Gaming

If you like space, you should play Homeworld and its sequels. Incredible game.

If you like chill strategy, try Terra Nil, Islanders, and Terrascape -- they're all really fun and Terrascape has turn-based multiplayer!

If you like puzzle games like Myst, Cyan has Obduction and the slightly controversial Firmament, which I thought was a lot of fun. Quern - Undying Thoughts is in the same vein and feels a lot like Myst or Riven.

If you like Halo's multiplayer with an added Portal gun, try Splitgate. The developer isn't going to be adding more content as they are shifting focus to a new game, but it's still really fun.

If you like boomer shooters, try Amid Evil it feels like Quake, Unreal, and Hexen/Heretic. It'll get your heart racing for sure.

noita PC - a rougelike witch Sim full of secrets.

Dead Cells everything - Flawless metriodvania rougelite

The Forgotten City PC, PS, XB - A short time loop game that is just fantastic. I think it started as a skyrim mod

Noita. It's just so good. Easily in my top 5 games of all time.

• CrossCode - Phenomenal action RPG. Combat is fast and explosive, dungeons are very obviously Zelda inspired but with way more puzzles. Packed with tons and tons and tons of sidequests, many of which put unique twists on the combat system to keep you on your toes. Make sure to grab the epilogue DLC.

• FOOTSIES - Minimalist one-button fighting game, with rollback.

• OneShot - Fairly reminiscent of Undertale, if you liked that you'll probably enjoy this too. And like Undertale I don't want to say too much, take my word for it and let it surprise you.

• Petal Crash - Absolutely fantastic versus puzzler, and a perfect entry point into the genre. I wrote a very long review of how in love with this game I am, so I'm just going to link that.

• Them's Fightin' Herds - Another great fighting game, been waiting a long time for this port to bring us up to a grand total of two good fighting games on Linux. Has a lot of really cool features like a big story mode with overworld exploration, a cute lobby system with cosmetics to collect and treasure chests to fight for, a dynamic music system that reacts to the fight, and even a semi-cooperative dungeon crawler mode. Has crossplay with consoles as well. Full review.

• Ultimate Chicken Horse - Start on a nearly empty platformer map, each round everyone adds one object somewhere on the map then you all try to finish the level. Whoever finishes gets a point, plus bonus points for whoever finished first or collected coins that have been placed. Then you add another set of objects and repeat. Quickly becomes hilariously chaotic as you try to figure out how to balance screwing everyone else over while still making sure you can win, only to realize that after a few rounds you have all built a horrifying monstrosity. Has full crossplay with console versions.

• Anything by Zachtronics - A bunch of different engineering puzzle games where you have to write code or build a machine to solve problems. Once you've solved the puzzle, you can see a histogram comparing your solution to everyone else's on a few different metrics, encouraging you to go back and try to optimize it further. I recommend Opus Magnum as the best entry point.

night in the woods!

recently got completely addicted to a text-based Indie RPG called Roadwarden. The story and characters are incredibly rich and the gameplay is full of satisfying little moments of "oh, I have just the item for this!" or "another character told me this tavern keep doesn't appreciate jokes; I better get straight to business". I haven't beaten it yet, but I can't wait to see where it leads!

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor is one of my favorite indie games of all time. The city design really captures the feeling of wandering around an unfamiliar, large, bustling place. The diary mechanic at the end of the day is a great way to get in character, and I like that you can decorate the apartment. I did some light data-mining (mostly item info and dialogue strings), and I even have fridge magnets of some of the pixel art!

Depanneur Nocturne is also a great evening’s worth of exploration and vibes, but I mention it because it has a reference to Spaceport Janitor and it made me SO happy when I realized that. :)

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead isn't really indie, it is straight up Open Source and a freaking good roguelike. The DDA variant focus heavily on the realism aspect of survival, but there are forks that try to gamefy it more.

There is also Rain World, which I am addicted for 3+ months now. It is also on sale, but before you buy it, know that you are going to die A LOT, but it really isn't a big issue; it's actually funny most times lol. Great lore too.

And one that I've rooted for a long time and I think flopped hard in its release is Below, but I very much still love it.

Also, one that I played for a bit last week and the soundtrack slaps hard is APE OUT.

How did I forget about Noita? This one is a masterpiece. Crafting a wand just to fucking obliterate yourself out of existence .3 seconds later is just chef's kiss. Also hämis.

Does Tunic count?

Best to jump in without spoilers, but it's way more than a Zelda/Souls like. So. Many. Layers.

And at a similar depth, but from many years ago. The Ur-Quan masters (space game) https://sc2.sourceforge.net/

I really enjoyed Songs of Syx. It's a city builder and economy game, but with a lot of extra detail that you don't often see.

I played the hell out of Slipways

Their slogan "Build vast trade empires, still be done in time for lunch" is on point here. You connect planets with different resources and different industries to an interconnected network in a (turnbased) race against the clock. Easy to learn and always great fun to cram into a 30min slot in your day.

Brotato is a fun, mindless game if you like bullet hell games. Omori is a funny, wacky rpg with some horror elements. Good story to boot as well!

