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We're all familiar with the Hotline Miami's, Hollow Knight's, and Celeste's of the world. These are some of the indie games that hit the big time. Of course, for every one of these games, there's 100 other indie games that have been glossed over, relegated to a spot in a digital store few people will ever find themselves in. Given that the PlayStation Store is having a large sale on over 1000 indie games, I figured now would be a good time to highlight a few of the ones that don't get quite as much attention, and hopefully introduce people to some new games.
I'm going to order them according to Metacritic Critic Ratings, as it's only fair that you hear from more than just me. Price will contain the U.S. PlayStation Store link to the game. Note that the sale price is based on a PlayStation Plus subscription - if you don't have PlayStation Plus, the price is about $0.50-$1.50 for about 1/4 of the games.
1. Hayfever
Sale Price: $3.74 – Discounted from $14.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 2D Precision Platformer
Metacritic: 90% from 1 Critic Review, N/A from 0 User Ratings
Description: Hayfever is a precision platformer that revolves around a mailman propelling himself using a number of different allergens that act as power-ups. A lot of the platforming is aerial and typically has you catching allergens mid-air to perform maneuvers in quick succession. It's not an easy game by any means, but it has oddly relaxing music to accompany the rather intense platforming. There are also letters to collect in each level to steepen the challenge and some secrets to discover too. It takes an hour or so to get used to the aerial platforming, and this is one of the few 2D platformers played better with the analog stick rather than the D-Pad. But letters that seemed unattainable to me at the beginning of the game became much simpler by the end, as I had mastered the controls and physics of the game. I don't expect everyone to love this game, but I have to agree with the one other guy who played it that gave it a 9/10. After putting 25+ hours into it, I am still eager to replay it soon.
Completion Time: ~8 Hours
Extra Content: It'll take another 8 hours or so to collect all the letters and probably about 6 hours or so to beat the Hard World, which features an additional 28 remixed levels. There are also secrets to uncover, but they don't net any in game progress and only work towards your trophy completion. Finding these secrets will probably vary more in time because they are hidden, but expect them to take a few hours to find. Just to clarify, letters are an expanded test of your platforming skills and are all in clear view of the screen, while secrets are a test of your observation skills and take a little more digging to find. The platinum trophy is a fair and rewarding challenge that took me about 25-30 hours to get.
2. Huntdown
Includes 2 Player Local Co-op
Sale Price: $11.99 – Discounted from $19.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Run & Gun
Metacritic: 82% from 16 Critic Reviews, 75% from 54 User Ratings
Description: Huntdown is run & gun that takes place in a stylish ‘80s inspired cyberpunk city overrun by gangs. With few employment opportunities, a disproportionate percentage of the population are bounty hunters for hire. The aesthetic, story, and world are inspired by a few action movies from the ‘80s, most notably Blade Runner. Like most run & guns, the story takes a backseat to the gameplay, but it’s there to contextualize the hordes of enemies you’ll fight and give background on all the ruined cities you’ll trek through. The game is broken up into 4 zones with 5 levels per zone, each with its own boss fight. Each zone is run by a different gang with their own style and cast of big wigs.
Description Continued: You can initially select between three difficulty levels, with a fourth unlockable one available after beating the game. Having played through the game on Normal Mode, I can say it was a good challenge and didn’t have me stuck on any one level or boss for too long. Huntdown gives you a number of defensive options, making your failings feel all the more fair. Your character has a few ways of dealing with impending fire: hiding behind cover, ducking, running away, jumping, dashing, and jump dashing. Projectiles also don’t move super fast, giving you a fair chance to evade. The bosses are a big highlight, and they’ll probably take up about half your total playtime. One notable boss encounter was a vehicular chariot being pulled by a large car– the game is full of this kind of cyberpunk blending of old time modes of transportation and weaponry with the technology of its universe. It’s one of the most polished and fun run & guns of the generation.
Completion Time: ~6 Hours (Normal Mode)
Extra Content: There are collectibles known as stashes to go back for – three per level – some of which are hidden in the level, while others have you chasing down an enemy with a briefcase. Chasing after them exposes you to enemy fire, so it’s a challenge to kill them in time before they get away while surviving all the projectiles coming your way. Each level scores you on your number of kills, stashes obtained, and your death count. Outside of the collectibles, you may also want to replay the game on higher difficulties, or to simply try different guns. There are three different characters to play as well, each with a different primary gun and secondary projectile, though the differences are minute.
