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Gaming: These indie games will save the gaming year 2021

2021-12-23T16:44:21.207Z


Instead of complaining about the poor wannabe blockbusters of this year, it is advisable to take a look at the excellent indie games. We introduce the best.


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As meditative as it is hypnotic, a space odyssey in the rush of speed: »Exo One«

Photo: Exbleative

"Battlefield 2042" a flop, "GTA: The Trilogy" a bad joke, "Far Cry 6" mediocrity and the resentment about "Cyberpunk 2077" not yet digested: The gaming year was only moderately enjoyable for friends of big, lavishly produced blockbusters.

Fortunately, the alternatives are diverse, because the output of independent game developers is greater than ever.

If you look away from the glossy games, you can gain a lot from the game year 2021.

We're bringing the indie highlights of the year back to the curtain - and awarding prizes in five highly subjective categories.

The science fiction award for pacifist space explorers

3rd place:

"Sable"

(Windows, Xbox from 24.99 euros)


A desert planet as drawn by comic legend Moebius is the setting for the open-world game "Sable".

As a young girl, you set off on a journey into adult life in the stunningly exotic setting without any fight or violence.

»Sable« is a festival for explorers with a sense of sightseeing.

Review here.

2nd place:

"The Eternal Cylinder"

(PS4, Xbox, Windows, from 23.99 euros)


A planet full of exotic, bizarre creatures in flashy colors is in danger: a huge metal roller reaching from horizon to horizon squeezes mountains, trees and animals flat. As a little cephalopod with a trunk in "The Eternal Cylinder" you are on the run with other conspecifics from the grotesque apocalypse. The game by the Chilean development studio ACE Team is an extraordinary mixture of linear action adventure and open-world survival game - and probably the weirdest game of the year.

1st place:

"Exo One"

(Windows, Xbox 15.99 euros)


There is hardly any more science fiction atmosphere with simultaneous minimalism: In "Exo One" you roll and glide as an alien probe over breathtakingly beautiful planetary landscapes and forgets in the rush of speed Everyday.

Convincing graphics without a disturbing interface, perfect soundscape and a lot of variety make this space odyssey an unfortunately only three-hour short vacation in space.

Review here.

The Once Upon a Time Mythology Award

3rd place:

"Black Book"

(Windows, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox from 23.99 euros)


Instead of worn out 08/15 fantasy, finally something original: Russian folklore that impresses with its original weirdness.

In »Black Book« a young witch begins her training to become a powerful demon master in both rural and occult Russia.

With cards: the tactical deck building game as the central game element ensures exciting duels with ghosts, the undead and other devil brood.

The lovingly and detailed implemented setting is the main thing in this really extraordinary game.

2nd place:

»Valheim«

(Windows, Early Access for 16.79 euros)


There are many Viking games, but this one is undoubtedly one of the big game phenomena of the year.

The survival sandbox game, published in February, takes place in a mythical beyond the Nordic gods and, despite its early access status, reported eight million sales in August.

No wonder, nowhere are you so relaxed and creative in this genre, which is otherwise notorious for toxic communities.

A game as a place of escape from a pandemic and harsh reality.

Review here.

1st place:

»Mundaun«

(Windows, PS4, Switch, Xbox from 16.79 euros)


The eerie world of legends of the Swiss Alps has hardly been the subject of films and games before.

In the first-person adventure »Mundaun« you dive deep into this half-world between folklore and horror, not least thanks to its very special atmosphere: the entire graphic was drawn in pencil by artist and developer Michel Ziegler in painstaking manual work and six and a half years of development.

Thanks to its surprisingly solid, varied gameplay elements, an exciting story and original puzzles, »Mundaun« is more than »just« an interactive work of art.

Review here.

The tactic-tinkerer-strategy-price

3rd place:

"Fights in Tight Spaces"

(Windows, Xbox, from 20.99 euros)


Wild brawls in cramped places such as restaurant kitchens, prison cells or backyards are known from James Bond and martial arts films.

In the game "Fights in Tight Spaces", a spy in a suit is constantly involved in such tough confrontations with numerically superior enemies.

But you don't need good reflexes or skill, instead the game stages its cool fistfights as a tactical card game - and it is as original as it is motivating.

