Welcome to the long-overdue (and subsequently double-length) seventh iteration of The IndieList; a list of indie games that have caught my eye. The plethora of games in this update span many genres, from series mainstays like action roguelikes and abstract minimalist puzzlers, to retro platformers, atmospheric adventures, visual novels, colony simulators, and more. If you’re looking for something new and fresh to play, I hope you’ll find it here.
As always, screenshots and game descriptions are publicly sourced from Steam/SteamDB.
DAVE THE DIVER
DAVE THE DIVER is a casual, singleplayer adventure RPG featuring deep-sea exploration and fishing during the day and sushi restaurant management at night. Join Dave and his quirky friends as they seek to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Blue Hole. Steam.
Notes: A good, honest, thoroughly enjoyable game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and keeps delivering with a slew of new mechanics and unlockables. An absolute blast to play.
Chants of Sennaar
Legend says that one day, a traveler will reunite the Peoples of the Tower who are unable to communicate with each other. Observe, listen, and decipher ancient languages in a fascinating universe inspired by the myth of Babel. Steam.
Notes: Absolutely fantastic game revolving around language-based puzzles with philosophical undertones. The minimalist Sable meets Manifold Garden art style is brilliant.
BIT.TRIP RERUNNER
The classic rhythm platformer is back as BIT.TRIP RERUNNER + RUNNER MAKER! The fun of the original now sports fresh mechanics, art, and soundtrack – plus RUNNER MAKER, which allows you to create custom levels. A must-play for rhythm newbies, experts, and everyone in between. Steam.
Notes: The included level editor is the icing on the cake for the best rhythm-based precision platformer game series you’ll find. Also, it features music from every Bit.Trip game!
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. It tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. Steam.
Notes: One of the best isometric JRPGs of the year, with some of the most gorgeous pixel art I’ve ever seen (at least since Taiji).
Moonstone Island
Moonstone Island is a creature-collecting life-sim set in an open world with 100 islands to explore. Make friends, brew potions, collect Spirits, and test your strength in card-based encounters to complete your Alchemy training! Steam.
Notes: Solid entry into the life sim + creature-collector genre with card-based combat.
Darkest Dungeon II
Darkest Dungeon II is a roguelike road trip of the damned. Form a party, equip your stagecoach, and set off across the decaying landscape on a last gasp quest to avert the apocalypse. The greatest dangers you face, however, may come from within… Steam.
Notes: The sequel to one of the most notoriously difficult dungeon crawlers of all time. So far the response has been somewhat mixed, with most negative reviews coming from veterans of the original who appear to object to the more watered down mechanics. No doubt a complaint as old as sequels themselves.
Xenonauts 2 – ⓘ Early Access
Wage a global war of resistance against an alien invasion. Command turn-based tactical battles, build a network of covert bases, directly control your fighter wings, and achieve strategic victory in a simulation of asymmetric warfare against a technologically superior foe. Steam.
Notes: The sequel to one of the most iconic turn-based strategy games of all time. Though for now it seems to be a long early access journey ahead. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
Phantom Rose 2 Sapphire
Phantom Rose 2 is a roguelike deckbuilding game. Fight and collect powerful cards as Aria, trying to survive in her cherished school that’s being ravaged by evil creatures. Steam.
Notes: The sequel to Phantom Rose, which many will perhaps better know by its mobile port Phantom Rose Scarlet. Retains its distinctive art style and gameplay, but unfortunately the squinty UI hasn’t improved much.
Spirited Thief
Scout, loot, and get out in Spirited Thief, a tactical turn-based stealth game with a twist. Search ahead as spirit, Trin, and grab the goods as thief, Elaj. Just make sure you have the loot before the guards come looking! Steam.
Notes: Fantastic hidden gem. If you enjoyed Invisible Inc but found its roguelike elements to be a little too random, you’ll definitely like this.
Mountaincore – ⓘ Early Access
Settle an untamed wilderness with the might of Dwarven engineering and thoughtful planning! Design and build your colony towards fame and fortune in a deeply-simulated fantasy world. Chill out in peaceful mode with a bustling settlement, or fight for survival against monsters and invasions! Steam.