I don't know what's considered a "hidden gem" so I'm just going to shout out all the indie games that I think are at least 8/10 and recommend:

Rimworld Dead Cells Dredge Inscryption 7 Days to Die Mount and Blade: Warband Factorio Mordhau FTL: Faster than Light Raft Gunfire Reborn Into the Breach Hollow Knight Dome Keeper DUSK Golden Light Vampire Survivors Void Bastards

You want short and weird? Check out Crypt Worlds. Free too.

You want a bit longer and weird? Check out Hylics 2. One of the most unique aesthetics in gaming.

You want a very streamlined 3D version of Dwarf Fortress? Try Going Medieval. I have over a hundred hours in it.

You want a Czech version of Duke Nukem 3D with the art style of Quake? Well that's very specific. But good news, you should check out Hrot.

These are all indie games that I think aren't quite as popular as they should be. Not the most explicitly unknown, but definitely under-known.

If you liked Hades, play Ember Knights. It’s in early access but I legit put 6 hours in my first session cuz it scratched that Hades itch juuuuuust right

The Long Drive is a cursed game that is surprisingly addicting. Basically it's you, your car, and a 5000km road. That's it. The world is infinitely generated and you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. There's no end game so to speak, just you and the road, if you decide to follow it.

Noita is a very difficult roguelike where "losing is fun" except that it's not always, but many deaths are a learning opportunity, and I find myself starting over even on runs that I live for more than an hour. You have very few healing opportunities, and once your HP gets to 0 it's game over. The game is not fair, but sometimes RNGesus gives you the tools to be a god early on, and even then, it can still be easy to die. Even in full-on god tier runs, there are some things that the player cannot survive. Each playthrough is different, but the map gen is 'basically' the same each game. It's definitely worth your time.

If you were ever a fan of Rollercoaster Tycoon, check out Parkitect. It's a phenomenal and fun themepark game!

• Ring of Pain is a great roguelike.
• Paradise Killer - Not actually sure how to describe Paradise Killer, but it's one of my favourite games.
• The Red Strings Club - Interesting, short and sweet
• Stephen's Sausage Roll - If you love puzzle games and can't find any that are hard enough for you, it might be the best game ever made. Or the most infuriating.

And then a few that maybe aren't that obscure by now, but I can't not mention them

• A Short Hike - I think possibly the greatest small indie game of all time? Certainly one of my favourites.
• Baba Is You - less extreme puzzle game, but it's also great.
• Inscryption - Just a great game, can't say much about it without spoiling the experience

Tape to Tape. It's a new indie roguelike hockey game. I don't play many indies but the devs are attentive and I have been loving it.

Kenshi - a brutal, and sometimes janky squad free roaming game. I have far too many hours in that.
Pulsar - Lost Colony - Fun game if you have a few friends around. Pretend to be Captain Kirk - except chaos.
Rimworld -- Dwarf Fortress lite
Dwarf Fortress - Grand daddy inspiration for most other games
Torchlight - Diablo
Project Zomboid - All your top down zombie hunting dreams come true
Carrier Command - Drone carrier warfare
Nebulous Fleet Command - The Expanse.

Does X4 count as Indie?

Owlboy was better than I expected it to be.

OneShot is a simple and flawed game but it'll leave a strong impact if you let it. Highly recommend going into it FULLY blind.

CrossCode! Incredible game, probably my favorite game of all time.

It's so much more than it looks. The music is awesome, and in some powerful scenes, the story is driven forward with musical motifs that make the scenes hit that much harder.

The story is just... really good. I teared up a few times.

The characters are beautifully written and extremely memorable. By the end of the game, you really feel like you've been living with them.

People say they don't like the puzzles, but the game comes with difficulty sliders and you can turn down things you don't like.

You can get it on consoles, or, on Steam, and even GOG!

There is a DLC to this game. If you enjoy the game, DON'T SKIP THE DLC!!! It is THE ending to the game! Some might scoff at "oh wow they locked the story behind the DLC," but no, trust me, it is well worth it. It adds a TON of content and is an extremely well put together finale to the epic story told in the game.

Narita Boy is a really cool glitch aesthetic sidescroller

Not really indie's nowadays, since they're pretty well known but:

• celeste (platformer with a beautiful art-style)
• inside (story/sidescroller)
• dead cells (platformer)

are some great games

Sayonara Wild Hearts is an absolute gem. Perhaps not "hidden" since it did get a full physical release, but I don't see people talk about it. Game is like an hour long but it's absolutely worth playing. The portal of music games really.

Also shoutout to selfy collection. idk if it counts as indie but it's low budget for sure, digital-only release, and filled with engrish, but it's a lovely game and easily the best dress up game on switch.

The Return of the Obra Dinn is one of my favourite games. It's an indie game but quite well known so I'm not sure if it counts as a hidden gem.

I really liked The Case of the Golden Idol too, and its DLC.

You can see I like detective games haha..

Road 96 was really fun and the soundtrack was great.

Here is a good one

I enjoyed atomicrops tremendously

Pyre by Supergiant - You have likely heard of Hades by this studio, but Pyre is a whole different beast. It's basically fantasy basketball set in the underworld, with a variety of magical species with different abilities in the game. It also has (as is this studio's habit) absolutely stellar writing, music, and 3 dimensional characters.