Upcoming Indie Games of 2017

Post Structure:

• Top Indie’s I’m looking forward to most; why I’m excited, some background on the game, thoughts on what to expect
• Indie Games I’m currently playing
• A list of some of my favorite Indie Games on the PS4 to give some insight on what’s out there

3). Yooka-Laylee 

Source: IMDb.com

Developer: Playtonic Games
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh operating systems, macOS
Release: April 11, 2017
Genre: Platform
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer

Story – Yooka and Laylee, a male chameleon and a female bat, must venture out from the safe confinements they call home to stop an evil business from collecting and selling the worlds literature for product. 

Yooka-Laylee is a play on words of the musical instrument ukulele. Playtonic Games previously developed the famous Banjo-Kazooie, which is named from a mix between the banjo and kazoo.

Yooka and Laylee are the perfect match to take the task on for stopping Capital B and Dr. Quack, the antagonists in the game, from erasing the world that they grew up in. Yooka is a strong level-headed thinker, while Laylee is a little wild, together they are effective fighters. With two playable characters working together simultaneously, it brings an interesting dynamic to how the player utilizes their strengths.

A fun game for all ages filled with pleasant sounds and colorful environments, peaks my interest for the excitement that follows. Boss battles, puzzles, and stylistic enemies adds to the thrill each level provides.

I’ve never played Banjo-Kazooie but I’m well aware of the beloved reputation it forged in years past. With the reputation of such a strong game, Yooka-Laylee seems like its destined to follow in its footsteps.

Source: YouTuber: Playtonic Games

2). What Remains of Edith Finch

Source: http://www.giantsparrow.com

Developer: Giant Sparrow
Platform: Microsoft Windows, PS4
Release: April 25, 2017
Modes: Single-player
Genre: Horror

Story – What Remains of Edith Finch is a first-person narrative adventure game where the player follows the main protagonist, Edith Finch, who travels back to her home in Washington to discover the hidden family secrets her mother chose to keep from her. Traveling from room to room, Edith experiences a new family members history that creates a terrifying and eerie vibe that there’s more to the story than what she sees.

The composer working on this game is Jeff Russo. He’s also worked on the TV series Fargo, The Night Of, and Power. Welcoming someone as experienced as Russo is a great addition to the team especially if its a horror game designed to incorporate a variety of thrilling scores.

Typically I don’t venture into the horror realm in any entertainment medium. I don’t watch horror films often, play horror games, or even go to haunted houses. But every now and again when reputation, tradition, or high expectations presents itself, I jump at the chance to experience new excitements. I got what I expected with Until Dawn, hopefully What Remains of Edith Finch can equally deliver.

Source: YouTuber: Playstation

1). Jenny LeClue 

Source: @JennyLeClue Twitter Cover Photo

Developer: Mografi (Joe Russ)
Release: 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, PS4
Genre: Adventure

The Story – “A coming-of-age narrative follows Jenny LeClue, a young detective, living in the idyllic college town of Arthurian. Jenny takes on the case of her life when her mother is accused of murdering the beloved Dean Strausberry. She soon discovers that nothing is what it seems.” 

Jenny LeClue is similar to What Remains of Edith Finch but with a less serious and daunting tone. The artwork is very well-done, the environment is interactive and the story is interesting. Following a strong female protagonist as she reveals the truths that happened on the day Dean Strausberry was murdered is as intriguing as it is suspenseful. I’m interested to see how the narrator develops into his role throughout the story.

It’s a point-and-click style game filled with humor to lighten the dark themes suggested like murder and death. For fans of mystery and crime thrillers, Jenny LeClue appears to be the ideal Indie Game that acts like an interactive movie.

Source: YouTuber: Playstation

Currently Playing

The Unfinished Swan – also developed by Giant Sparrow. A unique game that gets many comparisons to Splatoon. The game starts in an all white screen, similar to a blank canvas, where you as the player must throw balls of paint to find your way around the map. You play as a young boy who chases after a swan who has wondered off into a mysterious kingdom. As the player finds their path and following duck prints, more of the story is revealed showing the importance of adventure and the relationship the young boy has with this swan.

Night in the Woods – Follows a college sophomore named Mae who dropped out of college and moved back in with her parents in her hometown. Only to soon find out that many of the things that made the town special have changed, past relationships have deteriorated, and new faces have sprout. Mae must rekindle her relationships with old friends, her parents, and new townsfolk to uncover the mysteries that continue to arise.

One of my favorite parts of this game is the relationship between Mae and Gregg. I love the jokes between them, inside jokes where you can tell they’ve been old friends for quite sometime. Their “Too Bad” joke appears throughout the story and it’ll get a smirk out of me 10/10 whenever it happens. Happens enough but not so often that it loses it’s touch.

Favorite Indie Games on the PS4

1. Life is Strange – one of my favorite games of all-time
2. Firewatch
3. Valiant Hearts: A Great War – very underrated
4. TellTale – The Walking Dead Series, The Wolf Among Us, Tales of the Borderlands
5. Tembo The Badass Elephant
6. Color Guardians
7. Linelight
8. Journey

I don’t have Windows or an Xbox One so I miss out on a lot of great Indie Games. Fortunately there are always some Let’s Play’s on YouTube that cover these games. Check out these YouTubers

1. Christopher Odd – plays a lot of story-driven games. His channel covered Life is Strange and Firewatch introducing these great games to my Indie Library.
2. TheRadBrad – plays the larger platformer games, specializes in walkthroughs, and covers all the TellTale games – where I learned about the TellTale Series.
3. Mindless Walkthroughs – Need a trophy? Straight to the point videos. An easy place to get help on collectables, achievements, and level guides. Simple, yet effective. Great guides on The Unfinished Swan here.
4. I. Eat. Games – Saved my PS4 trophy life in Horizon Zero Dawn, however still at 98% because of that frustrating Acquisition trophy bug, ahhhh! Shorter videos, only a couple minutes long, easy instructions, subscribed!
5. EltTheGeek – PS4/Vita and Xbox One games only. Solid Lets Play YouTuber.

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• What are some of your favorite Indie Games?
• What Indie Games are you excited to play this year?
• Do you have any recommendations of Indie Games that haven’t been talked about?