Notes: It’s great to see another title have a crack at the Dwarf Fortress style of colony simulator.
dotAGE
Village elder, help us! The Apocalypse is approaching, and we need your guidance to survive. Assign your workers and build a thriving village against the pending doom. DotAGE is the merciless survival roguelite turn-based city builder. Will you fulfill the Prophecy? Steam.
Notes: A turn-based survival village builder with Rimworld-style colony management and board-game inspired worker placement. What’s not to love?
Vagabond – ⓘ Early Access
Explore procedurally generated living worlds in this 2D sandbox RPG. Meet hundreds of characters in cities, complete quests, craft powerful items, buy and furnish your home or fight monsters in dungeons. Steam.
Notes: Currently a little barebones by the looks of things, but with very high future potential.
Mask of the Rose
A marvellous romance with a hint of murder. Lose your heart to a stolen city in this game of amorous intrigue! Seek love, for yourself or your friends. Help a murdered man find justice. And watch out for the bats. Steam.
Notes: Failbetter’s latest offering is an ambitious departure away from their previous titles, though their characteristic slow-burn pacing is clearly here to stay. It’s an interesting if frustratingly fleeting foray into post-Fall London. That said, a VN without manual saving is near-unforgivable in this day and age.
Book of Hours
Restore a crumbling occult library by a winter sea. Build the world’s foremost collection of grimoires and arcana. Master the invisible arts. BOOK OF HOURS is a narrative crafting RPG set in a 1930s world of hidden gods and secret histories. What sort of Librarian will you choose to be? Steam.
Notes: Cultist Simulator is arguably too hectic and obtuse to be played without settling in for an all-night seance with a hundred tabs from the wiki splayed out across your second monitor. It’s great to see Book of Hours take a less inscrutable approach, and this results in a far more enjoyable and cathartic experience.
Long Gone Days
A modern-day JRPG that imagines a world of war. Overcome language barriers, forge unlikely friendships, and find hope amidst conflict. Steam.
Notes: A thoughtful young-adult sci-fi JRPG.
The Banished Vault
A strategy game of exploration, endurance, and space travel on an interstellar gothic monastery. Explore solar systems, harvest resources, construct outposts, and face hazards in the challenging universe of The Banished Vault. Steam.
Notes: Intriguing premise and setting, with gameplay that’s very much like a typical Euro-style board game where forward planning is everything.
Wandering Sword
Wandering Sword is a Chinese martial-arts RPG where you play a young swordsman caught up in a feud and nearly dies. Escaping the event puts you on the path of pursuing the highest form of martial arts and exploring the pugilistic world to become the great hero you are always destined to be. Steam.
Notes: A must play for fans of wuxia.
Pan’orama
Relax and unleash your creativity in this new city building puzzle game. Create amazing landscapes and discover wide range of structures with special abilities. Enter the world of beauty and tranquility with the panoramas of your own creation and don’t forget to pet your new animal friends! Steam.
Notes: If it looks like Dorfromantik and plays like Dorfromantik then it’s probably Dorfromantik. But hey, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and Pan’orama does have its own interesting spin on the casual low-poly tile-based city-builder micro-genre.
Land Above, Sea Below
Land Above Sea Below is an atmospheric building strategy and puzzle game where you have to build your island from tiles in order to raise its height as much as possible, to avoid it getting flooded by the constantly rising sea level. Steam.
Notes: If it looks like Dorfromantik and plays like… Actually this game is nothing like Dorfromantik. It’s amazingly beautiful with distinct charm and an excellent emphasis on strategy that dismisses mindless tile plopping. Can’t help but read the title as in Arngeir’s dulcet “Sky above, voice within” greeting.
Planet of Lana
A young girl and her loyal friend embark on a rescue mission through a colorful world full of cold machines and unfamiliar creatures. Planet of Lana is a cinematic puzzle adventure framed by an epic sci-fi saga that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Steam.
Notes: A breathtakingly beautiful adventure platformer with some light puzzle elements.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Five years after the events of OXENFREE, Riley returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious radio signals. What she finds is more than she bargained for. Steam.
