Budgets for games have gone off the deep end in recent years. A title that would have cost hundreds of thousands to produce twenty years ago now spends ten times that amount on its marketing alone (I’m looking at you Call of Duty). High production value and iconic faces and voices from Hollywood have become a cornerstone of the triple-A title, but money and A-listers aren’t everything.
With the advent of digital distribution and mobile platform, indie games have found a foothold like never before. Without publishers breathing down the necks of developers, indie studios have been paving the way in innovative game design and are producing some of the most exciting game concepts in recent memory. 2016 was an amazing year for indie games and it looks like 2017 is shaping up to be even better.
Here is our list of the top five most anticipated indie games of 2017.
Cuphead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TjUPXAn2Rg
Developer: Studio MDHR
Platforms: PC, Xbox One
Release Date: TBA 2017
Cuphead is one of those titles with instant appeal. Its 1930s-style cartoon motif is an undeniable, nostalgia-inducing treat and everything we have seen from the previews so far makes the whole thing look like a fun romp down memory lane. The game will feature classic, side-scrolling mayhem and will even let a second player take control of Cuphead’s sidekick, Mugman. The two-man development team at Studio MDHR promises a rich story and tons of platforming fun on Cuphead’s journey to repay his debt to the Devil. Expect exciting boss battles and even a world map that has its own secrets yet to be seen. Simply put, I can’t wait.
Perception
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_1zUXv5l7M
Developer: The Deep End Games
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: TBA
Like many indie developers that have begun to pop up over the last few years, The Deep End Games development team is made up of some of the industry’s best and brightest. Perception‘s team consists of many of the developers who have worked on titles such as Dead Space and the Bioshock series. It totally makes sense that this team would join together to make a first-person narrative driven game with plenty of horror elements. Perception takes things a step further by putting players in the shoes of a young blind woman who must use echo-location to solve mysteries and escape from whatever pursues her. It is a truly revolutionary idea and the echo-effects that reveal the world around you are both beautiful and eerie. If anyone can pull off such a high-concept idea like Perception, it would be the developers behind The Deep End Games and I cannot wait to play the finished product.
Rime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMIdDAllGMM
Developer: Tequila Works
Platform: PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: TBA
Having been described as the “bastard child of ICO and Windwaker,” Rime is a gorgeous open world title that focuses on exploration in lieu of combat. That is not to say there isn’t any action, though. The game will feature plenty of adventure and puzzle-solving while a young boy who has been shipwrecked on a mysterious island must overcome challenges and uncover the truths surrounding a strange curse. The game is absolutely beautiful and looks like a title that players could get absolutely lost in as they explore the island (or islands, as one developer let slip that there may be more than one). The game was just announced to be available on all platforms so, regardless of your setup, everyone can discover Rime when it releases later this year.
Liege
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rKHVb2nqmI
Developer: Coda Games
Platforms: PC, PS4
Release Date: TBA 2017
Crowdfunding has been the bastion of larger-budget indie games for some time now and Liege joins the list of aspiring titles to totally destroy their Kickstarter campaign goals. Coda Games promises a beautiful retro-inspired world, but with a modern day flair that gives it an instant “visual identity.” At the game’s core, it is a turn-based tactical JRPG. The game also promises that there will be no transition in and out of combat. If all of these pieces come together and Coda Games delivers on their promise of a gritty dark-fantasy adventure, Liege could be one of the most exciting titles of the year.
Below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHlp0FsN0kU
Developer: Capybara Games
Platform: PC, Xbox One
Release Date: TBA 2017
You are alone in a dark underground cavern. You are a speck in the vast nothingness of rock and black. Can you survive and uncover the truths that lie… Below? This title by Capybara Games could honestly be one of the best to release next year or it might be one of the most frustrating. That is what makes Below so damn exciting. A top-down adventure game at its most basic, Below features procedurally-generated environments filled with enemies that players will be able to hack and slash their way through. The developers claim that combat will be “brutal but fair.” We sure hope so, as the game will also feature permadeath, meaning that once your character dies, they are dead for good. This could prove to be frustrating, but given the randomness of the environments and the ability to constantly discover new bits, Below could have what it takes to add an extra layer of tension to my gaming, which is something I have been in search of for a long while.
