by Shelby Hosch
Undoubtedly, the last decade was known for its big-budget games. Games like Grand Theft Auto V, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt made headlines for their massive worlds, epic stories, fun gameplay, and huge sales. But the highest selling game of the decade (and of all time) was an independent game made by a small company called Mojang. A game with blocky graphics, basic gameplay, and a simple story.
Minecraft was the first smash hit from the independent side of gaming. Before its release, games with small budgets and little known developers rarely made headway in the gaming market, with notable exceptions including Braid, Super Meat Boy, and Limbo. It was Minecraft that finally showed how indie games can be just as popular as games made by developers with far more resources and manpower.
In 2012, another pair of games showed that indie games could be critical darlings and works of art: Journey developed by thatgamecompany and Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Both were surprising critical hits that came from relative obscurity, and each received more Game of the Year awards in 2012 than any other AAA game. While both developers faced future struggles—thatgamecompany has only released one game, Sky: Children of Light, since the success of Journey, while Telltale Games closed down in October 2018 after filing for bankruptcy protection—they each helped to pave the way for future indie games to be considered as games worthy of praise for art, gameplay, and story.
One problem with many indie games in the market is that many are referential to older video game genres. This can be a good thing to remember past video games, but many indie games wallow in past conventions (e.g. Yooka-Laylee) without updating them with modern gameplay innovations. That is why many developers looked to Shovel Knight as the premier game on how to make a nice balance between old and new. Shovel Knight is caked in the nostalgia of old NES games, specifically games like Mega Man and Duck Tales, from its 8-bit graphics to its platforming and themed bosses. What made Shovel Knight distinct from those older games was a slightly more complex story, the lack of multiple lives (which were replaced with a checkpoint system where money is lost instead of lives), and a number of gameplay tools that allow for different methods of combating obstacles. Developers’ love for Shovel Knight clearly shows as the titular character has made cameos in a number of different games since its release (Yooka-Laylee, Runbow, even Super Smash Bros. Ultimate).
On the opposite side of gameplay, many other indie games have tried to innovate and make whole new genres, aside from genres that AAA games tackle and old genres left in the dustbin of video game history. Many indie games fail when trying to start something new, but a few succeed, gain a wide new audience, and get a number of other developers copying their success. Of the very few games that manage this success, Papers, Please is important to show how a potentially boring idea on paper can be surprisingly engaging. An immigration officer looking at passports does not sound interesting at all from a gameplay perspective, but a dash of plot intrigue, fun characters, and a repetitious but rewarding gameplay loop can all mix together into an intoxicating combination that will get its fair share of admirers and copycats.
Naturally, these are not the only indie games that are important in the video game industry. Stardew Valley, Her Story, and Hollow Knight were other games that borrowed heavily from older games or underappreciated genres while refining the experience to the players’ benefit. The Stanley Parable, Undertale, and Disco Elysium also showed the importance of playing with narrative conventions in video games or making stories that were incredibly engaging, even moving. Games like Cuphead, Super Meat Boy, Celeste, and Hades, furthermore, showed that a healthy challenge in games can still be rewarding. Finally, indie games such as Return of the Obra Dinn, Hotline Miami, Playerunknown Battlegrounds, and, of course, Minecraft have shown how players and developers continue to love games that pave the way forward with distinct styles and genres. This rise in the profile of indie games has carved out a new niche for games that lack the massive budgets, realistic graphics, and omnipresent marketing of AAA games.