Recommend non-side scrolling indie games?

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cbrunny

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 2007
6,791
406
126
I like the idea of supporting indie/small studio developers, but not into side scrollers or platforms or stuff that looks 16-bit (unless its really well done). Any recommendations for good games?

I'm into a pretty wide variety of games and am willing to try out some new/emerging/different genres, so no holds barred.
 
D

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
Recettear, though it's graphics are pretty simplistic and the 'gameplay' part (which is actually fairly optional if you just want to play shopkeeper 24/7 lol) is mostly topdown which isn't far off from a sidescroller.

Zeno Clash, basically a FPS/beatemup hybrid with some pretty wild environments and character design.
 
S

slpnshot

Senior member
Dec 1, 2011
305
2
81
Kerbal Space Program - A sandbox spaceship building/flying game that lets you experiment to try and reach different planet/moons. Doesn't take itself very seriously. Still in beta.

Bastion - Very highly rated indie action-game. Narration and music are the real draws for this game

Recettear - A unique game that sets itself in a typical rpg/adventure enviroment, but rather than being one of the heroes, you play as the shopkeeper that supplies the heroes with their gear.
 
JamesV

JamesV

Platinum Member
Jul 9, 2011
2,002
2
76
Kerbal Space Program - like space and building things? Buy it. Have over 160 hours into it so far, and have only been to 4 planets.

Prison Architect - Don't let the price tag put you off, it's worth every penny.

Binding of Isaac - It's the original Zelda, but in a basement dungeon full of the strangest things you'll ever see, with 100x the gear.

Space Pirates and Zombies - Awesome spaceship fighter; like Star Control but more action focused. Highly recommended.

Terraria - Minecraft in 2D graphics, with an actual game behind it. Tons of craftables, huge boss fights, and one of the best co-op indie games.

Defender's Quest - RPG/Tower defense that is quite fun, but does entail some serious grinding late game. Still, for $2.50 (sale), great game.

FTL - Great space ship strategy fighter. I'm convinced any Star Wars/Trek game should ripoff the large ship combat from this.

Legend of Grimrock - Old school RPG dungeon delving with modern twists.

Spectromancer - If you like card type games like Magic, then you might like this.
 
N

natto fire

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2000
7,117
10
76
Not sure if Dungeon Defenders counts as an indie game, but it sucks me in from time to time (have over 400 hours of actual play time in to it). Uses the unreal engine and is rather polished, although a DLC trap.

I agree Terraria is a great game, but OP said he was not looking for side scrolling or pixelated graphics, which is all Terraria is. Hard to appreciate the fun mechanics and open feeling of a game if it is centered around two mechanics of a game you don't like, IMO.
 
W

wanderer27

Platinum Member
Aug 6, 2005
2,173
15
81
Some repeats, and in no particular order but:

World of Goo
Gish
Osmos
SpaceChem
Legend of Grimrock
Cogs
Machinarium
Penumbra (series)
Uplink
Democracy 2
Bastion
Puzzle Agent

Probably several more, I just haven't had time to play them much yet (I have well over 100+ Indies).


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W

wanderer27

Platinum Member
Aug 6, 2005
2,173
15
81
Here - I haven't updated this in almost a year, and there are some older ones not on here, but this should give you a pretty good selection to look into:

1000 Amps
3079
A Kingdom for Keflings
Adventure Apes and the Mayan Mystery
AirMech
Alien Zombie Megadeath
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Analogue: A Hate Story
Ancients of Ooga
And Yet It Moves
Anomaly
Aquaria
Astro Tripper
Atom Zombie Smasher
Avadon: The Black Fortress
Avernum: The Great Trials Trilogy
Aztaka
Ballistic
Band of Bugs
BasketBelle
Bastion
BIT.TRIP.BEAT
Black Market
Botanicula
Braid
Brainpipe - A Plunge to Unhumanity
Canabalt
Cardinal Quest
Catacomb Snatch
Children of the Nile: Enhanced Edition
City Generator Tech Demo
Cloning Clyde
Cogs
Containment: The Zombie Puzzler
Cortex Command
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Da New Guys
Dark Scavenger
Darwinia
Data Jammers: FastForward
Dead Pixels
DEFCON
Defense Grid: The Awakening
Demise: Ascension
Depths of Peril
Devil Whiskey
DLC Quest
Dungeon Defenders
Dungeons of Dredmor
Dustforce
Edge
Eufloria HD
EvilQuest
Explodemon
Fieldrunners
Fists of Resistance
Fortix 2
Frozen Synapse
Gratuitous Space Battles
Hack, Slash, Loot
Hammerfight
Hard-Reset
Home
Ichi
Intrusion 2
Jack Claw
Jamestown
Jolly Rover
Kenshi
Kooky
Lair of the Evildoer
LaserCat
LIMBO
Lone Survivor
MacGuffin's Curse
Machinarium
MiniFlake
Multiwinia
Mutant Mudds
Osada
Osmos
Outpost Kaloki
Pathologic
Pineapple Smash Crew
Psychonauts
Puzzle Agent
Puzzle Agent 2
Revenge of the Titans
Rochard
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
Samarost 2
Shadowgrounds
Shadowgrounds: Survivor
Shatter
Shattered Horizon
Slydris
Snuggle Truck
SpaceChem
SPAZ - Space Pirates and Zombies
Spirits
Splice
Splot
Steel Storm: Burning Retribution
Super Amazing Wagon Adventure
Super Brothers: Sword & Sorcery EP
Super Meat Boy
Swords & Soldiers
The Broadside Express
The Dream Machine: Chapters 1-3
The Ship
The Void
Tobe's Vertical Adventure
Toki Tori
Torchlight
Trauma
Trine
Unstoppable Gorg
Uplink
Vertex Dispenser
Vessel
Volvo The Game
Voxel Tech Demo
VVVVVV
Waking Mars
Wanderlust: Rebirth
Waves
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Windowsill
Wizorb
World of Goo
Zen Bound 2


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Dumac

Dumac

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
9,391
1
0
Expeditions Conquistador
Legend of Grimrock

Both are great atypical indie games.
 
Zeze

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,189
126
acheron said:
FTL is not a sidescroller though it does have pixelly graphics.
Click to expand...

JamesV said:
FTL - Great space ship strategy fighter. I'm convinced any Star Wars/Trek game should ripoff the large ship combat from this.
Click to expand...

So I just tried this game thanks to your recommendations. HOLY CRAP it's FUN!

I LOVE games like this. It was bit daunting at first, but after tutorial and few rounds, everything sinks in. After that it's a blast.
 
HorsemanSix

HorsemanSix

Junior Member
Aug 3, 2013
11
0
0
Shadowruns Returns, kerbal, sang-froid, the swapper, iron brigade, gunpoint, cart life, super house of dead ninjas, Jamestown, Hotline Miami.

The best games of the last five years are mostly indies.
 
M

MWink

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,642
1
76
I recommend Hegemony Gold: Wars of Ancient Greece if you like RTS type games. Though it is quite a bit different from any other RTS game I've played.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is good if you like horror games. I can't think of any others off the top of my head, except for the types you stated you're not looking for. (which happen to be some of my favorite)
 
mmntech

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
To the Moon
World of Goo
Telltale's adventure series (Monkey Island, Sam & Max, Back to the Future, Walking Dead)
Cuthulu Saves the World
Kerbal Space Program
Machinarium
 
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