Recommend me some PS4 indies

[depresso-cat]

I just started Minit, and it's a damn good game (found out about it by looking at 'the best indie games on ps+' lists on Google).

Undertale blew my mind.

Telling Lies was an unexpected surprise, (to break the pattern of retro RPGs). 

 

I also enjoyed Inside and Transistor (so I have Limbo, Bastion and Pyre on my backlog).

 

The couple of walking simulators I played were either meh (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter), or ended up the worst ps4 game I played so far (Virginia). But I'm not dismissing the genre entirely.

 

I'm eyeing The Fall games on current sale.

 

So indie aficionados, perhaps you can see the pattern of what I like, and can recommend me some hidden gems?

Edited September 17, 2022 by depresso-cat
Formatting

[PMD_E1337Pete]

Here's a list of indie games I've played on playstation that I recommend:

 

List of indie games that you might like:

• Outer Wilds - My favorite game of all time. Archaeology in space. (Because you like Minit, puzzle-solving on a time limit. Though they're very different in execution)
• Inscryption - Card game, gets very meta later on. (Because you like Undertale, though you also need to like card games)
• Return of the Obra Dinn - One of my absolute favorites. A "Who Dun It?" murder mystery across almost 50 deaths on a ship. (You might like because you like Telling Lies in that it's a very different game from others out there in just how you play it)

Bigger list of indie games I recommend in general:

• A Hat in Time - Perfect if you like collectathons from the 90s/00s.
• A Short Hike - Small cozy game, some light 3D platforming but mostly about hanging out on vacation.
• Bug Fables - The sequel to Paper Mario that Nintendo refuses to make.
• Celeste - Hard platforming (but assist mode if you just want the platinum). Amazing music and top-tier 2D platforming design.
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale - Light puzzles, mostly a game about art with strong story.
• Death's Door - Isometric Zelda-feeling.
• Furi - Boss rush (9 bosses with many phases).
• Ghostrunner - Mirror's Edge meets cyberpunk setting.
• Gone Home (note: no platinum) - I know you said you haven't liked walking simulators but this one is amazing (and my favorite one).
• Invisible Inc - Turn-based tactics heist game in a cyberpunk setting.
• OlliOlli World - 2D skateboarding fun in a world obsessed with skateboarding.
• Rollerdrome - Tony Hawk with guns.
• The Banner Saga 1-3 - Turn-based tactics mixed with Oregon Trail in a game where choices really matter
• The Witness - Line puzzles. 100s and 100s of line puzzles.
• Tinykin - Just finished this one. Feels like Pikmin when you first start, but quickly starts to shift more towards 90s/00s 3D platformers.

[DrBloodmoney]

29 minutes ago, depresso-cat said:

I just started Minit, and it's a damn good game (found out about it by looking at 'the best indie games on ps+' lists on Google).

Undertale blew my mind.

Telling Lies was an unexpected surprise, (to break the pattern of retro RPGs). 

 

I also enjoyed Inside and Transistor (so I have Limbo, Bastion and Pyre on my backlog).

 

The couple of walking simulators I played were either meh (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter), or ended up the worst ps4 game I played so far (Virginia). But I'm not dismissing the genre entirely.

 

I'm eyeing The Fall games on current sale.

 

So indie aficionados, perhaps you can see the pattern of what I like, and can recommend me some hidden gems?

We clearly share some tastes - (aside from Virginia, which I loved ?), and there are probably too many for me to list, but the cream of the crop of my recommendations would be:

 

Dandara

Invisible Inc

Inscryption

Chicory

Dead Cells

Slay the Spire

Pyre

The Artful Escape

 

however, I’ll also say, since we seem to agree on most of the ones you mentioned,

 if you check my profile and see anything you think looks up your alley, if I have the S-Rank in it, there’s a good chance I’ve reviewed and ranked it on my Checklist, here:

 

 

[HuntingFever]

Here are my general recommendations but do note that some of them aren't strictly speaking indies, though they're close enough IMO :

 

Kandagawa Jet Girls

Journey to the Savage Planet

Song of Memories

A Winter's Daydream

The Language of Love

Dusk Diver

Cryptark

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories

Final Horizon

Rad

Slay the Spire

Dead Cells

Deep Rock Galactic

No Man's Sky

The Last Campfire

Banner of the Maid

Coffee Talk

CrossCode

Void Bastards

Orcs Must Die! 3

Steamroll

House Flipper

Dragon's Crown

Drowning

Sagebrush

CloudPunk

Riverbond

The Gardens Inbetween

Valiant Hearts

Journey

Yoku's Island Express

Valkyria Chronicles

Fossil Hunters

Deliver Us The Moon

Earth Defence Force

Fishing: North Atlantic

 

Most of these aren't on sale right now but they do get discounted fairly often .

