Here at Gamer Social Club we’re big fans of indie games. The website actually started as a game of the month club, where we all came together to play less well known games and try and shine a light on them. Not all of them were indies, but in the wake of massive AAA marketing budgets, small indie titles frequently have a harder time breaking into the public consciousness.
So given it’s award season, and with the announcement of the Indie Game Awards, I’m here to highlight our teams picks of their favourite indie titles of 2024!
Dungeons of Hinterberg – chosen by Dan “Danno” Jackson (Xbox fan and the Big Boss here at GSC)
Developed by Microbird Games their debut title Dungeons of Hinterberg made a big impression on Danno; “Gave it an 8.5 in my review so that says alot. The combat was great and I really loved the visuals and how the game was setup. Do a dungeon then come into town and upgrade your gear, go out and be social, relax by yourself etc etc.”
Été – chosen by Bright Mylar (our resident cosy game specialist)
Developed by the team at Impossible, Ete is “A game that truly submerses you into the beauty of everyday life. A quiet cozy moment to stop appreciate the little details.”
Two Falls – chosen by Frase “Fbombe” Billington (you may know him from Frase’s Question Corner over on our Podcast)
Developed by Unreliable Narrators; “Two Falls is a narrative driven game full of difficult decisions. Set in 17th century Canada and focuses around some of the first meetings between The First Nation people of Canada and the French.
I love the visual changes between the 2 characters views on the world. Jeanne is starting a new life in a new world so the environment is dull and dark with the trees sharp and jagged. While Maikin is a first nation hunter who lives off the land so his experiences are bright and beautiful.”
Animal Well – chosen by Jeff Steben (fittingly our Metroidvania enthusaist)
Developed by solo developer Billy Basso, in Jeffs words: “It had clever puzzles and took the Metroidvania genre in an interesting direction. I had a lot of fun playing it. It was also super packed full of content for a game that installed at 33 MEGABYTES!”
Enotria: The Last Song chosen by Adam “Addy” Stewart (WR holder for fastest showcase summary)
Developed by Jyamma Games this is a sunny Italian Soulslike; “I gave it an 8 in my review. It brought some new stuff to the Soulslike genre with a great vibe, sense of humour and relatively sunny disposition. The combat was satisfying and it looked great!”
Palworld chosen by Keegan “Keegan123B” Bourke (4x Grand Strategy master)
Developed by PocketPair, Keegan chose it “Despite some technical issues overall the freedom that the game gives you as well as the fresh gameplay mechanics for a monster catching game definitely made this the best indie game that I’ve played that’s released this year”
Hypercharge Unboxed chosen by Justin C (the teams JRPG fanatic)
From the team at Digital Cybercherries. We were lucky enough to interview Joe Henson Creative Gameplay & Marketing Director for the website and the podcast – so hopefully the team will be thrilled to hear Justin’s pick. “the gameplay loop was fun with friends and I have a soft spot for the toystore levels that remind me of when I worked at Toys R Us”
Neva chosen by Nathan Lockhart (podcaster and youtuber extrodinaire)
By Nomada Studio. Another fantastic game from the devs behind Gris: “Neva is for sure my indie GOTY. Neva is a perfect example of art in video games. It’s story hit me in ways I never expected. Its a beautiful celebration of life and I am here for it”
Gori: Cuddly Carnage chosen by DeMandre “LetalisVenator” Pressley (fighting game champion) & Russell “Casualties Of Gaming” Segui (horror game connoisseur)
The game from the devs at Angry Demon Studio was so impressive it made the top spot for two of our writers!
Demandre; “Character action games seem to be getting pushed aside in favor of souls likes. It was not only great to see one done so well, but done in a way that mixes devil may cry with jet set radio set in a post apocalyptic happy tree friends aesthetic.”
Russell; “Gave it a 9 i think, maybe a 9.5. Perfect blend of violence, choas, an cute and loving story. Who knew Tony Hawk, Devil May Cry and a Doom style sound track could produce such a great fucking love child”
Lightyear Frontier chosen by Jamie “SnipedByAGir1” Hayami (Bioware superfan, and gamerscore legend)
Developed by FRAME BREAK, Amplifier Game Invest; “I haven’t played much indie stuff that isn’t baby game crap but I’m digging Light Year Frontier. It’s a farming sim with mechs and quests. Pretty chill running around collecting items and upgrading your homestead. Some exploration involved with cleaning up the planet to unlock more stuff in those areas and checking out ruins to find some collectibles”
Ultros chosen by Vikki “Lady V” McGowan (that’s me!)
Developed by Hadoque, the first game I reviewed for the site and my GoTY for 2024. As I said in my review; “All in all, Ultros is 100% my jam. The visuals are dripping with style. The writing is deep and metaphysical with hidden memories to find that expand on the lore of your surroundings and other characters, rewarding you for exploring and giving a deeper connection to the world you now inhabit.”
What was you favourite Indie Game of 2024; let us know in the comments!
