Indie video games (short for “independent”) have traditionally been defined as any game created by a single developer or small team of developers without the backing of a major game publisher. Over the years, though, indie publishing initiatives and acquisitions by top video game companies as well as other media giants like Annapurna and Netflix have muddied the waters a bit. For this list, we’ve included games that would fit the traditional definition as well as: 1) titles from publishers that specialize in indie games, like Finji or Humble Bundle and 2) long-running series like OlliOlli that began as indie projects and have since signed with a major publisher.
These are The Washington Post’s picks for the indie games of 2022 that you really don’t want to miss.
The charmingly offbeat “OlliOlli World” marks a colorful step forward for the series of platforming skate ’em ups. As your own customized character, shred your way to becoming the new skate wizard, tearing up half-pipes and whizzing by ramps, pools of toxic sludge and alien abduction beams. The series has always been known for its “easy to learn, hard to master” ethos, and “OlliOlli World” nails that careful balancing act. Navigating its wacky, dreamlike levels requires an insane level of coordination, and you’re going to beef it. A lot. But that just makes finally making it to the finish line in one piece feel all the more satisfying. It’s received two sets of downloadable content (DLC) since its initial February release: Void Riders, a sci-fi-themed expansion where aliens invade Radlandia, and Finding the Flowzone, which takes your shredding to the skies.
Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox
Forget “Elden Ring” — “Tunic” is one of the most difficult games I played this year, though you wouldn’t think it from its storybook art style. It’s an action-adventure game in the same style as The Legend of Zelda series, quietly encouraging exploration and experimentation rather than telling you outright what you’re supposed to do. Visually, it’s like a papercraft children’s book come to life, timeless and instantly memorable in its design while undeniably adorable even as you hack and slash your way through hordes of colorful enemies. Instead of a traditional tutorial or dialogue, the game’s controls and story are revealed through pages of an instruction manual you pick up along your adventure. It’s a delightful throwback, and its beautiful full-page illustrations of in-game maps and lore are a joy to flip through.
Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox
“Trombone Champ” was great for memes, but if — like me — it left you itching for the rhythmic minigames of the Rhythm Heaven series, I can’t recommend “Melatonin” enough. You play through the dreams-turned-minigames of an overworked 20-something, each themed to whimsical versions of mundane tasks like working in a cubicle, going on a spending spree and swiping through Tinder (I know it sounds weird, but I promise it’s adorable). The controls are limited to only one or two buttons, and instead of following on-screen UI to time your presses, you have to rely on visual cues and keep the beat in your head. It’s tricky getting into the flow of the minigames, but once I did, I was jamming out, all while basking in its gloriously soft, pastel art style.
Available on: PC and Nintendo Switch
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
“I Was a Teenage Exocolonist” is part visual novel, part deck builder and part RPG, and the way it weaves these genres together into a satisfying and emotional play experience is nothing short of masterful. It’s a coming-of-age tale that unfolds on humanity’s first extrasolar space colony. Your decisions during the game’s narrative events turn into cards for your deck (which carry over across playthroughs) that are used to overcome all sorts of challenges, from how to make new friends without embarrassing yourself to avoiding becoming a monster’s snack while exploring the alien planet. The game’s characters are well-written, with fleshed-out arcs that made me eager to replay and see how all the different narrative paths played out. I was also impressed by its inclusivity: The different relationship paths include both platonic and amorous love, and you choose your character’s pronouns and gender expression (represented by a sliding scale instead of a binary), which can be changed at any point in the game.
Available on: PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch
“Harmony’s Odyssey” is an adorable adventure-puzzle game with a whimsical, fantasy art style that won me over immediately. You play as a young witch, Harmony, along with her mischievous cat whose magical mishaps have turned their surroundings into a series of life-size jigsaw puzzles. Each 3D diorama is a vibrant fantasy setting with charming details tucked into every corner. As I put one neighborhood back together, tile by tile, I noticed children’s chalk drawings on the sidewalks and mermaids chilling in a backyard pool. These dioramic puzzles are where “Harmony’s Odyssey” shines, as its other minigames — “spot the difference” and “I spy” style challenges — felt too simple to be much fun, even after playing with the game’s range of difficulty settings. I can absolutely see my child-self sinking hours upon hours into solving each and every one, though, making this an easy recommendation for parents and younger players.
Available on: PC and Nintendo Switch
Kharon’s Crypt: Even Death May Die
I spent countless hours glued to my Game Boy Color, hacking my way through dungeons until the buttons left little A and B imprints on my fingers, and “Kharon’s Crypt” instantly transported me back. It’s a metroidvania dungeon crawler with retro graphics and an interface inspired by the Game Boy Color. You play as the ferryman of the afterlife, Kharon, who can possess the bodies of skeletons, mimics and other enemies to unlock new abilities to explore the crypt and carve a path to freedom. “Kharon’s Crypt” is a love letter to dungeon crawlers of the ’90s, and the developer’s understanding and passion for the genre comes through clearly in its well-designed dungeons, challenging boss fights and satisfying combat.
Available on: PC and Nintendo Switch
“Moonscars” oozes style from its very first moments. This grimdark metroidvania pits creations against creator as you, playing as the golem warrior Grey Irma, set out to find the mysterious “Sculptor” behind your tortured existence. The retro-inspired visuals are gorgeous in a gothic Dark Souls sort of way, and everything has a really satisfying weight to it, from your hefty weapon strikes to the legions of Lovecraftian hellspawn out to kill you. Both your magic spells in combat and healing abilities come from the same pool, forcing you to be strategic with their use as you explore its sprawling dungeons. For a metroidvania, it’s on the shorter side, clocking in at around 10 hours for the main story, but what’s there is terribly fun, and I’d call it a cant-miss for fans of the genre.
