Be it Minecraft in its original form or something as small as Five Nights at Freddy’s, indie games have proven in recent years that they deserve as much a place in the gaming market as their AAA counterparts. Often offering entirely contrasting experiences to the mainstream, indie games are made with a fraction of the budget and usually are part of passion projects, years – or even – decades long. Here are some of the best upcoming indie games I am most looking forward to in the year of 2024…
1. Retrowave World
Retrowave World appears to be an open-world version of 2020’s indie synthwave racing game, Retrowave. Developed again by RewindApp, it is going to revisit and enhance the original games 80s aesthetic and iconic soundtrack.
The soundtrack has over 50 synthwave tracks, which will accompany you as you whizz past palm trees and supercars alike, on your journey to first-place glory. With headline performances from The Midnight and FM-84, any synthwaviac (that’s mine, you can’t have that) will be in neon heaven.
You will be able to visit the VHS store, play games at the arcade, make deliveries, challenge other players, customise your car and more when the game releases on January 19, 2024.
2. Pacific Drive
Since time immemorial, the relationship between man and car has been one of legend. From the semi-marital relationship of David Hasselhoff’s Michael to his car KITT in Knight Ryder, to the almost-antagonist relationship Nicolas Cage’s Memphis Raines had with Eleanor, in the action flick, Gone In 60 Seconds (which is the best car heist movie ever), it is something which we have seen in many iterations. But what about the melding of man and machine?
“You and the car are inseparable now,” an ominous voice in the trailer for Ironwood Studios Pacific Drive says. “So get acquainted.”
Through the guise of a first-person survival game, Pacific Drive will have you navigating surreal re-imaginings of the American Pacific North-west. Every journey is filled with twists and turns.
Your car is your lifeline. Being much more vulnerable outside of the car, you’ll want to ensure that you remain in the driver’s seat as much as possible. Leaving the seat is of course possible, but not recommended for an extended period of time. The car can be upgraded and customised however you see fit, which will help shape your atmosphere and personal experience.
Speaking of atmosphere, it is buoyed by the work of iconic and legendary sound contributor, Wilbert Roget II. His works are most notable on AAA titles like Mortal Kombat and Call of Duty. Shaping up to be a hell of a ride, one can’t help but wonder, would you rather drive Pacific Drive, or The Oregon Trail? We will find out which is worse, when the game launches on February 22, 2024.
3. Loco Motive
Locomotive is Robust Games send-up to murder-mystery genre. Set aboard a 1930s express train, it is a point-and-click mystery about a murder taking place on the Reuss Express. Any of the passengers could be the killer and it is up to you to work out which one it is.
Taking obvious inspiration from Agatha Christie’s eponymous, Murder On the Orient Express. Locomotive offers comedy, where Christia offered suspense, with each of the characters being ludicrously strange and quirky in their own ways.
The fantastic voice-acting brings every character to life and serves to complement the beautiful pixel art style through which the story is told.
The puzzles are nowhere near as complex as some traditional point-and-click adventures often are and the in-game hint system allows novices and detectives alike, the same chance of solving each.
With Rian Johnson reviving the murder-mystery genre with the fantastic Knives Out movies and the prevalence of murder-mystery games at dinner parties etc, Locomotive couldn’t be coming out at a better time.
We’ll get to don our deerstalker hats and pipes, and delve into the mystery of the murder aboard the Reuss Express, when Locomotive hits our shelves in quarter one of 2024…
4. Hauntii
Hauntii’s hypnotic visuals entrance you from the beginning. Looking and feeling nothing like any other twin-stick shooter on the market. Hauntii has us following the story of a brave ghost as they explore open-ended environments in order to retrieve facts about their own past life.
The usual fast pace of twin-stick shooters is given something of a makeover, through the use of combat-and-puzzle challenges and slow-burn storytelling.
Hauntii is shaping up to be a genre shake-up, and to redefine what it means to tell a story through action. We will find out what Hauntii went through in her life and how she came to be one of the recently-departed, when the game launches in Q2 of 2024…
5. Thrasher
Do you remember Thumper? That wonderful rhythm game, filled with psychedelia and over-stimulating music? Well. Apparently, the reception of that game was so good, that Puddle decided to make a sequel, in all but name.
Mind melting musical mayhem returns in this wonderful addition, with composer Brian Gibson offering trippy audio-visual experiences, seldom seen anywhere else.
Doubtless to make an appearance on VR, we look forwards to our eyeballs being melted and brains being imploded, when Thrasher crashes onto our platforms sometime in 2024.
6. The Plucky Squire
The Plucky Squire is set entirely inside a story book. The villain of the book is hellbent on altering the outcome of the story and it is up to Joy and his friends to stop them. This is done by entering and exiting the book and switching between 2D and 3D perspectives of the world at a click of a button.
