2014 may be over, but its legacy of good games lingers on.
2014 was a good year for Indie games – so let’s look back to the past and celebrate some of the games that have come out from the year.
1. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a very expansive random generated action role-playing shooter. With over 500 hours of gameplay you will be spending a good deal of time confronting dozens of bosses and multiple enemy types. Not to mention finding rooms full of poop.
Dear lord, it’s pulling out the poor creature’s eye!
The game also features local co-op with hundreds of different characters to pick from and multiple animated endings. The replay value here is strong extremely strong and I have no doubt you and your friends will have a good time playing this game – even after many years later.
2. Actual Sunlight
Hardcore gamer here.
The thing about Actual Sunlight is that it’s not really a game in the traditional sense. Instead it uses the medium, both literality and in-story, to tale a dark story about the clichéd figure of lonely, overweight gamers – but in a way that’s interesting and captivating.
3. Always Sometimes Monsters
Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.
The story and backbone of Always Sometimes Monsters is of choice and consequence. In the game you are trying to win back the love of your life but how you do so is entirely up to you. Before you begin, you must first create a character – and depending on how that character is made NPCs will treat you differently.
4. Blackwell Epiphany
Walk amongst the stars.
In your final case for the Blackwell series, our leading duo must put to rest one final spirit before it destroys the very core of life itself. Set during the Christmas season, this final installment delivers an atmospheric and moody finale fans of the series won’t forget.
5. Driftmoon
Hello, Sarah.
Driftmoon is a magical fantasy setting unsettled by a growing evil presence which only you and your party can stop. In your quest you will uncover many hidden secrets and interact with hundreds of NPCs as you attempt to defeat the dark forces threatening the land. The title also comes with an editor that lets you create custom mods and share it with others.
6. Dark Scavenger
Dark Scavenger is a morbidly fun point-and-click role-playing adventure set in a wacky and crazy alien planet. The core pieces of Dark Scavenger are of your choices and the in-depth turn-based combat system. Based on your decisions various parts of the game may go in different directions – creating a high re-play value.
An alien rocket launcher would be useful right about now.
Combat is the other core element of Dark Scavenger as you will battle various bosses and collect special loot from them upon their defeat. Their fallen loot may prove useful for the later challenges ahead.
7. The Long Dark
The Long Dark is a story of survival where electricity has been removed. And instead of trying to evade zombies or other abnormal creatures of nature, in The Long Dark nature is your enemy.
I hope there aren’t any polar bears around.
There are various obstacles for you to overcome in the title, ranging from wildlife, food, fatigue, and your own body temperature. If you wish to survival be prepared to hunt every day and do what you can to keep worm and safe from the nasty creatures that roam the snowy Canadian terrain.
8. Gray Matter
The place isn’t that bad for working conditions.
Gray Matter is a gothic styled adventure game in which you take control of two characters: Dr. Styles and Samantha. The storyline, written by Jane Jensen, is made up of eight chapters and puts our characters into a mystery of science and the supernatural.
9. A Bird Story
It’s a nice view up here.
From the developers of To the Moon comes the silent experimental short A Bird Story. This mini game is a story driven title with absolute no dialogue whatsoever – essentially the video game counterpart to a silent film. Gameplay wise A Bird Story is a mix of traditional adventure and role-playing.
10. Shovel Knight
In our darkest hour comes the platformer adventure game, Shovel Knight. The game is graphically designed after the 8-bit era – enhanced with some finer details of modern game design. In this retro homage adventure you will master the game’s platforming mechanics and battle many unique bosses.
Do what Mario does and jump on their heads.
To top it off, you will also meet many interesting characters and explore an Overworld Map that allows you to perform your quest in various possible ways. If you’re a fan of classic platforming gameplay like Super Mario then give Shovel Knight a shot if you haven’t already.
11. Transistor
Take cover wherever you can.
The sc-fi action role-playing game, Transistor, is one of the most well known Indie games of 2014. From wielding strange weaponries to wondering in a futuristic city, Transistor captivated many fans of action role-playing and science fiction – and with good reason.
12. Never Alone
The story of Never Alone is about two companions: Nuna and Fox and their struggle to survive a deadly blizzard. As you (and possible a co-op partner) take the roles of our leading protagonists, you must make carefully made actions to survive – otherwise you’ll be consumed by the endless blizzard.
The legend of the haunted weasel was true!
Never Alone is inspired by an old tale by the Inupiat so I must give credit to the developers for going the extra mile in using real history of the region to help create the game’s story. Rather you play solo, or with a friend, Never Alone will challenge your survival skills and in the end, the only way to survive is to rely on each other.
13. Broken Age
Hello, Mr. Sun.
From the mind of Tim Schafer Broken Age is a two part adventure game featuring an all star voice talent. In the game the player may switch between two roles at any point – both in different worlds but dealing with similar problems. Act 1 was released in 2014 but the second act was released earlier this year – so if you haven’t gotten a chance to play it yet, now you can in its entirety.
14. The Banner Saga
Experience an epic Viking tale in The Banner Saga. In this massive story every decision you make will affect your journey in some form or another. During the journey you must take care of your caravan as the fate of an entire civilization may depend on it.
Don’t make a sound.
But before you can begin the journey you must first create your character. The Banner Sega features a large variety of options to choose from – so you may experience the adventures in different ways depending on your character build.
15. This War of Mine
This War of Mine isn’t your ordinary war game where you take the shoes of a fighting soldier. In this game you are actually taking the role of innocent people caught in the middle of a devastating conflict – and must survive by savaging what you can and avoiding murderous people who wish to bring harm to you.
And this isn’t even the worst part, it’s what comes after.
2014 had many great Indie games it is impossible to cover them all in this list. So please, comment below and let us know some of the other great 2014 independent titles.