Available on: PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch
“Prodeus” is the epitome of a simple concept done well. It’s a reimagining of early PC first-person shooters like “Doom” lovingly crafted using the modern technology and rendering techniques available today. You blast your way through levels in either single-player or co-op mode, gunning down monsters and splattering the walls with their viscera in a bloody but faithful re-creation of the pixelated ultraviolence of ’90s shooters. There’s also a level editor where you can take a stab at building your own mini “Doom” clone or experiment with community-created maps.
Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox
Fans of classic point-and-click adventure games should definitely check out “Norco.” A cyberpunk tale set in Louisiana, it weaves supernatural and sci-fi elements with real-world horrors of surviving poverty and climate change to create a haunting, dystopian narrative about corporate evils. As described in Launcher’s review by Emily Price: “Many games portray a dystopian future, but ‘Norco’ is one of the few where the devastation feels really imminent, because it’s ingrained in the environment around you.” Not to mention the stunning pixel art, which is packed with detail and southern gothic motifs.
Available on: PC, PlayStation and Xbox
“Roadwarden” is an achingly beautiful text-based RPG set in a grim fantasy world. You play as the titular roadwarden, an explorer/guardsman for hire sent out to map the dangerous wild lands, protect travelers from cutthroats and the undead, and do odd jobs for the isolated network of villages that call the peninsula home. Traveling just about anywhere takes in-game days, making managing your time and resources on the road essential, lest you end up in a ditch somewhere. Your character’s story is shaped by your choices and interactions, so no two playthroughs are going to be identical. If you’re a fan of classic pen-and-paper RPGs or more recent adaptations of the genre like “Disco Elysium,” “Roadwarden” may very well be up your alley.
Playing “Lil Gator Game” is some of the most fun I’ve had with a game all year. It’s adorable and silly and basically the embodiment of a warm hug. You and your pals set up your own DIY adventure game with cardboard cutout enemies, secrets and quests to entice your sister, who’s home on break and buried in homework, to play with you again. Along the way, you discover memories frozen in time and reminisce about summers past. It perfectly captures the wonder and imagination of childhood — where everything has the potential to become a game, a story, a memory — while also playing on a lot of adventure game tropes with nods to classics like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy.
Available on: PC and Nintendo Switch
“Tinykin” feels like the spiritual successor to N64- and GameCube-era platformers. It combines Pikmin’s mechanics of directing hordes of adorable critters with the art direction of Paper Mario, superimposing 2D characters on top of 3D environments. You play as Milo, a space explorer who crash-lands on Earth and discovers he’s been shrunk to the size of a bug. From your new pint-size perspective, you solve puzzles made of household objects ala Chibi-Robo! and traverse platforming levels with the help of your Tinykin army, colorful creatures that can carry objects or blow up obstacles, among other abilities. The original “Pikmin” stressed me out because I couldn’t stand to see my little guys die, so I was relieved to find that “Tinykin” has neither combat nor a day-night cycle; it’s just all about the cute critters and good vibes.
Available on: PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch
“Strange Horticulture” snuck by me when it first came out last January, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you enjoy puzzle games and/or appreciate that dark academia, witchy kind of aesthetic. In this delightfully weird twist on a retail simulator, you sell remedies to the townsfolk’s headaches, insomnia and other ailments in the form of unusual plants. To match the right product with the right customer, you’ll pore through your well-thumbed horticultural guide for clues to identify plants by the color of their petals, shape of their leaves, scent and other properties. As you fill more orders, you’ll unlock new pages for the book and uncover mysteries. The gameplay itself (stocking shelves, chatting with customers, watering plants) is tedious, but it’s the kind of tedium that’s easy to get lost in as you vibe along with the serene-but-slightly-spooky atmosphere.
Available on: PC and Nintendo Switch
Before I get into what this game is like, if you’re a nerd about character design and animation like I am, you need to check out “Potionomics.” My introduction to it came after happening upon some GIFs of gorgeously animated cutscenes on my Twitter timeline and furiously searching for what game they came from. You play as Silvia who, after inheriting her indebted uncle’s potion shop, must hone her brewing and shopkeeping skills to keep from going under. Haggling takes place through a card game where both the customer’s patience and Sylvia’s stress level come into play. You build your deck and unlock better gear by getting to know the game’s charming cast of characters — and before you ask: Yes, they’re romanceable.
I didn’t expect “A Walk With Yiayia” to hit me as hard as it did. It’s only about an hour from start to finish, and it had me in tears probably about half that time. In this bite-sized walking sim, you take a stroll around the neighborhood with your Greek grandmother, who’s lost her confidence after a recent fall. The gameplay encourages you to take things slow; Yiayia gets nervous if you walk too far ahead, and you’ll need to hold her hand to help her over speed bumps. You’re rewarded with dialogue as the two catch up, the conversation deftly flowing between observations about the weather or wildflowers you pass to your struggles with mental health or her strained relationship with her mother. Interspersed among the text are interactive segments that feel like natural extensions of your conversations, such as flying a plane as she reminisces about your grandfather’s love of aviation.
Available on: PC and Nintendo Switch
There Swings a Skull: Grim Tidings
“There Swings a Skul: Grim Tidings” is a narrative horror game where the monster is an allegory for climate change. The desert town Pareildas is dying amid an ungodly heat wave — the sun’s rays literally cook townspeople into burnt husks — when a mysterious talking gallows appears that claims it can abate the brutal heat if provided human sacrifices. It’s up to you to investigate the mysteries surrounding the town’s supernatural developments. The story that unfolds is a terrifying and unflinching examination of the human cost of climate change that builds a sense of dread and unease from beginning to end. Its pixel art style, reminiscent of classic RPGs like the Mother series, makes things all the more unsettling.