3. Horizon Shift ‘81
Sale Price: $2.24 – Discounted from $8.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 1980s Arcade-like Fixed Screen Shoot ‘em Up
Metacritic: 80% from 1 Critic Review, N/A from 0 User Ratings
Description: This is actually a sequel to the Steam exclusive Horizon Shift, which sports a different aesthetic and isn’t quite as good from what I’ve read. Horizon Shift ’81 mimics the look of a fixed screen shoot ‘em up from the early 1980s but comes with a few twists of its own. Your ship is positioned in the middle of the screen on a horizontal line rather than the bottom, and you have to flip between sides to deal with enemies coming from both the top and the bottom. The line can be broken in different places – leaving a gap where you can fall to your death – by asteroids and certain projectiles. This is where the expanded moveset comes into play: you can jump between gaps and also over enemies who attach themselves to the line. Enemies on the line can also be taken out with a horizontal shield bash that regenerates after a few seconds. There is a boss after every five stages, some of which will actually bring the line down to the bottom of the screen, while others retain it in the middle.
Completion Time: ~3.5 Hours (Normal Mode on Arcade Style)
Extra Content: There are a number of ways to customize your future playthroughs, and there’s an unlockable boss rush mode after finishing the game. The few trophies are relatively easy to obtain. There is no platinum trophy for this game.
4. Curse of the Dead Gods
Sale Price: $13.99 – Discounted from $19.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Roguelite/Action Adventure Game
Metacritic: 79% from 11 Critic Reviews, 74% from 17 User Ratings
Description: Curse of the Dead Gods has a lot of mechanics and nuances to learn, but it’s easy enough to get into if you’ve ever played a top down action adventure game like this before. The main mechanic of the game– the “curse of the dead gods” if you will – is a trade-off mechanic that hinders your current abilities in some ways while offering some new ones in return. There are a number of different curses, and you can attain up to five per run, with the fifth one being an especially egregious curse that severely hinders your chances of success. You build your curse meter by opening doors to the next area of a level, getting attacked by certain enemies, or sacrificing blood for an attribute, upgrade, weapon or more health. In any given run you’re making a number of small but meaningful choices: nearly every item you obtain has some choice associated with it, even in the way you purchase items: you can spend gold or blood, which builds your curse meter. The combat in the game is very satisfying, with a wide variety of weapons and short, impactful freeze-frames on enemy kills.
Completion Time: ~20 Hours
Extra Content: There are additional trials to clear after beating the game, plus a lot of stuff to upgrade/buy. Getting all the trophies in this game requires you to beat the game and perform a few specific challenges, like making 10 blood offerings during a single exploration.
5. Kero Blaster
Sale Price: $2.99 – Discounted from $9.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Run & Gun
Metacritic: 79% from 4 Critic Reviews, 59% from 9 User Ratings
Description: This comes from the creator of Cave Story and is even considered a spiritual successor by some, though it drops the Metroidvania qualities in favor of purely linear progression. While a lot of indie games opt for the NES aesthetic, Kero Blaster feels really authentic in this regard, in both its presentation and its soundtrack. While Kero Blaster plays like most run & guns, there’s a little more platforming in the second half of the game. The weapon selection is particularly noteworthy, with each gun possessing certain strengths and weaknesses in different scenarios. The bubble has a downward arc and works on water surfaces, while the base weapon is a straight line of projectiles. Coins are the main collectible and allow you to purchase weapon and health upgrades in the shop. So even if you lose all your lives, you’ve still made some progress towards your next upgrade. That said, I only got a game over once per stage with the exception of one stage in which I got two.
Completion Time: ~3 Hours
Extra Content: The extra difficulty options mixes things up with enemy placement and even new stage layouts for a fresher second run.
6. Olija
Sale Price: $10.04 – Discounted from $14.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 2D Exploration-based Action Platformer
Metacritic: 78% from 19 Critic Reviews, 80% from 1 User Rating
Description: Olija takes inspiration from sailors’ tales and Asian mythology. Gameplay-wise, there’s a greater emphasis on exploration and cinematics in Olija than most action platformers. The combat feels great even if it is very easy – Faraday’s signature weapon is a harpoon he can use to teleport to after being thrown, which is useful for exploration, combat, and solving puzzles. It’s one of the most memorable weapons I’ve seen in a game. In addition, Faraday has access to a rapier, a crossbow, a musket, and another weapon that comes later in the game. The close-range weapons feature a range of attacks via directional inputs. Combat has a great flow to it – attacks are fast and fluid, and the harpoon’s teleportation mechanic allows you to get up close and personal with an enemy across the room within a second. Exploring the different islands around Terraphage gives off a very “far from home” feeling that complements the narrative.
