Indie Games Threads
Share your thoughts on the latest and greatest from the indie side of the gaming industry.
latest
What's A Game You Can't Believe Actually Exists?
I'm still amazed that?Hello Kitty Island Adventure?is a real game (and a pretty fun one at that) and not just a reference to the?Make Love, Not Warcraft?episode of South Park. I literally haven't played?WoW?in days because I've been too distracted with?Island Adventure?– does that mean I've become Butters in real life?
What's Your Most-Played Game On Steam?
Despite having nearly 400 games in my Steam Library, and hundreds of hours in dozens of games I've loved over the years, I still haven't come close to the nearly 800 hours I spent in?Garry's Mod. There were a good few years back in high school when I would play nothing but?Counter-Strike Source,?Team Fortress 2, and?Garry's Mod –?only?Elden Ring?has come close to beating any of these longtime records on my account at 500 total hours.
Should Slay The Spire 2 Get a Co-op Mode Like The Board Game? Or Should It Just Stay Single-Player?
I love the board game a lot, but it's much-much slower than the joy of whizzing through a run in the base game. I'm tempted to say I want a two-player mode, but I'm not sure if I'd actually play much online.
What Games Would You Recommend For Their Soundtrack Alone?
The first indie game I really fell in love with was?Hotline Miami, and though I first played it more than a decade ago, I still listen to the soundtrack on a nearly daily basis. Levels in?Hotline Miami 1?and?2?are driven by these hyper-synth electronic independent tracks by many different artists, essentially turning the game from a top-down strategy shooter into an interactive darkwave album. I used songs from both games in a Cyberpunk: RED?campaign I ran last year and they suited the cyberpunk vibe perfectly. In general I like the tracks in?Hotline Miami 2?more, but the more condensed OST of?Hotline Miami 1?is a bit more digestible in one sitting.?
What Unlikely Games Could We Get Before Seeing Silksong's Release Date?
I'm purposefully tempting fate here; maybe after this posts, a release date for Silksong gets announced. But until then, what improbably impossible games could get revealed beforehand? I'm thinking a Concord sequel or Bloodborne 2.
What Was The Last Game That Felt Like It Was Made For You?
We all have those titles that just tick all our boxes. From visual style to genre and story, they're all your favorite things blended into one. For me, it was Stone of Madness. I'm an enormous horror fan, admirer of 2D art, and enjoyer of creative strategic titles offering multiple approaches to problems. This title has all these things in spades.
Shane is a Controversial Character in Stardew Valley. Do You Like or Dislike Him?
I'm a Shane-defender through and through, he's my favourite!
What's the Most OP Build in Slay the Spire?
I still think I get wins the most consistently with Poison, but nothing feels better than Defect with all Orbs + Mummified Hand,
Should I Finish Hollow Knight?
A while back, I bought Hollow Knight, but got held up around the first boss due to my supreme lack of platformer skills and patience. Over time, it's just sort of faded into the background of my other games. Should I make an effort to actually finish the game? I'm just not sure, but I keep hearing such good stuff about it - is it worth it?
Which Slay the Spire Class Clicked With You The Most?
For me, it was definitely the Silent. I fouund this interesting, because I'm not usually a fan of the dagger-wielding rogue/thief, or of poison strategies in games. Nonetheless, the poison mechanic in Slay the Spire felt fantastic to me, and I always revel in the chance to build a poison-focused deck. There's nothing more satisfying to me than building up huge poison on a boss and watching them tick down as I build my defenses.
What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 24, 2025)
I'm running out of time to get through my backlog of shame, but as I continue my playthrough of?Ghost of Tsushima, I'm also putting myself at the mercy of you all by starting my first playthrough of?Hollow Knight.?I know, I know, but better late than never...right? Anyway, what're you up to this weekend, GR Community?
We Need Shorter Games With Smaller Budgets For Gaming To Thrive
It feels like the entire gaming industry hinges on a handful of extremely high-budget games performing well, but as we've seen in the last few years, pumping the budgets of games to astronomical levels doesn't guarantee success. And because of the failures of some of these big-budget games (and the focus on profits over creativity), we've seen a lot of layoffs and closed studios in the last few years. Games are getting more and more expensive to make, which turns off a lot of potential players, and I can't help but wonder where all of the mid-budget, medium-length games went to draw in this price-conscious crowd. I don't think we?need phenomenal graphics or a 100-hour-long campaign in every game, and we certainly don't need so many live service games that make or break entire studios. A lot of these lengthy, beautiful games are genuinely jaw-dropping (like BG3), but I want more games that I can play over a few weekends instead of a few months, more games that focus on unique gameplay
What's the Best Competitive Game to Watch, Even if You Don't Know How to Play?
I think the simple concept and rules of Rocket League make it accessible to pretty much anyone. It's a hard game to learn, but in terms of spectating, it's about as close to watching an actual competitive sport as gaming can get.
How Long Does It Take You To Decide If A Game Is "Good" Or Not?
In my experience, it largely depends on what genre of game I'm playing. If it's something I usually play, like an action-adventure or RPG, I'll generally make a judgment within the first hour or so. If it's something I'm not familiar with, I'll give it more time and the benefit of the doubt. I've been experiencing it this week in my first play of?Hollow Knight?(yes, I know, it's criminal I've never played it!). At first, I was a bit skeptical, but now I'm definitely hooked. I can't even tell you when it happened. It caught me a bit off guard!
What Would You Want to See Change with the Daily Climbs?
I'd love to see a NYT Crossword style option, where there were daily minis, or a few different options every day.