It is truly gratifying to see these indie games shine like diamonds within the treasure trove of the Xbox Game Pass collection. Read on if you want to see which are the best indie games most deserving of your time.
13 Amnesia: Collection
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is one of the most classic horror titles in the history of gaming, let alone an iconic indie game that saw widespread popularity. The collection currently on Game Pass takes you through three of the games set in this universe. Even if it was just The Dark Descent you got to play through, the time spent playing and the negligible file size makes this a must-have. It’s a master class in horror.
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Without the backing of a triple-A team or budget, Frictional Games manages to scare the skin off of millions of players simply by possessing a firm understanding of what inspires terror. Amnesia’s atmosphere and narrative contribute to further building this horrific experience, and while it might not sound like we’re encouraging you to play this, rest assured, we most sincerely are.
12 Vampire Survivors
Look no further than Vampire Survivors if you are at all interested in playing the hit roguelike title that inspired dozens of copycats. The object of the game is exceedingly simple, but it is in Vampire Survivors’ simplicity where its genius lies. All you have to do to play the game is move your little character and watch as their automatic passives slowly but surely demolish the monsters around them.
The more monsters you slay, the more you level up, the more passives you can acquire and upgrade, the more monsters you can slay, and so on and so forth. That’s all there is to it really. But it’s brilliant. It’s engrossing. It can keep you playing for hours on end without awareness of how much time has passed. There’s no way to truly sell Vampire Survivors without first having experienced it. So trust us. Go play it.
11 Escape Academy
It’s an egregious oversight that Escape Academy has not gotten more attention. While it’s a fairly straightforward puzzle experience, the similarities it has with real-life escape rooms makes the game one of the best couch co-op experiences around. You and a partner are students in this prestigious school for “escapists.” While it sounds ludicrous and goofy, the logic and puzzles within the scenarios you have to escape are absolutely perfect. Nothing feels too hard or too easy. And having a friend beside you for the whole thing improves upon perfection. Escape Academy is an indie game you shouldn’t miss, and it’s also one of the finest cooperative titles to come out.
10 Death’s Door
Death’s Door is a delightful Soulslike game, and while that comparison has made the rounds more times than we can count, it’s there for a reason. You play as a Reaper who must collect the souls of various bosses, and you journey to these bosses by working your way through various lands that are all connected to each other, all while picking up bits of the story by reading item descriptions. Sound familiar?
However, the fighting mechanics of Death’s Door have been streamlined. While the experience is still difficult enough, with a small player healthpool and unforgiving enemies, it still plays a bit like baby’s first Dark Souls. This is by no means a flaw. Death’s Door is delightful, and tells a fantastic narrative even with the minimalist approach to storytelling. And it makes the difficulty inherent to most Soulslikes more approachable.
9 Spelunky 2
Spelunky 2 both delights and infuriates in equal measure. While the gameplay of this little platformer is easy to grasp, it is constantly trying to befuddle and trap its players (on purpose). You and your friends can play together and try to make your way through the death-riddled caves of Spelunky 2 to hilarious effect. And whether you want to stick with the game to the very end or you only want to play it for the short-term hijinks you can get up to, Spelunky 2 is here for you.
8 Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley became such a sensation over the years following its release that it feels hardly fair to call it an indie title at this point. But there’s no escaping the facts — this charmingly retro farming sim was a solo development project with a meager budget. What really stands out about SDV, beyond its rags-to-riches development story, is the deceptively deep layering of different gameplay mechanics.
The core gameplay loop is, of course, managing and building your farm, but romancing the townspeople results in a sort of dating sim element. Venturing to the mines to fight monsters and plunder riches plays out as a barebones action-RPG reminiscent of retro Zelda titles. And really, this just scratches the surface of the surprisingly chill long-form adventure that’s placed at the fingertips of prospective players.
7 Superliminal
Great indie games are the ones that give zany ideas a chance that triple-A titles usually won’t. Superliminal is a superb example of the magic an indie game can give to players when a unique concept is given an opportunity to breathe. Similar to how Portal taught you to solve puzzles by “thinking with portals,” Superliminal teaches you to solve puzzles by quite literally changing your perspective. You know how objects from far away can seem small because of the distance? And small items that are held up right in front of your eyes can seem huge? That’s basically the gist of Superliminal’s premise. From distance to shadows to angles, the game tests your ability to think outside of the box. The Xbox Game Pass library is brightened with the inclusion of this hidden gem, and its digestible completion time makes it a more attrBesactive game to try out.
6 Among Us
Among Us is the indie game that took the world by storm. Groups of friends flocked to play this social mystery game, and it’s a trend that persists to this day. Though Among Us started primarily as a mobile and PC game, it has made the move to Xbox consoles, further expanding its player base. Its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass is a definite boon for the indie presence in its library. More people than ever can complete tasks alongside their fellow crewmates, sabotage critical functions on the ship as an impostor, and accidentally eject innocents after heated discussions.
5 Aragami 2
If the tagline “undead ninja-assassins stealthily trounce fire-wielding glory boys” rings your bell, then you’ll want to check into Aragami 2. Placed into the sneaky shoes of said undead ninja-assassins, players are tasked with defending the people of Rashomon Valley from an invading army of pyromaniacs by utilizing stealth, supernatural shadow powers, and occasionally some good, old-fashioned sword-to-sword combat. The kicker is that the game can be played with up to two partners for a cooperative stealth-action experience, and the feeling of elation yielded from flawlessly coordinating silent takedowns is an absolute treat. And even when stealth doesn’t work in one’s favor, the combat system is surprisingly deep while remaining totally accessible — parrying and dodging are the orders of the day, evoking a unique sort of “Souls-lite” experience that’s satisfying to master.
4 Undertale
It’ll be a precious few that haven’t heard of this indie sensation’s explosion onto the gaming scene, but those that haven’t would be doing themselves a massive service in checking it out. It’s a difficult one to nail down in terms of gameplay elements — bits of JRPG, puzzle-solving, and even bullet hell stylings all make contributions, but Undertale doesn’t exactly maintain an amicable relationship with convention. The narrative is as heartfelt as it is hilarious, weaving a story concerning friendship and morality around playful jabs at common gaming tropes as one winds their way through its subterranean world of misfit monsters.
3 Deep Rock Galactic
Space dwarves stripping various intergalactic caves of their precious resources for fun and profit makes for an incredibly enjoyable cooperative multiplayer experience in Deep Rock Galactic. Simply put, this game is a blast — each of up to four players selects an entirely unique character class and plunges into a procedurally generated dungeon alongside their bearded comrades to accomplish a variety of objectives for their corporate overlords while fending off waves of arachnid aliens hellbent on eating them alive. It’s a good time.
2 Goat Simulator
Goat Simulator takes the wild proposition of playing as a goat and just runs with it. While it is most definitely not an accurate depiction of what a real goat’s life is like, it is one of the most entertaining “simulator” games available, and it is an utter joy to see it as part of the Xbox Game Pass’ library.
In Goat Simulator, being a goat means wreaking absolute havoc wherever you go. Bleat people into oblivion, lick random objects and carry them with you with your prehensile tongue, or headbutt cars until they explode. All of these activities are valid.
1 Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is what happens when a Soulslike meets a Metroidvania and wraps itself up with an adorably gothic art style — magic, in a word. Exploring the world of Hallownest and meeting its surprisingly charming insectoid inhabitants is a remarkably Zen experience, the combat is tense and satisfying, and the setting is entirely compelling. How happily the light Soulslike features marry into this side-scrolling action-RPG adventure can’t be overstated, and it’s entirely worth a whirl for gamers of all stripes.
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