The 10 BEST Indie Games of 2023

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00:00 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're taking a look at the 10 Best Indie Video Games of

00:15 2023.

00:24 Before we begin, we publish new videos all week long, so be sure to subscribe to Mojo

00:29 Plays and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

00:34 Bat Boy

00:42 We're starting to see a lot more action platformers coming from various corners of the indie market.

00:47 Galaxy Circuit was a solid title, but the one we kept coming back to was Bat Boy.

00:52 At first, the game wears its inspiration on its sleeve, a lot of similarities between

00:57 Mega Man, DuckTales, and Shovel Knight here, but then you start getting abilities from

01:01 the bosses that fundamentally change the way you approach every level.

01:05 And no, these abilities do not make the game easier.

01:14 Bat Boy shows it was meticulously crafted to be as challenging as it is fun to play,

01:19 and if you're a fan of 2D platformers, this ought to be on your must-play list.

01:30 Cassette Beasts

01:41 Some might unfairly write off Cassette Beasts as another Pokemon clone, but it offers a

01:45 wealth of ideas of its own to stand on its own legs.

01:49 Rather than catching monsters, you record their movements to take their forms and equip

01:53 stickers on mix tapes to give them new abilities.

02:02 On top of that, you can fuse forms together to buff your attacks and defenses, and you

02:06 can use abilities from specific forms to traverse the world around you.

02:11 There are a lot of neat ideas in play here, making it another excellent addition to the

02:15 buffet of RPGs we've already seen this year.

02:26 My Friendly Neighborhood

02:35 What if Sesame Street got its own survival horror game?

02:38 Well, you get My Friendly Neighborhood.

02:41 Though it leans more into its laughs than its terror, My Friendly Neighborhood offers

02:45 a unique take on the genre.

02:47 Sure, you can go in, blast through the game, and beat it within a night or two, or you

02:52 can take the time to solve the different puzzles and turn the monsters into your friends.

03:08 In a world where folks seem more hostile and angry than ever, this game hits pretty hard

03:12 with its story, all while its cast utters some of the most insane and questionable life

03:17 lessons as you explore the studio grounds.

03:20 Plus, Arlo does a fantastic job as your Cheshire Cat-esque guide, Ricky.

03:35 Dredge

03:44 Dredge might seem basic at first.

03:47 Explore the waters, meet the locals, and catch some fish.

03:50 However, there is more beneath the surface.

04:00 Exploring at night presents its own risks and rewards.

04:04 Fish during the dark hours to fish up strange creatures that could net you more dough or

04:08 lead to new discoveries.

04:10 At the same time, you will also be exposed to deadly creatures that can either infect

04:15 your cargo or damage your boat.

04:17 In addition to an incredible art style and controls, Dredge excels at turning a cozy

04:22 world against you and can do so quickly should you keep your eye off the timer for too long.

04:32 Save Room, The Merchant

04:43 The first Save Room made it on our list of best indie games of 2022, and its sequel is

04:48 just as excellent.

04:49 While the first game tasked you with packing items into your suitcase in accordance with

04:53 the layout, Save Room, The Merchant throws a wrench into your plan.

04:57 Not only do you have to pack things in a tidy fashion, now you have to make purchases while

05:02 adhering to a checklist of items required to be in your suitcase.

05:14 You'll sometimes even have items that need to be sold.

05:17 In other words, the challenge has been increased and you will probably have to utilize some

05:21 math here.

05:22 So, if you blasted through the first Save Room, here's another set of puzzles that

05:25 might actually stump you a few times.

05:34 GalGuardian's Demon Purge

05:45 Castlevania has long been dormant in the gaming space outside of guest appearances.

05:49 To fill the void is GalGuardian's Demon Purge, a spin-off of the Ultra Weeby Gal Gun

05:55 games.

05:56 Shinobu and Maya find their school has been replaced with an eerie castle.

