These days indie games have proved to be a great alternative to AAA titles. In fact, indie studios and games are having an ever-growing fan base and there are a lot of reasons for that. Indie developers are striving to deliver us somewhat different gaming experiences, with references to the retro genre, games that rely more on gameplay rather than high-end graphics, lower price and so much more.
Despite being highly popular lately, indie games are usually not marketed towards the masses. Unique and intimate, some indie games are true hidden gems!
2021 has come and gone and we saw some hugely anticipated games finally released. Now that we’ve already stepped into 2022, we are hungry for more. A lot of great indie games are coming out as well! Anyways, since most of these games can be found on the Xbox platform later on, make sure to get some Xbox Live Gift Cards from OffGamers here to tide yourself over.
Whether you’re a stranger to indie games, a complete newbie in this matter, or a hardcore indie gamer. Don’t worry, whichever the case is, the indie gaming world will welcome you with a big hug. So without further delay, here is our list of the best indie games coming out in 2022!
Nobody Saves The World
Release date: January 18, 2022
Platforms: Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Drinkbox Studios is hopping from Playstation to Xbox One and PC by bringing us Nobody Saves The World and it has been really interesting so far. The gameplay videos and trailers have shown us just a preview of the game but the more we see the more curious we get.
Nobody Saves The World is a top-down dungeon-crawling action RPG and what is really amusing is the depth of uniqueness and personality it has. The character classes are really distinct from each other. A rat, a horse, or……a wizard? You pick the odd one!
The game has a co-op system and thus lets you combine the skills of the playable characters and wipe your enemies in style. The stylish level and character design are showing that the devs of Nobody Saves The World are bringing us a game with serious gameplay mechanics but in a fun and humorous way.
Silt
Release date: TBA 2022
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5
Do you remember Inside? It wasn’t the first of its kind as it borrowed heavily from Limbo, but it is one of the best atmospheric side-scrolling action games of all time. If you enjoy these kinds of chilling walks through abandoned structures under glowing eyes in the dark, let us bring forward to your attention Silt.
It’s another atmospheric puzzle game but this time you are taken underwater to explore caverns and the dark abyss filled with disturbing creatures in black and white sceneries. There has always been something really spooky about diving too deep!
Silt has a surreal art style that was already shown in gameplay trailers and we are almost sure that we will be on the edge of our seats while playing it sometime in 2022!
Planet of Lana
Release date: TBA 2022
Platforms: Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
One of the highlights of the Summer Game Festival was the reveal of Planet of Lana. The game is a cinematic adventure where a young girl and her loyal animal friend embark on an adventure through a colorful world full of machines and all kinds of weird creatures.
Games like Silt above might be unique with their black and white approach but it is always nice to see colorful and bright indie games. As a beautiful hand-painted platformer Planet of Lana is exactly that and looks nothing short of stunning.
You will be solving puzzles, escaping huge scary creatures, hiding from hostile robots, running through calm forests, making your way out of deserts and so much more in this epic sci-fi adventure that will take you through several centuries and galaxies. Considering all we saw so far from the game, Planet of Lana looks like a serious multiple indie awards nominee for 2022!
Trek To Yomi
Release date: TBA 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
Trek To Yomi is a black and white samurai side scroller that is set to deliver a powerful story. Not only does the game look very authentic to its inspirations but the combat is also grounded in the classic samurai style from the movies of Akira Kurosawa. You won’t be facing hordes of enemies but a low number of enemies and the fights will be led by honor and skills. You will need to rely on your defenses and precise timing. No dirty moves here!
According to the trailers so far, Trek to Yomi will be paying true homage to the samurai movies as it features a bit of stuttering and stiff animations and cinematics. This may sound concerning, but it could just be a wanted effect from the developers. It is no wonder Trek to Yomi is the indie equivalent of Ghost of Tsushima!
