Today kicked off the Humble Indie Hits Sale and I realized that I’ve reviewed several games that are now heavily discounted. I’ve always had a soft spot for Indie games, especially since they’re one of the few places where developers are willing to try innovative mechanics and unique stories. Some of my favorite games of all time fall into this category, so it’s no surprise I have plenty of videos about them. There are many other great games in this sale that I may not have played enough to warrant a review, but here are my top five.
5) Valfaris
This is one of the most metal games available to the public. It channels that metal into a tough side-scrolling shooter/hack and slash that evokes a bit of Contra in its design. Slice your way through a variety of enemies and nasty bosses while using a unique save system to dynamically change the difficulty. Affiliate Link
4) Minit
Minit gives you sixty seconds to beat the game. However, this Zelda-like top-down RPG provides one of the most interesting ways to progress in a game as you race to find important items and new areas in which to restart before that sixty-second death clock expires. It may not be the longest game, but it has plenty of fun and a bit of replayability to boot. Affiliate Link
3) Katana Zero
Playing the role of a drugged-up katana-wielding assassin is an intriguing plot point on its own, but this game’s cinematic time dilation and awesome reaction-challenging gameplay keep it thrilling throughout. If that wasn’t enough, the twisted story and interactive dialogue options keep even the moments of downtime engaging. Affiliate Link
2) Crying Suns
Crying Suns is an FTL-inspired space adventure that swaps out the real-time tactical combat for something closer to a real-time strategy. The battleship you helm has weapons, but managing squadrons of fighters on a battlefield is the core of both your offense and defense. The real star though is the narrative-heavy story where you’ll be making tough decisions to build up a powerful ship and capable crew. Affiliate Link
1) Gris
This is an easy number one for me. While the game came out almost a full year ago, I only recently had the chance to play it and I was blown away by the stunning watercolor design, beautiful music, and, most of all, the subtle yet powerful story. Gris is a must-play for people that love emotional stories placed on the shoulders of approachable and satisfying puzzle platforming. Affiliate Link
Other games I’ve reviewed or played include War Tech Fighters, My Friend Pedro, Nimbatus, They Are Billions, Witch It, Noita, Shadow Tactics, FTL, Dad Quest, Darkest Dungeons, Hard Reset, and more. Some of those even have their own Abbreviated Review. This has to be one of the most comprehensive sales of recent high-quality indie games I’ve seen in a while. You can almost throw a dart and find a hit (please don’t throw darts at your monitor). I suppose that makes the name for the sale is pretty accurate…
