The Best Indie Games You've Never Heard Of

[@ShockedTaiLung]

Jokes on you I’ve heard of all of these 😎

[@Lokhlass1]

Yeah I mean, those are not particularly hidden 😅 They are all pretty popular indie titles, the video is kinda clickbait...

[@estebansanchez7407]

But have you played all of them?

[@PatrickMartinez1]

You've probably heard of them on this channel tho.

[@tenthirtyseven-v1]

Hell, I've played all of them. Like who tf hasn't heard of A Short Hike, it's the first result when googling "cozy game"

[@undeadnedstark8330]

+1

[@Medleypon]

I'm a simple creature. I see Cassette Beasts, I like. I was literally listening to the soundtrack as this hit my notifications. Nice timing!

[@anexplosion5436]

🎶"Oh no, you won't dare stop and stare again,"🎶

[@orangegeorge42]

🎶"Your fingers and toes have turned ice cold"🎶

[@Gchampion89]

@@orangegeorge42 🎶Oh no, there's nothing up your sleeve this time🎶

[@Medleypon]

🎶With all of my might, I'll shut your eyes!🎶

[@Stammer6]

🎵You can't climb these stairs, they're far too steep for you🎶

[@tezereth]

-"The Best Indie Games You've Never Heard Of" -Look inside -Heard of some of them

[@slingshotperidot]

Im so happy you talked about Dandara. This is one of my favorite metroidvanias and the best part was that i was free on Epic Games like 4 years ago

[@raderelcaroman1403]

Chained echoes is the most perfect execution of a turn based RPG i have played in recent years

[@diegocm8636]

It pains me that games like Sea of Stars (which is a good game, don't get me wrong), became so much popular than Chained Echoes. CE's combat is amazing and the writing is just absurdly great. It's the first game I've seen that does the "you have to kill a godlike being" without being such a illogical jump since Breath of Fire 4

[@conaldeugenepeterson2147]

⁠​⁠@@diegocm8636I played Chained Echoes maybe a month before Sea of Stars, and it totally ruined most jrpgs for me going forward. It’s so good that I kinda wish I never played it.

[@SadTown99]

“ Fear & Hunger 2: Termina “ has approached from the darkness towering over you ⚠️

[@jowoboy9911]

Agree the storyline is crazy

[@joe_the_zombie]

Jokes on you I've heard of them, because I already watched all of the videos you've made about these games

[@eduardosolistinoco9698]

11:00 At least in Nintendo that design philosophy is called "Kishotenketsu", which by looking the name I'm just learning is actually a japanese storytelling structure translated to game design, gotta save that to my random trivia folder for random conversations follow-ups. And yes, its everywhere, yet so easily overlooked, that's what makes it so great, it integrates so nicely and naturally with gameplay when done right

[@kameronfrye9537]

24:05 "And because of it, you can't play more JRPGs." Well hell, he knows me. Subbed!

[@WonderWolf13]

Hearing you talk about Megaman Zero makes me feel so happy. Those games comprised a huge part of my childhood, I love hearing them given the respect they deserve. Gravity Circuit is pretty boss too. Really makes me remember how hard Megaman Zero was when I first started playing that series.

[@SmudgedSketch]

CASSETTE BEASTS IN THUMBNAIL YEEAAAAHHHH

[@fenrirthefenrir5476]

First time I played Gravity Circuit, I wasn't... Feeling it. But then... I discovered. I discovered the DASH BUTTON! And the game changed completely and felt so much smoothly

[@cloudXstrife314]

Another thing that makes Chained Echoes great is how necessary status effects and buffs are. Also, Cassette Beasts soundtrack is so great.

[@VZAAGE]

Thanks for all of these suggestions. Dandara is $3 on PSN right now so I'm going to scoop it up. Hopefully I get around to the others as well.

[@mcTenro]

Coming back to this video just to say that I saw this vidéo, then I bought Gravity Circuit the day after, and then I finished the game 4 times since to get all the trophies. What a gem. Thank you. Going back to the gravity rabbit hole.

[@metroid3986]

Gravity circuit is legit one of the best mega man style platformers out there, including the actual mega man games - it's so good. And the soundtrack is phenomenal.

[@chrisjohnson9542]

Have you played berserk boy? If so how does it compare to that?

[@metroid3986]

@@chrisjohnson9542 Only heard of it just now from you, so I don't know, sorry. Looks interesting though, maybe I should check it out at some point.

