Welcome to the June version of the Indie Appreciation Thread!
Before to start, I'll briefly explain the criteria followed in these threads. Basically, a game has to meet at least one of these three conditions:
1) Being developed (not necessarily published) by an indie company, or a small or medium-sized one (whether it's properly independent or not).
2) Being relatively unknown, that is, not being a big and easily recognizable brand or belonging to an already established franchise.
3) Not having a big budget.
As you can see, the criteria is pretty simple, but also kind of subjective, so if you feel that a certain game shouldn't be here or notice that there's some other lacking (or there's something wrong), please tell me.
Now, with that out of the way, let's go straight to the point: this series of threads consists on two parts: one that I'm responsible of, which is an ongoing list of all the games released during the month, and another one (suggested by Mnementh) that only you, fellow VGChartianz, will make possible.
As for the first part, I'll post the list when I create the new thread (the first day of each month) and will be updating it from time to time, as new games or Metacritic scores are released. If you have any question about that, just ask me.
Now, regarding your participation, it's quite simple: you just have to post up to five indie games that you would recommend to other gamers, in the order that you'd like to recommend them. Example:
1. Magnificent Indie Game
2. Superb Indie Game
3. Excellent Indie Game
4. Awesome Indie Game
5. Splendid Indie Game
The games you choose to recommend will get up to five points based on the order they're placed: the first one will get 5 points, the second will get 4, and so on. Those games will then be included in a table in the OP that I'll be updating as new users post their recommendations. The game with the most points at the end of each month will be the Indie of the Month and won't be eligible in future threads, but will still be featured in them as a recommendation.
Games that won't make it as indies of the month won't be forgotten, however: the five most voted runner-ups will automatically become recommendations in the next thread, getting a few "free" points based on their order: the second best will get 5 points, the third best will get 4 points, and so on. This way, games that got the most votes in a certain thread will get extra visibility in the next one, but since that advantage will be rather small, any new recommendation will still have a lot of chances to become the Indie of the Month.
All that said, it's important to mention that this is not (necessarily) a list of your favorite indie games, but a list of recommended games. So for example, if your favorite indie game has no options to be the indie of the month, but there's a game that (while not being your favorite) can make it and you think it deserves it, you can place it first on your list for that specific month. Also, it'd be nice if you explained why you recommend those games, or briefly review them, or tell some anecdote related to them, or whatever. This is optional, of course, but it would be pretty cool.
And that's all. Now have fun!
Note: if you want to know what the text format in the Platforms section and the abbreviations in the Genre section mean, just take a look at the introduction thread.
User Recommendations
Previous Choices
GAME | GENRE | METACRITIC | PLATFORMS |
Graveyard Keeper |
SIM ADV | 69-70 | PS4/XBO/NSW/Steam/GOG/ Humble/iOS/Android |
2021 Indie Releases
Previous Months
JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS (See all) |
FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS (See all) |
MARCH HIGHLIGHTS (See all) |
Skul: The Hero Slayer | Haven | Everhood |
Cyber Shadow | Little Nightmares II | Gnosia |
Project Winter | Anodyne 2: Return to Dust | Loop Hero |