Completion Time: ~4 Hours
Extra Content: There are collectibles to find. Once you beat the game, you are unable to continue your save and must start over again – keep that in mind if you’re going for 100%. You must collect everything to get all the trophies – of which there are only 10 – but this would likely take only an additional hour or two. There is no platinum trophy for this game.
7. Death Road to Canada
Includes 4 Player Local Co-op
Sale Price: $6.74 – Discounted from $14.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Oregon Trail-like Roguelite with Top Down Action Sequences
Metacritic: 78% from 14 Critic Reviews, 61% from 9 User Ratings
Description: The easiest way to describe Death Road to Canada is Oregon Trail + real time action sequences interspersed in the gameplay. You are tasked with surviving 15 days, until you make it Canada, which is a difficult feat. Lose all your survivors, and you have to start over from Day 1. Each survivor can be controlled by a human player, but the number of human players is limited to the number of survivors you have in your party (from 1 to 4). Since survivors drain resources, it's sometimes better to keep a lower party number - as a result, I think the game is best played with two players. You make choices and grow character traits via randomly generated story elements in the form of menus. You are forced to make choices - do you want to go to a gas station or a grocery store? Do you want to recruit a new member to your party and spend resources on them, or forego them and have a more difficult time in action sequences? The real time gameplay focuses on killing zombies, buying and selling things at markets, and scavenging for supplies.
Completion Time: ~6 Hours
Extra Content: There are a number of permanent upgrades to unlock, and the game challenges you to beat the game with different classes of characters via the trophies.
8. Flat Heroes
Includes 4 Player Local Co-op & Competitive/Versus Mode
Sale Price: $3.39 – Discounted from $9.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 2D Platformer
Metacritic: 78% from 3 Critic Reviews, N/A from 0 User Ratings
Description: Flat Heroes isn't a traditional 2D platformer - it's more like a Survival 2D Platformer. You platform around the screen trying to survive rather than to make it to a goal. This encourages you to try different paths if something isn't working. I like that even for a fast paced platformer like this, inexperienced players can still join in without weighing down the other players, since one player can carry the team to the next level if there's a big skill disparity, and the fact that it's always on a single screen makes it so inexperienced players can't really slow down the others. And like its inspiration, the instant respawns make it easy to keep going. The boss battles are very to the point and fit in with the simple but difficult style of the game. So it makes for a game that's easy to introduce to just about anyone.
Completion Time: ~4.5 Hours
Extra Content: There is a separate versus mode that includes bot support.
9. Kaze and the Wild Masks
Sale Price: $23.99 – Discounted from $29.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 2D Traditional Platformer
Metacritic: 77% from 16 Critic Reviews, 75% from 17 User Ratings
Description: Kaze is an extremely polished and well realized 16-bit 2D platformer that would’ve fit in well with other mascot platformers from the 1990s. The art style is detailed and vibrant – it’s a nice contrast to the more minimalist and/or 8-bit aesthetic seen in most 2D indie platformers. Kaze has enough good ideas from beginning to end, with each level offering some kind of differentiating factor. This extends to the boss fights, which feel noticeably different, as each one has you using a different mask to fight them. Although the game adheres to many old-school conventions, there is no life count here, so you’ll be able to retry from the same checkpoint as many times as you need to. The game is fairly challenging but can be beaten by anyone with persistence – it never approaches Super Meat Boy or Celeste levels of difficulty, even in the bonus stages. The level design is also more compact and slower-moving than the aforementioned games, like traditional 2D platformers. As a result, Kaze would be probably be my go-to recommendation for someone looking for an indie 2D platformer that isn’t precision-based.
Completion Time: ~6 Hours
Extra Content: There are three collectibles in each level, plus a crown for beating a level without taking any damage, plus a time-based challenge with different tiers for gold, silver, and bronze, as well as leaderboards for stack ranking players across the world. The game has a number of unlockable artwork and levels associated with these collectibles. Getting the platinum trophy will require you to unlock everything and beat the game in under 2 hours, which I was able to do on my second playthrough. All told, you’re looking at about 15-20 hours for the platinum trophy.
10. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
Sale Price: $2.99 – Discounted from $9.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Metroidvania
Metacritic: 76% from 22 Critic Reviews, 73% from 39 User Ratings
Description: Usually with Metroidvanias, I expect a long, difficult game that's difficult to navigate. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a counter to those ideas while still maintaining the exploratory nature of the sub-genre. The plot is pretty simple and doesn't feature a ton of story, but there are a few NPCs you talk to throughout your quest. The combat is also fairly simple, but the boss fights you engage in are all great. Without much weapon customization, it's stripped to the basics of dodging enemy attacks while trying to get a hit in. It makes for a game that's easy to get into and instantly start enjoying. All of the areas are visually appealing, some more than others, and each of them lasts shorter than you'd expect. The game is only around 3-5 hours, but it feels like you've played so much more in that time. Some games only really start to take off by the time this game finishes.
Completion Time: ~4.5 Hours
Extra Content: Getting 100% map completion should only take an hour or two of cleanup. I did miss an optional boss on my first playthrough. There are also items to discover, and the trophies give fun challenges to extend the life of the game. Unfortunately there is no platinum trophy for this game. One cool thing I liked was that beating a boss without getting hit at all gives you a useful item. It also features New Game+, allowing you to carry over most of your items, making the game more difficult, and changing up enemy placement.
11. Pumpkin Jack
Sale Price: $20.99 – Discounted from $29.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 3D Action Platformer
Metacritic: 76% from 12 Critic Reviews, 71% from 12 User Ratings
Description: This is a 3D platformer that reportedly takes inspiration from both MediEvil and Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. There’s about equal amounts of platforming and combat in this game. While the combat is relatively simple, you’re given a variety of weapons that all feel unique. The levels have a good amount of variety within them – you’ll jump between ships on a ferry ride, ride an undead horse through the sky, play a few mini games as a headless Jack, and fight a boss at the end of each of the six levels. Both the combat and platforming are relatively easy – platforms are typically large and Jack has an edge grab that helps tremendously, and smashing the many destructible objects around the levels increases your health. It’s a fun ride for anyone looking for a Halloween-themed action platformer.
Completion Time: ~4.5 Hours
Extra Content: There are collectibles to back for – I got about 2/3 of the collectibles on my first playthrough – skins to unlock – which are purchased with the collectibles you find in the levels – and you get to start a second playthrough with all the weapons already unlocked at the beginning. You’ll need to find all collectibles for the platinum trophy.
12. Ultra Hat Dimension
Sale Price: $2.74 – Discounted from $4.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 2D Level-based Puzzle Game
Metacritic: 76% from 2 Critic Reviews, 80% from 2 User Ratings
Description: Ultra Hat Dimension follows Bea through a series of rooms in a palace on a quest to undo the magical spell that has made the mythical Spluff creatures want to attack one another. There is a little bit of backstory via one sentence thoughts from Bea in between levels, but nothing major here. The gameplay revolves equipping four different types of hats and using them to evade or push Spluffs around to retrieve the key and reach the door. Each Spluff dons one of four different hats which effects their behavior towards other Spluffs and you. You will be punched one tile back by every Spluff unless you’re wearing the same hat as the Spluff. Spluffs interact with one another differently depending on what hat they’re wearing in a rock, paper, scissors kind of way – they may punch a Spluff back one space, get into a scuffle that allows you to get close to them without wearing a hat, or they may temporarily disable them in a way that allows you to access the space the Spluff consumes within eight moves. There are undo and reset buttons included that allow you to quickly rewind mistakes. There are some clever puzzles accompanied by catchy tunes and a charming pixel art aesthetic. The difficulty is about average.
Completion Time: ~3 Hours
Extra Content: There is no additional content, but you can go back and replay any stage you wish. You get all the trophies after completing only about half the game.
13. Remothered: Tormented Fathers
Sale Price: $8.99 – Discounted from $29.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: (Slightly Graphic) Link
Genre: Survival Horror
Metacritic: 75% from 13 Critic Reviews, 77% from 53 Ratings
Description: Remothered: Tormented Fathers feels very old school in its design philosophy - no weapons outside a few self defense items and distraction items. You go back and forth in the mansion and have to learn the layout and where things are to proceed. You have to manually select the key item from your inventory to use on triggers (but a key icon is still shown to guide you a little). The sounds in this game do a great job of evoking tension, and I appreciate that the stalkers don’t seem to teleport, so if you can get away from them, you’ve earned your freedom for awhile. This is the first game in a loosely connected trilogy, with the second one due later this year.
