Mainstream gaming has recently started to find itself in a bind, especially when it comes to the giants of the industry. Like MGM, Paramount, and Warner Bros. before them, Activision, Ubisoft, and EA have found themselves pursuing short-term profits at the cost of video game quality. The result is a lot of bad decisions and disregard for what players actually want. Everything from microtransactions to rushed production times to trying to deny players ownership of the games they bought. Sometimes, it's just the way they keep trying to make each game bigger than the last, getting a bit too ambitious for their own good and setting standards the developers can't realistically meet.
Naturally, it's led to a lot of frustration and disillusionment among gamers who are sick of seeing Activision pump out another Call of Duty or EA pull up another Madden game every year. Luckily, unlike the Studio System, there is still space for smaller companies to work. And that is where a lot of the creativity in gaming appears.
Indie games aren't constrained by market demands. They often have more limited resources, but an indie game studio has more room to experiment and try out new things, as well as make games that are a lot more personal to the developers. Sure, it doesn't always work, but many indie studios have produced some incredible games. There are even entire genres, like the walking simulator, that hold a place among indie developers.
Right now, it is a very good time to be supporting indie developers, and there is a nice range of options to choose from. Here is a collection of some very promising upcoming indie games to add to your Steam/Playstation/Xbox/Nintendo wishlists.
Note: For further information, links to each game's Steam page have been provided. This list may be updated if I find more entries.
1348: Ex Voto
History, swordplay, and a few modern themes come together to form an exciting adventure in 1348: Ex Voto, a historical action game that deal with themes of unconventionaly chivalry. Set against the backdrop of medieval Italy, the game's story follows knight errant Aeta, a knight errant on a a journey through Medieval Italy in search of her lover Bianca. A video game set against the backdrop of Medieval history centered around a lesbian knight- the anti-woke crowd is going to have an absolute field day with this one.
From what's been shown so far, it looks like 1348 is channeling a lot of influence from the Plague Tale series, but placing a lot more emphasis on swordplay. There are two main combat stances, along with different combos that can be obtained and upgraded through exploration of the world. It also has the fun detail that Bianca is voiced by the great Jennifer English (known for her roles as Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 and Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), so it'll be interesting to see what she brings to the table.
Aether and Iron
Seismic Squirrel mixes steampunk and classical noir for this curious RPG. Aether and Iron takes place in an alternate timeline where New York has been brought into the skies- think like Bioshock Infinite's Columbia but a couple decades later. Players assume the role of Gia Razatto, a smuggler trying to get by in the unforgiving criminal underworld. Except she might just be in a position to change things, for better or worse.
Aether and Iron mixes a visual novel aesthetic with basic RPG mechanics. Interactions with other characters are at the forefront, as well as a system where Gia builds up a crew from various potential NPCs. But it's not all dialogue, sometimes she also has to take part in car chases which rely on a simplified form of turn-based combat.
Cairn
Unlike Baby Steps, Cairn makes a point of highlighting the actual dangers and challenges of mountain climbing. Its protagonist, Aava, is a seasoned climber trying to summit a notoriously difficult mountain. And it's not just movement she has to worry about. Survival is also a central component of Cairn, with Aava having to gather resources to keep herself going. 
If you've ever wondered what an Assassin's Creed game set in Mesoamerica might look like... well... you might have to wait a while and hope Ubisoft gets its act together. However, you can get something similar with Ecumene Aztec, an ambitious indie game set in 16th-century Mexico, with the player caught right in the middle of a brutal war. On one side is the Aztec Empire, who ruled Mexico with an iron fist and a religion that calls for blood sacrifice. On the other, the Spanish conquistadors under the explorer Hernán Cortés who will stop at nothing to plunder Mesoamerica of its riches.
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone
Chernobylite was a peculiar game that featured a non-linear story about a survivor of the Chernobyl Disaster returning to the exclusion zone in search of his missing wife, encountering various characters and anomalies along the way. The game mixed team management, base construction, roleplay, making difficult decisions, and a time loop that allowed the player to re-evaluate choices to get the best outcome. It was a strange game that ended up resonating with players for its unusual and challenging format.
