1. A beautiful world: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

It is one of the greater spending budget games on this list. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a delightful and all around planned presentation game from studio Ember Lab. Players accept control of the title Kena, a soul guide, who is entrusted with aiding spirits lost in the actual world to track down their direction. Battles are fun and varied. While the story stays connecting all through. The adorable animals you encounter as you progress are known as The Rot. It offers a fascinating option for interactivity during puzzle-addressing and battle segments. Also, add to the game’s appeal and stylishness.

2. A dull task made interesting: Unpacking 

Unpacking is an unpredictable one to sell. Moving things out of boxes into their right places in the house doesn’t at first solidly be excessively engaging. Yet there’s something else to this game besides that. Players assume control over the errand of unpacking a young lady’s assets, as she moves house at different places in her day to day existence. Each level addresses one time in her life that she moved. And with the player advancing more with regards to her with everything pulled from the crates. Tackling the riddle of where every one of her belongings goes is tremendously fulfilling. And the game is a rewarding and relaxing experience.

3. Shredding in space: The Artful Escape

It has a space opera with a dazzling craftsmanship style and fabulous sound design. The Artful Escape sees players assume control of teen guitar devotee Francis Vendetti. While on a psychedelic, intergalactic journey to leave his people’s music roots behind. So that he could track down his true self. The side-scroller includes light platforming and ongoing interaction. Along with the player using Francis’ guitar against different inestimable supervisors. Music fans will adore this one, as will those with a fondness for striking visuals. Like, something The Artful Escape has in abundance.

4. Tiny terror: Little Nightmares II 

It is another side-scroller with incredible visuals. Tarsier Studios’ Little Nightmares 2 is a ghastly prequel to 2017’s unique game. While the hero explores a sombre and unforgiving world. Previous hero Six makes a return close to the new player-controlled character Mono. The game holds the sensation of vulnerability so present in the first game. And the level plan and changed adversaries are specific features.

There are also other popular indie game releases 2021.

Check the below list of other Indie game releases 

1. A tough Zelda-like: Death’s Door

2. Free to explore: Sable

3. Dealing with the devil: Inscription

4. Learning to dodge: Dodgeball Academia

5. Getting dicey: Lost in Random

6. Turn-based time tomfoolery: Cris Tales

7. Round we go: Loop Hero

8. Across the universe: Genesis Noir

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What’s the genre?

This game follows a crime mystery which two detectives work tirelessly to solve. Peoples lives are at risk so there’s no time to spare. You will play the role of a talented detective, Sonny Featherland, who is close to retirement. He has had a long history of successful detective cases behind him (so don’t let him down!). He takes on one last case when he’s approached by Miss Deborah Ibanez, an elegant antelope. Little does he know, this will be the biggest case of his career. Ibanez has been sent by her boss for help. We later find out that Ibanez’s boss is Natasha, the girlfriend of the infamous crime kingpin, Iban Westler. He runs the cities underground and is a highly dangerous criminal. You’ll have detective Marty MacChiken by your side to help you solve this case. Oh and if you haven’t already guessed, – you’re both chickens!

What’s the plot of this game?

Sonny and Marty will meet many distinctive and interesting characters along their crime-solving journey. You will have to question as many characters as possible to gather information. Of course, the characters who are deemed as suspects should undergo intense questioning as you piece together the evidence. At first glance, Clawville strikes the detectives as a peaceful and safe city. Where predators and prey live alongside each other in peace. But as the game progresses they start to find out they were very wrong. The welcome sign that says ‘Clawville- the most colourful place in the world’ is definitely misleading (to say the least) – the games in black and white for a start! The characters’ backgrounds get more corrupt as you move forward with your questioning. It’s difficult to not to be engrossed in this game as each character tells their story.

You will spend around 4-6 hours in the world of Clawville (depending on the accuracy of your questioning). During this time you will visit 25 new locations and meet many different animals that inhabit the city – you have a long list of suspects! When questioning each character you will be given 2-4 question options, you must choose the question that you feel is most appropriate. Sonny will always give you a small hint so make sure you pay attention. Depending on the accuracy of your question choice, you will receive negative or positive points towards the investigation. After each character, you will be given a grade for your performance as a detective. However, it must be mentioned that no matter how bad the grades are you can never actually fail the investigation. The game is quite linear and doesn’t allow this to happen. It will let you miss out on small details through your gameplay but not integral parts of the story.