A stylish fighting game with strategic depth and a card game secret tip of the year.

2nd place:

»Wildermyth«

(Windows, Mac, Linux 20.99 euros)


Please don't let the cheap webcomic look put you off: »Wildermyth« is effortlessly one of the best role-playing games of 2021, and it does so with a huge portion of originality.

The heroines, who are at the center of attention here, age and develop in surprising directions, fall in love, be enchanted, die or at some point send their children on an adventure.

Smart random algorithms, varied story generation and surprisingly demanding round tactics make »Wildermyth« unique.

1st place:

»Gloomhaven«

(Windows, Mac, 34.99 euros)


The iconic board game in its physical incarnation weighs more than ten kilograms, costs around 150 euros and requires like-minded people as well as a lot of time to learn the rules and set up the playing field.

The video game version of »Gloomhaven« comes in handy here.

As a fantasy mercenary squad you go on tactical missions against monsters in the field.

The analog card and board game mechanics are copied one-to-one from the original and also present players with exciting decisions on the computer.

Even those who are not interested in the real board game model will find one of the most challenging and fascinating strategy games of the year here - alone or online with up to three other players.

The Indie Glossy Award

3rd place:

"The Medium"

(Xbox, Windows, 49.99 euros)


At the beginning of the year, the Polish horror specialists Bloober Team presented a horror game that can keep up with the great, cultic models of the genre. The music comes from Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka, the artwork pays homage to the great Polish surrealist Zdzisław Beksiński and the third-person gameplay revives the tradition of early survival horror legends such as »Resident Evil«. A wonderful atmospheric horror trip between two worlds.

2nd place:

"Kena - Bridge of Spirits"

(PS4, PS5, Windows, from 39.99 euros)


Creatively independent developer studios have long been the middle tier of the games industry: smaller studios that used to work under the umbrella of large publishers have been around since Concentration of the big ones on a few, but all the more lucrative blockbusters on their own two feet. »Kena« would probably have been published as a medium-sized game by a well-known publisher just a few years ago, so it's a glossy indie. The pretty game impresses with its great presentation, friendly design and solid gameplay.

1st place:

"Little Nightmares 2"

(Windows, Xbox, PS4 / 5, Switch, from 29.99 euros)


"Little Nightmares 2" also lives in the gray area between the "classic" publisher-developer role model and the modern understanding of indie, but the Swedish Tarsier Studios, despite distribution through Bandai Namco, attach great importance to having the creative sovereignty over their works as »independents«.

The horror game also lives in its second part from the stunning character design, extra thick atmosphere and original physics puzzles.

Warning: not for children!

The "heroic small animals" special price

3rd place:

»Death's Door«

(PS4, Switch, Xbox, Windows, from 19.99 euros)


Indie games maintain great game traditions of the past and often bring them fresher than expected into the present.

The action adventure "Death's Door", for example, pays homage to the legendary early parts of "The Legend of Zelda", but spices up the 2D gameplay with a powerful shot of "Dark Souls".

As a nimble crow, you take on the job of Gevatter Tod personally and set out to send stubborn souls to the afterlife once and for all.

Stylish, fast, surprisingly challenging and full of action.

2nd place:

"Tails of Iron"

(Windows, PS4, Xbox, Switch, from 24.99 euros)


This adventure may look like a children's book illustration at first glance, but the Prince Rat Redgi is a tough action role-playing game with quite a tactical fight and a lot of splatter.

The Metroidvania tells an epic dark fantasy story in the realm of amphibians and rodents and also owes its gloomy atmosphere to the speaker, who himself gave the voice of the Witcher Geralt von Rivia.

A slaughter as cute as it was bloody.

1st place:

"Inscryption"

(Windows, 19.99 euros)


The less you spoil the surprise, the better.

Just this much: In "Inscryption" you play a tactical card game against a sinister opponent.

But after a few rounds it gets strange: Why do the forest animals start talking to me on my playing cards?

What else is there to discover in the dark hut where the game takes place?

And how do you win a game whose rules are constantly changing?

"Inscryption" is a great meta-game about video games that is fun aside from its false floors.

One of the most interesting games of the year, indie or not.

Review here.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2021-12-23

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