With the first game's success, The Farm 51 is back with a follow-up taking advantage of its now higher production values. That ranges from details like actually being able to do facial animations this time to creating a much more elaborate open-world and offering a flexible protagonist who can be tailored for different playstyles.
The player character is an indigenous man who narrowly escapes being sacrificed only to be left with a dilemna- return and fight for the Empire that nearly killed him, or take a chance with the invaders. Neither side seems like a good one, but either way it puts him on a path of blood. Much like Assassin's Creed, Encumene Aztec focuses on stealth, but also features combat with a variety of weapons allowing different playstyles.
This upcoming game from Windup follows mice in an open-world map inspired by Scandinavian landscapes. But these are no ordinary mice, they're familiars for a benevolent witch who needs their help to cure her illness. Similar to Elusive, Hela takes advantage of its protagonists' small size to make challenges out of everyday objects. It also boasts an emphasis on physics, with the player being able to make use of the environment and objects within to experiment and find unconventional solutions to problems. The game can be played in single-player or with up to four in co-op.
Have you ever wondered what Death Stranding might look like if you took out all the weird stuff and relocated the setting to the Mongolian Empire? No. Well, too bad because that's what you get with The Legend of Khimorii, a riding simulator about a courier in the Mongol postal system (known as Yam). The game mixes exploration, resource management, and survival as the player traverses a variety of environments to make their deliveries. Hunting and crafting are essential. But the real selling point of the game is its mechanics around horse care.
Elusive
Drawing heavily on Studio Ghibli, and in particular the 2010 film The Secret World of Arrietty, Elusive is a game about viewing the mundane through a collossal lens. Much like its inspiration, the game's central premise involves a species of tiny humanoids called elusives who sneak into people's homes and collect resources from discarded items. But they do go in an interesting direction this time as it's not just any house we're exploring, it's a haunted house belonging to an evil witch.
The main story of the game involves an elusive named Zoe, who has the job of exploring the house and collecting resources, which can be easier said than done. Aside from finding unconventional paths, she also has to deal with the looming threat of the witch's menacing cat and raven, both of which will try to kill Zoe given the chance. But with a little persistence, Zoe can start to build a thriving elusive community as she finds others like her.
Fading Skies
Fading Skies is a love letter to platforming classics from the days of the PS2, presenting an exciting fantasy adventure spread out across a wide range of environments. Ryn is an elf who wakes up with no memory, and finds herself drawn into a mysterious calamity that's threatening the world around her. The only way to save it is to uncover the secrets of her own past and fix whatever went wrong before. But she's not entirely alone- she also has a small dragon for a companion, a dragon who unlocks some incredible powers.
Hear Tell of Hauntings
The Wild West mixes with a haunted house in this Resident Evil-inspired survival horror. Adelaide Clancy is a former outlaw-turned deputy sherriff who gets a mysterious invite to a manor that was supposed to be abandoned after its owners died twenty years ago. Only it might not be quite as abandoned as it appears. And there's a lot more going on than meets the eye.
Hello Sunshine
You ever wonder what The Iron Giant might look like as a post-apocalyptic survival game? No? Well, too bad because this is it! Hello Sunshine takes place in a world destroyed by corporate greed, leaving behind an inhospitable wasteland with nothing to protect it from the heat of the sun. The player character is a survivor who finds an unexpected ally in a giant robot that, for reasons unknown, is determined to reach a distant tower. It's an arduous journey that will forge a close bond between them.
The central mechanic in Hello Sunshine is a day-night cycle which offers different survival challenges. The robot moves during the day but stops at night. During the day, it's big enough to block out the sun, so the survivor has to avoid getting cooked by staying in its shadow. At night, when its colder, the survivor has to gather resources and perform maintenance, while also trying to keep warm. It's a game about dealing with constant extremes while staying alive long enough to find answers.