Notes: Highly anticipated successor to the innovative OXENFREE. Stunningly atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful.
COCOON
From Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer of LIMBO and INSIDE — COCOON takes you on an adventure across worlds within worlds. Master world-leaping mechanics and solve intricate puzzles to unravel a cosmic mystery. Steam.
Notes: What more is there to add? An absolute must-play for fans of atmospheric puzzle adventure games.
Sipho
Sipho is an action survival game with an intricate building system. Grow your own creature and take over the local ecosystem. Fight, grow, survive, dominate. Play in adventure or sandbox mode. Steam.
Notes: This is what Spore’s cell stage should have been.
Slay the Princess
You’re here to slay the princess. Don’t believe her lies. Steam.
Notes: Easily the best existential horror VN of the year. The voice acting is outstanding, so too the massive branch factor of possibilities that make achievement hunting actually feel like a proper treasure hunt.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
The Trine series is back with its biggest adventure! In their fifth outing, the Heroes of Trine are pitted against dastardly and duplicitous villains, who will stop at nothing to seize control of the kingdom. The clock is ticking to save the world of Trine! Steam.
Notes: Absolutely sublime puzzle platforming, with such graphical splendour your eyes will weep.
Voidigo
A vividly animated action roguelite focused on boss hunting. Unleash an array of diverse weapons and powerups to combat the corruption of the Void. Steam.
Notes: One of the more (mechanically) pure roguelikes so far this year, easily in the same vein as Enter the Gungeon.
Nova Lands
Nova Lands is a factory building, exploration, and island management game. Explore, engage in combat, and automate your industry. The planet you’re on is full of mysteries, creatures, people, and things to do. Welcome to your new home amongst the stars! Steam.
Notes: A more casual and chill take on your typical automation game like Factorio.
Outpath
An experimental clicker base building game. Craft, gather & manage resources, build your base and buy more islands to exploit and expand! Steam.
Notes: Satisfactory-style sandbox automation game, more like a 3D Forager rather than a lightweight Minecraft.
Techtonica – ⓘ Early Access
Techtonica is a first-person factory automation game set beneath the surface of an alien planet. Work alone or in co-op to build factories, gather resources, research new technologies, mold the destructible terrain, establish a base of operations, and uncover long-forgotten secrets. Steam.
Notes: Subterranean Satisfactory, what’s not to love?
Mercury Fallen
Sci-fi colony management with a focus on expansion and exploration. Dig out the underground and explore the surface of an alien world as you rebuild your facility, grow your colony, manage colonists and robots and discover the mysteries of a new home light years from Earth. Steam.
Notes: An ambitious subterranean colony simulator with a deliberate approach to base building, along with impressively deep colonist management, surface exploration and one heck of a research tree. Very high time investment.
Gravity Circuit
Gravity Circuit is a flashy action packed 2D platformer in the spirit of console classics. Follow Kai, a lone operative war hero who harnesses the mysterious powers of the Gravity Circuit, on an adventure in a futuristic world inhabited by sentient robots. Steam.
Notes: A love letter to the good old days of Mega Man.
Moonleap
Moonleap is a game about a moon boy on his journey to recover shooting stars. Change day to night with your jump and catch all the stars in this challenging puzzle-platformer! Steam.
Notes: Great minimalistic puzzle platformer with tight controls and gorgeous pixel art.
Mars First Logistics – ⓘ Early Access
Build physically simulated rovers and transport awkwardly shaped cargo across the surface of Mars. Earn funds, unlock new parts, and use your ingenuity to help the martians establish a new home. Playable solo or in online co-op! Steam.
Notes: Essentially a delivery simulator with all the farcical physics its artstyle would suggest.
Shogun Showdown – ⓘ Early Access
Shogun Showdown is a turn-based combat game with rogue-like and deck-building elements. Position yourself and attack at the right time, upgrade your tiles and combo them to get ready to face the Shogun! Steam.
Notes: An excellent turn-based tactics game; easy to learn, hard to master.
Vactics
Build the mech to fight against robotic Vactics in tactical chess-like combat. The war is already over and the heroes of the city have fallen. Take on a new randomly generated challenge every time you play and join with the citizens to fight for a better future. Steam.