Completion Time: ~6 Hours
Extra Content: There are some collectibles you can go back for, but not a whole beyond that. Unfortunately there is no platinum trophy for this game, and you'll probably get most of the trophies - if not all, except the collectibles one - on your first playthrough.
14. Inertial Drift
Includes a Separate 2 Player Local Competitive/Versus Multiplayer Mode
Sale Price: $11.99 – Discounted from $19.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Racing
Metacritic: 74% from 6 Critic Reviews, 50% from 1 User Ratings
Description: Inertial Drift's distinguishing characteristic is its employment of the right analog stick for drifting. This takes a little getting used to, but it feels great once you get the hang of it, creating some exhilarating moments when perfecting corner turns. The game has 10 unique tracks + 10 reversed tracks, 16 vehicles, and four separate story arcs. Each story arc is only a couple of hours long and features a different protagonist with a different vehicle. Since you’ll be racing on the same track a few times, there are a few gameplay variations that differ from just reaching the finish line at the end, such as racking up a certain number of points that are acquired through longer drift times and other means. There's quite a bit of dialogue between races, and in the races themselves characters will frequently dish out positive commentary on your performance in the form of text in the top left hand corner of the screen. The game's aesthetics are a fusion of anime and synthwave. I've heard many fans liken the game to the manga Initial D, though I'm unfamiliar with that series myself.
Completion Time: ~3 Hours (for 1/4 Story Arcs)
Extra Content: There are a number of different modes including a Story Mode, Challenge Mode, Grand Prix Mode, Arcade Mode, two player Split-Screen, and Online, as well as a Tutorial. Completion of challenges in Challenge Mode allows you to unlock new vehicles for the other non-Story Modes. Grand Prix Mode allows you to race using different characters/vehicles through a connected set of challenges, while Arcade Mode is for one-off races. I wouldn't recommend this game for online play as the user-base is pretty small (hence it being overlooked) and you're unlikely to find a match. Getting the platinum trophy is fairly difficult.
15. Speed Limit
Sale Price: $6.99 – Discounted from $9.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 2D Genre-bending Action Game
Metacritic: 73% from 5 Critic Reviews, N/A from 0 User Ratings
Description: Speed Limit is a fast-paced action game that spans multiple genres over the course of a roughly 2-3 hour experience - from side scrolling run and gun gameplay to a top down car chase. While each of the six game styles play differently from each other, it's weaved together by its breakneck pace and constant forward momentum - leaving your character still for more than a second results in death (though there is a pause menu). Even the transitions between different game styles only takes seconds, with the player character usually hijacking a vehicle that starts off the next section. Simple (and customizable) controls combined with an existing understanding of how each game style plays makes it so no transition is ever jarring (there is one that takes a little more getting used to though).
Completion Time: ~2.5 Hours (Normal Difficulty)
Extra Content: There are a number of trophies to go back for that challenge you to try new things. The platinum trophy is a reasonable challenge that will take you a few more hours and includes challenges like being the game under half an hour and completing and not taking damage during a certain part of the game.
16. Pato Box
Sale Price: $2.99 – Discounted from $14.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Punch-Out-like 3D Action Adventure
Metacritic: 71% from 4 Critic Reviews, N/A from 1 User Ratings
Description: Pato Box follows an anthropomorphic duck boxer on an adventure through a stylistic noir comic book world. “Pato” is a Spanish word that translates to “Duck” in English (the game was developed by a Mexican studio). The boss fights are heavily inspired by Punch-Out’s gameplay, but there are levels outside of these fights to help differentiate it. Most of the levels can be selected in any order you choose and typically serve as a leadup to the boss fight. The levels play entirely differently from the fights, but the themes of the level match those of the bosses. The levels will employ various elements of evasion, stealth, exploration, and a few time-based mini-games. The casino level, for example, will have you walk around the casino looking for chips and punching the slot machines to earn enough to pay entrance to the fight, while the food factory has you evading stompers, sawblades, and butcher knives as you work your way through the level. While the levels and bosses play pretty differently from each other, they’re weaved together by a dark and intriguing story that follows Pato Box’s quest for retribution against an evil corporation.
Completion Time: ~7 Hours
Extra Content: There’s an Arcade Mode that lets you replay boss fights and some collectibles to find in the main campaign. The trophies are very difficult, and many ask you to beat a boss without taking a single hit.
