Indie Excavation No. 4: The Triumph of Simplicity

Featuring Deleveled, Heartseeker, Ceilless

One of the biggest challenges facing many indie games is that they often have a simple nature — simple graphics, simple storylines, simple (if cleverly implemented) mechanics. It makes it hard to stand out from the competition, let alone against the AAA titles that dominate the market.

But for the next few hundred words, we’re going to treat this as an advantage. One could say that these games are simple, but I prefer elegant.

As always, if you want to clue me in on an overlooked indie title, you can leave a comment here or send me a message on my site.

Watch the games in action:

Deleveled

ToasterFuel — 2020 — $9.99

Every good puzzle-platformer has a gimmick that can be explained in a sentence or two and is immediately jolting. Deleveled is a platformer without a jump button. Surprising, right?