Sonic fandom... Not only in its "Sonic 3&K if designed by Treasure" gameplay but the story scratches the same itch as the SatAM series...
aug 28, 2025, 4:46 pm • 3 0 • view
One of my all time favorites is Transistor. Its an action strategy game that focuses combining powerups to get cool creative effects. Its made by the same devs as Hades and its art and music are breathtaking. Its a love story wrapped in the fall of an utopian society with a lil cosmic horror added.
aug 28, 2025, 5:24 pm • 2 0 • view
There’s this power up that lets you summon a dog and you can combine it with a multiplier and summon a bunch of dogs. Are the dogs good? No. Do I care? Also no.
aug 28, 2025, 5:27 pm • 2 0 • view
I've told so many people about "Adios." I made my parents play it, hahaha. The interactions felt so genuine and its probably one of my favorite uses of 'the illusion of choice' in a game. And as a grown-ass adult? Im very glad its 1 hour long. I hope things look up for you soon, Big Dog...
aug 28, 2025, 4:42 pm • 17 2 • view
Kitty Horrorshow's got *several* games that could easily take the crown of "favorite indie game" but I have to give it to what is probably her most popular outing Anatomy, a game whose atmosphere is both sad and very suffocating, its a game I still have stuck in my brain like a splinter
aug 28, 2025, 4:51 pm • 3 0 • view
Stardew Valley! Getting older and transitioning (both into myself and the field if Horticulture) the game has been a touchstone for referring to how I want to give to my community, be valued by it, and be true to who I am. :3 🏳️⚧️😊🪴
aug 28, 2025, 4:52 pm • 1 0 • view
Cave Story: the precursor to this modern era. Beautiful metroidvania with tons of content and extremely relatable characters. Blip and Blop 3 - Balls of Steel: a spectacular Metal Slug clone with 80s cartoon characters. An Untitled Story: amazing MS Paint metroidvania with surprising depth.
aug 28, 2025, 7:46 pm • 2 0 • view
The King's Quest and Quest for Glory VGA remakes.
aug 28, 2025, 8:04 pm • 1 0 • view
one of my favorites is Mindustry! Its a level based factory builder, where you flit around as a little drone constructing both defenses, and unit constructors! Seeing a factory up and running... Its really something else
aug 28, 2025, 5:16 pm • 1 0 • view
Does the Gobliiins series count? They might have had a "big" publisher at the time. I still think about Fingus and Winkle. Top-tier character designs. Otherwise, Fjörds. And the related multi-game save file tomfoolery. Genius beyond compare. And borderline unintelligible. Put it on a satellite.
aug 28, 2025, 5:06 pm • 2 0 • view
Perfect Tides, a Bildungsroman of the Y2K era that explores the intersection of teenage sexual awakening and understanding that adulthood is presenting a facile representation of reality to mask pain.
aug 28, 2025, 5:28 pm • 2 0 • view
Slay the Princess. Not just a masterclass in how many branching paths you could possibly fit into a visual novel (second only to the devs’ other game, Scarlet Hollow), but also incredibly bold in its storytelling considering its limited scope. It doesn’t pull punches regarding consequences.
aug 28, 2025, 7:58 pm • 2 0 • view
There were a number of times where I thought, “They wouldn’t ACTUALLY go there, right? Surely there’s going to be some last minute reprieve that’ll soften the blow like every other ‘choices matter’ type video game?” And yet, they did, and the game was much better for it, even if it hurt!
aug 28, 2025, 8:00 pm • 2 0 • view
The best routes in the game (imo) are the ones where you have to fuck up spectacularly first before trying to make things right. A lot of video games are so conflict-averse and scared of making their characters “unlikeable” that they lack sympathy for difficult people & situations.
aug 28, 2025, 8:02 pm • 1 0 • view
But this isn’t about making the right choice that makes everyone happy, since there *is* no such choice by design. What’s important is seeing what you’re truly made of, and what the Princess is truly capable of depending on the situation.
aug 28, 2025, 8:04 pm • 2 0 • view
And every possible outcome, every possible version of you and her, are treated with such compassion that it made my heart heavy even if I didn’t outright cry. Even the darkest corners of your & her hearts can tell you so much about each other in the context of everything else.
aug 28, 2025, 8:06 pm • 1 0 • view
The game doesn’t judge you for your choices. Instead, you’re left to reflect and judge yourself, then use what you’ve learned to make your final choice. Every possible path is its own meaningful, self-contained narrative built just for you. What an incredible feat of interactive storytelling.
aug 28, 2025, 8:08 pm • 1 0 • view
Also, I *love* the Princess. She is probably among my favorite character in anything ever. It speaks to the strength of the writing that there’s something to love in each of her many faces. Even when she’s antagonistic, conflict can always lead to growth and greater understanding.
