Indie Games Threads
Share your thoughts on the latest and greatest from the indie side of the gaming industry.
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To celebrate the release of bullet hell roguelike Entropy Survivors, Game Rant is giving away five Entropy Survivors game codes, redeemable on Steam, to five winning participants in our giveaway draw. To?enter the draw for your chance to win, simply leave a comment below letting us know in 10 words or more: what is your favorite roguelike game and why? Entries close December 11, 2024, at 11:59pm ET Giveaway Rules: No purchase required to enter. Contest begins on December 4, 2024, at 5:00pm ET and ends on December 11, 2024, at 11:59pm ET. There are a total of five (5) prizes available to be won as follows: five (5) game codes redeemable on Steam to download the game Entropy Survivors, each prize having an approximate retail value of $11.69 CAD ($8.31 USD). Winning contestants are randomly selected from valid entries, and a skill-testing question is required to be successfully completed prior to being awarded a prize. Contest open to legal residents of Canada (excluding Qu¨¦bec) and the
Who Deserves the Debut Indie of the Year?
I haven't played every game on the indie debut list, but I'm rooting for?Balatro?to win. I've been hooked to the game ever since I bought it on Switch and would love to see it get a win.
What Game Have You Been "Meaning to Play" But Always Put Off?
I've had?L.A. Noire?put aside for nearly a year now so I could easily grab it and put it into the PS4 but I just never got around to it. There's always another game that I end up picking up first and then forget all about it again.
What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 29)
I haven't got much on the agenda, but the recent release?Ravenswatch?has caught my attention! I think I might grab that, otherwise I'll jump on?Black Ops 6, I haven't had much time to check it out.
What Are Your Impressions On Deep Rock Galactic's Rogue Core Spin-Off?
I'm curious to see how Ghost Ship Games translates roguelike elements into Deep Rock Galactic's horde-shooting, alien-planet-spelunking gameplay loop. They did a great job turning the game into a Vampire Survivors-like before, and I'm excited to see what they come up with for Rogue Core.?
Cult of the Lamb Players, Are You a Merciful or Merciless Leader?
In?Cult of the Lamb, players can punish followers, sacrifice them, and even harvest their remains. On the other hand, the game also allows them to befriend, marry, ressurect, and honor followers. It can go one way or the other or even both ways, and it's completely up to the player to decide how they want to manage their cult. I very rarely go outside my zone of comfort in video games, so I stick to being a very merciful leader in?Cult of the Lamb. I take in all the elderly followers that show up, nearly always accept follower requests, and befriend all of my followers.
I Prefer Overcooked to Its Sequel, Is That Wrong?
Overcooked?is one of the most fun party games out there. I played?Overcooked?on my own and 100 percent completed it and had an absolute blast. I was very excited when I got the sequel, and even though I played some levels by myself, it truly felt like it was meant for multiplayer only. Despite this, whenever I'm with friends, we always end up playing the first game because of its simplicity. The simple mechanics make it much easier for casual party gaming, which might be why Overcooked 2?is still sitting on a figurative shelf.
What's Your Favorite Zoo-Related Game?
I really enjoy?Let's Build a Zoo. I played it on Game Pass and had a blast. The tech tree and the genetics aspect are really interesting and unique. It also makes players choose whether they want to be ethical zoo owners or engage in black market trades and provide an unhealth lifestyle for their animals.
What's Your Favorite Fleece in Cult of the Lamb?
The Fleece of the Fates is my go-to fleece in?Cult of the Lamb, especially in the early game. Even though it doesn't allow me to pick any tarot cards during a Crusade, I start it with four tarot cards, allowing me to benefit from them all right away.
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Who Is The Best Bachelorette In Stardew Valley?
It's tough to choose between the six bachelorettes in?Stardew Valley, but if you want to min-max and get the best possible gifts with the least effort, just gift Emily amethyst over and over to quickly build the relationship. For what it's worth, though, Haley has some of the best late-game dialogue when you progress her Hearts to max level.
Who's a Misunderstood Video Game Character?
Recently, I was scrolling through Reddit and came across a post in an?Animal Crossing?community that spoke about how Tom Nook is misunderstood. He's often portrayed as this capitalist villain but the truth is he helps out the player a fair bit and barely asks for anything back. Tom Nook builds the player a home within a few hours without ever disturbing anyone, grants an interest-free loan that can be paid at any point in the player's life, and only demands money if the player wishes for a home upgraded, which in reality is completely fair. Who's another character that's often misunderstood in the world of gaming?
Who Is The Best Bachelor In Stardew Valley?
The answer to who the best bachelor in?Stardew Valley?is depends on your personal tastes. If you're looking for someone who's a good husband with little downsides, Harvey is a pretty universally-liked bachelor. If you want to marry someone who's got a bit more personality, or a more full character arc through their questline, Sebastian isn't a bad pick either in my opinion.
What Tips Would You Give New Balatro Players?
