19 Indie Games You Should Check Out Immediately
Ted Hentschke
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17) Nevermind
Have you ever wanted a game that appreciates how much it is making you feel? Well Nevermind certainly knows when it is scaring you. Like a lover learning your kinks, Nevermind uses biofeedback sensors to determine if you are keeping your cool. In the most badass therapy session ever, you must enter into the minds of traumatized people and keep your calm while their psyche throws their deepest repressed fears at you. It’s light on the action, so think more The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, but with more surrealism.
18) P.A.M.E.L.A.
Have you ever wished your utopian apocalypse still had smatterings of the utopia still left amongst all the apocalypse? Well, P.A.M.E.L.A. is here to bring some actual color to your dark and depressing wasteland. Taking place in the fallen city of Eden, things would be alright if not for the bloodthirsty and mutated Afflicted. The denizens of Eden are at various stages of mutation, making not every encounter a fight to the death. Areas can be secured and repowered, giving the game a sense of permanence beyond just scavenging and surviving (though that plays a pretty big role, too.) The game is still in the pre-Alpha state with a release date of TBA 2016, so there’s still a lot more info to come. It’s a hell of a long time to wait, but looks like it’ll be well worth it.
19) Space Beast Terror Fright
Have you ever been playing Space Hulk, and wished it was a badass FPS? Well look no further, because Space Beast Terror Fright is here to mesh alien smashing fun with tense survival. One of the more “alpha” games on this list that is still playable, SBTF is one of those endearingly retro games that still has the various mode types and loadouts all in the pre-level launch screen. The name of the game is deadly, as every threat can down you in a single blow. One of the crawling aliens manages to get to you from an unexpected angle? Boom, game over. Accidentally stand in front of one of your deployed defenses? Better get ready for another gun. The goal of the game is to hit a number of “download” points so that you can activate the ship’s self destruct. Each download point gives you an upgrade, giving you a fighting chance against the alien threat. However, the only thing unlimited in this game is the enemies, so you better make your way fast before they overwhelm you. This game is pure, unadulterated fun, and updated frequently. Check it out if you want to test that whole idea of if people can hear you scream in space.
Honorable Mention:
There is a game that lost its spot on the main list due to an uncertain release status. There have been too many promising projects either released too early or not at all, and it would be remiss of me to mention this title without the heavy caveat that I do not know when or if it will be available. I’d love to be totally hyped for this game, but can’t be until I see more.
Routine
I remember when Routine stirred up a crazy amount of hype back around 2012. A gorgeous sci-fi atmosphere with an Alien aesthetic, dynamic lighting, menacing clunky androids, and plenty of lurking horrors turned just about everybody’s head. With dynamic exploration and permadeath, Routine was a shoo-in for the then nascent Greenlight scene. After three years, we have nothing to go on. Their last status update was in March, and it largely just stated that they were not in fact all lost in the woods. With this long of a wait, I don’t hold out a lot of hope for Routine. Still, with games like SOMA and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs being released after long silences, maybe there is a chance.
Well Readers, that’s it for my list of the upcoming indie games you should check out. Most of the games on this list are playable now on Steam’s Early Access program, so give it a look and see if you agree. Let me know what games you are excited for below, and let me know if you want to play a few rounds of “Eat Your Friends Souls” in Dead Realm!
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