Theme / design

The theme/ design of Chicken Police – Paint it RED! is very distinctive. The game is set in black and white which adds to the mysterious atmosphere and makes the game feel time period accurate. You will hear different jazz songs playing throughout the game which adds to the tone of suspense and enigma of characters. You would think the theme of animal heads attached to human bodies is rather disturbing (it’s not every day that you see this) but surprisingly it’s not. In fact, as the game progresses you will get familiar with the sight of these characters and they start to look very realistic. The voice-over of the characters is flawlessly fitting. The outfits and speech patterns also add to the great character design. The game is filled with action and adventure. So if you love a detective story, this games for you!

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Idea generation

Since you will be spending a lot of hours working on your game it’s a good plan to think about what you liked or enjoyed in your favourite book or movie. What kind of characters did you find interesting? What kind of genres do you enjoy? Apply this thinking to your favourite video games too. We’re not looking to shamelessly plagiarise popular games, but it’s totally fine to be inspired by them!

Do your research

Have a look at what is on the market. You want to find your own unique niche. If there’s thousands of zombie games, how any zombie hamster racing games are there?  If there’s only a few games that reward you for completing real world boring tasks maybe there’s a gap in the market there.

Use an indie game idea generator

sites like indiegamedev.net or ygd.bafta.org/ host a random indie game generator which spits out a genre, the game setting and the key mechanics.

Here’s some of the fun ideas we got from online indie game idea generators:

Strategy game set in a cave whereby you have a limited inventory and must use all your items.

Romance walking simulator game set in the 1920’s with a theme of winning at all costs.

An educational survival game set in a castle where something spooky happens.

Detective wargame set in the solar system with a theme based on dodging.

Fantasy point and click adventure game set in the 80’s with a theme based on physics.

Ok so maybe you won’t be handed your dream game idea from a generator but for sure it can get your creative juices flowing. Just having that idea of the who, what and how is a great place to start.

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Idea

First of all you will need an idea for your game. What kind of gameplay do you want to create? What kind of experience do you want your players to get from your game? And why will yours be better or different from games that already exist? With a massively saturated market it’s probably a good idea to find your niche. Don’t follow the pack unless you are already an experienced game developer who can make something better. Let’s assume you have an absolute killer idea in mind and you’re ready to move to the next step.

Framework

You’ll need an engine or a framework to build your game on. Popular choices are Unity, Unreal, Godot, Game Maker Studio 2, and Construct. The type of engine you should choose will depend on the type of game you are trying to create. You can often use a demo version before fully committing to see if it will work for you. There are also a vast amount of helpful tutorials out there. So even if coding is new to you there is help available!

Prototype & Artwork

Build a simple prototype for your game. You want this to be the framework for how the game functions. You can learn how to create pixel art assets from online resources. There are loads of tutorials on YouTube that can help you. Again, even if you are not an amazing artist this shouldn’t be an obstacle on your journey. You can hire a freelance or full time artist to work on your project. Don’t spend too much time, money and energy until you are sure the gameplay is how you want it to avoid having to redo work or wasting artwork that no longer fits with your story or gameplay.

Completion

Many games never get completed, so it’s a good idea to start out small and simple. It takes practice and discipline to stick to the demands of a project. Indie game development requires a lot of perseverance and problem solving. There are costs, human resources, and marketing plans to consider. You’ll also need some business acumen to get your game in front of an audience. Perhaps you will require investors to give you financial backing and they will want to see a detailed business plan. Whatever happens, even if the game fails, you will learn a lot. Not only will you learn by doing but you will learn from your mistakes.

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Bastion

Bastion was created by Supergiant Games in 2011. It’s an action role playing game. The animation is bright and colourful, and the story told by narration. You play the role of The Kid.  This hero is mute, and he lives in a world that’s fallen to pieces in an event termed “The Calamity.” We don’t know what exactly happened in this doomsday event but your mission is to revive a sanctuary, called the Bastion. You must battle your way through each location and collect various weapons.

Defcon

This real time strategy game was based on the 1983 film WarGames. It was created by Introversion Software and released in 2006. Basically you are deep in an underground bunker. You have a map of the world, and nuclear weapons at your disposal. Your goal is to destroy as much of the enemies population whilst keeping the number of casualties in your own population down to a minimum. When we say casualties – a typical game will result in the death of millions of civilians, also known as “megadeaths”.

