Best Indie Game of 2024—Best New Indie Games This Year

by

As a seasoned gamer with a soft spot for indie titles, I’ve had the pleasure of diving into some truly remarkable games this year. From the strategic depth of Hades 2 to the whimsical charm of Little Kitty, Big City, each game offers a unique gaming experience that caters to different tastes.

Switch gears from big-name games, it’s high time we shine a spotlight on lesser-known, less financially backed titles this year. The standout indie games of 2024 have truly made their mark, with one title generating Game of the Year chatter – so let’s explore the candidates and announce our pick.

As an avid gamer, I can’t help but appreciate the resilience of indie games. Amidst the sea of big-budget productions from major developers and publishers, it’s the indies that keep my heart pumping. They are the artists who breathe life into unique concepts, like transforming a humble crab into a soulslike sensation, or crafting an eccentric English town where I find myself completing peculiar tasks. These games may not have the resources of their larger counterparts, but they certainly don’t lack in creativity and spirit!

2024 saw some outstanding independent games that demonstrated creativity and held their own against major titles. Each game nominated here is worth experiencing.

Best Indie Title of 2024 Winner — Balatro

Back in the 1800s, poker was born, but I bet its inventor never imagined blending this classic card game with complex roguelike elements, resulting in an endlessly engaging masterpiece that’s giving some major competition to big-budget titles vying for Game of the Year. That’s what LocalThunk has managed to pull off with Balatro!

In Balatro, you begin by using a standard deck of 52 cards, divided into four suits ranging from Ace to King. The essence of the game involves you defeating progressively challenging decks, each demanding higher point scores attained through superior poker hands. At its core, Balatro is a fundamental poker game, but as we delve deeper into its intricacies, it becomes clear that there’s much more to it than meets the eye.

Purchasing Jokers enables you to add sneaky and clever elements to your collection, boosting points earned, which helps us conquer more challenging “Blinds.” The roguelike structure promotes failure as it offers valuable learning experiences about the game mechanics, hand values, and scoring strategies. Additionally, who can resist taking one last shot at victory?

2024 saw significant influence from the game Balatro, which has garnered recognition as one of the year’s best and even won the Indie Game of the Year award at the Golden Joystick Awards. To date, it has sold more than two million copies. Balatro, a masterfully executed concept, is deserving of our Best Indie Title of 2024 accolade.

Best Indie Games of 2024 Nominations

Balatro seems to have everyone hooked, indeed, but there’s still more to our strategy that hasn’t been unveiled yet. If you’re craving a break from the routine of mainstream gaming, the year 2024 has delivered some impressive gems in the indie game scene.

Animal Well

Animal Well makes me uncomfortable from start to finish: The sound design, the enemies, the edgy and retro-inspired visuals—and I love it. It’s a basic, 2D Metroidvania adventure relying on backtracking and memorization to progress, but its array of items and delicate world-building make the journey seamless.

The mini-boss encounters are low-key terrifying, the puzzles are logical and lucid, and the sense of progression is satisfying. I took umbrage with the map which becomes intensely layered and obfuscated the greater it unravels, and the platforming can be a bit floaty. Animal Well was developed by a single person, and this fact alone turns my mind to mush. If you have a weekend to spare, I implore you to check this out as it pushed Balatro close.

Hades 2

Hades is on my Mt. Rushmore of roguelike entries—and it could be all four heads, honestly. Saying goodbye to Zagreus and making merry with Melinoë is tough, but within the first hour, I was saying Zagreus who? The Princess of the Underworld is just as engaging as her brother, and Supergiant Games has pretty much reinvented the Hades universe. New weapons, abilities, and a curious underground and surface mechanic are some of the new additions to the roguelike formula as you battle through brand-new, enemy-filled biomes.

It’s no surprise that Hades 2 hasn’t been included yet since it’s still under development. The Hades 2 journey begins in 2024, exploring the depths of the Underworld with Early Access testing. We can expect the complete game to be launched in 2025, and there’s a strong possibility that this sequel could surpass its nomination prospects next year.

Little Kitty, Big City

To begin with, I’d like to clarify that I’m a cat enthusiast. Over the years, I’ve had cats as pets, and currently, I still do. Cats are simply amazing creatures, and I find myself caring for them more deeply than many people. The book “Little Kitty, Big City” resonates with my love for felines, and watching its feline protagonist’s antics makes me involuntarily emit a soft sound of delight.

Beyond its adorable charm, Little Kitty, Big City offers a self-enclosed open-world adventure for platform gaming. The game world may not be vast, but it’s rich in detail and multi-dimensional. It invites you to roam around, discover hidden tasks, and gather trinkets. While it doesn’t break new ground, it’s quite conventional and can typically be finished in a single play session. Still, it’s a purr-fectly enjoyable experience, just a whisker short of being paws-itively stunning.

Palworld

In another context, one could say “Pokémon with blue collars” instead of “Pokémon with guns”. Since its inception, Palworld has been likened to Pokémon due to their shared creature-collecting and monster-battling elements. The game offers a vast open world filled with unique and captivating creatures that you can engage in combat or befriend. Upon taming these creatures, you can assign them jobs such as Kindling, Lumbering, Transportation, and other labor-intensive tasks. There might be some ethical concerns regarding the treatment of these creatures, similar to RSPCA issues.

“The main features that are getting attention are the options to attack allies, make allies attack others, kill allies, and capture humans. Setting aside the obvious issues with violence and exploitation, Palworld is a richly varied role-playing game. Let’s hope it survives any legal disputes with Nintendo and continues to improve in its Early Access phase—it’s still a work in progress that needs some additional depth.

Read More

2024-12-25 08:18