Home Cinema 10 Most Underrated Indie Games of the Past Year That Deserve Some Love

10 Most Underrated Indie Games of the Past Year That Deserve Some Love

Isabella Smith
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10 Most Underrated Indie Games of the Past Year That Deserve Some Love


2024 has been a great year for gaming, and it’s not even over yet. Games like Persona 3 Reload, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Thank goodness you are here, and many others left players spoiled for choice. With the massive number of high-profile games released, many may have missed out on equally phenomenal indie games not only over the ten months of 2024, but also over the course of 2023.




While some indie games have had their time in the spotlight, others may have gone unnoticed. The indie scene is often where the most innovative games in the industry can be found, whether it’s mechanics, storytelling, or something completely new. All games are a labor of love, but with indie titles doubling that, so be sure to keep an eye out for smaller budget titles. Some titles can recreate games from the past, while others blaze a new trail.


10 The fields of Mistria are Farming Sim Bliss

Make a house in a fantasy world

Melinoe from Hades 2 stares intently ahead with an orange moon in the background.

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Video games have evolved considerably since their creation over forty years ago. While small or individual developers dominated the early days of the medium, companies quickly invested money and resources into creating games, leading to a renaissance in technological advancements and artistic creativity. In recent years, however, it feels like AAA games have lost quality while pushing the medium forward. Meanwhile, titles like Hades 2, Animal Well, and Balatro continued to sell well and introduce players to innovative new mechanics. Have indie games overtaken AAA games these days?


At this point, many people may be tired of farming simulators, many of which are released over a short period of time, but Fields of Mistria is one to check out. The town of Mistria was recently devastated by an earthquake, and they posted an ad for an adventurer to take over the local farm and help the town get back on its feet. As the adventurer said, players will complete quests to advance the story, grow crops on their farm, and maybe even find love.

The basic premise seems typical of the genre, but the game itself is like a warm, nostalgic hug. The sound effects and music have just the right amount of compression to mimic the SNES and PS1, and the art style mimics 90s anime like Sailor Moon. The game is still in early access, so there’s a lot more to come. Right now, though, there’s still a ton of content for players to sink their teeth into and remember why farming sims are so beloved.


9 Towerborne is the ultimate cooperative Beat-Em-Up

Simple, but lots of fun

Dancing in the heart of Towerborne

Another title in early access, Round this is what would result from a mixture The streets of rage And Fate. As Ace, the player’s job is to protect humanity’s last bastion by fighting various monsters surrounding the tower. Players can choose from one of four classes, then set out to explore the world alongside three friends. Combat is simple, relying on light and heavy combos as well as a basic dodge roll, but the the differences in each class make them incredibly unique.


The Sentinel is a classic sword and board style, while the Pyroclast uses a flaming club to ignite enemies. The Rockbreaker strikes with giant fists and the Shadowstriker remains agile with two daggers. Each class is awesome to play, with unique and satisfying animations as well as tons of loot to equip. Once the game is out of Early Access, it will be free on PC and Xbox, but players can now jump in with Founder’s Packs.

8 Sucker for Love: Date to Die For presents a supernatural love story

Fall in love before reality ends

Stardust looks at the camera, surprised, while holding her guitar in Sucker for Love: Date to Die For


Love sucker was a supernatural horror dating sim, in which players performed various arcane rituals to woo the unknowable creature of their choice. The sequel, Sucker for Love: a date to die foronly has one horror so far, but as a result, this romance is much more fleshed out. As Stardust, players must survive a visit to their hometown, which has been taken over by a cult trying to turn the entire world into an evil forest that devours people.

Stardust will stop the cult’s plans in multiple realities, uniting and ultimately separating from the goat goddess of fertility, Rhok’zan. Players explore Stardust’s childhood home in first person, solving puzzles and avoiding cultists to perform rituals and, of course, falling in love with the Mama Goat. The game uses an incredibly charming 90s anime style, with a delicious mix of scares, gags and heartwarming moments.


7 30XX is a Rogue-Like of Mega Man

Blast bosses and steal their powers

The hero of 30XX jumping between platforms

Characters from Hades.

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30XXthe continuation of 20XXis a rogue-like strongly inspired by Mega man series. As one of many characters, players run, jump, and shoot through randomly generated levels with the goal of eliminating all bosses along the way. Players can acquire new powers and upgrades to enhance their abilities, giving them a better chance of surviving to the end. While the game was in Early Access for a while, it finally reached version 1.0 this year, but shows no signs of stopping the frequent updates.

30XX also has co-op and level editor. Although the creation suite is PC-only, Switch players can still play through custom levels. With the support of developers and fans, the fun players can have with the game is limitless. Each race offers a different experience, with tight mechanics that need to be mastered and a wide variety of possible constructions. If players run out of things to do Hades IIThis is the game to discover next.