06:00 With Shinobu specializing in ranged combat and Maya in melee, you'll need to switch

06:04 between both girls and utilize their strengths to make it out of the castle alive.

06:15 If you have a buddy, you can play through the entire game together with one player as

06:19 Shinobu and the other as Maya.

06:21 Their unique abilities make for a thrilling action platformer, and you might find the

06:24 game is just as hard, if not harder, than the Castlevania games.

06:35 Cocoon

06:43 Cocoon is one of the most mind-bending games we've played in the last several years.

06:48 Directed by Jeppe Carlsen, lead designer behind Limbo and Inside who left Playdead back in

06:53 2016, Cocoon sees you controlling a bug-like alien carrying microworlds encased in orbs

06:59 and transporting them across different areas.

07:02 You'll find an assortment of puzzles both within the environment and in the form of

07:05 the occasional boss battle.

07:09 It's scary, it's strange, and it's kind of insane.

07:18 Carlsen and his team at Geometric Interactive have raised the bar in level design and in

07:22 how puzzle games should be approached moving forward.

07:33 Pizza Tower

07:41 Pizza Tower is the weirdest game on our list here, and we mean that in the most respectable

07:45 light possible.

07:47 Control crazed chef Pepino's spaghetti through a multitude of levels to recover his missing

07:51 ingredients and knock out the pillars that hold up the evil Pizza Face's castle.

08:03 Here's the catch though, as soon as you destroy a pillar in a level, the whole place will

08:08 begin to collapse, forcing you to unleash your inner speedrunner and race back to the

08:13 entrance before the time runs out.

08:15 Easier said than done.

08:16 And here's another catch, the level will block off areas you've been to before.

08:21 Yes, it is a far more intense and far more difficult Wario Land, and its hilarious animations

08:27 and jamming music are worth your time and money.

08:30 Trust me, this is my personal game of the year right here.

08:42 Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

08:52 For a time, it seemed like this was never going to come out, but it did, and damn it,

08:58 the wait was absolutely worth it.

09:01 In addition to an excellent story with some humor and attitude behind it, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

09:06 excels at its stunt and traversal mechanics.

09:17 Each area you'll come across is just begging you to find the ultimate chain of grinds,

09:22 flips, spins, wall rides, and graffiti art, and it all handles beautifully.

09:28 Even the combat is fun to toy around with in the few instances you'll need to use it.

09:32 And you want to know the coolest part?

09:34 Developer Team Reptile pulled various composers together to create songs for the soundtrack,

09:40 including Hideki Naganuma, the composer of the Jet Set Radio games.

09:45 And they all, every piece of music in this game, SLAPS.

09:50 Like, all caps, SLAPS.

10:00 Sea of Stars

10:08 From Sabotage Studio, the studio behind the 2018 action platformer The Messenger, comes

10:13 an RPG that is sure to please any type of player.

10:17 Sea of Stars follows two friends as they fulfill their roles as Solstice Warriors, beings who

10:22 can use the powers of the sun and moon to extinguish evil from the land.

10:27 What follows is a game that manages to incorporate a basic yet deep combat system inspired by

10:33 Super Mario RPG, while telling a beautiful story about friendship and loneliness.

10:45 And if you have never played an RPG before, but want to get into the genre, this is an

10:49 excellent title to start out with.

10:51 And if you're simply looking for a new experience, it's still an excellent title to pick up.

10:56 The music, animation, combat, everything is simply superb here.

11:02 Sabotage, be proud of yourselves.

11:12 Before we end, a special shoutout to a couple of games that we couldn't squeeze in here.

11:16 The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood for its unique story and premise centered around tarot cards,

11:21 and Pizza Possum for its hilarious and arcadey approach to stealth-based gameplay.

11:26 But let's hear it from you.

11:27 What's the best indie game you played this year?

11:30 Did it make our list?

11:31 Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great

11:35 videos every day.

11:51 Cheers!

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