22 Heavily Anticipated Indies of 2022
The indie scene has been on a feverish roll with outstanding titles year after year. 2022 is on deck to be no different. While last year was widely considered to be “the year of indies” in the shadow left by big budget production delays, 2022 is shaping up to be one of the strongest years for indies in recent memory. Highly anticipated heavy hitters are set to roll out, as well as numerous projects with innovations in artistic vision, unique twists on gameplay, and outstanding narrative premises. Not to mention surprises we don’t know about, plus the wildly exciting itch.io community dropping the industry’s most unique projects on a seemingly daily basis. Discoverability will be quite the challenge for all levels of indie throughout the year, but it’s a thrilling time for unparalleled experiences in gaming to say the least.
It’s nearly impossible to compile a short list of what I’m looking forward to the most this year. Days were spent on cutting the list down from around 75+ games, while endlessly interchanging and swapping picks caused consistent delays in the process. It’s a fantastic problem to have, and only made my excitement for this year purely blissful.
Without further adieu, here are the 22 indie projects I’m looking forward to the most throughout 2022.
9 Years of Shadows
Halberd Studios | Freedom Games
The metroidvania genre is set to have a pretty phenomenal year. Halberd Studios’ debut not only caught my eye with its remarkable visuals, but with its utilization of music as well. The score for 9 Years of Shadows is tuned to 432Hz, known as the healing frequency, proven to reduce anxiety and lower heart rates, as well as promote mental clarity. While fascinating on its own, the score is intrinsically tied to the game’s core narrative and themes of restoration. It also helps that the score is being composed by three masterful musicians; Michiru Yamane (Castlevania), Manami Matsumae (Mega Man), and Norihiko Hibino (Metal Gear Solid). As an audio engineer by trade, the concept is alluring.
AfterLove EP
Pikselnesia | Fellow Traveller
With an emotionally resonant resume including titles such as What Comes After and Coffee Talk, writer Mohd Fahmi and the team at Pikselnesia have firmly set their place as one of the strongest narrative focused forces in the industry; particularly ones with profound heart. AfterLove EP looks to continue the trend of utter heartbreak as we follow a musician dealing with the recent death of his girlfriend. Blending a gut-wrenching narrative adventure with rhythm mechanics securely lands Pikselnesia’s latest high on the list.
Bear & Breakfast
Gummy Cat Studio | Armor Games Studios
Management sims are a dime a dozen, but occasionally we get a game that puts a unique twist on the genre to help it stand out from the crowd. On the surface, the prominent twist here is that you play as a bear. But behind building your picturesque B&B for the hungry and tired tourists lies something hiding in the woods. Building and crafting with Sims-like mechanics looks like a blast, but the potential underlying mystery here is what makes Gummy Cat’s debut so exciting.
Card Shark
Nerial | Devolver Digital
Once in a blue upon seeing a game, I find myself in disbelief when realizing a particular twist or concept hasn’t been tackled before. That was my initial reaction with Card Shark. Nerial takes (18th Century) card games and places a simple tactic for success in the forefront: cheating. There is much under wraps regarding the narrative, only that we’ll need to master methods of deception to climb the ranks and uncover a conspiracy. But knowing Nerial’s pedigree with the darling Reigns series, it’s safe to say it will be one engaging ride.
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
Toge Productions | Chorus Worldwide
The original Coffee Talk struck brilliance with such a simple theme: listening. There is no fail state, nor any wrong answers. The task is to simply listen to your customers’ every day problems. Even while set in an alternative fantasy Seattle filled with mythical creatures, the game tackles real world issues with brutal honesty. Paired with remarkably fleshed out characters, the interactions and stories are unforgettable. Episode Two promises new characters, new stories, and new music, which all sounds wonderful. While Mohd Fahmi appears to not be involved, I’m still quite eager to kick off my next shift at Coffee Talk.
Cult of The Lamb
Massive Monster | Devolver Digital
Horror can be at its strongest when the creators behind the craft have fun with the genre. With what’s best described as Animal Crossing: Charlie’s Island, Massive Monster clearly agrees with this notion. Cult of The Lamb takes the best of two wildly different worlds; management sim and dungeon crawling. The addition of procedurally generated dungeons and horrifically imaginative boss encounters with management sim makes for an appealing pairing. And if Adventure Pals is anything to go by, the more action-packed segments will surely be one hell of a time.
Ex-Zodiac
Ben Hickling | Pixeljam
With Nintendo seemingly shelving the Star Fox franchise for the foreseeable future, Ben Hickling is crafting a personal dream of mine. Ex-Zodiac is not another attempt at an inspired take on the on-rails space epic; it’s straight up Star Fox in everything but name, characters, and lore. To simply put, Ex-Zodiac feels phenomenal. Star Fox 64 is my favorite game of all time, and finding that specific feel replicated with care is uncommon to put lightly. Judging by my hands-on time with the preview builds alone, it’s safe to say Ex-Zodiac will be in my game of the year conversation come December.