17. Biped
Includes 2 Player Local Co-op, which the game is designed around
Sale Price: $8.09 – Discounted from $14.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Co-op-focused 3D Puzzle Adventure
Metacritic: 70% from 11 Critic Reviews, 78% from 45 User Ratings
Description: In Biped each player controls the legs of a cutesy robot using the analog sticks. Outside of the menus, there are no buttons employed. This makes it easier for inexperienced gamers to still play and have a good time because they'll always have their thumbs resting in the same spot and won't get confused by having to constantly swap buttons. That said, I played with a friend who is an experienced gamer, and we both had a great time with it. The gameplay generally revolves around using the legs of your robots to overcome timing, precision, and endurance based obstacles in coordination with your partner. The game consistently delivers fresh new puzzles for the two players to solve together. It can be played in single player, but this is designed as a co-op game first and foremost.
Completion Time: ~2.5 Hours
Extra Content: Stars offer some replay value, which further challenge your abilities. In addition, the levels encourage you to replay them to hit the target completion time. There are also a number of isolated challenges that take place in Portal-like chambers. These are much more challenging than anything in the base game and would likely take longer to complete than the main game.
18. The Count Lucanor
Sale Price: $4.49 – Discounted from $14.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: Top Down Adventure/Horror
Metacritic: 70% from 2 Critic Reviews, 66% from 10 User Ratings
Description: The Count Lucanor’s story is very fairy tale-esque – more like a classic fairy tale as it can be pretty dark and grotesque at times. On his 10th birthday, Hans chooses to leave his mother in a quest for wealth. After some walking and conversation with NPCs you find along the way, you stumble upon a large mansion and find that the count of this mansion is looking to pass his wealth onto an heir who can prove himself worthy – “worthy” in this case being the one who can figure out the count’s name. From here, you are tasked with adventuring through the mansion and solving environmental puzzles in a nonlinear way to acquire the letters that spell the count’s name. There is a survival horror element to the game, as you are unable to attack the enemies in the mansion and instead must crawl under tables and find other ways around them. You can place candles around the mansion to light it up to help you better evade enemies, but your usage is limited (though you can find more).
Completion Time: ~4 Hours
Extra Content: There are five different endings and some puzzles/rooms you don’t even have to do. This could double your playtime – maybe even more if you don’t use a guide. The platinum trophy requires every ending and a few other things but is pretty easy to get if you use a guide.
19. Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure
Includes a Separate 4 Player Local Competitive/Versus Multiplayer Mode
Sale Price: $5.99 – Discounted from $29.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 3D Collectathon Platformer
Metacritic: 63% from 8 Critic Reviews, 80% from 1 User Rating
Description: Unbox takes heavy inspiration from Banjo Kazooie and other collectathons of the fifth generation but has levels far larger than any Nintendo 64 platformer, and offers far higher speeds of traversal to navigate the environment. Each of the three major worlds have four major collectibles: 200 gold tape, 10 caged zippies, 18 stamps, and 1 super stamp rewarded upon defeating the boss of the world. There is also a hub world that has just 200 gold tape to collect. The 18 stamps are the jiggies or stars of the game, and they’re primarily what you’re after to advance the game. 9 of them are hidden across the world, while the other 9 are given by NPCs upon the completion of a task: Digi will ask you to take an item from point A to point B with some platforming in between, Dash will ask you to complete three races around different areas of the map, Superbox will ask you to destroy 20 enemies in X amount of time, etc. The other collectibles simply unlock more cosmetic options for your character.
Completion Time: ~7 Hours
Extra Content: The game only requires you collect 2/3 of the stamps to beat the game. If you want to collect all the stamps, zippies, and gold tape, this could more than double your playtime, as the worlds are massive and finding all the gold tape is a daunting task, though they do make a distinct noise when you are near them once you’ve collected half of them in a level. Your friendly companion Bounce will also give you visual clues on where to find whatever collectible you might be stuck on. The high speeds of your character allow you great traversal of the world, which also helps with collecting everything. The trophies require you to collect everything. There is no platinum trophy. In addition to the single player campaign, there are quite a few local multiplayer modes for up to four players – these include Boxing, Collect, Thief, Oddbox, and Delivery. The developers go into more detail on each mode here.