aug 28, 2025, 8:14 pm • 1 0 • view
As ambitious and skillful as it is, it made me want to try taking a crack at programming a visual novel of my own someday, even if it’d take years for me to eventually produce something remotely approaching its level.
aug 28, 2025, 8:16 pm • 1 0 • view
Deep Rock Galactic is a masterclass in cooperative game design. It's maybe the only online multiplayer game where I have a consistent good time with friends and strangers alike. Though updates have slowed, it's community is something special for sure.
aug 28, 2025, 4:51 pm • 4 0 • view
The Journey Down is a 3 episode point and click with heavy influence from African and Caribbean culture, my wife and I played it a lot together right after we got married.
aug 28, 2025, 4:46 pm • 1 0 • view
Grim Dawn is a game I've played since 2017, it's been consistently supported by a small team and its 3rd expansion is expected next year. It boldly asks "what if Diablo 4 came out 10 years ago and was good?"
aug 28, 2025, 4:43 pm • 1 0 • view
Sunless Sea and its sequel Sunless Skies have some of the best character writing in any game I’ve played, surrounded by a world that is haunting and cruel and beautiful and funny in equal measure.
aug 28, 2025, 4:52 pm • 2 0 • view
Undertale touched my soul in a way that I don't think anything has, before or since. I think it fundamentally rewired my brain and I'm a better person for it. I still can't believe it came out almost ten years ago because it still resonates as strongly with me today as it did then.
aug 28, 2025, 4:41 pm • 3 0 • view
Abiotic Factor has been hitting a specific itch that almost no other game possibly can. Half Life but youre a scientist and its a survival game. Map is hand crafted, has survival mechanics, and you can make a crossbow that shoots pens. When im not playing all i can think is "i really wanna play now"
aug 28, 2025, 4:41 pm • 4 0 • view
Oh and if you do play it never take the negative trait "Fear of Violence" on your first run at least. Its a new player trap and essentially makes the game become insane hard mode.
aug 28, 2025, 4:44 pm • 1 0 • view
Not an indie game per-se (no such thing back then), but I've got a lot of fond memories of playing D-Generation. The game came bundled with the first sound card I bought.
aug 28, 2025, 10:30 pm • 2 0 • view
H: Shadows Over Loathing it's the perfect mix of weird comedy, dramatic writing, and actual horror concepts, and beyond that, it's just a really fun take on lovecraftian horror, which is a genre we all adore :)
aug 28, 2025, 4:51 pm • 3 0 • view
I really really love the To the Moon series because I think it has so much heart and they are so well written, they are stories that are gonna stick with me my whole life. Most people only play To the Moon then stop but there are three more games and they're all extremely good!
aug 28, 2025, 4:42 pm • 1 0 • view
Across The Grooves is one of the most affecting experiences I’ve had from a indie game. It was probably one of my first visual novels and it helped me come to terms with the idea that there’s no right way to be a woman, and that following my heart was what mattered (even if that wasn’t it’s intent)
aug 28, 2025, 4:54 pm • 1 0 • view
A Short Hike is my absolute favorite indie game, simply because it's summer distilled down to an adorable hiking SIM with lovely animal characters to meet! The gameplay is fun, the writing is lovely, and it saved me mentally during lockdown!
aug 28, 2025, 5:06 pm • 3 0 • view
I play gravity bone and thirty flights of loving back to back a lot. Both games convinced me that yes, editing was possible in games (I'd theorized, but they proved it was doable), and there's also that orange peel moment, that cemented "a game doesn't have to just be combat. the verbs can be more"
aug 28, 2025, 4:43 pm • 16 0 • view
Misericorde 1 and 2 spoke to me, not just because the mystery and characters were unique and compelling, but as a former catholic school kid no longer with the faith it's portrayal of life in a community that so highly prioritizes faith and deference was, I dunno, cathartic?
aug 28, 2025, 4:55 pm • 2 0 • view
Like, for me, it's tough to find something that walks the balance between exploring those communities and what life in them is like without valorizing them or coming down hard in a 2000s internet atheist sort of way. I think Misericorde is one of the few works I've seen that does it well.
aug 28, 2025, 4:55 pm • 1 0 • view
There's one particular bit, I'm paraphrasing it, where one of the more inscrutable characters comments on Christianity being like air for her; less a held belief and more a part of the ecosystem that she's powerless to fight because it fulfills a need. It's hard-hitting for an ex-Catholic.
