Top Picks – 10 Favourite Indie Games of 2023

“It is deeply satisfying to win a prize in front of a lot of people.” – E.B. White

Top Picks from 2023

The whole writing team, Rachael, David and Tamaster, choose their 10 top picks from the 2023 indie releases they have reviewed this year!

Rachael’s Top Picks 2023

Dordogne

Dordogne is a stunning narrative adventure in which players can explore beautiful landscapes and revisit childhood memories in order to uncover elusive family secrets!

Full review available here.

Vlad Circus: Descent into Madness

Vlad Circus: Descend into Madness is a point-and-click-style survival horror puzzle game that tells a chilling story of a former clown being reunited with his old circus colleagues and friends.

Full review available here.

Poems and Codes

Poems and Codes is a new poetry-themed word-based puzzle game from the developers of the literary-themed Prose and Codes. Both games were created in support of Project Gutenberg, an online library of over 60,000 free ebooks to which 10% of all sales are donated. Players can decode their way through a series of excerpts from a vast selection of poems spanning multiple themes and subjects.

Full review available here.

A Space for the Unbound

A Space for the Unbound is a coming-of-age adventure game following two high school sweethearts, Atma and Raya, as they embark on a journey of self-discovery and face the end of the world! Players get to explore 90’s Indonesia, discover secrets, meet the townsfolk, use mysterious supernatural powers and pet a lot of cats!

Full review available here.

Smushi Come Home

Smushi Come Home is a delightful platforming adventure starring Smushi, a lost little mushroom trying to find his way home. Players can explore, meet friendly characters, and complete different tasks and challenges in a bid to get home to Smushi’s siblings!

Full review available here.

Hello Goodboy

Hello Goodboy is a wholesome, non-linear adventure game about a lost soul and a dog who must embark on an exciting trek through the afterlife together. There they must perform acts of kindness, repair things and help others in order to mend the mistakes of a forgotten past life.

Full review available here.

Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly is a stand-alone sequel to 2020’s Coffee Talk, players can jump straight into this new game but those who have played the first instalment will recognise some familiar faces in the café!

Full review available here.

David’s Top Picks 2023

Hug Survivor

Hug Survivor is a horizontal shoot-em-up with a bit of a twist. Instead of directly shooting the evil birds, Walnut brings her friends Kurumi and Pepoka to do all the work for her! However, Walnut’s pals get demotivated very easily – that’s when she comes in to hug them! The real question is, how will you, as Walnut, motivate them and avoid dying at the same time?

Full review available here.

Tamaster’s Top Picks 2023

Turbo Overkill

Turbo Overkill puts you in the cybernetic shoes of the titular Johnny Turbo, your not-so-everyday space merc who gets tangled into a struggle for controlling a powerful AI called SYN. Things do get out of hand really fast, and Johnny, willing or otherwise, will have to save the planet (and perhaps the galaxy as a whole) to ensure his own survival.

Full review available here.

Apocalyptic Vibes

The current generation may ask themselves how they went from space-faring civilization, following the premature end of WW1 and miraculous breakthroughs, to desperate denizens of a post-atomic wasteland. Humanity’s intrinsic knack for self-destruction, of course! That’s Apocalyptic Vibes’ opening premise, introducing a bleak, grey-scaled wasteland populated by nomadic tribes, bandits and vagrants that, even after all the destruction, still have the will to fight for whatever miserable scraps are left. As an elite courier, dubbed ‘Rook’, you’ll be tasked to recover and bring an item to an undisclosed location in the far north, with all the risks involved – then come back alive, because Rooks -always- come back, after all.

Full review available here.

Summary

There were so many great games released during 2023 that picking just ten was a tough challenge. Our honourable mentions include Mail Time, Hidden Through Time: Myths and Magic, and Underground Blossom. We can’t wait to see what all these indie developers have in store for us next and we’re excited about all the games 2024 promises to bring!

You can check out our top picks from previous years below:
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019