The game can be played as single player, but it’s more fun as a group. It even includes “office player mode” by playing with up to 5 colleagues. There are even cool little features so you can hide your screen if you’re in the office and a discreet icon will tell you if a major even happens like a nuclear weapon is headed for your territory.

The Stanley Parable

Released in 2011, The Stanley Parable was designed by Davey Wreden and William Pugh. It is a walkthrough game. You control a silent character from the first person perspective. The story is narrated and the player can choose to disobey the narrator. The actions you take will impact the story telling. Stanley works in an office building  and his job is to monitor a computer screen. When the screen goes blank, he decides to go and explore the rest of the building. There are 6 potential endings.  The game was critically well received and was remade too. Within a year it had sold one million copies. Since most reviewers don’t want to spoil the game, they simply encourage others to play for themselves to find out why it is so good!

Stardew Valley

This is a truly delightful game. The story goes, you inherit an old farm plot from your grandfather. You must grow crops and raise livestock. You need to keep feeding your animals if you want to keep them happy and content. Visit Pelican Town and befriend the locals, you can even date some of them and start a family. A big part of the appeal of this game is down to the relationships you can have with the characters in the game. There are also monsters and treasures hidden deep within the mysterious caves if you prefer a slightly darker adventure. Stardew Valley is now accesible on steam, xbox, ps4, Humble Store, Gog com, Nintendo Switch and on ios and android mobile devices.

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Minecraft was an independently developed and published video game. It can not be denied its crown as the most successful indie game of all time.  Since it’s humble beginnings it has spawned a global fan base. You can buy Minecraft t-shirts, lunchboxes, bed linen, toys, books and watch endless tutorials on you tube. If you’re asking, “but what is it?” maybe we can help.

But what is Minecraft?

It’s basically a whole world made of blocks. The game is completely open ended. You can build and craft your 3D environment and work towards simple goals. This is known as a Sandbox video game, one in which the players can modify the world about them. Your main character is a guy called Steve. You use him in either creative mode or survival mode, to either build the world around him or find food, fight off baddies and try to stay alive.

What is the Minecraft language?

Fans will know the terms “biome” and “creeper” whilst outsiders will probably have no clue what that means.  Part of entering the world of Minecraft is to understand its terminology. Like all good clubs and societies, commonly understood naming conventions helps build the world and strengthen the bonds between fans. A creeper is a nasty monster that sneaks/creeps up on players and explodes. These baddies can ruin all your hard work by damaging your creations or killing you. Biomes are the terrains in Minecraft – areas like jungles or deserts.

Is Minecraft educational?

The game can aid with cognitive reasoning skills. It requires some creativity and even collaboration can come from the community aspects. It encourages players to solve problems using geometry and spacial awareness. However, like all fads, kids (and adults) can become obsessed and spend hours and hours playing this game. Like anything, playing in moderation is probably best.

Global Fame

According to Statista, since its release in 2011 over 126 million players are active in the world of Minecraft. This game is a definite cash cow. In 2018 it generated 110million US dollars in global revenue. This is a staggering amount for a game that started life as one man’s creation. Half Finnish, half Swedish Markus Alexej Persson is the man behind Minecraft.  The games was designed under Mojang Studios which he founded in 2009 and has since been bought by Microsoft in 2014.  Can you guess how much Microsoft paid for Mojang? $2.5 billion!

Microsoft has since distanced itself from Persson after he tweeted unacceptable comments. He has made racist, fascist, transphobic, homophobic, sexist and right wing comments comments and was subsequently excluded from Minecraft’s 10 year anniversary. He also promoted QAnon but has since deleted his twitter account. This whole aspect has really tarnished the good story behind Mine Craft. However, it has not damped the creativity of it’s fans.

Players have been making amazing creations for others to enjoy, including a 1:1 model of the Taj Mahal, and MC Disney World.  The game has been celebrated in June 2020 by being welcomed into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

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For example, Microgaming is a huge gaming company.  They have authorised a number of smaller studios to produce exclusive gaming content for them.  Let’s take a closer peek at some of them!

Switch Studios

Hailing from Ipswich, UK, this independent software company is best known for 3D roulette. This particular game stood out from the pack with attention to detail on the realistic movement of the ball. They have also produced Vegas Single Deck Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, American Roulette, and European Blackjack. Other titles include Vegas Downtown Blackjack, and Vegas Strip Blackjack.