Hela
Hieronymus
Hieronymus Bosch was a Renaissance-era painter known for his (by modern standards) surreal depictions of religious stories. Paintings like his iconic The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Temptation of St. Anthony show strange dream-like landscapes populated by haunting imagery and bizarre creatures that amazed his Renaissance contemporaries and continue to astound viewers today. And now Hurdy-Durdy Games found a new way to give life to Bosch's work in the form of a video game.
Hieronymus is a strange RPG following Helena Von Aken as she searches for her father who disappeared in the German Peasants War (1524-1525), only her search takes a weird turn when she starts literally entering Bosch's paintings. The game will allow players to explore his worlds and develop their skills while also interacting with their strange inhabitants. Allies and enemies will be made among Bosch's art, but it may just lead to some curious discoveries about the artist himself and Helena's own family.
Industria II
Industria was a simple shooter inspired by a mix of Half-Life and David Lynch about a woman accidentally getting teleported into an alternate universe and navigating a surreal post-apocalyptic 1980's Berlin while looking for her partner. The full game could be completed in about four hours, but even with its minimalist approach that relied more on environmental storytelling, Industria's strange world resonated enough with players for developer Bleakmill to begin expanding on it.
Industria II picks with Nora still trapped in the alternate universe, looking for a way home, as she gets caught in a new adventure that takes her deeper into the secrets of this post-industrial landscape. But it also looks to be expanding on its predecessor, offering not only a more detailed story but also some new options for gameplay. Nora now has multiple ways to accomplish goals, as well as a greater variety of both human and machine enemies. There's even a new crafting system.
Into the Fire
The new game from Starward Industries (the developers of The Invincible) is an action-packed retro sci-fi extraction game with a slight twist. Instead of emphasizing combat, as many games in its genre do, it's a game about search and rescue. You play as Frank, a documentary filmmaker who arrives on the fictional Dante's Archipelago just in time for a massive volcanic eruption. And now it's up to you and your team to help the unfortunate civillians trapped in the blaze.
Where The Invincible was a calm walking simulator that let players move at their own paces, Into the Fire does exactly the opposite. It throws players into chaotic high-stakes missions where Frank has to act fast to save as many as possible. That can mean putting out fires, breaking through obstacles with an ax, and occasionally facing the mysterious supernatural force that seems to be hiding in the carnage.
The Legend of Khimorii
Channeling their experience from the Windstorm game series, The Legend of Khimorii puts heavy emphasis on managing the needs of horses. Everything from basic grooming and feeding to even breeding is covered. While there might certainly be comparisons to Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Khimorii puts a lot more pressure on the player to treat your horse right, or face the disastrous consequences of irresponsibility.
It takes a lot to match the grim darkness of Warhammer 40k, but it looks like Mac N' Cheese games may be up to the challenge. Void Martyrs is a top-down roguelike set in a bleak future where the galaxy is ruled by the Church. The player is a nun from an Adeptus Sororitas-esque order investigating a mysterious biomechanical disease, and it only gets worse from there. She might not even survive the mission.
Lunar Strike
Lunar Strike takes place in a future where humanity has colonized the Moon, only for things to spiral out of control. As an astronaut who arrives on a seemingly routine mission, the player will quickly get caught in a web of intrigue, conspiracy, and strife as they struggle to survive the hostile Lunar environment. The game avoids combat in favor of investigation, exploration, and resource management. But it will force the player to make decisions that can shape the future of humanity.
One interesting detail of Lunar Strike is its emphasis on actual science. Everything from the surface of the moon to how technology is represented to the types of problems players will have to solve are all rooted in an actual understanding of how the moon works. You don't see a lot of hard sci-fi games so it will be interesting to see how this turns out.
Mixtape
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This simplistic game is structured as an homage to 90's youth culture, as seen through the eyes of three teenagers on their last night of highschool. And framed through a mixtape which may or may not have supernatural properties, but definitely has a long list of artists from the era. Mixtape boasts an interesting stop-motion animation aesthetic and features a variety of 90's teen activities like skateboarding, bobbing heads in a car to rock music, public vandalism, and... RIDING DINOSAURS!? This game looks like it will get pretty crazy.