Frank and Drake
Appnormals Team | Chorus Worldwide
Classic monster icons such as Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster are timeless. Envisioned endlessly as nightmarish creatures wreaking havoc on humanity, Appnormals has a new vision for the two. Setting the two icons as roommates in a modern gothic narrative, Frank and Drake is described as a turn-based dual narrative adventure. It’s a fresh take we have yet to see on such classic figures in pop culture. Along with the dual narrative approach brilliantly built into each of the characters’ core characteristics, the commitment to rotoscoping the entire project is astonishing; a process that is extraordinarily tedious in film, let alone gaming. Appnormals Team surely has something special on their hands.
Goodbye Volcano High
KO-OP
Reliving high school's trivial trials and tribulations through games is always cathartic. It’s easy to find ourselves within well-crafted characters and fall into role-playing as a more informed version of our past selves. KO-OP takes the high school cliche into a modern-prehistoric era, where post-grad life is a bit more dire and time to proclaim your love to your crush is quickly running out. Goodbye Volcano High is another shining example of a developer taking a known concept and flipping it on its head. And judging by the tone of its reveal, it looks to be another successful heartbreaker.
The Last Faith
Kumi Souls Games
Taking a massive leap forward from their mobile debut, Kumi Souls Games is crafting one of the most outstanding examples of modern pixel art. Between smooth parallax scrolling, detailed character design, and finely-tuned animations, The Last Faith is a staggeringly beautiful gothic metroidvania. The personal kicker for me, of course, is a 2D Souls-like inspired combat system akin to titles such as Blasphemous or Salt and Sanctuary. Tone, gameplay, and presentation; Kumi Souls Games appears to be ticking all of the right boxes.
Loot River
straka.studio | Superhot Presents
The folks at straka.studio are no strangers to intuitive puzzle mechanics with their Euclidean series on mobile. With their upcoming dungeon-crawling action-roguelike, the innovation only appears to be taken further. Loot River takes fast paced action and pairs it with Tetris-like puzzles. The initial reveal blew our team away as the puzzle solutions were not only the guide to find new paths, but to leave the swarm of heartless-esque enemies stranded on an isolated island. Each year holds a roguelike to keep your eyes on, and for 2022, its Loot River.
Nobody Saves The World
Drinkbox Studios
Personally thought of as one of the most underrated studios in the industry, Drinkbox Games consistently looks at a genre and crafts their own unique vision of it inside each of their projects. For Nobody Saves The World, that’s the action RPG genre. Delivering a dungeon-crawling RPG with essentially over a dozen playable characters in the shape of forms - all with their own mechanics, upgrade paths, and multiplayer pairings - sounds ambitious. But what Drinkbox tends to knock out of the park with the utmost precision is their unmatched ambition.
OlliOlli World
Roll7 | Private Division
With the third entry of their phenomenal indie skateboarding franchise, Roll7 is looking to set a new standard for the 2D arcade skater moving forward. Overlooked by wider audiences, OlliOlli and its sequel were pixel-precision takes on the THPS formula. Admittedly difficult, but it is engaging, addictive, and downright fun. World appears to be a complete refinement with an overhauled vibrant art direction, an emphasis on platforming through multiple paths and planes, and a focus on narrative. At the end of the day, skating games all come down to the feel. But given the history of the franchise, I don’t see that being an issue for Roll7.
Once Upon a Jester
Bonte Avond
Bonte Avond is a small studio composed of four musicians crafting short, heartfelt narrative experiences in a vision that is unlike any other. What I adore most about Bonte Avond are the imperfections; laughter through dialog, absurd performances, sometimes chaotic design. The characters and stories are brought to life through the imperfection in such a delightfully unforgettable fashion. Following two best friends - a Jester and a sock puppet - with their hearts set on starting a stage show, the team’s upcoming musical adventure appears to be no exception.
The Pixel Pulp Trilogy
LCB Game Studio | Chorus Worldwide
Admittedly, I’m cheating a bit by including three titles under one roof. As EIC of this company, I can break rules. Mothmen 1966, Varney Lake, Bahnsen Knights are upcoming Pixel Pulps titles. Pixel Pulps are defined by LCB Game Studio as visual novels featuring a fusion of exceptional writing and stunning illustration. Aside from slight teases, we don’t know much regarding Varney Lake nor Bahnsen Knights yet. But earlier last year, I was able to go hands on with Mothmen 1966. The game features horror built into gameplay mechanics in simplistic fashion. Uncommon in visual novels, and thrilling to say the least. If this is any indication for Pixel Pulps as a whole, what LCB has built thus far feels as if it is a brand new direction of what interactive horror can be.