Pulse 8 Studios

Pulse 8 Studios use the slogan “a dragon breathes fire and so do we.” Their logo is a red dragon and the games they design are strong, captivating, Asian inspired themes. So far they have a small back catalogue of games including Relic Seekers Slot, Lucky Twins Jackpot Slot and Treasures of Lion City. We predict big things in the future from this fierce real money game studio. Enter the dragon!

Stormcraft Studios

Established in 2016, Stormcraft studios developers have worked in collaboration with Microgaming on some well known titles. Games include Jurassic Park, Mega Moolah and Immortal Romance. If you are already a casino player you will know these are not just some old games, these are relative blockbusters! The Stormcraft designers pride themselves on showcasing quality and creativity. They work under the slogan “bringing games to life” and it’s clear to see they deliver as well. Their back catalogue includes games such as Break Away, Wild Catch, Jungle Jim and Lucky Wins. All the games are certified as fair.

Fortune Factory Studios

FFS prides itself on producing premium gaming content. They have earned a solid reputation in the industry for creating innovative and immersive casino games. They apply careful consideration to the user experience, striving for a better and better experience. Top game titles include Showdown Saloon and Holly Jolly Penguins.

Triple Edge Studios

Founded in 2010, this Floridian based game developer has already made a name for itself. They have been providing exclusive game content for Microgaming since 2017, including Book of Oz.  Triple Edge Studios is well known for designing highly volatile slots such as Playboy Gold. This is a 6 reel game with x100 ways to win and features multipliers and respins.

This is by no means a conclusive list of indie real money game providers, but it does give you an idea of how this distribution model works in the casino industry. Other indie studios that run under Microgaming’s distribution umbrella include Sling Shot, All41studios, Neon Valley Studios, Alchemy Gaming, and Gameburger Studios. We have every confidence this list will grow and grow over time too! This is great news, as it adds diversity to the gaming platforms and enables smaller creative teams to get a piece of the action without the same budgets as the bigger guys.

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There are thousands of online casino games, produced by hundreds of software companies and design studios. In this article we highlight a few of the bigger real money gaming studios. If you’d like to learn more about the various real money gaming studios you can check out casinosjungle.com.

Netent

Swedish gaming software company Netent was founded back in 1996. Today Netent boasts a catalogue of over 250 game titles including massively popular Starburst, Bloodsuckers and Gonzo’s Quest. They are known for vibrant, vivid slot games featuring free spins and high RTPs. An RTP refers to the term “Return to player” which is the average percentage a player can expect to return from  betting. Netent’s RTP is usually between 95% to 98%. This real money gaming company is best known for video slot games though they do offer table games and live casino games too.

Playn’ Go

Playn’ Go is a hugely popular game provider, hosting over 125 titles including Tower Quest, Fire Joker, Book of Dead and Hugo. They also host a huge range of jackpot games which prove highly popular with players because of the potential to win big cash prizes. Playn’Go also offer tables games including blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. This means that all casino players tastes are covered by this software provider.

Aristocrat

Aristocrat is known for land based casino terminals. They can really be considered as a true veteran in the gaming industry as they’ve been around for so long. They designed the first 5 reel slot game in 1979 with “Wild West.” Aristocrat is an Australian company and prides itself on investing heavily in cybersecurity to prevent threats that might compromise their systems. More commonly known for their gaming terminals in bricks and mortar casinos, none the less they have an extensive suite of video slot games. Best known titles include Queen of The Nile, Miss Kitty, Big Red, Lucky 88 and Buffalo.

Scientific Games

SG is a long standing casino games developer with their headquarters in Las Vegas.  They are widely known for innovation, security and creativity.  The company itself is massive. Over the years they have acquired a number of other companies too. Therefore they have acquired specialist talent within the industry, sharpening their collective skills. Scientific Games are highly trusted as a company because of their credibility and longevity.

Quickspin

Quickspin is another casino software company from Sweden. The company was was founded in 2011. Quickspin are known for their fun and vivid game designs. They have launched a highly successful catalogue of video slots and expanded into multiple territories. Due to this success they have since been acquired by another massive gaming company; Playtech. Top titles include Sakura Fortune, Spinions, The Wild Chase and Big Bad Wolf.

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What are AAA Games?

