This time too, the fateful moment of the year has arrived: the month of December, a moment of pause and reflection to take stock of what has been done, and what we have been able to discover in the world of videogames. In particular, we dedicate our attention to independent production, to which we have decided to dedicate a monthly special this year too to summarize the best releases. So why not look over our shoulders and propose a list of the best indie titles of 2023? The only warning: this is a list in no particular order, and without suggesting any ranking. Ready to discover with us our selection of best indie video games of 2023?
The best indie video games of 2023
1. Hekate – To Infinity
It couldn’t be missing from the first indie titles selected as the best of 2023 To infinitya title that deals in depth with the horrors of war experienced firsthand in a puzzle horror not to be missed. It tells a cross-section of history dedicated to WWIpresented by the team of Hectareswhich offers us a decidedly new perspective: the vision of the war from a German soldier fallen on the battlefield.
Ad Infinitum tells us how the pain and nightmare of war is so great that it condemns those who experienced it not only in the flesh, but also in their own in the after-death dimension. And it does so with this title by Nacon, which takes us on a long journey full of emotions and notable jump-scares. Ad Infinitum is a horror title that combines the classic characteristics of the genre well with gameplay that is truly rich in puzzle elements, useful for delving deeper into the game world and the entire historical and narrative context that revolves around the protagonist’s story.
The Hekate team was able to port to consoles a really well conceived title and able to offer an original point of view on this historical event. Even the choice of revisit the world of war with concrete visions of pain and trauma it is a choice that leads us to reflect on what it means to deal with war conflicts, past and present. A videogame opportunity for unexpected reflection, which highlights various sensitive and delicate themes on a reality that is unfortunately always contemporary.
2. Pathea Games – My Time At Sandrock
Also mentioned in our selection of the best indies of November 2023, My Time At Sandrock fits perfectly into the farming simulator genre, capable not only of offering us a relaxing gaming opportunitybut also of create a sense of community and responsibility towards a small world to protect.
The game takes up the mechanics of the previous My Time at Portia in all respects, introducing us to a long series of new elements compared to the previous title, capable of completely renewing the gaming experience and encouraging us to set off on a new adventure. My Time at Sandrock is a post apocalyptic western adventure set in the desert, where people were forced to start their lives over. Simpler, made up of agriculture and menial jobs.
We are faced with a microcosm, not without so many elements to explore. There is a wide variety of shops, pubs, villagers’ houses, farms, animal pens and all the essentials that make up a lively and welcoming village. The development team has taken very well the feedback relating to the previous game, going on to specifically improve some aspects, such as the faster production of resources and the exploration which includes a new system so as not to make us spend hours picking at random. Sandrock social canvas returns with many useful activities and new narratives to discovermaking it one of the best indies of 2023 without a doubt.
3. THA – Humanity
Humanity was released on May 16, a puzzle-game that has managed to win us over with its originality immediately. Able to incorporate action and puzzle game mechanics, it leads us in guiding humanity towards salvation, but in the guise of a luminous dog.
By following the advice of spherical entities and receiving their powers as a gift, we can give commands to the river of people we find in each level and create the path that will lead them towards the light. But the situation will not be as idyllic when “The Others” hinder these flows. It will be the player’s task to resolve the conflict between the factions.
Humanity is a puzzle game that apparently does not differ much from other titles of its genre, when in reality it surprises us with new mechanics and an action-oriented approach. Collecting all the rewards represents quite a challenge, and the online and level creation mechanics greatly extend the enjoyable playability of this title. The simple but pleasant artistic style and the relaxing synth-pop soundtrack accompany the player during hours of play without disturbing, thus creating a microcosm of calm sensations far from the frenetic daily life. Humanity is a little jewel that couldn’t be missing from our selection of the best indie titles of 2023.
4. Sabotage Studio – Sea Of Stars
Candidate among the best indies in the past The Game Awards, how can we not also include Sea Of Stars in our selection? The title developed by
The story of Sea of Stars begins by introducing us to the two protagonists, Zale and Valere, two children destined for great undertakings. Born during the summer solstice and the other during a winter solstice, they are both endowed with magical powers associated with the Sun and the Moon respectively. Once you enter the Zenith Academya place dedicated to honing their skills, they will have to prepare to defend the world from the fearsome powers of Fleshmanceran entity capable of summoning bloodthirsty monsters and threatening the very survival of mankind.
To take the whole scene of the game is the world of Sea of Starswith a well-implemented and well-used isometric perspective even in the environmental puzzles, the various locations leave you speechless in terms of variety and quality. Between splendid cliffs and gloomy cemeteries up to swamps where mushrooms change color and shape depending on the time of day and night, the game universe always manages to amaze and to capture the players’ attention. And also of the critics, evidently. A really successful product, complex and delicate at the same timewhich scored this year’s indie production hands down.
5. Night School Studio – Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals
A particular title, the one published under the label, a choice that is not at all common nowadays. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals it is in fact treated just as if it were a new TV series, further establishing a decisive union between the streaming giant and the team Night School Studios. Both thus offer us entertainment dictated by particular characters and dialogues, in addition tointeractivity.
Who there are no right or wrong choices, nor game oversbut only more or less decisive facts that direct us towards various narrative branches and consequent endings. During the adventure they also await us interesting puzzles and some of the most natural dialogues ever seen in a video game. And silence is a contemplated response. The main cast of this new Oxenfree is made up of only two characters, Riley e Jacoband most of the dialogue and interaction happens between the two of them.
The characters that revolve around them have increased exactly as the importance of their role has increased, as well as defining a plot that begins only a few months after the end of the first game. Furthermore this sequel is set a few miles away from the island where the Oxenfree events took place, so much so that it can be glimpsed from afar. A minimal indie, but well thought out and which connects equally well with the previous narrative. Unmissable in the selection of the best indie video games of 2023.
6. Awaceb – Tchia
The developer team wanted to dedicate a real love letter to his homeland, the New Caledonia. A land that is so distant for us and very little covered by mainstream media products in particular, making this new game truly original in its narrative and contextualization frame. Bye it’s a action-platform with obvious sandbox features who managed to communicate their culture and existence through this video game project.
With the help of the publisher Kepler Interactive, Tchia is a little girl protagonist of this game, who we are introduced to through the story of a local old woman. We know that her story takes place in a time preceding ours, as she begins to do slingshot practiceour weapon with which we can defend ourselves, given to her by Jox, his father, on his birthday. But soon he will be the victim of a kidnapping, ordered by the island’s governor, Meavora.
To find it again, the daughter must put into practice the skills she already knows, and many others that she still has to learn, as well as having to make the best use of the objects she had received as a gift from her father. All this, scouring far and wide the different biomes in which she stumbles upon in this adventure, …