Edited September 17, 2022 by HuntingFever
Update.

[DJ_Murda_Murk]

Going back and looking through all of the games I've played here's the indies I would recommend:

 

Fez 

Hotline Miami

Guacamelee 1 & 2

Bastion

Hatoful Boyfriend

Everybody's Gone to Rapture 

Firewatch 

The Swapper

Goat Simulator

Rime

The Sexy Brutale

Evan's Remains

Sagebrush

Donut County

Untitled Goose Game

Cat Quest

Rogue Legacy

The Last Campfire

Golf Club Wasteland

Slay the Spire

Trine

A Short Hike

 

A few more indies that I didn't love but were either solid or are well regarded so maybe worth checking out:

Flower 

Limbo

Journey

Valiant Hearts

Unfinished Swan

Abzu

What Remains of Edith Finch

Gorogoa

Teslagrad

 

 

Also I'm with you I hated Virginia

[giinha]

Mas, this can be a very long list, but I will list here the games that I already played and have good recommendations, not based on your play style.

 

- A short hike

- The messenger

- Toem (plus this month)

- Cuphead

- Guacamelee 1 and 2

- Golf Club Wasteland

- Little Nightmares

- Nexomon

- Reverie

- Sparklite

- Yokus Island Express

- Cat Quest

- Hotline Miami 1 and 2

- Reverie
- Axiom Verge

- Blasphemous

- Bloodstained series

- Celeste

- Dandara

- Dead Cells

- Dust An Elysian Tale

- Far Lone sails 

- Fury Unleashed (very hard platinum)

- Hollow Knight

- Jotun

- Monster sanctuary

- Moonlighter

- Enter the gungeon 

- My friend Pedro

- Oxenfree

- Spirtifarer

- Witchwood

- Salt and sanctuary

- Subnautica

- Stray

- Sundered

- The swords of Ditto

- Timespinner

- Deponia (point and click games)

Annapurna games in general

 

 

[depresso-cat]

Thanks for responses, goes, now I have an indie backlog for couple of years;D special thanks to @PMD_E1337Pete (you nailed it with what I like about each game) and @DrBloodmoney (is your nickname PKD reference? If so we definitely have similar tastes;) ) for handpicked recommendations❤️

I don't care if it has platinum, or just 100%, but I'm completionist, so I need to be able to complete the game. Also, i don't own PS5 yet, so i will keep cross-gen games (Outer Wilds and Inscryption sound interesting, but I will keep them for later). 

 

This got me thinking, if there some community hub for indie games on these forums? If not, would there be interest of doing something like 'Indie of the month', where everyone votes for a game to play next month, witch later we discuss, perhaps review and compile a community list with ratings, etc.?

[CptToffer]

I can recommend Shu. I reviewed it a while back and it's a lovely little platformer with gorgeous graphics and a pleasant soundtrack and story. 

 

Everything else I could recommend has largely been covered already!

Edited September 17, 2022 by CptToffer

[Stockton572]

Someone asks for indies, I always want to bring up Guacamelee! 1 & 2. Freaking brilliant games.

[BlitzkriegHottie]

Currently playing Bloodstained Ritual of the Night  and I'm absolutely loving it. Definitely recommended. 

 

So glad to see you're trying all SuperGiant games! They're my favorite indie devs right now. You've played Transistor and have Bastion and Pyre on your backlog, well, might as well try Hades, their latest masterpiece and imo their best game (although I love Transistor almost as much). Oh and just in case you check my profile and see that Hades is at 0% completion that's because I already 100%ed it on Steam (I thought it was never coming to ps4) so I'm waiting a while so I can 100% it again. 

 

Try the bizarre and ultra violent Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2 too(as well as My Friend Pedro, a game inspired by them) if you're in the mood of 'hurting people' (HM reference). 