aug 28, 2025, 4:55 pm • 1 0 • view
River City Girls It's just such a fun beat'em up
aug 28, 2025, 6:07 pm • 3 0 • view
It's a simple twist on a classic but the absurd banter and surpringly subdued and moody synth music really elevate the experience.
aug 29, 2025, 4:23 am • 2 0 • view
Blue Prince! It finally gave me a use for all the notebooks and twine I had stockpiled 😂
aug 28, 2025, 5:06 pm • 2 0 • view
This year? Blue Prince, which I discovered through you, has been an absolute joy. It's been the first game me and my partner have beaten together and it was so rewarding. Of all time? Uh... there's a lot to choose from but the first that comes to mind is Pseudoregalia. Best movement ever.
aug 28, 2025, 4:49 pm • 3 0 • view
does S.P.A.Z. count? love that game. lots of ways to play. one of these days i gotta try a full stealth mode play through
aug 28, 2025, 4:53 pm • 1 0 • view
Shapez2 went on sale so i picked it up and now all i can think about my little factory. It has pulled me over the logistics hump that factorio couldn't convince me to summit. Maybe its the level of abstraction, maybe its just a nicer environment, idk
aug 28, 2025, 7:48 pm • 3 0 • view
I have one. It's called spectre, I can't found it anymore. It was in the list of indiegames runners on the igf in the time that indie games where braid and supermeat boys. Was a game made in FLASH, rough as it could be. But probably was the game that most sticked with me+
aug 28, 2025, 5:24 pm • 4 0 • view
+ the game is basically about this old guy with alzehimer that every run go for a walk in the snowy garden an every snowflake represent a little memory. You basically get 5 memories and if they have a common thread you unlock one memory about the character
aug 28, 2025, 5:24 pm • 2 0 • view
Final Vendetta is such a cool game, it captures the feel of a hypothetical refined Neo Geo beat 'em up that never was, its overall game feel is so crisp, and it has great enemy and encounter design. It's my favorite indie bmup I've played, though Fight 'n Rage is also really good.
aug 28, 2025, 5:19 pm • 1 0 • view
I think about Before the Green Moon a lot. Harvest Moon by way of The Dispossessed with an excellent cast of characters and a sort of Boku no Natsuyasumi-esque plodding plot that constantly catches you off guard with poignancy. It's such a brilliant way to breath new life into an established genre.
aug 28, 2025, 4:49 pm • 1 0 • view
At the moment, I’m kind of hopelessly addicted to Hollywood Animal. I’m actively playing it during its beta period; it’s got loads of fun mechanics which reflect the actual shady reality of golden-era Hollywood and it also functions as a brilliant creativity engine for movies.
aug 28, 2025, 5:39 pm • 1 0 • view
The Longing. An extremely slow paced mixture between an idle game and an adventure game. Very melencholic, but it's a game I don't think I'll ever forget.
aug 28, 2025, 4:46 pm • 3 0 • view
I would also like to put points towards it.
aug 28, 2025, 4:57 pm • 3 0 • view
Stardew valley and Timberborn are my all time favorites. I keep going back to them again and again. They're cozy, sometimes stressful, but so fulfilling
aug 28, 2025, 4:49 pm • 1 0 • view
Terraria has been one of my favorite games of all time for the longest time. In my eyes, it’s a game that absolutely nails open-ended progression in a sandbox/open world. It always feels like there’s stuff to discover no matter where you are progression-wise.
aug 29, 2025, 1:50 am • 2 0 • view
The best part is that it’s still being updated 12 years later and it’s unlikely to stop anytime soon when remember how many updates were treated as the final one. And that’s not even getting into the pretty good modding scene.
aug 29, 2025, 1:50 am • 1 0 • view
Hidden Folks. It's such a wonderful time bouncing between a relaxing puzzle game and "I need to lock in and find Roger". And personally? Some other donkey always got the Where's Wally books out of the primary school library before I could AND I NEVER GOT TO FIND WALLY so this is deeply cathartic.
aug 28, 2025, 5:21 pm • 3 0 • view
My favorite shifts and changes, but Gnomes is pretty great. Simple, rogue-like gameplay with equally simple graphics.
aug 28, 2025, 6:01 pm • 2 0 • view
Hey Casey hope you feel better soon. One of my games of all time is Deeprock Galactic and I'm pretty sure it was because you got patstaresat to play on stream. It was a wonderful hangout game for my friends and I during lockdown
aug 28, 2025, 6:21 pm • 7 0 • view
Oh that's awesome
aug 28, 2025, 6:27 pm • 4 0 • view
Rough question. I really love Fights in Tight Spaces because it is a perfect game for playing on long boring business calls where I still have to pay attention. Balatro is great for helping my hands stay busy while podcasts lull me to sleep, 8 hate poker but I love deck building.