20. Verlet Swing
Sale Price: $4.49 – Discounted from $14.99
Picture: Link
Trailer: Link
Genre: 3D Platformer
Metacritic: N/A from 0 Critic Review, 80% from 2 User Ratings
Description: Verlet Swing’s aesthetic is as intriguing as its gameplay: you are tasked with grappling and swinging yourself across these vaporwave styled levels without hitting anything. The levels are all very short, but you’re likely to play many levels dozens of times before even finishing it… just to get a 1/4 rank. The ranking system is actually very cool, in that it encourages you to find alternative paths or sometimes just building up more momentum to get to the end faster. Most levels do seem to have a set path, but at the same time, with the proper grappling of the mechanics, you can forge your own, which is a game in itself.
Completion Time: ~7 Hours
Extra Content: There’s an in game challenge menu that mostly recycles a lot of the base game content – though there’s a particularly funny one that switches the perspective to third person to play as a knockoff Spiderman. You can also go back and try to get the best possible time for each level. Getting the platinum trophy is extremely hard and I believe is at 0.1% completion.
Completion Time: ~6 Hours
Extra Content: There are collectibles known as stashes to go back for – three per level – some of which are hidden in the level, while others have you chasing down an enemy with a briefcase. Chasing after them exposes you to enemy fire, so it’s a challenge to kill them in time before they get away while surviving all the projectiles coming your way. Each level scores you on your number of kills, stashes obtained, and your death count. Outside of the collectibles, you may also want to replay the game on higher difficulties, or to simply try different guns. There are three different characters to play as well, each with a different primary gun and secondary projectile, though the differences are minute.
If you’re looking for more indie games to play, see my post here:
• 275 Local Multiplayer Games from 55 Different Genres on PlayStation 4/5
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Add Spirit of the North to this list as well. Fantastic game to chill to.
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Not sure if it's well known but I bought CrossCode from the sale and am loving it so far.
It's a 2d styled ,fully fleshed rpg (skill tree, loot, quests, story etc) with quite fun & fluid combat.
ID: h0yhuwvID: h0ysjt0It does have an assist mode in the settings where you can make puzzles easier if needed
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I've picked up and played both Kaze and the Wild Masks and Pumpkin Jack.
Pumpkin Jack is good but not anything stunning. If you want a sort of PS2 era style 3D platformer, though, it does definitely scratch the itch. I am having fun with it. I like the visual aesthetic and the Halloweenyness of it. The combat is kind of meh but the jumping around and looking for collectibles is enough to get the job done.
Kaze and the Wild Masks is clearly a case of someone wanting to make their own Donkey Kong Country game. It wears its influences on its sleeves (one level has the Guts Man platforms from Mega Man 1 that don't function on parts of the tracks they run on, for example). But it's a really well made product. I blitzed through it for the speed run trophy and now I'm going back and fully exploring everything and finding all the secrets and bonuses and "don't get hit" challenges and the game has a lot going for it to make you want to replay the levels, which makes up for it only having 4 worlds.
I think Kaze is the better game between the two, as it has a more clear understanding of what it wants to be and how to play to its own strengths.
ID: h0ynsg7Gotta time those jumps, man!
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I’m supportive of this type of content.
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Great as always man, thank you. I would add Thomas Was Alone and SuperEpic: The Entertainment War, both very good and cheap as well.
ID: h0ybb03Thanks for the kind words! I remember seeing SuperEpic: The Entertainment War when it first came out. Totally forgot about it - I'll look into both, as I already had Thomas Was Alone on my list to play too.
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Olija was fantastic, and is super underrated, hoping Limited Run picks it up, would love a physical release.
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But this games suck because they don't push the ps5 hardware where is my raytracing /s.
Just kidding man, there are so many good games on sale really right now.
I recommend SOMA is one of the best histories in gaming. Or The Talos Principle if you like puzzles.
ID: h0xypk3But this games suck because they don't push the ps5 hardware where is my raytracing /s.
If even one of these games is cross-gen I will kill myself and everyone in the sub. -/
ID: h0y4au9Pathless is crossgen and on sale. Dunno if I missed it in his list though.
ID: h0ynzyzIn that case, enjoy your ps5 and your 9x5 room.
ID: h0ygfsxI’ve owned Soma forever and I don’t think I’ve ever booted it up. How is it?
ID: h0ygr55The gameplay is not definitely the strong point, the best part is the story. The main gameplay is hiding from enemies with noway to fight back.
