A (🌹): Sword of the Sea This beautiful game is best experienced on a huge TV with the sound way up. Its simple yet satisfying puzzles blend perfectly with smooth and effortless gameplay. I love indie games that can provide gorgeous, mind-melting experiences, and Sword of the Sea does not disappoint

Top (🌈): Mina the Hollower The wait since Shovel Knight was more than worth it. Every inch of this game is filled with style, interesting puzzles, cool environmental design, and exciting gameplay. I enjoyed scouring every last corner and can't help but recommend this game to every stranger I meet

A (🌹): Dead Letter Department This game uses a simple "typing game" interface to produce one of the most terrifying and heart-pounding experiences I’ve ever had. The aesthetic of this game is incredible, and the story uses the flow state you get into when typing to scare you when you least expect it

A (🌹): Signalis Signalis is like a psychedelic acid-trip through a resident evil game, with fun gameplay, cool art style, and a fantastic story that still has me thinking about it. I loved this game’s characters and puzzles, and the visual presentation of some of its set pieces are unparalleled.

B (🍄): Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs This game is only two hours long, but I'm including it because I dig its visual style, writing, and the unique normandy-inspired setting. I loved the small details throughout the cramped cabin and its "old country" vibes

Top (🌈): Silksong Somehow even better than Hollowknight! Hornet's movement, the world, bosses, and even side quests are some of the best in gaming. Silksong’s intriguing story about religion and tradition added an exciting layer of mystery, and getting to 100% was a fantastic experience throughout.

B (🍄): Slay the Princess A visual novel with countless branching paths and ways to experience its story. I liked the voice acting and the writing, and the variety of aesthetics depending on your choices were cool to see. I love that indies provide an opportunity for experimentation in game design.

A (🌹): Ooo Ooo is one of my favorite kinds of games: after the introduction, you gain no new abilities and are gated only by your understanding of its mechanics. Each visually distinct area begins by teaching you a new way to use its systems, then lets you prove your mastery before moving on.

Top (🌈): Hades 2 While Hades 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it absolutely did not need to. The gameplay and presentation put it among the greatest videogames ever made, and I loved getting to know its new characters and mastering the fantastic new weapons and abilities in a perfect gameplay loop

S (⭐): Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo This is, bar none, one of the greatest metroidvanias I’ve ever played. As the game progressed I became unstoppable with that yo-yo in both navigation and battle, and the new skills were neat to unlock as I explored its differently themed areas

B (🍄): Neva This game is filled with beautiful settings that are a joy to run through, with fantastic color and art style. While I missed the puzzles from ‘Gris’ and wish that Neva didn’t lean so much into action, I still had a wonderful experience and am excited to see what this studio does next

B (🍄): The Roottrees Are Dead This fun mystery game is anchored by its family tree corkboard, where your progress is marked by a deepened understanding of the Roottree family, their connections, and their motivations. The smaller scale this indie game allows for some truly fun puzzles to unravel.

A (🌹): Split Fiction While not quite as imaginative as ‘It Takes Two’, this game is still a blast to play from start to finish, and one of the best co-op experiences out there. The variety of gameplay means that this indie is a constant source of surprise and joy throughout.

A (🌹): Mouthwashing A terrifying, visceral, and exhilarating game that everyone should experience at least once. I was usually horrified to move forward and completely freaked out by its claustrophobic cargo-spaceship setting. A brief and unforgettable experience heightened by brutal characters

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Top (🌈): Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 A testament to why many of the all-time best games were turn-based RPGs. The developers have a deep love and strong understanding of what made JRPGs great, and in many ways this game is even better than its inspirations. A must-play and truly one of the GOATs

S (⭐): Blue Prince I love a first-person puzzle exploration game, and Blue Prince is a masterful example of why: a gripping mystery, a tight gameplay loop, and environments that are a delight to uncover and explore. It was a “water cooler” game in spring 2025 and a joy to figure out with friends

1 (🌈): Outer Wilds The running joke is that this game's fans are so obsessed they insist new players go in blind, refusing to explain anything about the game they're recommending. I'll only say that exploring this solar system is magical, and the DLC is just as fantastic. No other game comes close.

2 (🌈): Fez Fez's multilayered psychedelic puzzles and beautiful green-grass blue-sky world deliver the best rabbit hole I've ever had the pleasure of diving into. Its 2D-3D design and meta mysteries are a joy to pick apart to 100% completion and its music is my most listened to videogame OST, ever.

3 (🌈): Undertale / Deltarune It's hard for me to fully express how much these games mean to me. They are hilarious, moving and above all wonderfully strange. Undertale and Deltarune subvert expectations in ways that only a game made by an unrestricted independent creator can. And that soundtrack!

4 (🌈): Celeste This is the game of my childhood dreams. In its thoughtfully bespoke level design Celeste is the heir to the Mario games I grew up with. Nothing made yet has more joyful platforming, and an emotionally resonant story and perfect soundtrack make Celeste a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

so dehydrated today 😞

So glad to have this little gremlin in my corner during Times Like These

Wyatt 🥹

5 (🌈): Hades This studio had made some great games (Bastion, Transistor), and Hades felt like a culmination of not just what they'd learned, but of the long history of videogames. Its perfectly tuned gameplay, satisfying roguelite systems, and rampant bisexuality are truly an ideal yet to be matched

6 (🌈): Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Shovel Knight and its DLC expansions are a platonic ideal NES platformer. I am so grateful indies have revived past genres, and Shovel Knight (from the soundtrack to the story to the three DLC characters with totally new movesets) is a masterful retro experience

7 (🌈): Ori and the Blind Forest / Ori and the Will of the Wisps Both of these games are a thrill to play from beginning to end. Their perfectly tuned action and platforming that evolve as you gain new abilities combine with dynamic cinematic set pieces to create an unforgettable experience.