Cave Story is a 2004 Metroidvania platform-adventure video game for Microsoft Windows. It was developed over five years by Japanese independent developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya in his free time. Cave Story features 2D platform mechanics and is reminiscent of the games Amaya played in his youth, such as Metroid and Castlevania. After its initial self-published release, the game slowly gained popularity on the internet. It received widespread critical acclaim for many polished aspects of its design, such as its compelling characters, setting, story, and gameplay. Cave Story is considered by many as the quintessential indie game because of its one-person development team and influence on the video gaming world.
Tekken 6 is a 2007 fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is the sixth main and seventh overall installment in the Tekken franchise. It was released on arcades in November 2007 as the first game running on the PlayStation 3-based System 357 arcade board. A year later, the game received an update, subtitled Bloodline Rebellion; both versions also saw a limited release in North America. A home version based on the update was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2009; this was the first time a main installment was produced for another console. A port to PlayStation Portable was also released shortly after.
Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity is a 2004 tactical role-playing game co-developed by Atlus and Pinegrow for the PlayStation 2. It was published in Japan and North America by Atlus, and in Europe by 505 Games. The gameplay, which is similar to that of Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth, has the player controlling six characters through story-driven tactical missions, revolving around positioning, assigned equipment, and the special skills of individual characters. The story focuses on Spero, a young man who is caught in the middle of a growing conflict between various religious factions, which in turn are being spurred by the advance of the Miasma, a force that will destroy all life.
Anima is a tabletop role-playing franchise developed by Spain-based company Anima Game Studio. The fantasy setting of Anima is called Gaïa. Anima draws significant inspiration from Japanese role-playing video games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Suikoden. The game combines elements of Eastern fantasy, such as manga-like art, honor codes, mysticism, and martial arts, with elements of Western fantasy, such as medieval arms.
Machinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on 16 October 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, on 8 September 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store, on 21 November 2011 for BlackBerry PlayBook, on 10 May 2012 for Android, on 6 September 2012 on PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network in Europe, on 9 October 2012 in North America and on 18 October 2012 in Asia, and was also released for PlayStation Vita on 26 March 2013 in North America, on 1 May 2013 in Europe and on 7 May 2013 in Asia. Demos for Windows, Mac and Linux were made available on 30 September 2009. A future release for the Wii's WiiWare service was cancelled as of November 2011 due to WiiWare's 40MB limit.
Nier is an action role-playing video game developed by Cavia and published in 2010 by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In Japan, the game was released as Nier Replicant for the PlayStation 3 with a younger main character, while an alternative version titled Nier Gestalt with an older main character was released for the Xbox 360; Gestalt was released outside of Japan as Nier for both platforms. A remaster of the Japanese version, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139... was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2021.
Go Vacation is a 2011 party video game developed and released by Bandai Namco Games for the Wii and Nintendo Switch. It is the third game in the We Ski series and a spin-off to the prior two main titles. Up to four players can compete against each other in over 50 sport-based minigames that take place in four fictional island resorts. Minigames range from activities such as kayaking and horseback riding, to activities like table hockey and minigolf. Different resorts can be accessed using vehicles such as trolleys and bicycles. Players can customize the outfit of their avatar and decorate their house with furniture.
Armikrog is a stop-motion point-and-click adventure comedy game by Doug TenNapel in partnership with Pencil Test Studios and Versus Evil for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One. It is a spiritual successor to The Neverhood, and is developed by many members of the same team. Like The Neverhood, Armikrog uses clay animation.
Solipskier is a sports video game for Adobe Flash, iOS, and Android developed and published by Mikengreg, the two-person team of Michael Boxleiter and Greg Wohlwend. In Solipskier, the player draws the snowy slope for an on-screen skier to pass through slalom gates and tunnels. The character accelerates with downhill sections and can launch into the air to perform tricks and earn a higher score. The idea came from a brainstorming session about parallax scrolling with speedy action in the foreground and the ability for the player to "paint" the terrain. It was Boxleiter and Wohlwend's first game to receive public appreciation. It was released August 29, 2010 to generally favorable reviews and was a runner-up in the 2011 Game Developers Conference Independent Games Festival's Best Mobile Game category.
