Independent game dev studios have more opportunities than ever to share their creative vision with the world, and it shows: The indie games marketplace is replete with ambitious titles that range from quick, experimental oddities to fully featured, day-absorbing epics. Here are a few of our current favorites.
If you were to assemble a list of games that represent the current state of PC gaming, Euro Truck Simulator 2 would have to be on it. It’s incredibly popular: peak concurrent player counts on Steam continue to hover above 20,000 every day. But what really makes the game special is its flexibility. Whether you want to build a trucking empire or simply treat the game like a no-stakes sandbox, Euro Truck Simulator 2 accommodates all manners of truck-sim activity.
Road to the Black Sea allows players to schlep cargo to Bulgaria, Romania, and the Trakya region of Turkey. These countries host scenic routes that follow the coastlines of the Black Sea and include destinations like Transylvania and Istanbul. Clients include the agricultural, logging, and mining industries. Details like crossing borders or taking truck ferries bring the content of Road to the Black Sea to life; it’s touches like these that demonstrate why developers SCS Software are so adept at simulating reality.
The year is 1988 — in fact, it’s been the year 1988 for a handful of years. Nuclear war has rendered the skies black, making it nearly impossible to keep track of time. The cause of the war in question resides at the top of a sentient cybertower called Skymelt, and you have 18 minutes to shoot your way there.
Black Future ‘88 is an action-platformer with a high-adrenaline outrun soundtrack and a dazzling cyberpunk aesthetic. The game’s most compelling element is its arsenal of weaponry, each of which has distinct pros and cons. The “Night Nail,” for instance, teleports you to the location of your last kill, which could either be helpful for escaping tight situations or completely disorienting; the “Money Shot,” on the other hand, makes ammunition out of your currency. Mediating the balance between these advantages and drawbacks keeps the game refreshing each time you attempt another 18-minute run.
Still There isn’t quite a game about tending to a space lighthouse, nor is it really a game about solving puzzles by flipping through an in-game instruction manual. It’s not a game about making coffee, or sending emails, or chatting with an AI companion. It’s ultimately a game about processing grief and isolation.
The game puts you in the shoes of Karl Hamba, who’s been tasked with looking after a lighthouse-turned-space station. Still There follows Karl’s daily maintenance of the space station, which mechanically consists of a series of challenging puzzles that require the use of a technical manual to decipher. But the game also hosts deeply emotional moments that provide insight into the nature of depression that feel earnest and relatable — whether or not you’re floating on a remote spaceship.