Motorslice
Regular Studio's Motorslice is a chaotic romp through a world overrun by industry. Citing Mirror's Edge and Shadow of the Collossus as major inspirations, Motorslice combines parkour with intense boss fights. Player's take on the role of P (not that P) as she navigates a mysterious megastructure full of deadly construction equipment, and discovers a much more sinister purpose hidden inside. She is aided in her quest by a probe named "Orbie" and a handy chainsaw capable of tearing through anything that gets in her way.
Never Alone 2
The cult classic Never Alone was an indie side-scroller adapted from Inuit Folklore, which followed a girl named Nuna and her fox companion as they worked together to save the world from an eternal winter. The game resonated with a lot of people, enough that E-Line studios returned with a sequel. Not much information about the plot yet, beyond that Nuna and her fox return as its leads for a new adventure.
Never Alone 2 changes a few things from its predecessor. Most notably, it jumps into 3D unlike the sidescroller format of the original. And it may have a more varied range of environments. The Steam page also notes that its story was written by an Iñupiaq writer, although it doesn't give a name.
SCP: Valravn
There have been a few games based on the popular SCP Foundation mythos, but nothing quite like the upcoming title from Subtle Bravado Studios. SCP: Valravn mixes tactical shooter with survival horror in an original story by SCP writer Kilerpoyo that dives into some of its less obvious lore. Leena Sorvoja is an operator searching for her missing father in a top-secret facility belonging to the Valravn Corporation, a sort of Norse-themed mercenary company that's also a cult.
It's a dangerous mission that will require her to face some unusual enemies, ranging from their various augmented soldiers to anomalies that defy rationality. And in the process, Leena might discover a few surprises about her own history and connections to forces beyond comprehension.
SPINE- This is Gun Fu
You ever watchedThe Matrix and thought "You know what this movie needs? More grafitti!" Well, you're in luck because now you can play SPINE- This is Gun Fu. Nekki's chaotic romp through a dystopian sci-fi world brings together guns, street art, and parkour for one chaotic revolution. The game takes place in a dystopian city ruled by an AI dictator, which is starting to fall apart thanks to the efforts of a grafitti artist named Redline, and her trusty AI implant SPINE. Together they blast their way through the streets while creating their ultimate magnum opus.
There Are No Ghosts at the Grand
This is a peculiar one. There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a strange game set in a small English village about an American who inherits his father's once-magnificent hotel. He has the job of fixing it up with help from a Scottish office assistant who operates a variety of "guns" that perform renovation tasks like painting, repairs, and garbage removal. He's also a secret agent covertly gathering secrets about the town's history. And that's just during the day. At night it goes full Lovecraftian and there's a cat that starts talking when no one else is around. And did I mention it's a musical?
The trailer alone is wild, and the demo already offers a glimpse of just how strange a combination this game is. What starts as a cozy game about hotel renovation manages to escalate into being stranded in a WWII bunker on a deserted island while being attacked by spider-chairs. This is going to be an interesting one.
Warhammer 40k Boltgun II
You don't see a lot of indie games licensing major properties, and from a business standpoint it makes sense why. If you're a business and you want the game to make money, than it's only logical to license it to a developer with a good track record for producing hits. But one notable exception was Warhammer 40k: Boltgun, a retro-shooter that managed to balance homaging icons like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D with adapting to modern game design and remaining faithful to its source material. The game did such a good job, Auroch announced a sequel.
Like the first one, Boltgun II centers around blasting through the heretical forces of Chaos with various weapons. But now there are two options for the protagonist. Fans of the first game can continue playing as Space Marine Maelum Caedo, or they can go with the Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath. Either way absolute carnage awaits. It is nice to actually get a shooter where the Sisters of Battle are given a central role, even if it's as a co-protagonist to the often overly-emphasized space marines.
Void Martyrs
One notable detail is, instead of playing a single character, the player goes through a series of them. Each time a nun dies, another is sent to take her place, and there's a lot of things that can kill you. Curiously, the game also relies on a sanity mechanic where the protagonist's faith is tested. She can try to remain true to her religious values or give into violent temptation, and both sides come with different advantages or penalties.
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