Best of 2018 indie games

Dec 19, 2018 at 8:12 AM
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With the year coming to a close, let's take a moment to look back on the games that came out this year. Share your favorite indie games of 2018 or any you'll want to remember in the future.
It's hard to keep up with all the new releases, so this'll also give us a reference for games to play on a rainy day.

List the games you believe deserve mentioning; maybe rank them and say something about them~

Here's my list, some of the best I played this year:
Top 3:
CrossCode
-A game at least 6 years in the making. Exhilarating combat. Fresh puzzles. Memorable characters. Interesting story. The music. It has a lot going for it and it's huge with tons of optional content at an indie price. Definitely a highlight game of 2018. An action puzzle overhead RPG.
"Lea! Hi."
Iconoclasts
-A game at least 7 years in the making, and created by just one person. A platformer with big battles, more puzzles and a lengthy dark story. With lots of detail to piece together, it reminds me of Cave Story to some degree. Starts off slow, picks up speed. Play as a silent protagonist mechanic that finds nothing but trouble in her journey. Another best of 2018 release, in my opinion.
Wandersong
-This is an adventure game featuring a happy bard and a loner witch. A cute adventure about a hero... or bard; trying to save the world with heart. Personally, I liked this one quite a lot. Well written, well executed. Very entertaining! Gameplay is simple compared to the other games so far, but has few dull moments. And the player has an in-game system of singing that makes the journey a personalized experience for the creative player. A well rounded classic experience. Also a best of 2018 contender.

And plenty of others that deserve mention: (WIP, will add descriptions later)
The Fall Part 2: Unbound
Underhero
Timespinner
Celeste
YUME NIKI -DREAM DIARY-
Crystalline
Deltrarune (demo)

Hopeful games I haven't gotten around to yet:
Dead Cells
Forgotten Anne
The Hex
Unavowed
Treasure Adventure World
Catmaze
Noel the Mortal Fate
Cardinal Cross

So what are your favorites of 2018?
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 9:35 AM
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I would definitely have to say Iconoclasts. Especially the artwork of Iconoclasts. Konjak has never failed to amaze me with his games, and this one is no exception.

Celeste is also pretty awesome.
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 1:14 PM
War criminal
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I wish i played more indie games this year. All I really played was Baldi's Basics, I even pledged a dollar to the kickstarter for the full game Mystman is currently developing
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 7:03 PM
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All these intriguing indie games that popped up this year and yet the only one I remember playing (aside from Deltarune) this year is Changed.
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 7:39 PM
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I think I remember Toby saying he's considering a development team for Deltarune, as it's gonna take a pretty long time to finish by himself.
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 8:41 PM
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@Carrotlord It is pretty fabulous~
21.jpg

Oh, that reminds me there was a boss rush update... I probably should try that sometime.

Does fangame count '-'?
Sure, why not? Even mods of games could be mentioned here. The real goal here is to find new treasures ;)

Speaking of which...
@Serri Baldi's Basics? There's one I hadn't heard before.
(some time later)
... LETS PLAYYYY!#! "NOOOOOOOO MORE" *deletes*
maybe I'll try it again later...

@Mint Changed? Let's see...
(some time later)
D-does it have a good story?
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 9:42 PM
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Thanks to Mint reminding me, I did also play Changed (I need to finish it sometime) and Deltarune.
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 9:54 PM
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Super meat boy forever should have comed out in 2018 but sadely didn’t make it :’(
(Can we talk about game that was supposed to comed out this year but didn’t?)
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 10:35 PM
War criminal
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Super meat boy forever should have comed out in 2018 but sadely didn’t make it :’(
(Can we talk about game that was supposed to comed out this year but didn’t?)
I'm still waiting for the aforementioned Project Libitina in the Doki Doki ARG to come, and with Dan Salvato not mentioning it once this year, I can imagine he wants it to be a good surprise when it is complete. Shouldn't have left the 2018 bit in the Monika.chr file though, tbh.
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 10:52 PM
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@Mint Changed? Let's see...
(some time later)
D-does it have a good story?
It's obviously not for everyone but I think it's way of handling game overs makes it slightly unique. Ignoring that though I found the game alright. It has it's downsides (not the best translation, best ending more vague than CS') but it's a neat little experience if the gooey subject doesn't repel you.
Now that I think of it it's kinda similiar to a number of horror games running on rpgmaker, just with a whole different theme.
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 11:18 PM
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Gonna go ahead and say A Hat in Time (Seal the Deal) is one of the best indie games this year. Although the DLC is what came out, it really is a game changer for the game and really completes it.
 
Dec 20, 2018 at 7:02 PM
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Dec 21, 2018 at 6:35 PM
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Deltarune and Baldi's Basics were my favorite.
 
Apr 29, 2021 at 4:34 PM
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The Messenger

The Messenger is a gorgeous action platformer set in beautiful 8-bit pixel art. Not "pixel indie", but a huge, detailed eight-bit canvas, no worse than the same Celeste. When it comes to platforming, the game almost perfectly reproduces the mechanics of the original Ninja Gaiden, but with one important addition. By hitting an opponent or some interactive object in a jump, you can push off the air once more - it is allowed to repeat indefinitely, it would be something to beat. All levels are designed so that they can be flown without touching the ground. If your fingers are dexterous enough! There are also cool bosses, good humor, high-quality level design, but this is not the highlight of the game.

So, its my opinion, my favourite game.
 
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