Tag: Best Indie Games of 2020

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

“Join Alba as she visits her grandparents on a Mediterranean island. She is ready for a peaceful summer of wildlife exploration with her friend Ines, but when she sees an animal in danger, she realises she needs to do something about it.

“This is truly a Mediterranean paradise if you ignore all the litter! From the idyllic beaches to the ancient castle overlooking the town a whole island is ready to be explored. With Ines and your grandfather – who is a total bird nerd – by your side, you can start the movement to save the island. Maybe even the world after that.”

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows, Apple Arcade (consoles to come)
Release: December 11, 2020

Call of the Sea

“A first-person adventure puzzle game set in the 1930s that tells the story of Norah, a woman on the trail of her missing husband’s expedition.

“The search takes place on a strange but beautiful island in the South Pacific, filled with secrets waiting to be unearthed.  It is an otherworldly tale of mystery, adventure, and self-discovery.”

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Release: December 8, 2020

Haven

“Yu and Kay have escaped to a forgotten planet, leaving everything they knew behind. Play two lovers at the same time as they settle into an unknown world. Explore the planet looking for parts and material to fix your ship and make it a cosy home.

“Enjoy moments of everyday life as a relatable couple while cooking meals, crafting and collecting precious resources to make it to the next day. Fight against those trying to tear you apart by synchronizing actions in combat, finding the perfect timing and rhythm, while controlling both characters and battling to keep them and their relationship alive.”

Visit the Website

Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS5
Release: December 3, 2020 (PS4 & Nintendo Switch next year)

Noita

“A magical action roguelite set in a world where every pixel is physically simulated. Fight, explore, melt, burn, freeze and evaporate your way through the procedurally generated world using spells you’ve created yourself. Explore a variety of environments ranging from coal mines to freezing wastelands while delving deeper in search for unknown mysteries.

“Every pixel in the world is simulated. Burn, explode or melt anything. Swim in the blood of your foes! Enter a simulated world that is more interactive than anything you’ve seen before. Create new spells as you delve deeper into the caverns. Use magic to crush your enemies and manipulate the world around you.”

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows
Release: October 15, 2020

The Pathless

“Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. Forge a connection with your eagle companion and soar through the air. Perform fluid acrobatics and execute awesome trick shots with a unique archery system that allows effortless shooting while moving at high speeds.

“Forge your own path through a beautiful open world packed with secrets to find. Traverse misty forests, lush meadows and snowy tundras. Discover the dark history of the island as you solve puzzles in ancient ruins and unearth long-forgotten secrets.”

Visit the Website

Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, iOS
Release: November 12, 2020

Chicken Police

“A classic film noir type adventure game with dark humour, adult themes and very, very dangerous animals.

“Sonny Featherland and Marty McChicken were once legendary detective partners, but time had passed them by.  Sonny is a burnt-out, alcoholic ex-cop, who spends his days in an abandoned hotel, while Marty hides behind the facade of a star-detective, but slowly he’s losing himself.  Now they’re back together again on a case bigger and much more dangerous than anything they’ve ever encountered before.”

I received a key for this from the developer and although visual novel/point-and-click stuff isn’t really my thing I decided to give it a whirl because the premise of chickens as police is pretty interesting to me.

I wasn’t planning to play much but I did get a bit sucked into the story and ended up going through the first chapter which took about four hours. There are four chapters I think and I’m a bit of a slowpoke, partially because I lost like 20 minutes trying to get a high score in the target practice minigame. The game feels quite polished mostly because of the art and voice acting (which is almost always great) but I also didn’t really encounter any bugs, except one time I did things out of order and the characters talked about visiting a place they had already been (maybe they were trying to block out the body they had just found).

The questioning/interrogating of characters is probably my favourite bit (choosing the right dialogue options based on your updating knowledge of their personality) especially because I’m not sure what happens if you completely screw it up and getting the “True Detective” stamp at the end is a super satisfying relief after previous anxiety.

The game is mostly about visiting locations, talking to characters, and trying to learn who you can trust while unraveling the mystery. It feels like there might be a lot of depth to the characters, but I’m not far enough in to make a determination on that. The writing overall seems good and the dialogue is pretty decent I think although it misses the mark a couple of times for me as I’m not super into noir.

I’m not sure if I will continue, although I really want to meet Miranda the giraffe, but that’s definitely mostly a factor of the visualnovelness (it’s not a hard-core one but I’m severely lacking in patience at the moment), so if that’s your jam it’s definitely a game to look into.

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release: November 5, 2020

Carto

“A charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic. Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family.

“Separated from her Granny during a storm, young Carto must use her innate cartography powers to map and manipulate the world around her on her quest to be reunited. As she discovers new “pieces” of the game map, players can rearrange them to shape the levels themselves – unlocking new paths, puzzles, and story moments.”

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Release: October 27, 2020

Ghostrunner

“A hardcore FPP slasher packed with lightning-fast action, set in a grim, cyberpunk setting of a futuristic mega-structure.  Climb Dharma Tower, humanity’s last shelter after a world-ending cataclysm.  Make your way up from the very bottom to the top, confront the tyrannical Keymaster and take your revenge.

“The streets of the tower-city are full of violence.  Mara the Keymaster rules with an iron fist and little regard for human life.  As resources grow thin, the strong prey on the weak and chaos threatens to consume what little order remains.  The decisive last stand is coming.  The final attempt to set things right, before mankind goes over the edge of extinction.”

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox
Release: 2020