No Small Games’ Underrated Indie Game of the Year Picks
This is a completely subjective, list of underrated indie bangers that we personally would hate to see overlooked.
Awards season is officially here for the games industry! 2024 has proven to be a year that was packed, start to finish, with phenomenal indie game new releases. Whether you’re a fan of action, strategy, puzzle or cozy games, there’s probably at least one new top 10 game of all time waiting for you among the titles from this past year. We were honored to be asked to join a truly stacked list of indie game press and content creators, to judge the inaugural Indie Game Awards, hosted by SixOneIndie. While we adore the games nominated in all their categories, we wanted to show a little extra love to the games on this list.
You’ll notice a few of these games actually came out at the end of 2023. In deciding on our picks, we chose to use the same time frame as the Indie Game Awards used to qualify their nominees. The games below all came out between November 1, 2023 and now.
1. INDIKA
Emily’s Pick
“I would be hard pressed to think of many narrative games that hit every single story beat so poignantly and powerfully as INDIKA. The story touches on themes of religious trauma, gender and power in society, and asks the player to examine why we believe what we believe. In the game, you play as Indika, a young Russian nun who is plagued by the voice of the Devil in her head. As she embarks on a long journey, she meets another unlikely travel companion in the form of Ilya, a former criminal who claims to speak directly with God.
The plot twists and turns in surprising (and sometimes, sadly, unsurprising and all too real) ways, but much of the appeal for me was the earnestness and sincerity of the conversations between characters. The whole thing brings it home with an ending that had me wanting to give a standing ovation. I won’t say any more because I believe this game is best experienced for the first time with as little advanced information as possible. All you need to know is that this is a beautiful, profound and heart wrenching game.”
—Emily
Developer: Odd Meter
Publisher: 11 Bit Studios
2. What the Car?
Kate’s Pick
“This game is for the chaotic little Type-B freaks, and your jaw will hit the floor when you see what this car is going to do next!
—Kate
The racing and platforming in WHAT THE CAR? Is endlessly creative and tight. I liked it so much that I accidentally finished the game. Luckily, the developers have continued to add new episodes and levels consistently after launch, which is so exciting! Honestly, the fun has just begun, considering players can design their own levels (btw the player-made levels are evil and sometimes impossible to complete). This game brought me so much unabashed joy this year. It’s super easy to pick up and play, but you can make it more challenging by attempting to achieve gold rank and collecting the bonus card on each level. It was the perfect game to stream with my twitch community, and we all had such a blast experiencing it together. Do you like to laugh and have fun? It’s time to play WHAT THE CAR?”
Developer: Triband
Publisher: Triband
3. Fear the Spotlight
Emily’s Pick
“Retro-inspired survival horror titles are having a moment right now in the indie game space, and horror fans (including myself) are rejoicing! Among those titles that came out this year, Fear the Spotlight took the top spot, in my eyes. This game marries an iconic retro visual style with modern quality of life features to produce a nostalgic yet smooth experience. While the developers very intentionally omitted jumpscares or any kind of graphic violence from the game, make no mistake, this game is scary. I can honestly say no horror game I played this year filled me with as intense or constant dread as the stealth portions in this game.
In addition to leaving me sweating profusely and hyperventilating, this game also left me feeling very moved by its story. Vivian and Amy embody everything that I want in a horror lead: they are compassionate and brave, though at times they are also brash and fearful. Cozy Game Pals also managed to tell compelling secondary stories, through notes and artifacts throughout the environments, that made my jaw drop and had me yelling at my TV. My only wish that I have for Fear the Spotlight, is that I could play it for the very first time all over again.”
—Emily
Developer: Cozy Game Pals
Publisher: Blumhouse Games
Want to learn more? Read Emily’s full review of Fear the Spotlight.
4. ODDADA
Kate’s Pick
“As a sound designer and aspiring musician, I was absolutely dazzled by the tactile music maker, ODDADA. You don’t need to have any musical abilities to jump in and start creating things that sound amazing. The world of ODDADA is bright, playful, approachable, and there’s actually potential for intricate music making if you want to go a little bit deeper. Each level will introduce the player to a new music making machine, where a dimensional audio track is designed and then combined with other tracks to produce a “final concert,” or song that you can record to an in-game tape and save to your actual computer.
—Kate
As I continued to play, my songs just got better and better, which made me excited to return to the game for several sessions. I especially geeked out on being able to fade my specific loops in and out during the final recording of my songs. Traditional digital audio workspaces can be so complicated, so I’m glad that games are paving the way for anyone to create their own art and flex their creativity, no matter their skill level.”
Developer: Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorff
Publisher: Sven Ahlgrimm
5. Grunn
Emily’s Pick
“How to even write about this game… Grunn is an incredibly special experience, and quite possibly my personal favorite game from 2024. I think what I love most about Grunn is that it really is a completely normal game about gardening. I love that the garden gnomes never move on their own, that there are never any mysterious lights, and certainly that strange neighbors can never be found peeking at you through windows that they maybe shouldn’t be standing at. None of those things ever happen. There’s also most definitely nothing odd or sinister going on in the garden you’re tasked with tending to. It’s really great for all those reasons. Because sometimes you just want to cut the grass and mind your own business.”
—Emily
Developer: Sokpop Collective, Tom van den Boogaart
Publisher: Sokpop Collective
6. Karmazoo
Kate’s Pick
“As someone who is in their platforming era, I returned to Karmazoo for hours on end multiple times throughout 2024. This stellar co-op game is severely underrated, and you can spend hours laughing with your buds while you unlock new characters and try to collect all of the fruit. It ticks all of the boxes for super cute pixel art, a genuinely catchy soundscape, and the co-op platforming is so smooth and non-punishing. It really feels like the true essence of collaboration while you’re in-game.
