GDC 2023: The Best Indie Games

When thousands of developers descend on one place, you know there will be some great games to try. That was definitely the case over the past week. We were attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and in addition to watching press conferences and attending talks, we also had plenty of opportunities to play some intriguing indie games. And there’s a lot to get excited about, so we’ve rounded up our favorites (in no particular order) here. Most of these are coming out later in 2023, so plan your free time accordingly.

Cozy games are all the rage right now, and fairy farm look to mix that space up a bit with some dungeon crawling. It’s a cute farming game, think stardew valley either harvest moon — but with built-in magical elements. So, in addition to doing wholesome things like farming, fishing, and dating, you’ll also get quests that involve going to dungeons in a fairy world where you jump around looking for magic keys. and fight enemies that include smart violins.

It’s not an especially original premise, but from the brief demo I played it looked adorable and felt packed with things to do. Also, it has a very robust character creator and comfort system so you can design the perfect hygge home. It launches later this year on Switch and includes co-op support for up to four players.—AW

I know I know, another free competitive multiplayer game. We are drowning in them. But Omega strikers it looks like it could carve out a niche in the crowded field. It’s like a mix of football and Supervision, a 3v3 game where you play on a handful of futuristic maps, with the goal of scoring on your opponent. simple things The twist is the hero characters you control, each of whom has unique characteristics and a special move that can be a game changer if used correctly. Team composition becomes a big part of the strategy.

I couldn’t get into that for the few games I played, and yet I had a great time. The games were fast and dramatic, and I even managed a few goals. There is a lot to do to make this type of game a long-term success, but Omega strikers at least it makes a good first impression. It will launch on Switch, PC, and mobile on April 27.—AW

A decade ago, a game called cart life it won the grand prize at the Festival of Independent Games, then quickly disappeared. Its developer, Richard Hofmeier, pulled the game from Steam, eventually leaving the gaming industry altogether. Now cart life is getting a second chance, after Hofmeier teamed up with Adhoc Studio to finally finish and publish it. The story of how the game came back is fascinating – you can check out this excellent summary in cabling – but so is the game itself.

cart life has players experience the lives of three different people struggling to make it as a street vendor. I played one section as a Ukrainian immigrant who runs a newsstand, trying to earn enough to stay in a run-down hotel with his cat. Very similar papers please either What Remains of Edith Finch, cart life he uses his game as an empathy tool and it is remarkably effective. The monotony of folding and neatly stacking the newspapers, and the stress of watching the line grow longer as you try to collect from customers as quickly as possible, led me back to my old jobs delivering newspapers and working a cash register. . I could feel my cheeks getting red as I searched for coins, and within a short time with the game I was able to connect with the character.

i got lost cart life My first time, but I’m glad to get another chance to experience it when it launches on PC later this year.—AW

Inkle is best known for his narrative games, such as the globetrotting 80 days or the adventure of archeology vault of heavenbut the studio’s next release goes in a different direction. A song from the highlands is a side scrolling game about a girl exploring the Scottish Highlands. It still has the choice-based gameplay the studio is known for, as you select different paths through the mountains. But it also has amazing elements like a simple survival system as you have to stay warm and dry and find shelter at night. At certain points, it’s even a rhythm game as you run across the landscape to the beat of the music.

From what I played, it was both exciting and mysterious, with a dose of magical realism mixed in with Scottish mythology. It also looked amazing, like a cartoon living room movie you can explore. A song from the highlands It doesn’t have a release date, but it’s coming to both Steam and Switch.—AW

Naiad it’s a game you can really relax with. You play as a small water nymph who swims across a beautiful, serene lake, completing small tasks along the way. Movement is fluid; it is very satisfying to just move, even without a purpose or destination in mind. And while there are little environmental puzzles to solve, the game isn’t pushy about it, allowing you to figure things out at your own pace.

There’s no checklist to complete or glowing arrows pointing you in the right direction. You swim, you find things to do, and then you do them if you want to. In my brief time with the game, I helped round up some ducks and got a frog to come home with her lily pad. It was so relaxing. Naiad It’s coming to PC and consoles later this year.—AW

In its most basic form, the wandering people – which is actually already available as an Early Access title on Steam – is a pretty standard city builder. You harvest resources, use them to build and improve your city, and do your best to balance the needs of your growing population. The twist is that you’re building that city on the back of a giant, wandering creature.

This is not just an aesthetic choice (although it seems very great), but it also affects the game itself. The beast will roam different environments, so things like the weather are constantly changing and force you to adapt. At one point during my demo of the Xbox version, coming out this year, the creature ventured into a toxic forest, forcing me to run to prevent the spores from infecting my crops and other plants. It’s a fun twist on an old genre, and it’s also surprisingly well-suited to an Xbox gamepad.—AW

Venba is more than a cooking game. In it, you must use your intuition and culinary skills to help repair a damaged family cookbook. Through trial and error, you try to recreate the comfort food that will help Venba and her family maintain their connections to their culture and her old country as they adjust to a new life in Canada. Venba it has rich art and an intuitive but still challenging design. I failed multiple times when doing idli in the game demo. Through my failures, I’ve come to understand that while idil is a relatively simple steamed dumpling, the way Venba makes it is unique to her and her family and that’s what makes the meal special. It’s coming to Steam and Switch later this year.—AP

blacks love Dragon Ball Z – It’s an (almost) scientific fact.. And one of the ways that love manifests itself is through the video games that black people make. 5 force fighters is a fighting game inspired by the budokai tenkaichis and the Dragon Ball MUGEN world fan games.

Made by a couple of first time game developer brothers, 5 force fighters it drips, both subtly and overtly, with black culture. The character designs and animations remind me of Huey and Riley from Aaron McGruder’s. The Boondocks. I loved the text before a game that replaces the typical “FIGHT” message with “THROW HANDS”. The pre-fight matchup screen features graffiti-painted train doors as a tribute to the brothers commuting on the Portland subway, and at the end of a match, instead of inciting a rematch, it asks, “RUN IT OFF NEW” – A neat little parody of fighting game commentary.

It’s also a game that’s easy to pick up and play, but packed with so much technical depth that even the most particular warm you will enjoy it 5 force fighters is coming to Steam.—AP

The Last Strange Scaffold Game, Elsewhere Pass, is an emotional tribute to max payne and his fondness for slow-motion dive shooting. It’s a noir third person shooter where you have to fight your way through a dilapidated motel overrun by all sorts of supernatural beasts to stop your vampire ex-girlfriend from destroying the world. You can approach this as a simple run and gun or if you want to have fun you can take advantage of the slow down feature in the game which will have you diving in shooting all over the Neo wing in Matrix.

if that is all Elsewhere Pass was, then it would be a nice love letter to games like the black. But Elsewhere it’s also a beautiful and haunting story of love, loss and redemption with stunning cinematography and a vibrant soundtrack featuring the musical stylings of Strange Scaffold founder Xalavier Nelson Jr. Coming to PC later this year.—AP