aug 28, 2025, 5:03 pm • 4 0 • view
It is unfair to include hades, so good I love beta testing The Spirit Lift from @prettysmart.bsky.social and can't want till it is final. Deckbulders are featuring strongly in my list I think spiritfairer counts right? So touching and beautiful.
aug 28, 2025, 5:07 pm • 3 0 • view
💖✨
aug 28, 2025, 10:17 pm • 3 0 • view
Gaucamelee. It's such a great Metroidvania, but it does a tremendous job of distinguishing itself in the genre. It's a unique spin with so many memorable moments and great combat. Also, the music and art direction are beautiful.
aug 28, 2025, 5:55 pm • 6 0 • view
Iconoclasts is a game I found on your curator page! I love it, I loved the art, I loved exploring and all the storytelling. I sure as heck wasn't good at it but i finished it, i beat all the bosses. I loved and hated how much heartbreak it had, i cried a few times. Years go by but I still love it
aug 29, 2025, 3:54 am • 2 0 • view
Thank you! I really love that game. And yeah, it can seriously hit some heavy feels.
aug 29, 2025, 4:27 am • 2 0 • view
Right now, Amber Isle. Cute as hell dino shopkeeper sim. Animal Crossing made like a bajillion times better cuz dinosaurs. <3 Critter Cove is pretty close behind it. Unsure if indie or not, but It Takes Two is also good fun that i played with a bud and his wife recently? :)
aug 28, 2025, 4:41 pm • 1 0 • view
Obra Dinn is way up there for the obvious joy of the first singular experience of playing it. Thinking you're just unravelling what looks like a mutiny gone way wrong and then you get to the first death which reveals that "You may have made an assumption of what genre this was going to be" 👌👌
aug 28, 2025, 4:42 pm • 4 0 • view
Russian Subway Dogs holds a decent little place in my heart because where else can you set burritos on fire with Vodka? store.steampowered.com/app/762610/R...
aug 28, 2025, 4:51 pm • 2 0 • view
Tunic. It gave me so many good vibes, right down to the in game instruction manual with little folds, creases and notes. A truly wonderful game. I'll play it again, but I'm waiting for the memory to fade some more.
aug 28, 2025, 4:48 pm • 3 0 • view
Hades - during my mother's separation of my dad, I played the game non-stop. I realized it was a coping mechanism.
aug 28, 2025, 5:03 pm • 4 0 • view
Zachtronics games, they just feel so satisfying when a puzzle solution finally clicks into place
aug 28, 2025, 4:58 pm • 2 0 • view
Stardew Valley, probably. Just a chance to escape for an hour or two whenever I need to, hang out with the pixel people and do a few light chores.
aug 28, 2025, 5:34 pm • 2 0 • view
Pedroland DX it's like Mario. But Mexican. It's also fairly cheap and has a ton of content packed in such as a gallery and a whole dedicated to the story of the series. You can play as multiple character, the games are quite small but fun. And you have a gun. Also Pedro is my comfort character.
aug 28, 2025, 11:00 pm • 1 0 • view
This has so many typos. *And a whole dedicated secret level touching on the story of the series. You can play as multiple characters with unique movesets. They games are small bite sized pieces of fun that'll take you a minimum of an hour each.
aug 29, 2025, 1:26 pm • 0 0 • view
Here's the store page. It's made by a small team but I enjoyed it quite well. store.steampowered.com/app/2013800/...
aug 28, 2025, 11:01 pm • 1 0 • view
Dredge by Black Salt has been an absolute joy. Mooring my little boat and talking to the trader feels so cozy. Same vibe as being a regular at your favorite bar. I also love a game with a casual grind that rewards efficiency, saving up, and planning ahead
aug 28, 2025, 4:46 pm • 2 0 • view
It controls great, upgrades feel worth it, the physics feel great, and the 3D, almost tilt-shift style makes me want to put the whole game in my mouth
aug 28, 2025, 4:48 pm • 1 0 • view
i think when Fallen Aces is complete i will play it forever. played MGS3 a lot as a kid, so much so that it got to a point where i would replay Groznyj Grad over and over whenever i got back to it. pretty much every level in Fallen Aces gives me that same feeling. i want to live in switchblade city
aug 28, 2025, 4:49 pm • 4 0 • view
also on a less sentimental note, it just feels great to beat the piss out of people in that thing
aug 28, 2025, 4:53 pm • 4 0 • view
Voices of the Void, You're probably familiar but honestly for a game still in Pre-Alpha.. A lot of content, and a really good game overall. It's also one of the few games that genuinely manged to scare me, to the same level as Silent Hill games, game knows how to play into paranoia, i love it.
