[Top 15] Best Indie Games With Great Story

Updated:

24 Sep 2021

What’s up boyz and gurlz, today I’ll be talking about indie games with awesome storylines. One thing that I’ve noticed about indie games is that the producers usually put more heart and effort into their storylines than some of the AAA developers.*ek khem* Blizzard *ek khem*.

But I’m not here to talk smack about other companies, I’m here to discuss a list of the best low-budget indie games with incredible storylines - some of them will be disturbing, some of ‘em will be weird, one game over there might be sad and another one will be the best! Anyways, let’s get started with our first game:

15. A Way Out

The game doesn’t end in jail - you get out into the free world and complete tasks there, sometimes cops will want to book you again and you’ll be on a constant journey of staying free and dodging cops that will lead to an emotional ending. Sad/Fun/Awesome is what I would give this game!

14. Kingdom Come: Deliverance

But you’re not playing as Sigismund or Weneclas, you’ll be playing as some guy called Henry. You didn’t have it easy, your home was completely destroyed and your family was brutally murdered - it’ll be up to you whether you want to be a psychopath, slaughtering everyone on your path, or being more moral. It’s like Skyrim, but without the magic n stuff!

13. Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

Interrogate, solve mysteries, engage in scarce action this game offers, talk to others and enjoy the high-quality dialogue between characters. Awesome game if you’re a fan of more passive/story-driven games. Check it out!

12. Wildermyth

It’s also worth adding that this game has a cool-designed combat system and large replayability - play it with your friends or alone, whatever, this game will be fun nonetheless!

11. Spiritfarer

You’ll meet spirits on your journey, those spirits will come up with their unique personalities and stories to tell. They are not disposable characters, your relationship with them will expand as you progress into the game - you’ll learn to appreciate moments that you spend with them and relate to some of the problems that the characters face in this game. Combining the storytelling with its incredible soundtrack will most definitely squeeze tears out of you! Play this game, definitely worth it!

10. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

It’s a gorgeous game with a gritty atmosphere and an awesome storyline that’s simple at the same time. You’ll be able to take your own decisions and to some degree affect the course of your journey!

9. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers will have to support each other in their time of need, express courage and endurance in order to survive. Cool game!

8. Fran Bow

But it’s far from being meaningless, with that little girl’s mind being consumed by madness and pills, causing her to do unimaginable things, eventually leading you to a few endings. The sentence “Ignorance is bliss” summarizes this game pretty well.

7. Night in the Woods

Alienation, mental health problems, refusal to grow up - this game is all about YOU. Or maybe me. I don’t know, maybe you’re actually just a normal person and I’m the failed human specimen. Well, try this game out, I guess…

6. INSIDE

But what this game also offers is its bizarre storyline, you’re in a twilight zone sort of state, surrounded by mindless drones that you call human beings and hostile creatures - dogs, for example. This fascinating 2.5D game offers a storyline in its own unique way, representing it to you through surroundings and imagery, instead of dialogue.

5. SOMA

In the past, you were a victim of a car crash, which resulted in the death of your friends and you getting a permanent case of brain damage. With nothing to lose, you decide to take part in an experiment. Suddenly, you wake up in an unknown facility that’s in pretty bad shape, yet the more you’ll play, you will find out that this facility is full of disturbing human beings that were clearly subjected to disturbing experiments.

Lore: 10/10

Spooky-meter: 1000000/10

4. This War of Mine

This game is full of miserable content but in a good way. Suicide, sickness, misery, war - nothing else needs to be said about this game. Try this masterpiece out!

3. To the Moon

More memories of Johnny will be revealed as you progress into the game. There’s no fighting in this game, equipment system, or co-op. It’s just simply a tearjerker of a game with a memorable plot.

2. Undertale

As silly as this game is sometimes, you’ll find out why the war between humans and monsters broke out as you progress. Well-developed characters, multiple endings, and 3 different playthroughs are the things that make this one of the best story-based indie games.

1. A Plague Tale: Innocence

You’ll be playing as Amicia De Rune, you’ll have to look after your little, vulnerable brother in a horrendous world filled with rats and knights from the French Inquisition that also have beef with you, specifically your brother - they believe that his blood can end the plague. The game is dark, sad, and terrifying at the same time, with small parts of hope scattered here and there. For a studio of 45 people, I have to say, this is the best story-focused indie game out there. Truly a masterpiece!