While AAA titles often attract the most attention in the gaming industry and bring about the most revenue, sometimes it's the indie games that provide the most entertainment and best overall experiences. 2021 included high-profile launches whose projects had suffered delays from the COVID=-19 pandemic, such as Battlefield 2042 and Call of Duty: Vanguard. Still, smaller artists and developers also launched a fair number of products. Indie games have begun receiving more attention in recent years, thanks partly to the dropping quality of high-priced games from high-profile publishers. Thankfully, those willing to invest their money in smaller gaming companies and developers have a vast selection of exemplary titles to choose from that released in 2021.
Unfortunately, many amazing indie games go unnoticed by large portions of the gaming community, thanks to the frequent ment and popularity of AAA titles and franchises. Indie games encom many genres, from action-adventure and RPGs to point-and-click or open-world exploration. Though these projects rarely receive sequels, indie games can offer developers the opportunity to grow beyond their current scale and embrace larger audiences and games.
For any indie game of any genre to earn its name, the title must be developed by an independent developer or smaller company, particularly without the financial and programming assets available to companies like Bungie, BioWare, and other larger game developers. While it's always possible for independent companies and developers to evolve into bigger companies or be bought by larger conglomerations, these games never lose their indie status. Frequently, indie games embrace a smaller scale of gameplay and story and are much less expensive as a result. Thankfully, 2021 featured many indie games worth much more than their price charges and provided dozens of hours of entertaining gameplay.
Best Indie Games Of 2021: Twelve Minutes
Twelve Minutes is an indie time loop game over twelve in-game minutes, where players must unravel a decade-old mystery and unlock multiple endings. Players control a man whose wife has just revealed her pregnancy, sparking a never-ending time loop until they uncover the truth surrounding their love, pasts, identities, and more. Developed by Luis Antonio, a former artist from Rockstar Games and Ubisoft, Twelve Minutes explores the consequences of choice and details, heavily emphasizing the smallest choices made throughout the game.
Twelve Minutes features the talents of James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley and received nominations for several awards over the past year. The unique storytelling form combined with thrilling mysteries and multiple endings ensures players can enjoy this indie title easily and explore many outcomes and opportunities throughout their playthroughs. The game also received an 8/10 rating from IGN, a 76% from Metacritic, and four stars from Screen Rant. Twelve Minutes is available on PC, Xbox, Switch, and PlayStation systems and is well worth its $20 price tag.
Best Indie Games Of 2021: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits confronts the uncomfortable topic of death, exploring the fates of traumatized spirits unable to move on in the world. In Kena: Bridge of the Spirits' story, players control Kena, a spirit guide in charge of assisting deceased souls in their final journey. Unfortunately, a masked spirit corrupts the local forest, leading Kena on an adventure throughout the remnants of a village wiped out by sickness and volcanic eruptions. Players meet several spirits with tragic stories and endings, ultimately pursuing a masked being responsible for the forest's corruption.
Packed with emotion and thrilling gameplay, Kena confronts death with an open mind and utilizes beautiful environments and soundtracks to make the journey more enjoyable. Developed and published by Ember Studios, Kena: Bridge of Spirits attracted positive reviews from many gaming outlets, including an 8/10 from IGN, 83% from Metacritic, and 4.5 stars from Screen Rant. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is nominated for several awards at the 2021 Game Awards and is available now on PC and PlayStation.
Best Indie Games Of 2021: Overboard!
Many murder mystery and thriller games explore the story of a detective hunting the killer down, but few games bother to embrace the murderer's point of view. In Overboard!, players control a famous actor (Veronica Villensey) whose splendor has begun to fade over the years. As her stardom wanes, she abruptly murders her husband by throwing him overboard to claim his life insurance. The game is purely narrative, exploring the intricacies of choice and encouraging players to explore new options in securing an alibi for the recently widowed actress.
While Overboard! has less action than games like Kena: Bridge of Spirits, it provides players frequent opportunities to reward their creativity. Vibrant characters fill the cruise ship, encouraging dozens of playthroughs to secure the perfect alibi and get away with murder. In an age where AAA games are serious time commitments, Overboard! provides an opportunity to experience an evolving story in just a few thrilling minutes. Developed in two months by Inkle Studios, Overboard! is available on Nintendo Switch, Mobile, and PC for $10.
Best Indie Games Of 2021: Omno
Omno is a third-person adventure, exploration, and puzzle game funded on Kickstarter and developed by Jonas Manke. While there is no voice acting or words, Omno focuses exclusively on storytelling through worldbuilding and the indie game's emotions and atmosphere. Players can discover the stories and history of beings and civilizations that came before them, continuing on their pilgrimage towards the Light. Some information reveals itself through relics located across the open world, called 'Staff-bearers,' but players depend on their instincts.
Omno utilizes the Light as a valuable tool for world discovery, with the light emanating from the player character's staff pointing towards objectives in new areas. Though Omno only has a few hours of playtime, its vibrant environments and dynamic world encourages thorough investigation. Combined with a stunning soundtrack, Omno is a must-have for indie players seeking a respite from chaotic action and over-exposition.
Best Indie Games Of 2021: Death's Door
Unlike previous 2021 indie games on this list, which take death quite seriously, Death's Door is a zany action-adventure RPG where players control a reaper called a Crow. Unfortunately, their targeted soul is stolen by a thief who flees to an immortal land. In the deathless world, creatures overflowing with greed and power, forcing the Crow to adapt and evolve to their environment. Players face complex enemies and bosses while enjoying a cartoonish and dynamic art style.
In addition to battling enemies, players must also solve puzzles to progress through the mythical world, which holds many similarities to medieval lands. Acid Nerve, the company in charge of Death's Door's development, is run by two people in the UK, who managed to create a game that earned 9/10 from IGN, GameInformer, and Destructoid, and an 85% from Metacritic. Death's Door is available now on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch systems.
Best Indie Games Of 2021: Sable
Sable is a non-combat, open-world indie game that provides players with immense freedom, utilizing boundless environments and a unique quest system to unlock players' imaginations and sur the standard expectations of modern games. Players control Sable, a desert nomad seeking to complete a rite of age to re her tribe. Customization options are available for her cloak and hoverbike, but the game's lack of combat eliminates any possible attacks or motion customizations.
Though Sable takes place exclusively in the deserts and dunes, the environment doesn't become tiring. Dynamic lighting and shifting sands keep the world fresh, with simplistic graphics bringing an otherworldly feeling to the project. The lack of outright direction within Sable's gameplay encourages players to explore all the world offers, creating believable characters going about their everyday lives. Various gaming outlets reviewed Sable with PC Games rating it an 8/10, Game Informer awarding an 8.75/10, and PC Gamer rating the project at 93%. Sable is available now for PC and Xbox systems.
Best Indie Games Of 2021: Genesis Noir
The final indie game published during 2021 that provides ample entertainment well worth its price tag is Genesis Noir, a point-and-click adventure game that portrays the universe's birth. Players control an entity called No-Man, who can control time and embarks on a film noir-style adventure. No-Man saves Miss Mass, a nightclub singer whom he recently broke up with, from Golden Boy, a saxophone player from the same band. Different characters are personifications of various aspects of the universe, with No-Man representing time, Golden Boy representing energy, and Miss Mass representing the universe's mass.
Like most noir projects, Genesis Noir embraces a darker side of existence and the inability of one person to save everything or everyone. While point-and-click adventures may seem mundane compared to other titles, Genesis Noir makes every frame of the indie game meaningful. Genesis Noir is available now on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox systems, and is one of 2021's best indie games.