6 The Crimson Diamond is more than a throwback

A triumphant return to text parsers


The Crimson Diamond wears his inspirations on his sleeve. Namely the classic Siera adventure games, but above all The Colonel’s legacy from 1989, itself inspired by the book by Agatha Christie And then there was none. The crimson diamond lovingly imitates EGA graphics and all interactions take place via a text parser. This means that instead of clicking on a closet to look inside, players must type “look in closet” to do so.

To more modern gamers this may seem archaic and tedious, but this mechanism offers great freedom. The commands the analyzer will accept are also incredibly broad, with even actions like locking the bathroom door to taking a covered shower. Players take on the role of amateur mineralogist Nancy Maple as she investigates the diamond claim in the town of Crimson, but there may well be something more sinister lurking out of sight.


5 Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is awesome Cyberpunk

Skate and bike to the top of New Amsterdam

A character squeaking on a rail in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is in some way a spiritual successor of Radio Jet Set series, having very similar gameplay and overall structure, but taking it all to 11. Protagonist Red is what’s known as a Cyberhead, people whose heads have been replaced with robot equivalents. Deprived of memories, Red joins the Bomb Rush Crew to leave his mark on New Amsterdam through graffiti. As players gradually take control of the city, they might find the answers to Red’s past.


While Bomb Rush Cyberfunk looks and plays great, the real draw is the music. Many artists have lent their style and sounds to this game, including the legendary composer of Radio Jet Set himself, Hideki Naganuma. With a huge range of tracks, every gamer will find an earworm in this soundtrack that will stick with them long after they put down the controller. There’s over two hours of music here, and it’s worth listening to even without playing the game.

4 Master sword fighting in En Garde!

The classic adventures of Errol Flynn in video game form

Face an enemy in En Garde!

Happy death

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Many games imitate Dark soulsbut none made it as fun as On Guard! As a Spanish Swashbuckler, Adalia de Volador, players parent and fight their way through four acts of light-hearted adventure. While sword fighting is the core of the game, players must also use the environment to their advantage when outnumbered, such as throwing an enemy into the ocean or firing a cannon at enemies. unsuspecting enemies.

On Guard! can be very short, with a main story lasting around four hours – two when rushed – it’s very sweet. Combat is easy to pick up but difficult to master, with an arena mode for players who want to continue honing their skills. The game really makes players feel like a legendary swashbucklerwith absolutely hilarious dialogue and a story that never takes itself seriously. It’s well worth the short time it takes to reach the credits.


3 Starstruck: Hands of Time contemplates rock and art

Save the Earth by jamming

Running around town in Starstuck: Hands of Time

Starstruck: the hands of time is an incredibly strange game, which makes it all the more charming. As a time traveler trying to save the world from an apocalypse called The Mold, players observe a small suburban town as a miniature diorama. Cars are made of plastic, houses have cardboard floors, and people seem to be made of clay. The game seems handcrafted and destroyed in certain sections.


Players follow a rich story playing songs like Guitar Hero as the game tackles topics such as plagiarism, imposter syndrome, and how much of a city one disembodied hand can destroy in about two minutes. It’s clear that this game is destined to be an overlooked masterpiece, like some of the games that inspired it, including Chulip, linked to the Earth, And Uh Jammer Lammy. This is a game that will stay with players forever.

2 Pseudoregalia is a 3D Metroidvania’s dream

The platform has never been so expressive

Sybil explores in Pseudoregalia

An image featuring heroes from various platform games, including Sly Cooper, Kat and Yumi.

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Fans praise Super Mario 64 to have a moveset that allows players to express themselves and explore levels however they want. Pseudoregaly takes this concept, modernizes it, and tweaks it to a mirror-like shine, all in retro-style packaging. Players will unlock new platforming moves like a slide jump and wall kick to explore a vast and complex world with Zelda-puzzles and style battles. This is a well-crafted title with secrets around every corner.

Pseudoregaly is also short and sweet, taking around five hours to see the ending depending on how much the player explores, but at $5 it’s a steal. The game is also incredibly replayable, with time trials to unlock new outfits and a randomizer mod that can change item placement. What started as a simple entry into a game jam has become an incredible game in its own right, with stunning art direction and platforming to rival Mario himself.


1 1000xResist is a contemporary masterpiece

A beautiful story or resistance

The world has ended thanks to a disease spread by an alien invasion, and the only survivor is a teenage girl named Iris. 1000 years later, a society made up of her clones worships her as a god. One of these clones, Watcher, discovers a plot against the All Mother and reports it to the proper authorities, killing her best friend in the process. However, the greatest conspiracy may well lie with the All Mother herself.

1000xResistance is a brilliant work of science fiction. As the Watcher, players delve into All Mother’s memories to uncover the truth about the past and the nature of the alien invaders. While the gameplay could essentially just be a visual novel or walking simulator, the story is absolutely captivating both for the contextual events and the deeper message the developers are trying to send. For all fans of science fiction or simply good storytelling, this is a must-have game.


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