 

Larian Studios has been releasing bangers as well, these might not look like the usual indie but they are: Divinity Original Sin and Divinity Original Sin II were once Kickstarter projects and I loved them. The second one is miles better and a masterpiece that somehow made it to my top 5 favorite games ever. They are no hand-holding old-school RPGs, tho, they can be hard to get into. 

 

You like Soulslikes or Metroidvanias? Well, what about METROIDSOULSVANIAS? Both Blasphemous and Hollow Knight are masterpieces. 

 

Anyways, I could go on and on, I just love indies so much. 

 

Oh and I'm not into walking sims neither but I sure loved What Remains of Edith Finch and Stray. 

 

Oh and I made it a habit to always mention Downwell! One of the most unique hidden gems out there! Warning: This is a hard game with a hard platinum, definitely harder than any other game I've listed here but I still recommend it! 

 

Anyways, sorry for the long post, hopefully it'll encourage you or anyone else to try these amazing games. 

[Bloke]

Not really my thing, but have played these on my old account in the past:

 

Hollow Knight

Amnesia

Dead Cells

Resogun

Shovel Knight

Outer Wilds

 

I think Outer Wilds is free on PS Plus Essential catalogue at the moment as well.

[maisie666]

Risk of Rain.  Awesome game.  Probably the best soundtrack in gaming.

Edited September 18, 2022 by maisie666

[skotafactor]

I LOVE Indie games. A lot of good recommendations in this thread. I haven’t seen it specifically called out here, but I don’t think a game has had as much impact on me as Kentucky Route Zero (it’s even my profile pic). It’s a point and click game but devoid of puzzles, more in line with the 3rd person walking sims like Oxenfree (which I also loved), the Artful Escape or Night in the Woods. The narrative and atmosphere are some of my absolute favorites in any video game ever. It’s paced a lot different than the games you mentioned you didn’t like (Virginia and Ethan Carter) and is seriously one of the most unique experiences I’ve had in a game. 
 

also since I don’t see this listed yet either, just a little shoutout to Going Under, a hilarious little dungeon crawler where you play an intern stuck in the bowels of failed tech start-ups. 

[duncanmcleod]

- Mark of the Ninja.

A top 2D infiltration game, with a great « cartoon » art style and smart mechanics. One of the best Ninja game on the market. 
 

- Owlboy. 
A 2D platform and action game in which you play a kid … that looks like an owl. Gameplay resolve around flying through fantastical landscapes Excellent lore, but gameplay can be rough sometimes.

 

- Creaks.

You get lost in a moving maze hidden under your flat. And you need to escape it. Feels like a Tim Burton tale, with indie comic visuals. 

 

- Gorogoa.

A very short puzzle game that asks you for focus and creativity. By moving four comic cases, you’ll uncover a psychedelic the story.

[Evil_Joker88]

Here's my selection of indie games i enjoyed and you might too (in no particular order):

 

- Abzu

- Trine 1, 2, 4

- What Remains of Edith Finch

- Guacamelee

- Oxenfree

- Cat Quest

- ICEY

- X-Morph Defense

- Late Shift

Edited September 18, 2022 by Evil_Joker88

[Eraezr]

• Manifold Garden - I never thought I'd say this about a video game but the gameplay was like using up all of my imagination's spatial awareness RAM. I've never cognitively encountered anything like this before in my life.
• Creaks - Cool asf art style and all right soundtrack.
• World End Syndrome - Fantastic story and production values that nearly gets undone by a bad localiser.
• Jettomero - Nice chill game, awesome soundtrack.
• Nine Parchments - Underrated couch co-op/online co-op game about mages. Graphically nice to look at.
• Flipping Death - OK art style and story journey. If you're one of those degenerates who loves puns, you'll like this one.
• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - Intricately woven narrative made by an indie-scale studio, Vanillaware. This studio is an industry gem. Support them.

[Vrisnem]

Nexomon: Extinction. It's a monster catching RPG that brings back the feel of the original Pokémon titles on the Gameboy. The story is brilliantly written and appeals to adults, unlike modern Pokémon titles. I'm in the post-game and have still managed to sink 30hrs into it in the past week alone (and I wasn't even at home most of the week!). It's addictive.