Five Indie Games to Watch in 2023

Silksong is one of the most anticipated games of 2023 for a large chunk of gamers, but since I already included it on my Most Anticipated list of 2022, it won’t bother including for this years list. Even though Microsoft confirmed that all games shown at their Summer Showcase would be due out by June, there is no guarantee that it might get delayed even farther.

Other titles that also won’t be eligible include Little Devil Inside, as we included it last year along with Replaced. Although, it’s very worth mentioning that replaced looks extra cool in the cyberpunkish dystopia set in alternate version of the 1980’s. Sadly, Sad Cat Studios was mostly located in Belarus and had to relocate due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. We recently were treated to an extended gameplay trailer at The Game Awards and the game continues to impress.

The other thing that will make this list slightly different from the rest is that we won’t be including any premium games and will instead focus on indie titles that deserve a little more attention. This means games like Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, Diablo 4, Starfield and RE4 Remake won’t be included either. Although, most of the games that we are most excited about in 2023 are Indies anyway.

Having said all of that, here are our five “Most Anticipated Games of 2023”, (that just happen to be indie)

Cocoon

What if you combined the Legend of Zelda with Portal and added in the lead gameplay designer from both Limbo and Inside? You would have Cocoon from Geometric Interactive. First revealed at Xbox Summer Showcase 2022, Cocoon looks to be an adventure game with puzzles that bend your thinking as you pass between dimensions.

Cocoon is being developed by the lead gameplay designer from playdead’s two, critically acclaimed games, which is exciting. Outside of the trailer, there is very minimal information on the title. There are no interviews from the studio, there are no extended gameplay videos. All we know is that Cocoon is supposed to be coming to Xbox Game Pass in the Spring of 2023.

You emerge from Cocoon as what looks like Link with wings and your challenge is to find orbs and manipulate the environment by moving orbs to unlock the next layer of the puzzle that takes you deeper into the puzzle.

Crowsworn

Crowsworn is a dark and mysterious, action packed Metroidvania according to Mongoose Rodeo, the small indie developer that consists of just six people.

Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen but excellent Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, and Ori are few and far between. Looking at the trailers you can see the hand drawn and tight controls of Hollow Knight, the dark and gothic setting inspired by Bloodborne and stylized combat from Devil May Cry.

Some of the elements that separate Crowsworn from the pack include Corvian powers. These are dark magic that give your character an edge including long range projectiles and AOE explosions but as expected they will use up your malice which needs to be refilled by dealing damage with your scythe. The scythe is one of your two main weapons with the other being pistols for long range, which can be reloaded at no cost other than speed.

Crowsworn also looks to go farther than the average Metroidvania as there is a strong focus on platforming that is inspired by games like Donkey Kong Country according to the devs. Throughout the game you will discover runes to slot into your weapons to augment their abilities and star fragments to fill out your constellation, which is Crowsworns ability tree.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox

Metroidvania? Check! Lovecraftian? Check! Moody and Atmospheric Visuals? Check!

The Last Case of Benedict Fox is oozing with atmosphere and originality in a genre that is starting to get a little crowded. However, as with any genre, there is always room for more if done right. Benedict Fox is about a detective trying to solve interdimensional murders in what can only best be described as traveling through rifts like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. You do this by diving deep into the memories of the victims and what you find in limbo will be able to help you in reality.

What makes Benedict fox appealing is that in most metroidvanias you are just uncovering new areas to progress farther, Fox incorporates the mystery into this as the deeper you go the more secrets you uncover. The world feels very immersive with the convincing voice acting, the combat looks fantastical with cultish powers, and the way that the skill tree is done using tattoos of items you find in the demon world all seem extremely original.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox from developer Plot Twist is due out in Spring 2023 and is landing on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Metal Slug Tactics

I have been waiting for a good tactics game since Into The Breach. Combining the Metal Slug aesthetic with a tactics game featuring roguelike elements sounds like a great combination. Leikir Studio and Dotemu first announced Metal Slug Tactics in the summer of 2021 and eventually landed on a 2022 release date. However, late in summer 2022, Dotemu made the official announcement that Metal Slug Tactics will launch sometime in 2023.

According to Dotemu “players will wield classic Metal Slug weaponry, leveraging skill tress, perks and a super attack fueling adrenaline system” If that wasn’t enough to start your tank engine there are also “roguelite elements that make missions feel highly replayable and victories feel truly earned” Metal Slug Tactics feels like a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck, which are the two ares that have been announced so far.

Plucky Squire

Plucky Squire jumps off the screen with such amazing visuals that feel reminiscent of how Cuphead or Limbo first caught attention. The photo realistic looking bedroom, the story book that moves between different perspectives including fighting a bear from a view that looks like Punch Out or the scrolling across the pages in a view that looks like 16 bit Zelda all create a immersive world. How you interact with the world seems very original from moving the words on the pages to help your squire build a bridge with Lilly pads for example or escaping the pages of the book to become fully 3D, the creativity on display in the trailer feels like a fresh experience.

Plucky Squire is being developed by All Possible Futures, a studio that was founded on making amazing, outstanding, beautiful and original games. From what little we have seen from the announcement trailers, All Possible Futures seems to be checking every single one of those boxes. The studio was co founded by James Turner who has spent most of his career as an artist and Art Director at Game Freak, working on mainline Pokemon games. The Plucky Squire is easily the game on this list that will make you feel good about yourself and melt your heart in the process with its adorable story and visuals.