Summary
- Indie RPGs have revitalized the genre with their bold art, captivating stories, and accessible but inventive gameplay mechanics.
- Beloved titles like Undertale, LISA or OMORI hide dark and deep storylines behind colorful and charming art styles.
- Not every great Indie RPG is colorful and experimental: games like Chained Echoes and Sea of Stars are inspired by classic 16-bit RPGs from the SNES era.
The role-playing game genre is one of the most popular and iconic in the industry, encompassing huge names like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and The Elder Scrolls. But, what about all the excellent RPGs that were made by independent developers? These smaller but impressive projects are partially responsible for saving and popularizing the genre in one of its worst periods, during the 2000s and early 2010s.
Indie RPGs have been blowing players' minds with their unique art styles, fascinating storylines, and creative gameplay mechanics for over two decades. Thanks to the advent of accessible game-making tools and massive online communities, making these types of games is getting easier every year. There are a lot of Indie RPGs that fans of the genre should try, but the following ten are the best of all time.
Yume Nikki
Laid The Foundation For Indie RPGs
Yume Nikki
- Released
- June 26, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
A list of the best Indie RPGs wouldn't be complete without Yume Nikki, the game that is single-handedly responsible for popularizing the genre. It was created by a single Japanese developer known as Kikiyama, who utilized RPG Maker 2003 to build one of the most bizarre fictional adventures ever made.
Yume Nikki is a narrative RPG. It doesn’t have any combat, and it focuses on exploration, interaction, and the use of items instead. It takes place entirely within the dreams of its main character, Madotsuki, and both the imagery and the atmosphere can get surprisingly creepy and surreal. Needless to say, Yume Nikki has been extremely influential for the genre, and fortunately, is free to download on Steam.
OFF
A Unique, Bizarre RPG That Popularized The Genre Even Further
OFF
- Released
- May 14, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The Indie RPG scene got more popular in the late 2000s, which led to the creation of some of the best games in the genre. One of them was OFF, which was created by Mortis Ghost and built with RPG Maker 2003 (like Yume Nikki). Gameplay-wise, OFF is a very simple and conventional turn-based RPG, but its story and world are what cemented it as an absolute classic.
Players control a character known as the Batter, who has to purify a mysterious world by defeating the guardians of four different Zones. It starts off quite normal, but gets more and more bizarre, until the story turns everything on its own head during its final moments and ends up shocking the player. On top of that, the catchy music and unique art style of this game are excellent. OFF recently received a remake for Steam and Nintendo Switch, making this legendary Indie RPG more accessible than ever.
LISA
A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure With A Dark Narrative
LISA: The Painful
- Released
- December 15, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The LISA games were created in RPG Maker VX Ace by sole developer Austin Jorgensen, and are often cited as the titles that made the Indie RPG genre so popular during the 2010s (alongside OFF). These are technically three separate games — LISA: The First, LISA: The Painful and LISA: The Joyful — that are often grouped together because they’re all part of the same narrative.
The combat system of LISA has a few interesting ideas, but the story and characters are what make these games worth checking out. Set in a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland where everybody is addicted to a substance called Joy, LISA tells the story of Brad Armstrong, a man who has to rescue a baby girl that has been kidnapped. This story gets incredibly dark and emotional, seeing as it covers some difficult topics. Yet, it has a surprisingly charming dark sense of humor. LISA also has an amazing soundtrack composed by Jorgensen himself.
Undertale
The Peaceful RPG That Redefined The Entire Genre
Undertale
- Released
- September 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- Toby Fox
- Genre(s)
- RPG
When people hear the term “Indie RPG,” Undertale is likely one of the first games that come to mind. In 2015, Toby Fox’s debut title revolutionized not only the genre, but the entire gaming industry. This turn-based RPG features a bullet hell-like combat system that encourages players to not kill enemies, and instead to find ways of solving conflicts in a peaceful manner. The concept blew the minds of gamers around the world, and it still feels refreshing today.
Undertale became so popular not just because of its unique concept, but because its world, characters, writing, and story resonated with a lot of people. Everything about this game was masterfully crafted by Toby Fox and his small team. This also includes one of its biggest selling points: the music, as it has a catchy, distinct, memorable soundtrack. Undertale went on to sell millions of copies, boosting Toby Fox’s career and inspiring the creation of many similar titles.
Deltarune
An Incomplete Masterpiece
Deltarune
- Released
- October 31, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen // Language, Suggestive Themes, Mild Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Toby Fox
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Toby Fox has admitted that Undertale was a “test run” he made to gain some experience, and that its spiritual successor, Deltarune, is the game he always wanted to create. This title takes everything that made Undertale so special and brings it to a whole new level. The mechanics are more polished, the combat is more complex, the story is even more interesting, and the soundtrack is way more diverse.