Notes: An outstanding, minimalist tactical roguelike reminiscent of Hoplite.
Oaken
Oaken, a turn-based tactical roguelike set in the spirit inhabited world. Explore the Great Oak, gather allies and trinkets, learn to use the positioning for your advantage, choose how to upgrade your cards. Wake the spirits and save the Oak! Steam.
Notes: More of a puzzle game with roguelike elements. Great if you’re looking for another flavour of Into The Breach / Slay the Spire.
Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles
Astrea is a DICE-deck-building roguelike that flips the script on deckbuilders by using dice instead of cards and an unique dual “damage” system: Purification vs Corruption. Build a dice pool strong enough to purify Astrea’s out-of-control corruption and save the Star System. Steam.
Notes: This game is refreshingly innovative; the perfect blend of dice mechanics (like Circadian Dice) with Slay The Spire combat and gameplay. Perfect for those tired of the same old roguelike deckbuilder formula.
Breach Wanderers
A fresh take on Roguelike Deckbuilders that lets you fine-tune your decks before each run to adapt your strategy on your way to victory. Over 1,200 cards to choose from, ten characters with their own set of unique skills, and dozens of items and missions to evolve your tactics. Steam.
Notes: Despite looking rather samey, it’s far deeper and more intricate than your typical roguelike deckbuilder.
Word Factori
Word Factori is a word-building game where your only resource is the letter “i”. Build a chain of factories to bend, rotate, reflect, and merge “i” into more complex letters. Discover secret letter recipes, unlock hidden word art, and optimize your factory chains for high scores. Steam.
Notes: It’s shapez but with letters.
Takara Cards – ⓘ Early Access
Takara Cards is a fusion of deckbuilding and tactical RPG about adventuring through Cosmos and Karma. Pilot medieval ships using Cards and find the Dragons! Each adventure through space offers new challenges and stories in this roguelike! Steam.
Notes: A highly enjoyable game with excellent visuals and innovative gameplay, all within a wonderful space fantasy setting.
Dreamkeeper – ⓘ Free to Play
You play as Marshmallow, the cute little pet of a girl named Ava who wants to become a heroine and save her village from the Nightmares. To protect her you use magical bullets, tarot-cards and try to find your very own playstyle to unlock the story and get the highest score! Steam.
Notes: A beautiful lightweight bullet hell.
Quest for the Golden Candelabra – ⓘ Free to Play
Lead a group of childhood friends in a series of difficult encounters played under the rules of PF2E, the second edition of a powerful tabletop OGL ruleset. Steam.
Notes: Goes to show how wonderful a streamlined pen & paper experience can be.
HoloCure – Save the Fans! – ⓘ Free to Play
Play as your favorite Vtubers from Hololive! Fight, explore, and clear your way through armies of fans and save them from their mind-control in this unofficial free fan-game. Steam.
Notes: This is the first Vampire Survivors clone I’ve played that genuinely matches (and arguably surpasses) the original. 大好き!
Symmodance
Dive into the symphonic chaos of geometric warfare! Unleash futuristic weaponry, customize your hovering platform, conquer relentless foes and dance to victory in this mesmerizing reverse bullet hell shooter. Steam.
Notes: A fantastic minimalist survival roguelike.
Paper Planet
Paper Planet is a planet-defender, arcade roguelike with a doodley, Flash-inspired artstyle. Battle through waves of unique enemies and bosses. Combine items with strange and wacky effects for insanely overpowered runs. Play with 1-4 players, for some chaotic co-op fun! Steam.
Notes: Just when you thought you’d seen it all in the bullet hell genre.
Mosa Lina
a hostile interpretation of the immersive sim, where nothing is planned, and everything works. Steam.
Notes: When I started high school and we were all given white polycarbonate Macbooks with 1GB of RAM, I was enraptured by creating catapults and Rube Goldberg machines in a cartoonish physics sandbox called Phun (now known as Algodoo). This game brings back all of that innocent joy of experimentation.
Aldro – ⓘ Early Access
You play as Aldro, a cute slime lost in an unexplored world full of magic and mystery. Explore procedurally generated levels full of strange creatures and resources unique to the area. Cultivate anywhere you choose and gather resources to build and defend your civilization from the dangers outside. Steam.
