Indie games can help fill the gaps each year between the bigger releases. Without them, the gaming industry would almost cease to function, and it has been this way for over a decade now. The thing is, some of these indie games are so incredibly good that they rival some of the best AAA games of all time, from the NES to the Switch 2.
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They are so good that they can even dominate award seasons, like with what happened to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in 2025. Another standout includes The baby stepswhich won big at the 2026 Independent Games Festival for sound design. What other reasons make these two games incredible, and what other indie games are worth highlighting? Let's dig in and find out.
|
The indie masterpiece |
The AAA genre it beats |
What makes it so good |
|---|---|---|
|
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
Turn-based RPGs |
Active combat, a world like no other, a deeply dramatic story |
|
Mullet Madjack |
First person shooter |
A high-octane gameplay loop, solid controls and impressive anime visuals |
|
Spade Knight |
Old-School 2D Platformers |
Killer music, amazing visuals, challenging but fair platforming |
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Start
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Light (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
The baby steps
Step by step, day by day
The baby steps is one of the hardest games that came out in 2025 because of the control scheme. Players had to take individual steps with their awkward character, Nate, who was transported into a fantasy world and now moved like a tank about to break down. Even when players got a rhythm going, one wrong move could ruin it, but this groundbreaking gameplay loop and challenge is exactly what clicked with many players.
That and the humor in the game, including Nate muttering to himself or subverting expectations when NPCs asked for help. This is a big reason why The baby steps won the sound design at the Independent Games Festival, beyond just the incredible sound effects. It is a challenging game over AAA games which Dark soulsand it has such a rich world too for such a small game that was basically an Isekai for all anime lovers out there.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Final Fantasy with a French twist
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a borderline indie game, but the studio, Sandfall Interactive, is independent, and this was their first game, so that counts. This game did what Japanese RPG giants like Square Enix probably never thought they could do again: capture an entire year's worth of press over a turn-based game.
It was thanks to the world-building, dramatic and heartfelt story and active turn-based gameplay that really did Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stand out. Hopefully the big developers learn the right lessons from this one and don't just go back to making only turn-based RPGs but go hard in other areas as well.
Cuphead
A hand-drawn eye candy
Cuphead
9/10
- Released
-
September 29, 2017
Cuphead looks 1000% better than most of the big AAA games these days, including anything like this Ghost of Yotei because it relied on style over graphics, which will help it stand the test of time. There are other hand drawn games out there, though Cuphead really started the revival and is still by far the best looking game.
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It really is like playing a cartoon, and a difficult one at that, as this run-and-gun platformer was carefully designed around bosses. It's a different area there Cuphead also excelled, as AAA companies should pay attention to how these bosses evolved, with some even taking different forms depending on how players fought them.
Hades 2
Storytelling at its best
Hades 2
- Released
-
September 25, 2025
Hades 2 is a top-down roguelike with action so fast and fluid that players might believe it Devil May Cry team at Capcom or PlatinumGames developed it. Supergiant Games is one of those rare indie developers that rarely miss a beat with their games. Hades 2 is everything the first game had but more.
There was a better progression system to allow players to feel a sense of reward between deaths, more areas to explore, and a greater combat effect between weapons and temporary upgrades. The story was well written, the score was expertly composed, and the look of the game oozed style. The only question now is, can Supergiant Games make a third entry that can top this one?
Hollow Knight: Silk Song
Challenging, but fair
When Konami and Nintendo stopped making Metroidvania entries in the Castlevania and Metroid franchise, respectively indie games stepped up. Also between modern 3D and 2D Metroid game, along with other Metroidvanias from AAA and indie studios, Hollow Knight: Silk Song stands tall.
It's another game with hand-drawn art that looks impeccable, action so fluid that players think it was made of water, and world-building so good that even Fire Ring to be ashamed. Not only that, it was incredibly challenging, bordering on unfair at times, which cracked some players. But because it looked and played so well, it also motivated others with a stronger will to continue to try and watch the final cutscene right before the credits.
Mullet Madjack
A Cyberpunk Shooter
Mullet Madjack is a villainous first-person shooter set in a cyberpunk world. Its anime aesthetic tries to evoke nostalgia for 80s and 90s anime fans from shows like AD police archive and Mad Bull 34. That is Mullet Madjack is incredibly violent and over the top in the best way.
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To keep the heart rate up, players must kill in elaborate ways to gain points to advance. The game was incredibly inventive for a shooter and wildly entertaining beyond the aforementioned, from slotting into vending machines to hacking enemies with a katana Cyberpunk 2077 and non-cyberpunk shooters like Call of Duty. Plus the guns themselves shot pretty well too.
Spade Knight
A return to the 8-bit platform
Spade Knight is over a decade old now, but fans haven't forgotten about it, thanks to the developer, Yacht Club Games, continuing to pump out DLC for a long period. With these updates, fans never forgot how excellent the platforming and level designs were, even surpassing some of the greats from the NES era that Mega Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3.
The world felt more alive thanks to the animated sprites, players had a greater sense of progression due to upgrades, and the difficulty was perfectly balanced. Best of all, the music, which has been officially remixed and resold by several different artists, is incredibly durable and will pump up fans whether they're playing the game or working out at the gym.
Undertale
A new way to play role-playing games
Undertale is technically a turn-based RPG-like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33but instead of Final Fantasythis game is more like a tribute to Mother series. Incredibly strange and unlike any other RPG out there, Undertale challenged players' morals upon starting up the game.
Should they kill monsters as they have been taught for decades, or should they try to talk to them? Avoiding attacks and creating a dialog actually worked, and for each individual boss as well. Also the best dialogue systems and branching stories from Fallout: New Vegas to Mass Effect 2 pales in comparison to the dynamic ways Undertale plays out. As well as The baby stepsit's very funny.
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