With AAA titles becoming safer and safer, it is indie games that bring the innovation the video game industry as a whole needs. Much like the past few years, 2023 has seen the release of some excellent titles that twist defined genres into something unique, blending their excellent mechanics with visuals that may not be cutting-edge but are still pleasant enough to the eye.
Here are the best indie games released in 2023, in no particular order. With their extremely diverse experiences, it is really impossible to put one above the others.
Also in Wccftech’s Best Games of 2023 lists: Shooter, Fighting, RPG, Action
Cocoon
Cocoon has all the elements that make for an excellent indie title, and the great amount of care put into it is evident right from the beginning of this mysterious adventure.
A puzzle-adventure game developed by Geometric Interactive, Cocoon puts players in the role of a beetle that must hop between worlds and solve puzzles within to discover the mysteries of the universe. Each world is contained inside orbs, which also serve as a gameplay mechanic, blending story and gameplay elements in a way few other titles could.
While the story can be a little difficult to follow, Cocoon is a true gem that no fan of puzzle games should pass on.
Jusant
Don’t Nod is no stranger to releasing excellent titles, and this year the French development studio launched yet another game that is going to be remembered for a long time thanks to its unique atmosphere and mechanics.
Jusant is a puzzle platforming game where players control a wanderer as they make their way up a desolate tower that was once the home of an ancient civilization and all sorts of magical creatures. By scaling their way up while carefully managing the main character’s limited stamina, players can get to know why this civilization is no more.
With excellent environmental storytelling and gameplay mechanics that make players feel the exhaustion of the long climb, Jusant is one of the most unique gaming experiences of the year and one of the best indie games released in the past 12 months.
Pizza Tower
Nowadays, even the most straightforward titles, like platform games, have become complex, featuring multiple playable characters and gameplay systems built one atop the other. While this could be nice for some, others have rightfully started longing for the simplicity that made classic 2D sidescrolling titles the all-time classics everyone enjoys to this day.
In a year that saw the release of new entries in the Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog series, what Pizza Tower achieved is nothing short of remarkable. Featuring a wacky premise and an even wackier main character, the Italian chef Peppino Spaghetti, the 2D sidescrolling platformer by Tour De Pizza feels like a modern Wario Land game, complete with unique scoring and difficulty systems that make it both easy to get into and extremely addicting.
With its explosive mix of madness and precise platforming, Pizza Tower couldn’t have been but one of the best indie games of 2023.
Cassette Beasts
It has been years since the Pokèmon series made its debut, but the series created by Game Freak has yet to evolve past the template set by Pokèmon Red and Blue, leaving it to other developers to bring that change that fans of the series have been asking for for a very long time.
At a glance, Cassette Beasts doesn’t look too different from classic Pokèmon games, with its colorful world, turn-based combat system, and monsters to tame and train, but some unique elements, such as characters actually transforming into monsters using cassette tapes and the fusion mechanics that allow two monsters to fuse temporarily in combat, make the game feel different from its illustrious inspiration.
However, what truly sets Cassette Beasts apart from Pokèmon is that children are not the game’s main target audience. As such, the game has a broader appeal that instantly makes it one of the best indie games released in 2023.
Sea of Stars
In a year packed with role-playing games, Sabotage Studio managed to release a retro-inspired game called Sea of Stars that could easily rival much bigger productions and enjoyed astounding success.
Sea of Stars follows in the footsteps of games such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI, featuring gorgeous pixel-art visuals, turn-based combat with some unique twists inspired by Super Mario RPG, such as timed attacks and parries, and a story that is a love letter to 16-bit era games with the two protagonists, the Solstice Warriors Valere and Zere traveling all over the world and beyond to take down the Dwellers and their creator, the alchemist known as Fleshmancer.
While lacking in originality, Sea of Stars makes up for it with the incredible quality of its gameplay mechanics, visuals, and soundtrack composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, among other features that make the game both a great JRPG and one of the best indie titles of 2023.
Honorable Mentions
The five games above are only some of the notable indie games released in 2023. The titles below are just as worthy of your time as much as the other five.