AAA or Triple A games are those made by a large team costing a lot of money to produce. The games maybe the result of collaboration between several gaming companies working together. In turn, these games are also generating a lot of revenue in sales. They are the kind of games distributed by large publishers such as EA, Activision or Nintendo.  Think games like Fifa, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto.

What are Indie Games?

Conversely, Indie game tend to be made by small teams of less than 30 people, or even just by one individual. The term refers to the games as being made independently, without the financial or technological backing of a major video games publisher. Think games like Minecraft. Indie games may be thought of as more accessible to wider audiences sine they are usually easy to play and inexpensive.

Price: AAA versus Indie Games

AAA games tend to be expensive. Maybe $50 or $60 for a new game release. Indie games have much lower production costs and overheads, so the price is more like $10 – $20. You might also get an indie game for less if you support a crowdfunding venture. For example, on kickstarter you may be asked to make a donation and in return you get a free or discounted copy of the game.

Scale

AAA games usually offer the game play a huge amount of gameplay time. There may be expansive maps or extensive missions. For the price you pay, you’ll be expecting hours and hours of gameplay. Maybe thousands of hours worth and you can certainly get it from AAA games. Indie games tend to be far shorter, you may even complete them within a few hours. This may be because there is a finite task or story to complete.

Graphics

Probably the most obvious difference is within the animation of the games. This is not to say that indie games are not sometimes beautiful or exquisitely made. However, in general, the bigger budget games mean the most advanced technology. 3D graphics, realistic motion and voice overs. You’re looking at almost movie style quality of graphics in some cases.

Which is better in AAA versus Indie Games?

It really depends on what type of game you enjoy! If you like large scale action with team collaboration, you’ll probably prefer AAA games. These games have a wide reach and with mass marketing budgets they have garnered mass appeal.  However, don’t discount the little guy. As already mentioned, Minecraft is an indie game. This familiar, cuboid world was created by Markus Alexej Persson. Minecraft has sold over 144 million copies! It has since been bought up by Microsoft so it’s now firmly in the commercial lane, but from humble beginnings it has shown how successful an Indie game can be. Distribution platforms such as Steam have helped give exposure to a wide range of indie games and design studios that they probably would not have achieved on their own.

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Spelunky

Whilst this game was not released in 2020, it is still a highly popular indie title. It was actually released waaaay back in 2008 as freeware. Spelunky was created by Derek Yu and has been heralded by some as one of the greatest video games of all time!  Yu has said to have been inspired by the Super Mario video games. You can see this influence in the look and gameplay style of Spelunky. So, what is the aim of the game? If it sounds a bit like spelunking, you are correct. You control a spelunker, a little character who makes their way through an intricate series of caves. During your cavernous adventure you’ll collect treasure, save damsels in distress and fight bad guys.  You must avoid traps and try to keep your health. You’ll pick up objects that can be used as weapons or that have special powers.

Gris

Gris is a beautifully designed platform adventure game created by Nomada Studios.  The game premise follows a girl called Gris. It is really a story of a woman on a journey dealing with trauma. At the start of the game Gris loses her voice and must hold together a crumbling, fragile statue. As the game develops, light and colour is brought into her world. Your goal is to collect a series of orbs in different terrains. A different colour marks each terrain.  The game has a similar feel as Monument Valley in as much as you can’t die, and whilst the puzzles are not very difficult or frustrating, they are satisfying. The real reason the game is so revered is the animation and art work. It is visually stunning, with hand drawn style designs.

West of Loathing

This game is brought to you by Asymmetric. This is the same team behind Kingdom of Loathing, and the game takes place within the same universe. The design style is stick figures in a humorous, unique role play adventure. Choose your characters style between Snake Oiler, Beanslinger or Cow Puncher.  The game features demon cows, filthy spitoons and many cowboy hats.  It’s a fun, funny indie game with great reviews.

Detention

Developed by Red Candle games in 2017, this is a 2D horror game. With elements drawn in from Taiwanese mythology, the game is set in the 1960’s whilst Taiwan was under martial law.  Otherwise known as the White Terror period. The premise of the game is student Wei and Ray are trapped in their school, and shortly after the opening prologue Wei is killed. You play as Ray and as the story progresses you uncover the story of her life. It is game designed in greyscale, and you merely guide Ray through the haunted school. It’s a point and click game. You don’t need to battle any enemies, you can avoid being killed by ghosts by holding your breath or averting your eyes from them.

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