Top 10 Best Indie Games to Look Out for in 2017

Tacoma

Tacoma is the next title from indie studio Fullbright, the team behind the smash-hit Gone Home back in 2013. Tacoma takes place on a Lunar Transfer Station, aptly named Tacoma, 200,000 miles away from Earth. While we don’t know a ton about the game just yet, the announcement trailer provides a good idea of what to expect.

As you may have guessed, Tacoma will adopt the same ‘walking simulator’ format as its predecessor. It looks like the game will focus on a male and female character, as well as an AI named Odin. We’re hopeful that Fullbright will make this world as immersive and believable as the house you explored in Gone Home,

Currently, Tacoma is without a set release date for 2017 just yet, though it’s expected to arrive at some point in either Q1 or Q2 on Xbox One and PC.

What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch has been kicking around for a while now, but 2017 is the year that the mysterious game about a creepy-looking house will finally arrive. Assuming the role of Edith Finch, players will explore different rooms in a house occupied by a cursed family in the Washington State area. Every room that Edith enters tells the past of a family member, as well as what led to their deaths. It’s not necessarily the most cheery game you’re likely to play this year, but for those who enjoy a bit of intrigue and atmosphere in their games, it’s definitely one to keep an eye out for.

Gameplay and exactly what happens will be different with each room you enter, aside from the fact that you’ll be experiencing it all from a first-person perspective, and that it will end in death. The game is expected to launch in Q2 2017. If you want to find out more about the game, check out its trailer, here.

Thimbleweed Park

This indie point and click mystery game see Agents Rey and Reyes investigating a body found in the dilapidated, and formerly glorious town of Thimbleweed Park. However, the game isn’t just a plain ol’ mystery, it’s oozing with charm, which shines through in its eccentric cast of characters.

You’ll be playing and switching between five different characters as you explore the bizarre town of Thimbleweed Park and uncover the mystery that hides within. Currently, the game is due to release in early 2017 on PC, Linux, and Mac, though no narrower release window has been provided just yet. iOS, Android, and other platforms will then receive the indie title somewhere further down the line. 

Perception

Perception is one of my own personal most anticipated indie games for 2017. That’s not just because the team behind it is made up of some of the talented minds that brought us BioShock and Dead Space, but because it has such a unique angle for a game. Perception is a horror game where you assume the role of a blind character. That doesn’t mean you literally won’t be able to see a thing, though. Instead, our protagonist here uses sound and echolocation to illuminate and navigate around the environment. To see how this mechanic works, check out the trailer here.

So yes, Perception is a horror game where you’ll literally be using those eerie and terrifying noises to guide you through the darkness, rather than running in the opposite direction from them. Perception probably isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but this promises to be one of the most intriguing and unique titles to release in 2017.

Rime

After Sony pulled out of its publishing deal with Tequila Works for RiME and handed the studio the IP, the title’s future remained uncertain. Fortunately, a few weeks back the game was re-revealed via a stunning trailer. The game, self-proclaimed as a part-Zelda, part-Last Guardian game, is a puzzle adventure title that sees players take control of a young boy shipwrecked on an island after a torrential storm.

The gameplay, therefore, focuses on exploring the island and uncovering all of the secrets that the island holds. Of course, it’s never going to be that simple, with wild creatures, monsters, and shadowy beings all doing their best to hinder you on your quest. RiME is due to come to PS4 first in May, but will also be coming to Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch eventually. Whether or not RiME will hit all platforms in May currently remains to be seen.

Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares is what you’d imagine Tim Burton’s idea of childhood to be. A little child named Six donning a yellow hooded coat makes her way through dark and gloomy levels where death is waiting around every corner, ready to eat you. Whether it’s the chef who wants to cook you inside of a fish as part of his next meal, or a black goo puddle that pulls you under as you walk past, Little Nightmares is definitely shaping up to be one of the most unnerving titles you’ll play this year.

Heck, the game’s latest trailer was just a compilation of Six meeting her untimely death in a variety of different ways, including the whole aforementioned ‘cooked inside a fish’ thing. It’ll be up to you to navigate this gloomy vessel called ‘The Maw,’ solve environmental puzzles, and evade danger so that Six can live to see another day. For anyone who enjoyed the likes of Limbo or INSIDE, we’d strongly suggest you check the trailer out. Little Nightmares has definitely got that kinda vibe.

Budget Cuts

Budget Cuts is the only VR title to make our list, despite a handful of great-looking titles due to come to the headsets later this year. Budget Cuts allows players to live out a spy fantasy as a top secret agent who commits espionage for their employer’s worst enemies. And hey, what’s not to love about that? If you’re going to be successful, though, you’ll need to leave nothing up to chance. Taken down one of the robot guards? Stow the body away in a dumpster so you can continue undetected.

Of course, all of the intense moments are heightened because you’re actually doing all of these things. Need to check a corridor? Then you will actually have to peep around that virtual wall. You’ll need to actually pick that robot body up and throw it into the dumpster, and yes, you may even have to crawl around on your floor like a bit of a lunatic. Still, it doesn’t matter how you look when you’re playing it because all you’ll see is you being an undetectable super spy. Budget Cuts is coming to HTC Vive at some point in 2017.

Below

Very little is actually know about Below, the top-down indie title hitting PC and Xbox One later this year. Players will assume control of a tiny character who makes their way through the inside of a procedurally generated mountain, fighting off the darkness that dwells inside. In order to advance though, you’ll need to sharpen up on your puzzle-solving skills in order to navigate and triumph over what the mountain has in store.

Below was due to release at some point last year, but unfortunately got delayed into 2017. Still, Below’s lack of details has us incredibly intrigued, and there’s no doubt that it’s shaping up to be one of the prettiest games of the year already.

Cuphead

Cuphead has been hanging around for about three years now and has had just as many dates for its Xbox One release. After first being shown off at Microsoft’s 2014 E3 show, the game was set to release in 2015, before being pushed to 2016. And now we’re here in 2017 still waiting.

Cuphead’s aesthetics take inspiration from the cartoons of the ’30s, but don’t let them fool you. The gameplay is hard as nails and will pit you against a gauntlet of difficult bosses. You’ll head into one level, defeat the boss, grab an upgrade or two, and head straight onto the next.

Currently, Cuphead is set for a Q2 2017 release date, and hopefully, it won’t slip back again.

Yooka-Laylee

Yooka-Laylee is just a few months off from its release and is possibly the indie with the most buzz around it in 2017, Yooka-Laylee aims to take players back to the good ol’ days of platforming and adventure games. Taking inspiration from Banjo-Kazooie, players will have to use Yooka and Laylee’s wide array of special moves to navigate numerous worlds and defeat enemies in search of Pagies. There’s also a whole host of additional multiplayer modes thrown in on top of the single-player adventure, too.

If you’re looking for something that’ll take you for a trip down memory lane, then this is the indie title that should be on your radar. Yooka-Laylee is due to release April 4 on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.