jobibu's portal

what counts as indie for me

1. small studio
2. game that took YEARS to come out
3. smaller project from a huge name (like a b project)

i expanded the definition of indie games quite a bit here but i truly believe that indie games, to me, are the efforts of blood, sweat, and creative hunger. not saying aaa games are not but to get games out of a hell-hole of development or approval (you may be surprised on how bullshit it gets), it takes a lot of passion that had to burn slowly not knowing if the game would be developed or even come out. you can see and feel the love from these games. another term i would call these are passion projects. all in the spirit of what makes games great. precisely the nature of indie games

favs

shovel knight

to commemorate this game, i attached the origins of this game above: its kickstarter campaign back in 2013 that started a fuckin 12 year period of remaking the game over and over.

ok the additional contents are pretty fuckin dope. furthermore, they are all put together into one single game. shovel knight: the treasure trove.

i don't have much to say here because i plan to make a blog post on this game. even more, pin it on the front of this blogsite.

dragon quest 8

not exactly an indie game but man is this franchise barely noticed in the western world. if anything, dragon quest was so popular that people ditched work, school, and necessary shit on a weekday when dq3 came out. it caused japan to make it mandatory to not release "huge" games on a weekday (maybe an urban myth but it has a nice sound to it).

dq8 - journey of the cursed king. specifically the ps2. i'll never forget this game. something about it was more innocent than final fantasy (its franchise counterpart) but more emotional gripping? this has the usual dragon quest monsters and slime. the characters all have akira toriyama (dragon ball's creator)'s art-style. and the music is the usual fantasy classical-like instrumental sounds you would imagine from lord of the rings or any other stereotypical fantasy material.

but idk, it's like getting a cake that was perfectly made from all aspect. was it revolutionary? no. was there anything ok about it? no to this too. everything in this game is great and nothing less.

i could write a blog but probably should keep it here alas a game you can't really get on the modern game store anymore. what do i mean by that? ps2 graphics and for some reason, only the ps2 version of dq8 has a full-on orchestral soundtrack within the gameplay. the other versions come with MIDI sound so maybe that's why i never touched dq8 outside of either the ps2 or emulator of the ps2.

night in the woods

didn't realize but this game came from a kickstarter.

i digress though. most people talk about how a plot can carry a game. i agree however most of those games have pretty engaging gameplay. the last of us, persona, and other story-heavy games -- all have unique mechanics and interactions that keeps the player engaged until the plot kicks in. or the plot kicks the fuck from the beginning with the gameplay supporting it (i'll never forget uncharted 2's opening with nathan dark climbing up a hanging train in the himalyas').

night in the woods, however, have pretty basic and ordinary gameplay. in fact, you have no idea what is going on and you're just clicking around to move the main character around. but oh boi does the story get so engaging. it's a sense of mystery that intoxicates you from the beginning with a story that shockingly provides relatable situations with real-life.

the game centers around mae who is coming back to her shire as a college dropout for who knows what and why. for some fuckin reason, some bullshit (almost supernatural) starts popping up around her and through these, you get a glimpse into not only why she dropped out of college, but her psyche and relationships with friends and family and town folks. the thing is, nothing is the same.

honestly, the story hits pretty hard for a game with a cute town with cute animal residents. it reminds me of the old fables that involve animal characters with a wholesome story but very deep meanings.

honorable mentions (i love these games but no long rants)

katana zero

played this during covid and on bars. tried it and pulled an all nighter to finish the story. pixel, cyberpunk, and weirdly nostalgically violent? i don't murder for a living but the game makes it feel unusually familiar. like a deja vu experience.

moonring

tried the game out because it was free. from the co-creator of fable, it's based on ultimate, a legendary and archaic rpg. simple dungeon-like game but huge. and the environment/mechanics really help. the dungeon aesthetic encapsulates everything in this game like a shroud of apocalyptic darkness with a protagnist that starts off pathetically bare-boned. it reminds me of dark souls but something here makes it feel much more of a classic fantasy game that i can work with. highly recommend for a different gaming experience.

balatro

a game disguised as a cheater version of poker that made me believe in the future of gaming outside of unreal engine 5.

boardgames?

i believe board games count as indie here?

alot of iconic video games take inspiration from card or board game mechanics such as:

• balatro
• slay the spire
• roots (really good game btw)

so i'm going to leave this section for when i start getting into physical games. dnd and warhammer should be here but i'm relaying warhammer in the figurine crockpot

i really like roots which is originally a boardgame but i highly recommend the steam version. plus the steam version is 25% of the boardgame's price.

games i love forward to playing

baldur's gate 3

legendary franchise. i loved the previous 2 games but it did take a decade for this game to come out so i count it as an indie. and while i hear so much about how comprehensively dense this game is, my current hardware can't handle it

ghost trick: phantom detective

this game is a cult classic. you would think that phoenix wright or layton is the top dog of the detective-mystery genre, but i keep hearing how this is the actual king. thank god that japan has decided to port its games to pc

celeste

i love metroidvanias. maybe a bit too much. celeste is a cult classic so got to check it out.

franken

free game that is modernization of old-school ff rpgs with its own pixel art. this should be type priority to try out since i love dragon quest and final fantasy

hyperstar run

now this is an interesting one. a solo board game that you can fit in a wallet. what the actual fuck? i know there are alot of solo games like sudoku, crossword, or solitaire. but a modern physical game that you play alone? it shouldn't be that weird but i guess i have trouble translating my mindset playing balatro (the most similar to this) to a physical form. again, there has to be a reason why it's good. it's the eighth game from the Simply Solo franchise and on kickstarter, it's raised (01.12.2025) $43k of a $2k goal. niche but clearly targeting the right audience. i'll check it out cuz its:

• $12
• small and compact
• gotta be open-minded.

ok, non-indie games

league of legends: wild rift

i have to. i've been off of league for 5 years? takes too long, toxic chat, and a hard game to get rust off.

on the otherhand, wild rift being the mobile version, is:

• 15-25 min so not too long but short enough for a quick break
• on my phone so easy to get on
• too hard to write out curses at trash roommates

the nature of the game being mobile makes it so much more casual? and i don't think i've ever legitimately raged.

highly addictive but would recommend if anyone is recovering from league but misses the game more than the tv show

pokemon: trading card game (tcg)

not too addicted yet but the game replicates the card game beyond just playing the game.

when you chose a pack to open, there is a whole sequence where you:

• rip the pack
• shuffle through the cards
• and put them in your deckbook

plus the more rare the cards are, the shinier they glimmer which is a nice touch.

i really love pokemon and never got into the physical card game but this is a easy segway into so. however, it does operate like a gacha game so beware.