5 Indie Games You Should Know About — February 2019
Whether it’s a top down turn based strategy game, a first-person shooter, or a puzzle platformer, new indie games are released almost every single day.
Finding the time to sit through and play all the new indie games can be tough. Which ones will you like? We’re here to help you figure that out. And maybe even find your new favorite game!
This is our February list of 5 indie games you should know.
First up: Northgard by Shiro Games.
Northgard is a polished 4x strategy game based on Norse mythology. Explore a new continent with a clan of Vikings and survive harsh winters and fearsome foes. Build scout camps to explore new areas, war camps to train your soldiers and farms to grow your crops.
Different clans provide different perks, bonuses as well as skills to unlock with your accumulated lore. With a single player campaign and a multiplayer mode, as well as several ways to actually win a match, this game will keep you entertained for months!
Grim Dawn from Crate Entertainment is a beautiful, apocalyptic fantasy ARPG — though similar in mechanics to games like Diablo III or Path of Exile, Grim Dawn brings a few notable, and wonderful, aspects to the ARPG category.
Your character can specialize in two classes at the same time and by restoring shrines in the world, you acquire devotion points, which further customize skills and level up your power. You can also craft, salvage and find hundreds of unique items, rebuild parts of the world, rotate the camera 360 degrees at any time and so much more.
Next up we have MewnBase from Cairn4, currently in Early Access. That’s right, it’s a survival and base-building game with a cat astronaut. After crashing on a new planet, there’s the usual to-do list: explore, collect resources, build a base, craft items and drive around in your vehicle.
What sets this survival game apart from others is the lack of enemies, a dynamic weather system, and a plethora of feline-related humor. It’s cute, there’s a cat, and you never have to worry about zombies or wolves or hordes of demons trying to kill you. We like to think of it as stress-free survival zen.
Ruiner, from Reikon Games, is a brutal cyberpunk action shooter set in the year 2091. The original soundtrack complements the beautiful and unique art style, and although the combat is fast paced, it is by no means a simple “hack and slash” — you have to find the right balance between brute force, skills and weapons to take down your foes.
The story is equally engaging — with foreshadowing and symbolism to create a rich and gratifying experience. Ruiner also has a Devil May Cry-like grading system after each fight, which keeps your playthroughs interesting and brings out a fun competitive aspect to the game.
Next on our list is Narcosis, from Honor Code, Inc. Slower paced than most of the other games on this month’s list, Narcosis is a psychological horror thriller set in the depths of the ocean. It is as much a game as it is an experience in immersive storytelling.
There are no skill trees and no crafting, but it’s very much still a survival and exploration game. There’s an overarching mystery to solve and survivors to find, and it’s easy to lose yourself in the clever storytelling. Narcosis even lets you continue your immersion in the real world — the game comes with podcast episodes and a book, which is written from the perspective of a character in the game.
And for our honorable mention this month we have:
- Dusk, by David Szymanski. Dusk is a nod to 90s shooters like Doom and Wolfenstein, with classic tropes like hidden rooms and pixel blood. Fast-paced action with crazy enemies and even crazier weapons.
Let us know your thoughts on these games in the comments. And if you’ve got a favorite indie game — share with us, too! We’re always on the lookout for new games.