aug 28, 2025, 11:39 pm • 2 0 • view
Frontrunner is "Citizen Sleeper" and it's sequel. A beautiful narrative about finding your place and your people in space dystopia. If you vibe with "The real personhood was the friends we made along the way" or if you've never been emotional about communist mushrooms, this might be a game for you.
aug 28, 2025, 4:46 pm • 5 0 • view
Citizen sleeper is soooo amazing. The devs prior game, in other waters, also rules, but man I finished cs in one sitting because I just could not put it down.
aug 29, 2025, 1:33 am • 3 0 • view
i play butterfly soup & butterfly soup 2 at least twice a year because the narratives i got about coming out/being queer were super white (and dangerous) and they started the process of unlearning that shit for me. and there's a black character in the second one which just means a lot to me,
aug 28, 2025, 10:03 pm • 1 0 • view
i know that doesnt sound Great but both stories feel very well done (butterfly soup 2 is my favorite) & theyre a huge reason i make my lil games. i laugh at every joke STILL, tears in my eyes, & end up saving the same screenshots every playthru cause i never wanna forget how i feel when im playing.
aug 28, 2025, 10:03 pm • 1 0 • view
also gonna cheat a lil but Scarlet Hollow. i know theyre not even finished yet but theyre on my "damn i gotta stay alive to see how this ends" list and im just OBSESSED i love appalachia i love horror i love queer shit i am HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE maybe i should replay
aug 28, 2025, 10:06 pm • 3 0 • view
last one i PROMISE, a friend recommended fledgling manor and i had sO MUCH FUN the premise of you wake up as a vampire on a reality tv show is something i didnt know i needed
aug 28, 2025, 10:08 pm • 3 0 • view
Right now 's', a fantasy action adventure almost-RPG from a new developer. Came out earlier this to little fanfare which is a crying shame because it's really very good.
aug 28, 2025, 5:02 pm • 2 0 • view
Eternal Strands * Dunno why that wasn't there, I did type it.
aug 28, 2025, 5:10 pm • 2 0 • view
A fun synthesis of several different games, made, and self published, by a new developer, Yellowbrick Games, partly made up by some industry veterans. (fun fact, there's hidden yellow bricks throughout the game that tell you the names of the developers).
aug 28, 2025, 5:02 pm • 2 0 • view
It has a really novel approach to player progression, likeable characters many of whom are queer, hell even the het pair feel queer, a very empathetic approach to mental health, & a fun combat system that borrows from Shadow of the Colossus climbing, Monster Hunter & BOTW's systems Highly recommend
aug 28, 2025, 5:02 pm • 1 0 • view
Fight 'n' Rage is probably the best beat 'em up available for purchase. The only game that holds a candle to it is the old Streets of Rage Remixed fan game that got nuked by Sega. store.steampowered.com/app/674520/F...
aug 28, 2025, 4:43 pm • 1 0 • view
I love Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours (pretty much anything in the Secret Histories universe)! Something about the weird, esoteric feel of the game along with the lore that you slowly piece together gets to me. People bemoan how obtuse the games are but that's what makes me love them more.
aug 28, 2025, 4:48 pm • 2 0 • view
Ive been meaning to play book of hours - i heard its a bit need a seperate excel sheet of info for it tho is that correct?
aug 28, 2025, 4:58 pm • 2 0 • view
Yes, it's practically a must with the amount of recipes or combinations that you need to have on hand. For me, taking notes is part of the fun of the game which is why I vibe with the game so much.
aug 28, 2025, 5:04 pm • 2 0 • view
It’s mostly remembering which books/recipes do what. Beyond that, it’s a lot more chill than Cultist Simulator because there isn’t really a time limit, and even if you miss something urgent you can just try again tomorrow or next year.
aug 28, 2025, 8:24 pm • 1 0 • view
Lethal Company will forever hold special place in my heart. I used to be deathly afraid of speaking over the mic, but this game forced me out of my comfort zone and helped me get used to talking by myself when I was trying to stream and months before I found out I'm trans and started voice training
aug 28, 2025, 5:06 pm • 2 0 • view
The Banner Saga. One of the few games that got me super invested in my party member and made me cry about them. I was in a very stressful time in my life and played the first game then immediately bought 2 and 3 and played through all in one weekend. Just get lost in a different world for a while.
aug 29, 2025, 3:45 am • 1 0 • view
Feel better! For me I think Laika Aged Through Blood, the gameplay and music were amazing but the story and narrative were something I really needed during a dark time in my life.
aug 29, 2025, 12:23 am • 2 0 • view
I know this isn’t a niche pick or anything but honestly no other game has ever moved me like Spiritfarer. Such an incredibly beautiful story with incredibly touching characters and gorgeous artwork.