Sifu
Release date: February 8, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
Imagine if a game implements the posture system of your body and used it in a highly-stylized Kung-Fu Rogue-like beat-em-up action game. If you already had a glimpse of Sifu you probably know what we are talking about. Sifu is built on very authentic Kung-fu moves and everything is choreographed in the best way possible. The developers have put in so much effort in the combat animations that it is ridiculous. We can’t wait to play this one.
When you die in Sifu you actually get aged a bit and that experience gives you a bit more knowledge and skills to work with. Being older makes you slower but you hit harder and when you go to serve your revenge the fight is different and thus the game will most likely not feel repetitive at all. The environment will be quite interactive as well and you will be able to turn a lot of things into a weapon – Jackie Chan-style!
Replaced
Release date: TBA 2022
Platforms: Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
We haven’t seen that much of Replaced but we’re already hooked on it because it is built with so much style! You will be playing as an artificial intelligence placed in a human body and the events in the game will take place in an alternative dystopian 1980s. Replaced features some of the most beautiful, detailed, and most expressive pixel art there is. As it is not an uncommon thing for indie games to be built around pixel art, this will most likely give Replaced extra value.
The trailers so far showed a futuristic and desolate world – walking slowly through run-down streets, climbing neon cyberpunk buildings, running through pixelated forests…you won’t be bored at all. Replaced does something that you don’t see often in side-scrollers, it uses the camera really actively. It will be moving with the main character and will give you a unique perspective by rolling when your character is disoriented, shaking when attacked, a movie-like feeling by zooming and focusing on items and your surroundings. From what we saw so far, in a world of purposely pixelated games, Replaced really stands out!
Little Devil Inside
Release date: Q4 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Can you believe that the development of this next indie title began back in 2015 as a Kickstarter project? After several delays, replacing the engine and platforms, it is finally coming out in 2022. Little Devil Inside is an extremely ambitious action RPG, and this can be a bit concerning, as the bigger they are the harder they fall! And as we know, we are not looking for big-timers here, but valuable indie games that are meant to be fun.
The game’s plot will be taking place in a 19th century Victorian-inspired world with elements of cyberpunk. The main protagonist named Billy is a swordsman that is hired by a team in search of supernatural events. Their main goal is to put all supernatural phenomenons in a huge encyclopedia.
The cartoony style of the graphics is most likely going to be a strong asset of Little Devil Inside but what actually caught our attention is that the developers are aiming for a user interface with almost no menus!
As for its gameplay, Little Devil Inside seems to be a bit of everything – survival, combat, and open-world. The game will be taking place in all kinds of environments, where you will have to make your way using a sword, shield, grappling hook, guns, bombs…and even cooking equipment.
Stray
Release date: Early 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
Have you ever wondered how hard it is to be a homeless cat? It is probably not an easy thing at all! What about being a homeless cat in the future? Yes, in Stray you are a…. stray cat in а cyberpunk future filled with robots all around, trying to find a way back to its family.
Unlike the stereotype of how an indie game should look, Stray features beautiful realistic graphics and you will be totally immersed while trying to survive in a hostile environment. The robots we’ve previously mentioned won’t be your only concern here, but the face-hugger-like Zurks as well. But don’t worry as you will be aided by B-12 – a friendly robot that will help you to use items, defend yourself from the Zurks, and will be a major help in translating the robot language.
Stray looks like a AAA game on the outside, so we hope it lives up to that promise. The gameplay will revolve around exploration, platforming аnd puzzle solving. Who would have thought that a cat would be doing so many things? Well, perhaps being a cat will prove to be more fun than being just the next regular protagonist!
To Conclude
The distinction between AAA games and indie games are getting more and more blurred. Even though each one of the games above falls right in the criteria of being an indie game, you can clearly point out the fact that with each year the similarities between AAA and indie are becoming more blurred.
One of the reasons for that is that indie developers are trying to match the big gaming studios and their amazing output. Is this a good thing? Comment below and let us know!