I only have about 20 hours in?Balatro?and I lose quite often so I'd consider myself a fairly new player. However, I'd advise gamers to not only order their Jokers but their playing cards as well, as it can be quite helpful in cases where they have a Joker that retriggers the first played card for example.
What's the Most Overpowered Spectral Card in Balatro?
I'm a big fan of enhanced cards in?Balatro, so I usually use the Aura Spectral Card. However, sometimes I'm low on money and Wraith is also a common choice whenever possible.
What's the Perfect Game to Play Handheld?
There are games that I choose to purchase or repurchase on Switch because I like to be able to play them while laying in bed or on the couch, namely?Civ 6, Stardew Valley, and?Balatro.
What's Your Favorite Card Modifier in Balatro?
Polychrome cards are my favorite in Balatro because they increase your overall multiplier; if you've already gotten it high enough before the modifier is applied, they will greatly contribute towards getting an impressive score.
You Can Only Pick One: Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley?
I love?Animal Crossing, but I have put way more time into?Stardew Valley?over the years and have enjoyed every second of it. Animal Crossing?is one of the coziest games out there, but sometimes it can get a bit repetitive, while there's seemingly no shortage of things to do in Pelican Town no matter how many hundreds of hours you have. And if you do tire of the base game, PC players can install mods, which is something?Animal Crossing?can't do, being a Switch game and all.
What Game Are You Hoping to Get This Holiday Season?
I've been eyeing?Super Mario Party Jamboree, so I really hope I get it at midnight so I can play it with my family the next day!
What Will Be Your Next Game Pre-Order?
For now, I'm only certain that I'll pre-order?Civilization 7. However, if Nintendo announces any new games to come out before then, my next pre-order might come sooner than that.
What Feature Would You Like to See in Haunted Chocolatier?
Since?Haunted Chocolatier?will be more focused on combat compared to?Stardew Valley, I really want to see all sorts of armor. Considering a significant part of it will be set in a haunted castle, I hope we can create our own knight's armor in this game. I would also like it if the chocolatier ghosts could come along and help us fight creatures.
What Indie Game Release Are You Most Excited For?
I've been keeping up with the development of?Tales of the Shire?for a few months now, and I'm very much looking forward to its release next year.
What's Your Favorite Gaming Merch that You Own?
I own quite a few gaming t-shirts, but my current favorite is the Microsoft Solitaire t-shirt I got from the Xbox Gear Shop. It's navy blue and it's got the "Keep it casual" quote next to a robot and a deck of playing cards on the beach.
What Game Decision/Mistake Did You Instantly Regret?
While playing?The Walking Dead?telltale game for the first time, I didn't high-five Duck and instantly felt horrible because I realized he might remember it in the future. I don't think it influences the story at all but I still felt bad and regretted it. Another one that stuck with me was when I played?Undertale?and killed one of the first Froggits you come across as a reflex. I completed the game and had to play it again afterward so I could do a pacifist run.
What New Indie Game Would You Recommend?
Vampire Hunters. It's an FPS Vampire Survivors-esque game where you can blast thousands of monsters with 14 weapons on your screen all at once. The game doesn't take itself seriously (nor does it expect players to do the same), but it's honestly one of the most fun indie titles I've played in recent memory. Perfect for anyone looking for an easy-to-pick-up shooter to pass the time.
What Do You Consider When Buying An Early Access Game?
Honestly, all I ever look for is technical quality. I'm always willing to support developers who are working on promising titles, but if what they have to offer is buggy to point of unplayability, then that's a no for me. I don't mind early access games that are light on content, but as long as it's polished, it's good enough for me. Whether or not they ever see a full release is a different story, however.
What's the Last Game That You Couldn't Stop Thinking About?
Undertale?was the last game that truly made me feel obsessed. I only played it early this year for the very first time and, of course, regretted letting it sit in my backlog for so long. Even though I was late to the party, the fan theory videos and forums definitely took over my life for a few weeks.
What Video Game Character Are You Dressing Up As for Halloween?
I'm not dressing up as a video game character, but I'm interested in knowing what costume gamers have chosen for Halloween this year.
What Trailer Made You Pick Up a Game You Would've Never Played Otherwise?
When I watched The Return trailer for?No More Heroes 3, I was mesmerized. The story looked amazing and quirky, and when I found out that the main character's name was Travis Touchdown I was immediately sold. I got the first game and started my journey. The trailer is five minutes long and every second of it is just wonderful. I watch it every now and then and it only gets better.
What's The Most Innovative Indie Game, & What Makes It So Unique?
If I could only choose one indie game to get the 'Most Innovative' award, I would choose?Return Of The Obra Dinn. This incredibly stylistic and unique game essentially lets the player explore an abandoned ship to figure out what happened to every single one of its occupants. When you find someone's body, you are warped to an interactive scene at the moment of their death, and it's up to you to figure out who everyone is on the ship and how they died by using this macabre superpower. I've never felt more clever than when I solved some of these puzzles, and the art direction is just gorgeous in an early PC kind of way.