aug 28, 2025, 4:51 pm • 1 0 • view
Cave Story is probably one of the major reasons I even became a game developer. I love it a lot. It's a really good game, even if I never finished the Sacred Grounds. Similarly, Undertale's environment and music still sit and resonate with me to this day.
aug 28, 2025, 5:01 pm • 5 0 • view
1000xResist, a deeply moving, deeply ambitious, and deeply human story told with great skill and vision in almost every aspect of it. Some rough edges here and there, but overall an exceptional work doing things in ways other games simply *aren't*.
aug 28, 2025, 4:50 pm • 2 0 • view
Paradise Killer is my favorite for sure. I love the setting and characters but what elevates it for me is the game design. Huge island to explore, compelling murder mystery to unravel at your own pace. The trial also gives you so much control over who gets punished. Such a cool game.
aug 28, 2025, 6:03 pm • 3 0 • view
The soundtrack is also just so much better than it has any right to be
aug 28, 2025, 7:44 pm • 2 0 • view
When the credits hit and its a version of the main theme but with lyrics. Just magical
aug 28, 2025, 8:08 pm • 3 0 • view
I haven't played it since i dont really have a friend group for it, but I've been loving watching folks play Peak. So simple, so goofy
aug 28, 2025, 4:41 pm • 3 0 • view
I discovered the wild at heart this year. The Illustration Style is just absolutely adorable, the soundtrack is repetitive in a way that's soothing, the storyline is straight forward but still leaves room to explore. but most of all I love that it was the first game where I didn't have to look up /1
aug 28, 2025, 8:57 pm • 3 0 • view
solutions to riddles, I was able to figure out everything on my own! 🤗 so playing the game had a nice flow to it. (well technically I had to look up ONE thing, but that was because I missed an obstacle, I did find the way itself though.) also the combat style is quite unique and funny. 😁 /2
aug 28, 2025, 9:00 pm • 2 0 • view
I loved this game, one of the few I played through in one go and finished.
aug 28, 2025, 9:38 pm • 3 0 • view
Hades, the story and voice acting. Balatro, the ... dopamine
aug 28, 2025, 5:01 pm • 3 0 • view
UnderRail, and Trudograd are both close to my heart. They're both really interesting, flawed and heartfelt attempts to recreate the CRPG magic of Fallout/Fallout 2 more than a decade beyond when it was taken over by Bethesda and turned into a weird hybrid FPSRPGMorroskyblivion
aug 28, 2025, 4:41 pm • 2 0 • view
As someone who held that series close to heart and had hopes for its evolution, and then had those hopes honestly dashed by the Bethesda fallouts, both of those games shone brightly.
aug 28, 2025, 4:41 pm • 1 0 • view
Journey and flower are two of my favorites. No dialog, just music and you essentially. They are both very calming games, even on their conflict stages.
aug 29, 2025, 1:35 am • 3 0 • view
Flower was one of the first PS3 games I played and it blew me away with just how pretty it was and how delightful it was to play!
aug 29, 2025, 4:18 am • 2 0 • view
Same! I jumped in with no clue what to expect, and the whole ended up being amazing
aug 29, 2025, 4:25 am • 2 0 • view
Our Life Beginnings and Always means a tonne to me. I can't say I ever thought I'd spend a hundred hours in a visual novel but its extreme focus on player choice made the whole childhood friends to lovers experience deeply personal and I found much of myself on route.
aug 29, 2025, 4:56 am • 1 0 • view
It's probably not 100 hours for everyone - I streamed it with a friend and we talked endlessly about our own, related experiences - but there's so much to explore regardless and it's a really sweet, touching game.
aug 29, 2025, 4:56 am • 1 0 • view
I absolutely adored Inscryption! Half roguelike deckbuilder, half classic room escape, with all the feel of a deadly adventure and so many layers to uncover, every step of the way! And, while I can't relive that first time, I've met so many wonderful people by hopping into streams to witness theirs!
aug 29, 2025, 4:39 am • 2 0 • view
Ahnonay (Path of the Shell) from Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. It's just one puzzle that takes about three hours to solve, but the aha moment is jaw EXPLODING. Also, because of its setup, you get this incredible visual afterwards that reexplains the solution in one single vista.
aug 28, 2025, 4:49 pm • 1 0 • view
My wife and I really enjoyed playing Degrees of Separation together, the co-op puzzle solving was super fun and brought us closer together during the first months of the pandemic 💖
aug 28, 2025, 4:48 pm • 1 0 • view
Small Saga, and Wheel of Fates, both turn-based rpgs. Cute stories, get attached to the characters. Cool boss fights. Both on Steam :3
aug 28, 2025, 6:01 pm • 2 0 • view
Dredge, I hope it counts, it was nice to finally feel in the boots of just an average Joe during a cosmic horror story. The mechanics and style worming perfectly in tandem. It was just so cool pursuing the story and puttering around in my little boat to fish and collect.