[@maynardburger]

A lot of the 'speed' you perceive from Mega Man 0 isn't really speed, it's just the zoomed in view giving the perception of higher speed since the whole screen is shifting around a ton at all times to keep the player in the center. If you really look at how fast he's moving around the environment, it's really not fast at all.

[@arnold_h5472]

Chained echoes is one of my favourite games! It’s very fun and really satisfying to 100%. The story gets weirdly dark at some points but the characters are great.

[@_Fizzy_1]

Wow, mhswoocer, all of these games sure do sound poggy woggy. Thank you for telling me about them!

[@goldenhorse4823]

As I said already, this title does not work if the games are popular and have critical aclaim

[@Drudicta]

"Gradual difficulty progression" is the words you were looking for to describe introducing newer and harder mechanics throughout a stage by building off of prior ones.

[@jordanbruce]

“Kishotenketsu”, a word Nintendo has used forever, means this exactly. There really is a word for it, just not an English one.

[@Dalgia111]

Casette Beasts is the only game I've ever made a steam review for. Truly incredible game and soundtrack.

[@legionofrome2967]

Thanks for the video, most indie games are truly hidden gems, thanks for exposing another one. I had never heard of this series before but they look truly fun.

[@augustarcana]

I was super confused when I reached the Cassette Beasts segment because it sounded very familiar. It sounded exactly like a video I had watched over a year ago that convinced me to play the game. And then I checked your channel and found that video there XD. You have some great recommendations! I'll definitely be giving Chained Echoes a try.

[@MoadChishti]

Honestly the best list of recommendable games I have ever seen

[@DarkFoolJin]

Great Video with a treasure cove full of great Indie games

[@Ayrichu]

Chained Echoes was such a surprise hit for me, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys JRPG games!

[@MrLocoSuave]

Great video, perfectly presented!

[@shadowario22]

Gravity circuit is so good, it hooked me immediately, but...thanks to this video I discovered I beat the game without running..

[@NockLegacy]

I only played a short hike and chained echoes and those two are 10/10 in my book. A short hike is so charming and full of amazing dialogues while chained echoes is really an amazing rpg, as good as chrono trigger to me.

[@GowSlay]

God that mhswoocer guy has been cooking lately. His last three videos have been the best 3 he's ever posted on the channel I swear bro's going back to back to back like the 1996-98 Bulls

[@DuoDynamo]

Inti Creates didn't just make the ZX games; they made the Zero games themselves.

[@lumibadoobee]

Wow, I actually didn't know about 3 out of 5 games you listed. Good one!

[@thewhyzer]

The only one of these games I've never heard of was Cassette Beasts. Granted, I've only heard of Gravity Circuit from your previous video. I beat A Short Hike through Humble Trove before it was even added to Steam, and Dandara is one of thousands languishing in my Steam backlog.

[@joaobrito7]

The only one of these games I am missing physically is Chained Echoes due to the physical publisher being super shady. Great video!

[@nicholaskong1673]

Xenoblade chronicles x actually heals you in full once you defeated all the monsters that are targeting you or if you escape away from the monster.

[@p3rcarus222]

Cassette Beasts is insanely good, more people should know about it

[@Kurostyle21]

I've heard of all of these but you gave me great explanations why I should buy every single one of them!

[@ChronoTriggers]

These games go hard.

[@jesseseehawer5840]

41:41 The messenger was one of the best experiences i could ask for in a genre i didnt even realize i loved. I dont think it can be dethroned so easily by a pokemon like rpg but I'll try it since its in my backlog

[@DoctorShroom]

Alright, so I'd heard about these already. But I didn't know all that about Chained Echoes. That seems very cool.

[@eli33]

If only that actually existed... 1:58

[@typicalhooman101]

I think the closest game to Megaman Zero I've found in recent times is actually Katana Zero. The speed of each level feels very Megaman like with the exception of having no health bar.

[@sleepy_chronotype]

Played 3/4 of Dandara before giving up. It is really hard but more importantly I really missed the freedom of running around. I felt so restrained by the movement mechanic. Even tho you can jump around really fast, it felt strangely restrictive

[@mikehobbs4280]

I'm new to your content but I love the way you put it all together. Thank you friend

[@sutaideru1426]

Your channel is underrated.