Pupperazzi
Sundae Month | Kitfox Games
For most of us, the adoration for photo-centric games can be traced back to Pokemon Snap. With the series seemingly dormant for so long up until last year, we’ve seen many indies take matters into their own hands with titles such as Umurangi Generation, Beasts of Maravilla Island, and Penko Park. Sundae Moth is on deck with their take on the genre; taking photos of good pups. It’s human nature, so why not gamify it? If I may put it more plainly: Pupperazzi is the precise game a covid-broken world needs to kick off 2022 with.
Skate Story
Sam Eng
Sam Eng’s dazzling skateboarding adventure is simply captivating. Comparable to a dark, glistening take on Smash 64’s fighting polygon team, Skate Story’s visual language is what initially drew my attention. It is something unlike anything else in the genre. But what’s truly alluring is the narrative influences. Speaking with Sam during my hand-on time at PAX East 2020, he described Skate Story as his take on the story of Orpheus. In Greek mythology, Orpheus descended into the underworld to recover his lost wife Eurydice. The interpretation of Orpheus paired with striking visuals and a fantastic mechanical feel (think EA’s skate.) has secured Skate Story a place at the top of my list.
Somerville
JUMPSHIP
With a pedigree that includes Limbo and Inside, the anticipation for JUMPSHIP’s debut is electrifying to say the least. Somerville follows a family desperate to make it through a sci-fi catastrophe. The War of The Worlds-like narrative and scale paired with gameplay that is presumed to be akin to Playdead primes Somerville to be one of the year’s most enthralling experiences. Of course, it’s a brand new team with many unknowns. But under the guidance of ex-Playdead CEO and co-founder Dino Patti, it's difficult to not be excited.
Thirsty Suitors
Outerloop Games | Annapurna Interactive
What I admire most about the indie scene is variation despite genre. Thirsty Suitors is the third skateboarding-adjacent title on this list, but is vastly unique with its own incredible voice. Fluid skating, invigorating cooking segments, and an action-packed turn based battle-system fuel Jala’s adventure centered around her culture, family pressure, and self-expression. Outerloop strives to deliver experiences centered around underrepresented cultures; something that is critically necessary in our industry. While the gameplay looks remarkable, my anticipation lies in completely engulfing myself with Jala’s story, getting to know her family, and learning more about a culture I don’t have much first-hand insight on.
Tunic
Andrew Shouldice | Finji
During E3 2017, a tiny little fox swept us off our feet with a gorgeous reveal depicting a grand adventure in a colorful, dream-like dioramic world. Since the initial announcement, Tunic has lived in this realm of astronomically anticipated indies such as Hollow Knight: Silksong. But as of December, the light at the end of the tunnel is finally in sight. On the surface, Tunic is a Zelda-like. But what surprised me the most during my initial hands-on time at PAX East 2020 was the heavy Souls inspiration in its combat and design. The blend of the two genres has me eager to dive even deeper once March rolls around.
Victory Heat Rally
Skydevilpalm | Playtonic Friends
Victory Heat Rally is a love letter to the glory days of retro arcade racers. The sensation of sitting in a plastic racing seat is faithfully brought from the arcade to our homes with vivid splashes of pixelated color rushing through the screen. The execution in exhilarating moment-to-moment gameplay is an utter blast, guaranteeing the phrase “one more race” being said aloud over and over again.
Wrestling With Emotions: New Kid On The Block
Team Lazerbeam
The South African based game development punk band may very well be my favorite studio at the moment. Team Lazerbeam excels at tight narrative experiences with thoughtful writing, delivering a brilliant balance of humor, absurdity, and heart. The sequel to Wrestling With Emotions is no different. The dating sim (of sorts) aims to find your perfect match in a cast of wildly loving and imaginative wrestlers. It’s a concept only Team Lazerbeam can conjure. Directly knowing how much passion Ben and the team are devoting to this project, New Kid On The Block is set to be another impactful and memorable Team Lazerbeam jam.
As I mentioned at the start, compiling this list was nearly impossible. Hollow Knight: Silksong, Spirit Swap, Moss Book II, Sports Story, A Memoir Blue, She Dreams Elsewhere, Soundfall, Neon White, TMNT, Sifu, Planet of Lana, Haunted Chocolatier; the list is sincerely endless. While I couldn’t touch on every single game within this piece, there will be plenty to discuss on the Six One Indiecast, share on Twitch and YouTube, and write about right here.
What indie projects are you anticipating the most this year? Join our Discord to discuss 2022 with our incredible community, and let us know on Twitter!
Written by Mike Towndrow