aug 29, 2025, 10:15 am • 2 0 • view
Them's Fightin' Herds is one of my favorite fighters of all time. It stood on its own as a really solid game, and was slated to get an entire story mode, but their publisher, Maximum (formerly known as modus) basically shafted them :/ Still, it's an incredible fighting game on its own.
aug 28, 2025, 6:26 pm • 4 0 • view
God, I wish I was better at it
aug 28, 2025, 10:22 pm • 2 0 • view
Spiderweb Software’s games, namely the Exile/Avernum series, the Geneforge series, Avadon trilogy and The Queen’s Wish. CRPGs for absolute days, and after 30 years they’re still entirely self-published. Exile also had my first gay couple in gaming, Elspeth and Nance.
aug 28, 2025, 5:00 pm • 1 0 • view
one of my favourite indie games is horrorvale. a fun rpg maker game thats great for fall or Halloween. the thing that makes it great is all the effort that went into it. the characters the art and writing. its cleary a work of passion and i love the world they made
aug 28, 2025, 5:13 pm • 2 0 • view
Too many to list, but ANATOMY by KittyHorrorshow is great. Excellent horror that just oozes tension and has several good scares. I've streamed it with friends several times and there's this one scene (about 2/5th through) that just changes the whole tone. Never fails to make people go "holy shit".
aug 28, 2025, 4:46 pm • 6 0 • view
Really fantastic narrative design + adio design + delivery of the actual lines, plus their remixing towards the end. I want to write something that’s as terrifying as “the basement is dark” someday.
aug 28, 2025, 8:21 pm • 2 0 • view
One Step From Eden is a comfort game for me and despite how wild it can get in its boards its soundtrack and need to move put me into a flow state that I don't really get from anything else. One I started recently as well is Vividlope which is a delightful puzzle game that captures an era I only -
aug 28, 2025, 5:02 pm • 2 0 • view
got to have the tail end of!
aug 28, 2025, 5:02 pm • 2 0 • view
I can't stop going back to rimworld. every year or so I start a new colony and spend months building them up and up until it gets too much/expansions break my mods and I have to say goodbye to all my dudes. a deep and profound cycle for me
aug 28, 2025, 4:42 pm • 10 0 • view
Have you ever played Songs of Syx? It’s sort of like Rimworld but on a much bigger scale. One of the best colony builders imo.
aug 28, 2025, 5:21 pm • 2 0 • view
It's eaten my entire brain at the moment, like mindustry did
aug 28, 2025, 4:44 pm • 1 0 • view
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk just makes me smile everytime I booted up. The music, the art style, the story and the buttery smooth sense of flow. You can feel the love and passion of the developers every step of the way.
aug 28, 2025, 8:47 pm • 2 0 • view
Dust: An Elysian Tail was my very first indie game, and I have a lot of nostalgia for it, flaws and all.
aug 28, 2025, 4:39 pm • 7 0 • view
Dust was absolutely amazing. It hooked me from start to finish. Beautiful art style, fluid gameplay, endlessly captivating. Wasn't it made by one guy?! Mindblowing.
aug 28, 2025, 5:22 pm • 4 0 • view
Hollow Knight has to be my all time favorite. Unforgettably gorgeous art style that is haunting, but not Souls-level dreary. Fantastic soundtrack. Mysterious story, but one you can actually figure out. Also it's possibly the best controls / level design for a metroidvania. King of the genre, still.
aug 28, 2025, 4:40 pm • 4 0 • view
very underrated RPG maker horror title I always love and keep coming back to: END ROLL very very heavy content warnings for it (the download to it lists the warnings) but it explores the intricacies of the effects of trauma and abuse, child abandonment, etc. it makes me cry every time
aug 28, 2025, 5:22 pm • 3 0 • view
Sunless sea gives can make me calm, panic struck, trapped and feeling clever. A rich story of sea fairing and distant lands with a constant dread hanging over my small ship in a dark, uncaring ocean.
aug 28, 2025, 4:49 pm • 1 0 • view
UFO 50 is what Action 52 wanted to be. Such an amazing collection of games where each one could be a classic on its own. And with genuine variety, too! 25 dollars is a steal for what’s offered here.
aug 28, 2025, 7:05 pm • 3 0 • view
Recently got to an end of Caves of Qud. Roguelikes have an effect on me, especially near the end. I go feral for a near-death experience in a permadeath game. Also the end sequence was beautiful and confusing and had plenty of opportunities to FAFO, which I absolutely reveled in.
