In the digital landscape where games are now easily available for release across various platforms, the entry barriers for new entrants have significantly reduced. Looking at platforms like Steam or Nintendo Switch, indie games have flourished on these platforms from the accessibility to reach audiences instantaneously, as compared to the physical games era that came with many costs and publishing barriers.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Indie games, in particular, have become so big over the past ten years that many are able to compete against popular AAA brands. What is a brand new label today could become the next CD Projekt Red or Obsidian Entertainment in the future. As a result, here are the five most successful indie games within the last 10 years based on Metacritic score.
Celeste – Metacritic 92
Celeste was developed and published by Maddy Maker Games Inc. in 2018 across platforms that included Nintendo Switch, Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Celeste received a Metacritic score of 92, with 37 credited reviews for the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Celeste received many nominations for awards and took home many, including The Game Award for Best Independent Game, D.I.C.E. Award for Action Game of the Year, and numerous other honors.
As a game for impact, Celeste follows the protagonist Madeline as she aims to climb to the top of Celeste Mountain. The journey is fraught with hardships to ascend the mountain with tight-gripped platforming controls across each level. The game’s messaging centers around important topics of one’s own inner demons and mental health. Ultimately, Celeste is a story of self-acceptance and perseverance juxtaposed by the gameplay itself.
Inside – Metacritic 93
Inside is the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed title Limbo. Developed and published by Playdead in 2016 across Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. During its original release, Inside received a Metacritic score of 93 on the Xbox One based on 92 separate reviews. It received several accolades and awards, including several awards across The Game Awards, D.I.C.E., and BAFTA.
Inside is particularly known for the dark narrative direction, noir art style, and overall unsettling atmosphere that was imagined in this puzzle platformer. The story follows a boy who is irreconcilably drawn towards the center of an insidious project. Similar to Limbo, death and dying aren’t a limitation to game progression, as you’ll continuously respawn at the last checkpoint. Inside has multiple endings, which over the years have led to a lot of speculation and theories around the game’s lore.
Undertale – Metacritic 93
Undertale was released in 2015 on PC and ported to PlayStation 4 in 2017, Nintendo Switch in 2018, and Xbox One in 2021. The game was developed and published by Toby Fox almost entirely independently. From a critical standpoint, Undertale has performed well across platforms, with the highest rating of 93 on Metacritic for the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Undertale has been nominated for several major game awards and has won a handful over the years.
In this top-down RPG, Undertale takes you to the underground after falling from the world above. Progression involves completing quests, solving puzzles, and exploration across the underground. Inevitably, you will encounter various monsters throughout the narrative that will leave you to decide whether to befriend, kill, or flee from them. These decisions will have ramifications for the endgame plot. The fact that there are several different endings, based on how you play the game, makes Undertale highly replayable.
Hades – Metacritic 93
Hades is a roguelike action RPG that was originally released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2020, and ported to PS4/PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S in 2021. Across platforms, Hades rates consistently on Metacritic at 93, with a collective of 162 credited reviews.
Hades was a roguelike dungeon crawler before it was cool. In it you play as the son of Hades, Zegreus, who wishes to escape from the confines of the Underworld. You’ll wield various weapons of Olympus and gain powerful boons from the gods themselves, all in an attempt to escape the underworld. Success will slowly see you progress across the four main dungeons, like Tartarus or Asphodel. Whilst death will see you return to the Halls of Hades, you’re then given the opportunity to upgrade and scale up to become more successful across every run.
Disco Elysium – Metacritic 97
Disco Elysium is a narratively rich RPG developed and published by ZA/UM in 2019 across all major platforms. The game is often considered one of the absolute best video games of all time, which accounts for its The Final Cut iteration having a Metacritic score of 97. From an awards standpoint, Disco Elysium was a take-home winner for a lot of major awards like The Game Awards for Best Narrative, Best Independent Games, Best Role-Playing Game, and Fresh Indie Game.
Disco Elysium follows a detective waking from an absolute bender the evening before that leaves him with a cruel hangover and no memory of himself or the murder investigation he is actively a part of. While solving the main murder mystery and piecing together events, you’ll have many side quests that will additionally offer a rich world-building experience and character development towards how the protagonist became who he is. The game utilizes tabletop RPG mechanics for all major forms of game progression and combat mechanics, with a virtual roll required to pass skill checks. Those same tabletop RPG mechanics are often the major factor in why Disco Elysium offers so much depth, variety, and storytelling in a playthrough.