—Kate
All players use their character’s special skill to help and harmonize during the more complicated platforming moments, and it’s so heartwarming to overcome obstacles with your buds. You also have the option to vote (as a team) for whatever additional feature you want to experience on any given level. We often opted for random saxophone music, extra time, and “everyone is a whale.” Karmazoo is responsible for some of my most cherished memories this year. (Oh, you’re also allowed to kiss your friends in this game and it’s not weird!)”
Developer: Pastagames
Publisher: Devolver Digital
7. Vampire Therapist
Emily’s Pick
“While there are plenty of games that make you happier (at least while playing them), it’s rare to find a game that helps make you better, in one way or another. But that was my experience with Vampire Therapist. If you’re wondering what on earth this game could be, the title tells you pretty much everything you need to know. You’re a vampire who is learning to become a therapist (although what it doesn’t tell you is that you’re also a cowboy). On its face, the game appears to be a visual novel, but it actually defies genre a bit. Little Bat Games combined stellar voice acting with Phoenix Wright-style puzzle solving, and injected the whole thing with real principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
—Emily
Now, they do say right up front that this game isn’t a replacement for therapy, I will say the concepts I learned from playing the game resonated deeply with me. Vampire Therapist got me thinking about myself, my relationships and the world we create for ourselves in new and productive ways, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Developer: Little Bat Games
Publisher: Little Bat Games
8. Miniatures
Kate’s Pick
“It’s hard for me to put into words what I liked so much about this point and click narrative anthology series, but I’ve now played through it three times. It looks and sounds beautiful, and is worth playing for that alone. This game manages to tell four different stories with vastly different artistic styles, yet they all fit together perfectly in this nostalgic little package. In Miniatures, I felt so many different things within the 35 minutes it took me to complete the game. It’s dark, isolating, concerning, but sprinkles in little moments of joy and childhood wonders. All four of these stories hit home, and each one has their own style of whimsy and concern. For fans of the shorter experiences, this is a must play!”
—Kate
Developer: Other Tales Interactive
Publisher: Other Tales Interactive
9. Valley Peaks
Emily’s Pick
“Looking back, I can’t believe that I was skeptical about Valley Peaks before I started playing it. I thought it was going to be a tall order to ask a first person game about a mountain climbing frog to have smooth or intuitive controls. I could not have been more wrong in my assumption. I was immediately delighted by how quickly I was able to pick up the climbing controls, and found that they equally quickly became second nature. Now that’s not to say there was no challenge. I fought long and hard with some of the climbing routes up the more advanced mountains, but ultimately found some of the most rewarding moments of my year in gaming at the summits.
I’d be remiss if I went without talking about the music in Valley Peaks. This has become one of my all-time favorite video game soundtracks. These tunes evoke inspiration, optimism, joyfulness and awe, and when paired with looking across the vibrant valley below after a tough climb, produce absolute euphoria.”
—Emily
Developer: Tub Club
Publisher: Those Awesome Guys
Want to learn more? Read Emily’s full review of Valley Peaks.
10. Thirsty Suitors
Kate’s Pick
“It’s really hard to talk about Thirsty Suitors, because it kind of has it all. Maximalism, rhythm-based cooking mechanics, inhabiting the fantastical inner worlds of your exes while you engage them in combat, Tony Hawk style skateboarding, AND mommy issues. But of all the treasures to be found in Thirsty Suitors, this game is richest in heart. It’s full of relatable relationship moments that will make you laugh and cry.
As a long time fan of dating simulators, I was thrilled to play my first (totally unforgettable) breakup simulator. Our femme, queer protagonist Jala had me connecting with this game on such a deeply personal level, and I never thought I would get to see my body type represented positively in a video game. It really meant a lot to me. If anything, Thirsty Suitors will remind you to hug your sister and that Western beauty standards are overrated. I want more games like this, please!”
—Kate
Developer: Outerloop Games
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
11. Wild Bastards
Emily’s Pick
“There have been many moving, impactful games released this past year, but sometimes what you need is a rootin’ tootin’ good time, that’s just dang fun. And that’s Wild Bastards for you! This is a beautiful merging of roguelike strategy and first person shooter gameplay. Its game loop takes you back and forth between careful calculation and adrenaline-fueled combat, and created a perfect balance for me to always be ready for “one more run.”
To top it off, Wild Bastards transports you into a vaporwave space western universe, populated by robot cowboys and alien gunslingers. I’m a huge fan of space western worlds, so this adds delightful flavor to the already gripping gameplay. The only thing I would request of the developers is that they one day add a co-op mode because I just know a game this fun would only be improved by getting to share it with others.”
—Emily
Developer: Blue Manchu
Publisher: Maximum Entertainment
12. A Good Gardener
Kate’s Pick
“In this bite-sized experience, you are tasked with growing plants for your nation’s war effort. Each day, you take care of your crops, with occasional visits from your supervisor, who reveals more information to you over time. This is some of the most creative storytelling I’ve experienced in a game, and I still haven’t been able to shake the ending. Honestly, I believe it’s best to go in knowing less than I’ve already shared. Turnfollow continues to put out amazing games that feel so incredibly human and engaging, and A Good Gardener is no exception.”
—Kate
Developer: Turnfollow
Publisher: Turnfollow
About No Small Games
No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.
Learn more about the podcast and its hosts on the About page.