They added a SAFE mode that turns the game in a walking simulator to enjoy the just the story. But is still definitely a scary game.
ID: h0yvkaxSoma is really good. The story is super well done. Reminds me a bit of system shock a little bit
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Give Narita Boy a serious look. Such a masterclass game. Wonderful art and soundtrack.
Skill Up
ID: h0yai17I almost picked it up when it first came out but heard mixed things about it. I'll have to give that review a watch.
ID: h0yarhpI bought and beat it in a single day. I couldn’t put it down. Was about 10-12 hours. A game that stays with you for a long time.
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A Hat in Time is a good old school style platformer. It's reminding me of Mario Sunshine. Big traversal capabilities with big maps and big charm. Also like Sunshine,not perfect. But if that's your kinda game, this one is awesome.
Also it has a PS5 update for 60FPS (enabled in in game settings) 50% off. Now 15$ (normally 30$).
ID: h0yawomA Hat in Time is great, but it's pretty well known. Highly recommended for 3D platforming fans, especially with the recent PS4/XBO update that added two new worlds and local co-op.
ID: h0ytiqtIt's pretty well known for hardcore 3D platform fans. But I don't think it's well known in the broader community. It does not have the shared public spotlight of say, Sackboy A Big Adventure
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Add CrossCode to that list. Zelda esque 2D Action RPG playing in a sci-fi world. Haven't beaten it yet, but loving it so far.
ID: h0yeu0yThis one is really really good!
Nice story and characters. Neat gameplay. And lenghty.
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The trailer for Huntdown is hilarious. Also thank you for informing me of Inertial Drift. That sounds right up my alley.
ID: h0yb3dwYeah, I love it too, haha. Glad to hear you were able to find something that interests you.
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The messenger also on sale.
Cyber shadow. Not on sale but wanted to say it lol.
ID: h0yaeldThe Messenger is great! Highly recommended. It's a little more well known (mostly on the Switch subreddit though, to be fair), so I left it off in favor of other games. There are hundreds of great indie games on sale though.
Cyber Shadow is awesome. Also highly recommended.
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Just started "Swords and Bikes" with my gf, who is a casual gamer. Very charming, nice style, easy enough to play. Would recommend for a co-op playthrough with a partner or child. Also possible to play online or solo with Ai i think.
Current price 13€
ID: h0yxywiI think you mean Knights and Bikes. Looks pretty cool, have always had my eye on it but just never got around to it (it's a phrase I say a lot, but it's true). The developer is made up of previous Media Molecule staff, the developer behind LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway, and Dreams.
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risk of rain 2?
ID: h0yfw4oWhile good definitely not over looked
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I highly recommend The Huntdown if you're into games like Contra or Metal Slug.
I hate that the store no longer has screenshots and videos for the game like the old store.
ID: h0xm8iiIt's the worst they could do, imo. If you don't know the game beforehand it's impossible to know what it's about.
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If you own a Switch, I do not recommend Unbox: Newbie's Adventure. Maybe the PlayStation version runs better?
RiME is a cool puzzle adventure game not on the list though
ID: h0y9yv6It did have performance issues on the Switch, though I think they mostly ironed them out after a few weeks. I played the game on PS4 (base model) and had no performance issues whatsoever - it ran just fine.
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Played Biped recently with my wife. Definitely recommend it to kill a few hours with a non-gamer.
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Huntdown has gotta be the best run and gun out there
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No mention of Aragami, which is like 3,50$ right now I think.
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What about steamworld dig. It's $1.99 if I remember correctly. I beat it in around 5 hours last night for the 3rd time on a 3rd system. Great game.
ID: h0ytxkaI think this is the PS+ game that I played the most. Really great game.
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Picked up Curse of the Dead Gods. Seems excellent. I wish Pumpkin Jack would hit that sub $15 mark, I'd love to play it but maybe it will go for cheaper around Halloween.
ID: h0yyxkpIt only gets better, so it's great that you're liking it early on. It took about three hours for everything to really click for me, and then it went from good to great.
Pumpkin Jack just released on PS4 in February, so it'll probably get to $15 eventually.
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Death road to Canada was fun if it sounds like a type of game you’d be into
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Carrion is a fun game that is pretty new
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Biped is amazing. Played it with my mom!
引用元:https://www.reddit.com/r/PS5/comments/nugu2b/20_overlooked_indie_games_currently_on_sale/
Some of the puzzles are absolutely gnarly though, for me anyway