The Pidgies: Celebrating Indies In 2021
With yet another year under the shadow of the pandemic, 2021 has been considered by most to be “the year of indies”. While the scene has been thriving for years, it is true that the spotlight was a bit more focused due to production delays on many heavy hitters. And with that focus, the indie scene truly shined with a year packed with outstanding titles on a near-weekly basis.
First parties put significantly more energy in a few key titles by small teams with games such as Kena: Bridge of Spirits and The Gunk. We’ve seen two of the scenes larger publishers in Annapurna Interactive and Devolver Digital have their best years yet. Indies completely took over E3 and Summer Game Fest with countless remarkable showings.
As the sun sets on the year, we want to take a moment to recognize the indie scene with our annual celebration: The Pidgies. Each member of Six One Indie has selected five indie titles that have spoken to them throughout the year. Below, you’ll find a short blurb from each individual highlighting their personal pick for their Game of The Year. On our final Six One Indiecast of 2021, we remotely gather around the mics for an in depth discussion on our five selections, as well as recognizing indies that have missed the cut and ones we didn’t get the chance to play ourselves yet. The three and a half hour episode is now live on all major podcast services.
Without further adieu, let’s celebrate a fantastic year of indie gaming.
Mike Towndrow
Inscryption
Daniels Mullins Games
Inscryption is a ‘once in a blue’ type of game. It’s something quite special that we don’t see all too often; particularly one that sweeps a niche within the community by storm with its unspoken mystery.
On the surface, Inscyption is a fantastic and engaging card game with a beautifully dreadful atmosphere. But as you begin to see a bit of movement behind the curtain, the intrigues of what lies beneath becomes painstaking with anticipation and inquiry. And once that curtain catches fire towards the tail-end, it’s burnt to the ground only accompanied by your jaw in pure astonishment.
Inventive and brilliant gameplay design. Striking artistic vision throughout. Narratively astonishing and downright outstanding. There’s not much that can be said without spoiling the experience except for one simple notion:
What Daniel Mullins has achieved with Inscryption is nothing short of masterful.
Celebrated Selections
Kyle Stephenson
Emily Is Away <3
Kyle Seeley
I’ve never been ashamed to cry over a video game. It’s a reason we champion “sad boy” games so hard here at Six One Indie. With this in mind, my pick for game of the year is undeniable. It goes to a game that not only made me cry, but one that made me laugh, reminisce, fall in love, and broke my heart to where I had to pick up the pieces. That game is Emily Is Away <3 by Kyle Seeley.
In this third installment of the immersive narrative series, we are once again put into the shoes of a high schooler attempting to work out what to do in life while falling in love. Unlike the first two entries in the series where Kyle used AOL Instant Messenger as the method of storytelling, we are transported back to the start of Facebook (or ‘Facenook’). Where this game excels is in its ability to make the player feel like they are back in high school; poking our friends, checking out Tay Zonday’s Chocolate Rain on YouTube as well as lyrical videos based around your favorite band in HS, using the messenger feature to talk to your friends and eventually your romantic partner of choice.
The end impacted me so heavily with how much I can relate to this fictional Kyle. Matt truly felt like a friend I’ve known forever, and I fell so hard with Emily as we bonded over music and teasing each other about our Mario Kart skills. I’m truly in awe of Kyle’s ability to “Ready Player One” the person behind the keyboard by truly sucking them into the narrative and ultimately crushing them. If a fourth entry ever comes around, I will pick up the pieces and do it all over again.
Celebrated Selections
Austin Ernst
Mundaun
Hidden Fields
This year, the game that wowed and surprised me the most was undoubtedly Hidden Fields' Mundaun.
Going in I knew the hand drawn artistic style would be a major selling point, but the more I played, the more I realized it was so much more than that. The horror elements not only worked and successfully had me feeling uneasy, but they utilized the hand drawn art to the fullest. The gameplay and combat is deliberately paced and simplistic to feed into the mystery of it's many environments and inhabitants you come across. The puzzles are engaging and fun thanks to the overarching subtle yet eerie narrative being weaved over top of it all. It simply all compliments each other and delivers one heck of a complete package worth every penny.
Celebrated Selections
Justin Hyde
Moonglow Bay
Bunnyhug
A lot can happen in a year and a half; even more so when you consider how much fundamentally changed when we entered this pandemic. Between the stresses of the pandemic and personal life, Bunnyhug released the gift that is Moonglow Bay.
This delightful adventure was an escape from what felt like an oppressive and mentally destructive day to day cycle. A charming art style, a heartfelt story about overcoming loss and new beginnings, a fun and engaging gameplay loop, and an absolutely stellar soundtrack all transported me to the coastal Canadian town effortlessly. I found peace in sailing the numerous biomes and discovering new species to fill the aquarium with, a sense of satisfaction playing the cooking mini games to learn new recipes, and a genuine interest in helping out and getting to know the townsfolk of Moonglow. Moonglow Bay doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch of the imagination, but what it does succeed in doing is creating what I would describe as a lofi adventure; super chill vibes 24/7 while still maintaining the fundamental feelings and beats attributed to an adventure RPG.
Celebrated Selections
Kelsey Lynn Towndrow
Unpacking
Witch Beam
On the surface, Unpacking speaks to my nature to organize spaces to complete satisfaction. While Witch Beam achieves this brilliantly, this game is so much more than a simple unpacking simulator.
