15 best indie games on PC, consoles and smartphones

1. Dead Cells

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

Dead Cells is a stylish action platformer in which the player has to die a lot and start over. With each new attempt, the architecture of the levels changes, so you never know exactly what lies ahead.

Only open skills and items are saved. However, they are meaningless if the player does not know how to use them. Finding effective and convenient combinations of weapons and gadgets is the lion's share of the fun of the game.

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2. Minecraft

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Android, iOS.

Now the publisher of Minecraft is Microsoft, but the game started out as an independent project by developer Markus Persson. And at its core, this is an explicit indie without a plot, quests, cut scenes and even a distinct ending.

Minecraft is attractive in the first place because there are no wrong ways to play it. You can build a copy of the Eiffel Tower, hunt creepers at night, lay out a huge blooming garden next to the house. Or all at once. The game has enough opportunities to embody any ideas.

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3. Undertale

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita.

RPG, made in old school pixel style. Undertale tells the story of a child trapped in the underworld of monsters. Monsters have long been at enmity with people, so different creatures constantly attack the main character.

The battles in the game are furnished in an unusual way: opponents can be defeated either with weapons or with kindness. In the latter case, they will stop fighting and may even become partners.

But the main thing about Undertale is the plot. It's thoughtful, funny, and has a lot of unexpected twists and memorable characters.

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4. The Binding of Isaac

Platforms: PC.

Roguelike action game with a biblical theme. Isaac's mother was going to kill him to prove her loyalty to God. The boy does not want to die, so he hides from his parent in a basement teeming with monsters. Surviving there is not an easy task.

Due to the fact that the levels are generated procedurally, the interest in the game is not lost even after many hours. You never know what will happen around the next turn: a difficult boss, a useful item or a room filled with traps.

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5. Gone Home

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS.

It's 1995. A student arrives at a house where her family has recently moved. But there is no one there. She needs to investigate the building and, from scattered evidence, understand what happened to her family.

Gone Home is a very small but high quality "walking simulator". The player can only move around the house and study objects. The game is addictive thanks to a captivating plot and unique presentation of the story.

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6. Into the Breach

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch.

The Earth was attacked by huge insect-like aliens, which can only be resisted by giant robots. The squad of the latter is under the control of the player.

In Into the Breach, tactics reign supreme. Each move has far-reaching consequences, the victory must be earned, and any loss is irreparable. You have to think a lot before making a move. It is very convenient to figure out the actions here: the game shows in an accessible way how the solution will turn out.

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7. FEZ

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Xbox 360.

FEZ looks like a regular 2D platformer, but this is not entirely true. By pressing a button, the player can change the angle from which he sees the three-dimensional level. This creates a unique gameplay. You can get to almost any point in the game world, you just need to understand how.

You have to develop a completely new way of thinking that helps you determine how and at what moment you need to turn the level in order to get to the right place. Few games are capable of this.

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8. This War of Mine

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS.

This War of Mine is one of those rare games that lets you see war from a civilian perspective. In it, you need to manage a group of survivors during a military conflict: send them on forays for resources, heal, accept or reject new inhabitants.

No matter how hard the player tries, not everyone can be saved. And this is one of the main lessons of the game: war does not spare anyone, regardless of gender, race or age.

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9. Return of the Obra Dinn

Platforms: PC.

The ship "Obra Dinn" was considered sunken, but then it suddenly washed ashore, and without a single living soul on board. Based on the available evidence and scraps of other people's memories, the player must find out how the team members died.

In addition to the unique visual style, the game also attracts with really difficult puzzles. The player often has to make assumptions and then change their conclusions when new information appears.

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10. Hotline Miami

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Android.

Hotline Miami is a celebration of brutality. In this game, both the main characters and their opponents die with one blow or shot. Therefore, you have to react very quickly. But even this does not always save: sometimes you need to restart the same level several times in order to study it and draw up an action plan.

The game is remembered not so much by the gameplay that does not forgive mistakes, but by the style. Hard synthwave in the soundtrack, pixel graphics with acid colors, blood and psychedelics: it's impossible not to feel the atmosphere of thoughtless violence.

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11. Superhot

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

Superhot is the perfect game for those who have always wanted to feel like the hero of The Matrix or Hong Kong action movie. Time moves here only with the main character. This allows you to plan actions a few minutes in advance and create spectacular brutal combos.

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12. To the Moon

Platforms: PC, iOS, Android.

The main characters of To the Moon are scientists from the clinic for the creation of artificial memories. One day a dying old man turns to them. He asks to implant in him the memories of the flight to the moon. True, he does not remember why this is important to him.

Scientists begin to explore the old man's real memories. This is the gameplay: the player studies someone else's life and looks for objects that are important for a person in order to strengthen the mental connection with him and move on to the next story from the past.

To the Moon is a kind and a bit sad game, the characters of which will stick in your memory for a long time.

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To the Moon X. D. Network

To the Moon X. D. Network Inc.

13. Super Meat Boy

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Android.

Meatboy's girlfriend was stolen. The outraged hero rushes in pursuit of the evil Doctor Fetus. A difficult path ahead. There will be a lot of traps, circular saws, jumps and anger due to the fact that the level cannot be completed for the fiftieth time.

Super Meat Boy is a fast-paced and challenging platformer where both planning and lightning-fast reactions and muscle memory are important.

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Super Meat Boy NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios

14. The Stanley Parable

Platforms: PC.

Stanley is an ordinary office worker. One day he got up from the table and went on an adventure. Or did not go. Maybe he jumped out of the window in the next office and found himself in a video game the whole time. Or maybe he went down the wrong path and got into a dead end.

That's the beauty of The Stanley Parable. You can listen to the narrator and get the intended ending, or you can go in the opposite direction and see the whole story behind the scenes. Or even break the game and witness someone else's adventure. There are almost 20 endings here, and some can be reached in different ways.

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15. Subnautica

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

In Subnautica, the player needs to explore the depths of the sea on an unknown planet, collect resources and craft devices that will help to descend even deeper. Despite the fact that this is an open world game, the plot is elaborate and fun. It is served through audio recordings and notes that the player finds at key locations.

With a sense of development and discovery, the new Subnautica has earned high praise from critics and gamers.