Deltarune is like nothing else currently on the market, and any fan of the RPG genre (or gaming in general) should check it out. The only caveat is that its development is taking so long that Toby Fox has been releasing it in separate chapters since 2018. However, there are four chapters currently available (two of which are free to download) with over twenty hours of content.
Hylics 2
A Surreal Adventure Brought To Life With Claymation
- Released: June 22, 2020
- System: PC
- Developer: Mason Lindroth
- Genre: RPG
In 2015, indie developer Mason Lindroth made a huge impact on the indie RPG scene with Hylics, which takes place in a colorful but surreal world that was brought to life with handmade claymation. It became a cult classic, but it was also criticized for being short and simple; it was more of an experience than a video game. Fortunately, its 2020 sequel, Hylics 2, rectified this by being bigger and better in every way.
Hylics 2 is more of a full-fledged RPG, with a bigger world to explore, more characters to meet, and deeper combat mechanics. But what makes this game stand out so much is its presentation. Not only is every single character and item in this surreal world depicted with claymation, but everything has such a distinct and striking design that players will never be able to forget this unique adventure. Hylics 2 has also received praise for its psychedelic funk soundtrack, which was composed by Chuck Salamone and Lindroth himself.
OMORI
A Poignant Psychological Tale Inspired By Earthbound
OMORI
- Released
- December 25, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
While LISA and Undertale redefined the RPG genre in the 2010s,OMORI did the same thing in the 2020s. At first, this seems like a mundane turn-based RPG with a combat system in which the enemies are front and center, similar to Earthbound and other games that inspired it. However, things get much deeper as players progress.
The combat of OMORI utilizes a creative rock-paper-scissors mechanic in which both the enemies and the playable characters are stronger or weaker depending on which emotion they’re feeling. But the thing that has made this game such a big hit is its story. It's surprisingly bleak and emotional, not to mention the psychological horror elements. It tackles dark topics that may strike too close to home for some players, like trauma, anxiety, loneliness, and self-harm.
Chained Echoes
A Traditional Fantasy RPG
Chained Echoes
- Released
- December 8, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M17+ For Mature 17+ Due To Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Some people believe that the indie RPG scene is exclusively made up of colorful, weird games with plots that tackle dark topics, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, there are many high-quality Indie RPGs that were inspired by the likes of Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger and many other influential IPs. Chained Echoes is one of the most famous examples.
This game is basically a modern-day SNES RPG, complete with beautiful pixel art, a memorable soundtrack, and a fascinating fantasy world (with a few sci-fi elements). The battles of Chained Echoes are some of the biggest highlights of the game. Despite being turn-based, they’re incredibly fast-paced thanks to their fluid attack animations and the overdrive mechanic. Because of all this and more, Chained Echoes is considered one of the best turn-based RPGs of the current generation, and has gained a sizable following.
Cassette Beasts
It’s More Than A Pokemon Clone
Cassette Beasts
- Released
- April 26, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everybody 10+ due to Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bytten Studio
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The Indie RPG scene is full of high-quality projects that try to replicate the gameplay of a beloved AAA franchise, with Pokemon being one of the most frequently emulated IPs. However, in a sea of similar-looking Pokemon clones, there’s one game that stands out on its own, and that is Cassette Beasts.
This is a monster-taming open-world RPG with some of the best, most inventive monster designs in the genre. Players can collect, train and transform into a variety of creatures in exciting turn-based battles. Even better, these monsters can be fused to create more powerful evolutions with brand-new designs and animations. The game's second half contains fascinating and mind-blowing story segments and monsters that help it stand out from its competition even further, while also cementing it as an excellent modern classic and one of the most interesting games inspired by Pokemon.
Sea Of Stars
The Fusion Of Several Classic RPGs Led To This Award-Winning Indie Darling
Sea of Stars
- Released
- August 29, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Sabotage
- Genre(s)
- RPG
When it comes to modern-day Indie RPGs with gameplay and setting inspired by Final Fantasy and/or Chrono Trigger, Sea of Stars is one of the most remarkable examples. Despite releasing just a few years ago, this game has already become a huge cult classic and has captivated countless gamers with both its combat and its presentation.
Sea of Stars was intentionally built as a fusion of several influential old-school RPGs. It has integrated battles without a loading screen like Chrono Trigger, an interactive combat system with timed inputs like Super Mario RPG, and a complex fantasy story inspired by Illusion of Gaia. And if that wasn’t enough, it also has detailed sprite work and a magnificent score. Due to its many positive qualities, Sea of Stars has won many accolades, including the award of Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2023.
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