I did not expect to be told a touching story here, especially an unspoken one purely through the environmental story-telling. There is beauty in how simple the story of ones life can be told through personal objects. Not only that, but one of a character I can see myself in through a multitude of way. Unpacking is surely an experience that will stay with me for years to come.
Celebrated Selections
Harry Loizides
Inscryption
Daniel Mullins Games
Coming in hot with one of the last games I played this year, Inscryption absolutely overtook every indie game that I’ve enjoyed this year to be my indie game of the year.
The central gameplay loop in the deck-building continuously builds on itself, making each run slightly different, but without losing any momentum. Eventually, you’re able to figure out new gameplay mechanics on the fly and utilize all the abilities with ease. The story expands into a fleshed out masterpiece, weaving everything you’ve seen and done into the framework of the game - continuously keeping you on your toes while you try to piece everything together. If you’re a fan of card games, this is a must play. It’s been days since I’ve completed the game and it still sits with me on how they pulled this off. Plus, if you play it, we can talk about it.
Celebrated Selections
Matthew Wright
Umurangi Generation Special Edition
ORIGAME DIGITAL
I wish I could say this was a no contest, but even within the limited true-indie games I played this year, there was definite competition for this spot. At the end of the day though, if you throw a low-res grunge 3D game with a soundtrack and atmosphere (initially) reminiscent of Jet Set Radio at me, I’m going to do everything I can to catch it.
Umurangi Generation originally released last year on PC unbeknownst to me, and when I previewed it this spring during LudaNarraCon, I absolutely fell in love with it. Fast forward a couple months and it was released on Switch. I had to play it there. I’m not the biggest fan of motion controls, but when your game is literally taking photos: yes please. Everything from the soundtrack, the visuals, and the environmental storytelling suck you into its world. It tells a great, deep story worth experiencing for yourself. Go play Umurangi Generation, seriously.
Celebrated Selections
Jacob Palmer
Boyfriend Dungeon
Kitfox Games
The moment I saw Boyfriend Dungeon, I knew I was going to fall in love with this game. Kitfox Games delivered a wonderful story that had me hooked from start to finish. Wielding different weapons as you plunder the dungeons while romancing them? Hell yes! Each character had unique backstories that I wanted to delve deeper into. The world’s aesthetic is gorgeous, but the true beauty lies within the characters. Anime-esque character introductions are jaw-dropping. Not only due to the beautiful animation, but also because everyone is stupid hot. Seriously. It's unfair how hot everyone is.
Boyfriend Dungeon is not without its flaws. But even said those flaws, I loved most of the characters, and the dungeon-crawling is addictive and engaging. I'm already thirsting for a sequel to plunge my sword into. Sorry, not sorry.
Celebrated Selections
Lily Zaldivar
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Snoozy Kazoo
My GOTY is Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion. Out of the many games that came out this year, this game has made me laugh more times than I expected. Every NPC character has something funny to say and in brief moments, the actions you commit in game the NPCs will respond to it in a snarky and sarcastic way.
The gameplay is simple, but the story is complex. Over time, this adorable game hides a crazy dark twist. I highly recommend this game for people who love games such as Bugsnax and Cuphead.
Community Picks
Lost Words: Beyond The Page left me a mess and is one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had. Cathartic, heavy, and has stayed with me ever since I played it.
@burnout_matt
Unsighted is a snappy metroidvania with good music.
@LEVST3R
Loop Hero stole the show for me. Everything about that game brought me so much joy and need to play more. I also got so excited over the game I bought multiple gift copies for friends so they could experience it themselves!
@Zuraniix
Lost in Random was a fun surprise. Set in a world that looks and feels like it was ripped from the mind of Tim Burton. It’s full of characters that help to flesh out its story. Also, it’s deck building combat system never gets old.
@trevailian
Art Of Rally! Took the complex world of rally racing & made it fun/accessible. It’s beautiful. The camera angle makes for some really cool shots of cars rushing across all sorts of pretty vistas.
@contiFM
Unpacking was so damn good. If you aren't paying attention it's just a satisfying organizing game. But if you are, it's the best Story of a Bisexual Women I've ever seen.
@kikyo1506
Thank you to our community for your enthusiasm surrounding the indie scene, sharing your stories of how independently created experiences have impacted you, and directly supporting the art.
Thank you to our PR partners for your tireless work in sharing our passion of amplifying voices of independent creators of all shapes, colors, backgrounds, and sizes. Without you, we wouldn’t be here.
Thank you to everyone who made Play NYC, PAX West, and PAX Unplugged happen. We have a long road still ahead of us, but regaining a sense of normalcy in a safe fashion was nothing short of phenomenal. To PAX in particular, thank you for giving us a stage to connect with hundreds of fellow community members throughout both events.
And finally, thank you to the developers behind the games. We cannot properly express our love and gratitude for the countless remarkable experiences you’ve given us throughout the years. As the world continues to look a bit dark, you help keep us hopeful and inspired.
2021 was a big year for Six One Indie. While still small, we’re at a place I did not imagine we would reach in such a short period of time. Thank you all so much for believing in and supporting us. We’re excited to see what 2022 holds and to take that journey with you.
We love you. Stay safe.
- Mike, Kelsey, Kyle, Jake, Matthew, Harry, Austin, Justin, Lily | Six One Indie