Bar Oasis is a role-playing iOS game developed by South Korean based Corners Studio Ultramarine, released on June 19, 2010.
Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is a 2013 stealth video game developed by Pocketwatch Games in which players, alone or cooperatively, perform heists and robberies. Players choose from eight characters, each of whom has a unique and beneficial skill, such as the ability to change appearance or tunnel through walls. Monaco's single-player story is told in four acts from perspectives of different characters. The cooperative mode lets up to four players play together in different locations.
OneShot is a puzzle-adventure game developed by the indie studio Future Cat and published by Degica. Based on a free version made in 2014, it was released for Windows on December 8, 2016. A reworked console adaptation, OneShot: World Machine Edition, was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 22, 2022, and for PC alongside the original version in September 2024.
Hue is a 2016 puzzle-platform game developed by Fiddlesticks and published by Curve Digital. The game was released on August 30, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One; on November 29, 2016, for the PlayStation Vita; and on June 6, 2019, for Nintendo Switch. There were further releases for iOS on January 25, 2020 and Android on April 22, 2020.
Super Hydorah is a 2017 independent side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Locomalito and published by Abylight Studios. It features a 16-32 bit era look and feel as well as a CRT Monitor effect. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita on September 20, 2017, and later, in 2018, ported to iOS on May 17 and Nintendo Switch on November 15, respectively. The game is an expanded and enhanced version of the developer's previous freeware game Hydorah.
Wizard of Legend is an indie roguelike video game released by American studio Contingent99 and Humble Bundle in May 2018. Funded through Kickstarter in 2016, players take control of a wizard as they traverse a procedurally generated dungeon, using a wide variety of spells to defeat mobs, three major bosses, and a final boss to earn the title "Wizard of Legend". The game received generally favourable reviews. A sequel, titled Wizard of Legend II, is in the works by Dead Mage.
The Ascent is a cyberpunk-themed action role-playing video game developed by Swedish indie game studio Neon Giant and published by Curve Digital for Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on 29 July 2021. It was developed using Unreal Engine 4 by a team of 12 people and is Neon Giant's debut in the industry. The game received positive reviews from critics upon its release, with praise for its visuals, combat, and soundtrack, but criticism for the emphasis on grinding.
Room to Grow is 2021 indie puzzle video game developed and published by Mischka Kamener. The player controls a cactus which can elongate itself across the grid-based space. The objective of the each level is to control its cactus to move other another cactus or multiple cacti to its goal, a small grey circle. The game was positively received with praise for its challenging puzzles, atmosphere, and soundtrack though its simple concept had a more mixed reception and its lack of narrative was criticized.
A Fistful of Gun: For a Few Gun More is a 2015 top-down shooter game developed by FarmerGnome and published by Devolver Digital. The game features eleven playable characters with differing weapons, attributes, and control schemes. Players engage in procedurally generated fights, clearing a wave of enemies before progressing. Power-ups and handicaps affect the player character's abilities, such as movement and shooting speed. Horses allow a character to move faster and endure one additional enemy shot. The game features a single-player story mode and multiplayer modes for cooperative and player-versus-player battles.
Unsighted is a 2021 indie video game developed by Studio Pixel Punk and published by Humble Games for the Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PS4. The game is a Metroidvania adventure game in which the player and all non-player characters exist within a time limit, with the player required to find and allocate 'meteor dust' to characters to maintain their survival. The game was designed by Brazilian developers Fernanda Dias and Tiani Pixel, who cited the Metroid and Legend of Zelda series as influential to the design of the game. Upon release, Unsighted received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising the innovation of the game's use of time as a narrative and gameplay mechanic, its visual presentation, and combat.
DNF Duel is a fighting video game co-developed by Arc System Works, Eighting and Neople, and published by Nexon. It is a spin-off of the Dungeon & Fighter series and was released for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on 28 June 2022. A Nintendo Switch port was released on 20 April 2023.