aug 28, 2025, 4:52 pm • 2 0 • view
Lemee look back in the "Beaten on steam" archives... Legend of Grimrock (both 1&2) have some of the most unique dungeon crawling mechanics I've seen wrapped up together. The combat is very different from any other game, and I'd still call it Indie since Almost Human doesn't have a wikipedia page 😅
aug 28, 2025, 5:34 pm • 2 0 • view
Currently it's Abiotic Factor and it's honestly my goty. A survival crafting game that has interesting lore that is easily missable and a story that leaves you wanting more. Gameplay wise, crafting system is neat and really makes you feel like a scientist jury rigging contraptions.
aug 28, 2025, 5:49 pm • 3 0 • view
Toem was really nice. Very chill and funny with a lovely ending.
aug 29, 2025, 10:54 am • 1 0 • view
I love very small teams punching way above their weight to weird, beautiful, occasionally janky results. I love soulslikes that focus on exploration and environment design. And I love megastructures Bleak Faith was basically made for me. I devoured it in a month and that's not always easy for me
aug 28, 2025, 10:41 pm • 3 0 • view
Flea! A 2d platformer by Alaistar Lowe, you play a flea who is always bouncing and have to platform through different body parts... can play on steam or as an NES or Dreamcast rom. www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-y7...
aug 28, 2025, 5:11 pm • 1 0 • view
Outer Wilds still holds my record for shortest time between thinking about it and emotional tears welling up. A musician stands before a packed gaming convention with a banjo and announces, "I can make dozens of you cry by playing just eleven notes on this thing..." www.youtube.com/watch?v=z34e...
aug 28, 2025, 5:52 pm • 5 0 • view
Arctic Eggs was one of the most impeccable vibes games I've ever played, that also has some genuinely cool things to say about making arr.
aug 29, 2025, 1:35 am • 2 0 • view
Making art* derp, I am a dragon not a pirate
aug 29, 2025, 1:35 am • 1 0 • view
I have 2: Transistor and The Missing. Transistor came out at a time I was at one of my lowest points and the themes and ending specifically hit me like a truck. Also one of my favorite soundtracks in anything and the art style is absolutely gorgeous.
aug 28, 2025, 6:13 pm • 3 0 • view
The Missing is a game I got on a whim cause I saw the TBFP playthrough of Deadly Premonition and I wanted more wacky stuff from SWERY. God The Missing tore my heart out but it made me realize some stuff about myself I never realize, it holds a special place in my heart for changing that about me.
aug 28, 2025, 6:19 pm • 5 0 • view
this game is heartbreaking, especially once you get more of the pieces of what's going on in JJ's life. I was surprised the story went there, and it could have done with a bit more care, but it's an impressive little game that's can be depressing as hell.
aug 28, 2025, 8:44 pm • 2 0 • view
FTL: Faster Then Light. It is a game unlike any other. I've logged 100s of hours into it. Its a rouge like set in space with ship to ship combat. No action. RTS but it feels like a tactical turn based game. Think Star Trek ship to ship battle if it was X com.
aug 28, 2025, 5:03 pm • 3 0 • view
I strongly have an indie game bias since I know my money is respected with triple A companies going toward making products for investors who dont care about the art of games or understand gaming why lot of games feel broken now and check out Fae Tactics store.steampowered.com/app/995980/F...
aug 28, 2025, 10:55 pm • 2 0 • view
Not showing any pics because it is *very* nsfw, but the beat em up Strange Flesh. Fun retro brawler that is in everyway the gayest game I'm aware of- the themes, aesthetics and mechanics are all super gay. Not many other side scrolling beat em ups that have a button for kissing boys.
aug 28, 2025, 5:14 pm • 2 0 • view
Cliche answer, but Hollow Knight was made in a lab for me specifically, the cute/creepy character designs, the themes, setting, difficulty, the feel. It was also the first game I played after college and had the time to really relax and appreciate it.
aug 28, 2025, 4:48 pm • 1 0 • view
Here's two: Diabotical: Modernized Quake Live. Not a ton of innovation here, but the gameplay is so buttery smooth I can't play any other FPS now. Lemnis Gate: A now dead "time travel" competitive shooter. Kinda the opposite of DBT in that it's very innonvative, but the FPS mechanics were terrible.
aug 28, 2025, 5:17 pm • 3 0 • view
Oh yeah, and my game, which is not a competitive FPS game. It's a chill (but deep) puzzler inspired mainly by Baba Is You. store.steampowered.com/app/2830480/...
aug 28, 2025, 5:17 pm • 9 4 • view