It’s finally award season here at Twinfinite! Over the month of January we’re going to look back at our favorite games of 2021. That includes the plethora of strong indie games the year has seen, from rogue-lites to Zelda-likes. These are the best indie games of 2021.
Voted on by our editors, these were the indies that stood apart from the pack.
Best Indie Games of 2021
Honorable Mention: Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
Editor Ethan Anderson: Ender Lilies is a Metroidvania that probably flew under the radar for plenty of people last year, but it absolutely deserves to be mentioned in the conversation when discussing the best indie games of 2021.
The game follows a young girl named Lily as she attempts to fight back against — but also purify — the Blighted inhabitants of Land’s End, as they’ve been transformed into monsters by the Rain of Death that never stops falling.
Journeying through Land’s End is like moving through an eerie animated painting that hides menacing creatures around every corner. And in true Metroidvania fashion, Lily gains new abilities for traversal and/or combat after every one of the tough bosses and fearsome Blighted encounters that await her.
Going from only having a timid-looking, defensive dive and a simple three-hit combo to a high-speed dash and a powerful, customizable moveset feels amazing for both progression and gameplay. On top of that, the depiction of Lily using her powers through the souls of her purified enemies makes it even better from a visual standpoint.
From its ever-evolving combat and grim story to its stellar soundtrack and stunning art, Ender Lilies provides a number of reasons why it’s a game that needs to be played by anyone who enjoys the genre.