Olija | Natsuki Chronicles | Two Point Hospital: JUMBO Edition |
The Pedestrian | Thomas Was Alone | Saviors of Sapphire Wings & Stranger of Sword City Revisited |
Curse of the Dead Gods | Terraria | |
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos | Overcooked! All You Can Eat | |
It Takes Two | ||
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut | ||
Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space |
APRIL HIGHLIGHTS (See all) |
MAY HIGHLIGHTS (See all) |
|
Fantasian (Part 1) | Nongunz: Doppelgänger Edition | |
Lost Words: Beyond the Page | Call of the Sea | |
The House in Fata Morgana | Remnant: From the Ashes | |
ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos | Subnautica: Below Zero | |
World Splitter | Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition | |
ScourgeBringer | Grindstone | |
Genshin Impact | Manifold Garden | |
Insurmountable | Knockout City | |
Crying Suns | ||
Sumire |
June Releases
Highlights
GAME | GENRE | METACRITIC | PLATFORMS |
Griftlands |
D-BLD ROG | 87 | Steam/EGS (PS4/XBO/NSW) [June 4 on PS4/XBO/NSW] |
Wreckfest |
ACT RAC | 79-83 | PS5/PS4/XBO/Steam [PS4 users upgrade for free] |
Astalon: Tears of the Earth |
ADV PLAT | 81-87 | PS4/XBO/NSW/Steam |
Chivalry II |
ACT | 80-05 | PS4/XBO/NSW/XS/PS5/EGS |
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure |
ADV | 79 | PS4/XBO/NSW/XS/PS5/Steam/Arcade |
Genshin Impact |
ACT RPG | 81-84 | EGS/PS4/PS5/Steam/iOS/Android (NSW) |
Green Hell |
SUR | 78-85 | PS4/XBO/Steam/NSW |
Chicory: A Colorful Tale |
ADV | 88-89 | PS4/PS5/Steam |
Roguebook |
ROG D-BLD | 79 | Steam (PS4/XBO/NSW/XS/PS5) |
Blasphemous Deluxe Edition |
ACT PLAT | 77-82 | PS4/XBO/NSW/Steam/GOG/Humble [Physical release] |
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights |
ACT RPG | 85-87 | XBO/XS/NSW/Steam |
Sky: Children of the Light |
ADV | 82 | NSW/PS4/iOS/Android |
Other games
GAME | GENRE | METACRITIC | PLATFORMS |
Operation: Tango | COOP ADV | 71-72 | PS4/XBO/PS5/Steam |
Stonefly | ACT ADV | 63-75 | PS4/XBO/NSW/XS/PS5/Steam/EGS |
Hokko Life | SIM | - | Steam [Early Access] |
Conglomerate 451: Overloaded | RPG ROG | 60 | XBO/NSW/PS4/Steam |
Monster Harvest | RPG | - | PS4/XBO/NSW/Steam |
Open Country | ADV SIM | 61 | PS4/XBO/Steam |
The Last Spell | TB STR RPG | - | Steam [Early Access] |
Wicce | PLAT | - | NSW/Steam |
Wing of Darkness | SHTR | - | PS4/NSW/Steam |
DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power | ACT | 65 | NSW |
Lost Epic | ACT RPG | - | Steam [Early Access] |
Mighty Goose | SHTR | 70-72 | PS4/XBO/NSW/XS/PS5/Steam |
Edge of Eternity | RPG | 69 | Steam (PS4/XBO*/XS*/PS5) |
Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town | ADV | 71 | PS4/NSW/Steam |
Bright Memory: Infinite | ACT FPS | - | XS/Steam/GOG (PS5) |
Mercenaries Blaze: Dawn of the Twin Dragons | TB STR RPG | 70 | Steam/PS4/NSW |
We Are Football | SIM | 67 | Steam |
Wave Break | ARC SPRT | - | NSW/Steam/Stadia |
Beasts of Maravilla Island | ADV | - | PS4/XBO/NSW/Steam |
Metal Unit | ACT PLAT | 64 | NSW/Steam |
Phantom Abyss | MP ROG PLAT | - | Steam [Early Access] |
Super Magbot | PLAT | - | NSW/Steam |
Fallen Knight | ACT PLAT | - | PS4/XBO/NSW/Steam/Arcade |
Out of Line | PUZ PLAT | 67-68 | Steam (PS4/XBO/NSW) |
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX | PLAT | 60-67 | PS4/XBO/NSW/XS/PS5/Steam/EGS |
Human: Fall Flat | PUZ PLAT | 65-73 | PS5/PS4/XBO/NSW/Steam/iOS/Android |
The Eternal Castle Remastered | ADV | 73 | PS4/NSW/Steam |
The Wicked King and the Noble Hero | ADV | - | PS4/NSW [Japan only] |
Babol the Walking Box | ADV | - | Steam (PS4/XBO/NSW/XS/PS5) |
Curved Space | ARC SHTR | 59-75 | PS4/XBO/XS/PS5/Steam (NSW) [July 13 on NSW] |
Destroy All Humans! | ACT ADV | 66-76 | NSW/PS4/XBO/Steam/GOG |
GreedFall | ACT RPG | 72-78 | XS/PS5/PS4/XBO/Steam |
Imp of the Sun | ACT PLAT | - | Steam/EGS |
I'm mostly a lurker now.