Notes: Promising sandbox roguelike, essentially a more fleshed out Forager.
Neon Noodles
In a future where food is the ultimate symbol of status, you are a recipe programming technician for a ruthless aristocracy. Create, test and optimize your culinary machines in this deliciously dark zach-like! Steam.
Notes: This is not really an automation game but more a Zach-like visual programming game in the style of Opus Magnum. Though where Opus Magnum prized a “less is more” approach, here the puzzles seem a little too labyrinthine.
Viewfinder
Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind. Steam.
Notes: Wonderfully innovative but woefully short.
Frame – Portals on Steroids
Frames are devices that can stitch two parts in space together. And they can do much more: They can move, change size and gravity of objects and appear in any size or number… All these mechanics are used to provide mind-bending levels in this logic-based physics-puzzler. Steam.
Notes: If you can look past the lack of polish and somewhat nauseating graphics, this is actually a very clever puzzle game that, as the title suggests, asks the sort of questions Portal and its sequel never dared to.
A Slug’s Dream
Take on the role of a famished slug and wiggle your way through a series of challenging yet accessible puzzles. Push, rotate and warp anything that stands between you and those yummy flowers! Steam.
Notes: 3D sokoban. Looks just like that other sokoban, you know, with the sausages.
Trans Neuronica – ⓘ Early Access
Transneuronica is a puzzle game that takes the concept of Numberlink and intertwines it with a story about human – AI interactions.The goal of the game is to connect nodes while adhering to the rules imposed by the special limiters, switches and stations that get progressively more challenging. Steam.
Notes: Short but thoughtful puzzler, the kind that takes a simple concept and lets it flourish.
On the Peril of Parrots
Take control of P.O.L.L.I – the Procedural Operating Layered Linguistic Intelligence – and put your skills to the test with 100+ challenging puzzles! Unravel a mysterious experiment overseen by the brilliant “Scientist”, their trusted “Assistant”, and the shady “Stakeholder”. Steam.
Notes: I couldn’t help but be bemused by the title of this game and its screenshots. They say not to judge books by their covers, otherwise you miss out on indie gems like this. Extra kudos for the soundtrack.
Wise Garden
Play as a gardener in Wise Garden, a puzzle game inspired by feudal Japan. Play with zen garden’s elements and find your own solution to please your clients. Establish yourself as the best gardener. Steam.
Notes: This is a must-play for fans of Nikoli pen & paper / line-based puzzles like Yajilin, Masyu and Slitherlink.
Bilattice
Bilattice is a massive puzzle game featuring over 300 hand-crafted levels and tons of unique mechanics. The mechanics interact with each other in endlessly interesting ways to produce hours of mind-bending content. The sheer number of clever gimmicks offered by this game is hard not to appreciate. Steam.
Notes: One of those abstract “learn-the-rules-by-experimenting” puzzle games.
Colored Effects
Colored Effects is a puzzle platformer game where you use different abilities to advance through levels. Each color grants a unique ability. Switch between the colors and their effects to collect gems, defeat bosses, and solve fun puzzles. Steam.
Notes: A beautiful, minimalist logic puzzler. The artstyle is quite nostalgic too.
Unnamed Space Idle – ⓘ Free to Play
Destroy endless waves of alien ships that have all but wiped out humanity in this long form, unfolding, sci-fi idle game. Customize your ship with different weapons and defenses to defeat specific enemy types and utilize a ton of different systems to increase your overall power. Steam.
Notes: Idle games aren’t my personal cup of tea (except for Melvor and the one about the paperclips), but as for this one I just couldn’t resist.
CIPHER-8 – ⓘ Free to Play
CIPHER-8 is a brain-twisting minimalist arcade puzzler where you push numbers into a grid and manipulate them with randomly drawn special abilities! Play blitz mode for frantic combo streaks, or analyze every move in puzzle mode. Both scale infinitely in their difficulty. How far can you go? Steam.
Notes: Fantastic for those five-minute brain workouts. And made in PICO-8 no less!