The developers are obviously eager to capture the childlike wonder we all feel as nippers, as this game feels ripped straight from the hands of Disney themselves.
The friendly character designs and gorgeous level design contribute to a game that looks as innocent and charming as its main character. I don’t know about you, but this is one adventure I am certainly looking forward to when the game launches sometime in 2024.
7. Pepper Grinder
Centering around a seafarer named Pepper, Pepper Grinder is a 2D action game that lets you live out your life-long fantasy of moving around the world like a dolphin. Pepper has her treasure stolen after wrecking her ship. With the aid of Grinder, a super-powered drilling device, she will dive in and out of the earth to retrieve her treasure.
Action-packed levels, a silly premise well-timed gameplay all await us on the seven-seas when this game comes into port in 2024.
8. Pixelshire
Doubtless it will take its place in the ‘cozy game’ genre with Stardew Valley and Littlewood, Pixelshire is a town building, craft-mastering relaxing game. It will offer a procedurally generated island, and a large cast of people to meet and befriend.
When life is as hectic as it is today, it is reassuring to know that you can sink your teeth into an adorable game such as Pixelshire and just take a break from the rat race for a while. We are extremely excited to visit the town of Pixelshire when it launches in 2024.
9. Harold Halibut
Is there a better and more passionate visual-style than stop motion? I don’t think so, but it is also the most challenging style to accomplish. With stop motion, come all manner of issues and problems that could arise and that can easily destroy an entire movie, or in this case, video game. Luckily, Slow Bros. pulls it off beautifully!
Harold Halibut is a story-rich first-person narrative experience, which follows a young lad assistant called Harold living in a generational ship that has been in flight for 250 years. Its goal? To preserve the human race and find a new habitable planet on which to settle.
Harold Halibut is looking to be a character-rich and captivating tale about friendship and what home means to the individual. Is it the land on which we stand, or is it the people with whom we settle? I guess we will find out when we join the story in 2024.
10. Hades II
This one requires no introduction. Hades is one of the most revered indie games of the decade, and probably beyond. Based on everything we know, it is more of the same as the first game.
Doubling down on its unique ‘no 2 playthroughs are the same’ and hypnotisingly challenging roguelike content with a roster of games as successful as Supergiant has, Hades 2 is certainly one to watch, we descend once again into the underworld in 2024
11. World of Goo 2
Due to it being a release on the Wii, World Of Goo became a big hit. It saw players using balls of goo to navigate ever-increasingly challenging puzzles, all revolving around creating bridges over obstacles etc.
The original game developers are combining their efforts with Tomorrow Corporation to create their “biggest game” yet.
It’s going to be brighter, better and bigger than the first game. This new release will rely, no doubt, on PC to try and replicate the success it had on the Wii. While it won’t get a Wii release, it will be interesting to see if it gets a Switch release when it slips its way towards us in 2024.
12. Billie Bust Up
Written off by many as a Cuphead clone. Billie Bust Up is conversely a 3D platformer. The gameplay harks back to Super Mario Galaxy more than it does the likes of Cuphead.
The battles throughout the game are rhythm-based challenges, each character has their own signature track and the game plays more like a musical than anything else.
The songs are incredibly catchy, this is something which the developers are aware of, as they added an optional sing-along mode for each song. With its beautiful presentation, infectious soundtrack and endearing cast of characters, Billie Bust Up is shaping up to be a memorable cult classic.
13. Paralives
Ryan Reynolds, Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey. Canada has gifted many talents and memorable experiences to the world, seeming to carry on this tradition is realistic life-simulator Paralives. Entering a market which The Sims has had cornered for decades, is this new and refreshing experience from a brand-spanking-new studio.
Winner of the 2020 most anticipated Canadian game award, it will allow players to create their ‘Parafolk’, build their dream homes and experience all the weird-and-wonderful aspects of life through a virtual avatar.
The game was entirely funded by crowdfunding platform, Patreon. Designer, Alex Masse, actively encouraged backers and investors throughout the creative process to offer suggestions and ideas for the final product.
Entering against an opponent as dominating as The Sims, means that Paralives won’t be taking over the market anytime soon, but it will offer a distinct, budget-friendly and – possibly – superior alternative to EA’s goliath Sims franchise.
And there we have it! 2024 is shaping up to be amazing year for indie games, and only time will tell their success and popularity. But for me, these are the ones I am most looking forward to playing in the new year. From simulation games, to rhythm-based platformers, 2024 has something for everyone. And while this list is by no means exhaustive, it does prove once and for all, that indie gaming is really only just getting started!