[@xGravityONEx]

Chained Echoes was such am amazing experience

[@fores7ght]

playing persona 5 royal rn, so cassette beasts looks super enticing. cool asf art too. tysm. high quality vid btw

[@faisalbakes5880]

I would definitely put sanabi on the list, its absolutely mindblowing

[@youtubewatcherforfun]

Went to sub after a great transition sub request and noticed I was already subbed. Clearly great content!

[@silverdededestruction2197]

That cool drink complaint made me do a double take cause I swear to god I heard that exact word for word last year in a different video

[@jurtheorc8117]

Before even watching, i think i see Dandara on the thumbnail. Will have to watch the video to see if i was right. Always nice to have coverage on the proverbial little guys and attention being given to them. They can use all the support and attention they get. For me, some favourites have been Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, Soulstice, No Straight Roads, Cookie Cutter and Zet Zillions. With some enjoyment from Blud, Harold Halibut, Nobody Saves the World and Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip as well. At the moment I’ve got my eyes on (big list incoming) : Immortal: and the Death that Follows The future updates to Cookie Cutter that add more world, story beats, weapons, enemies, areas, characters, a battle arena, bosses, etc. Bad Boro Judero My Familiar Decline’s Drops Resistor The Dungeon Experience Pillory Ruffy and the Riverside Loco Motive Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Near-Mage The Mermaid Mask Kraino Rebirth Genokids Promise Mascot Agency Enenra Daemon Core Kings of Hell Whatever it is that Amanita Design and Moonhood Studio are cooking up Yasuke: A Lost Descendant The Immortal Life of Goldman Gori: Cuddly Carnage Antonblast Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-yo Clown Meat Jamphibian

[@SaHaRaSquad]

30:20 No, auto-healing after combat is not the answer. Congratulations, you now get battles that only waste your time unless every single one is challenging enough to wipe your whole party. The point of forcing the player to heal is to make them prepare for what's ahead and all that and giving them breathing room with easier battles inbetween that still reduce the player's resources. The answer is to make healing scarce enough imho. I would say that is something Dark Souls solved in its own way, with limited healing items that automatically replenish at checkpoints and you can't just buy more. In Monster Hunter, cool drinks do add a bit of pressure that wouldn't be there otherwise and they take up a precious inventory space. You can see that as good or bad game design but it definitely isn't pointless.

[@JediMB]

I'm not so sure I'm interested in Gravity Circuit, but the rest of the games are on my radar and I'm going to get to them eventually.

[@Allen-qs2xr]

I've heard of some of these but any mention for Chained Echoes is not only great, but important. Chained Echoes is the end of JRPG just like Stardew is to farming games. Beyond these points, it's invent or die.

[@sakuyarules]

Cassette Beasts is phenomenal! So is Cross Code, btw. The narration got much quieter during each of the transitions.

[@Nave478]

Never heard of... I already beat Dandara and A Short Hike a few times haha. I'll have to check out Gravity Circuit next.

[@jairdinh7563]

This is a pretty good lineup though a lot of these aren't actually unknown.

[@gemodemplay415]

Both Chained Echoes and Cassette Beasts are in my top 20 favorite games of all time. And they are there for a reason.

[@alexmakesgames12]

In defence of Cool Drinks! Loving these videos my friend :D but I do disagree with your take on Cool Drinks, and wanted to hear more. I think the main reason that Cool Drinks are there is to make the player feel like they need to prepare to be fully ready for a hunt. Monster Hunter wants to encourage the player to think before they hunt, and if they skip that step then they receive a small punishment (dropping health thanks to high heat environment). Without it, then players could just mindlessly rush into each hunt one after another, thinking more about just attacking rather than attacking and preparing, which will get repetitive faster. Some MH games do this better or worse, and after replaying World recently I can tell you that early game hunts don't encourage this rhythm of preparing very well in my opinion, but I believe this is the reason why the system is put in. What do you think of this? Would love to get your thoughts, and keep up the awesome work!

[@jojodelacroix]

Dandara was... okay. I loved the concept, but I think it was more built as a way they felt they could make platforming work on mobile and then it grew into something more. But it feels like they never really accounted for that. From what I remember, most of the issues were small, nuanced things. Like, you can't attack unless your feet are planted on a surface, but some foes either hit you between jumps or knock you into the air, meaning it's not super easy to respond to their attacks. To attack, you have to charge up, but this can end up being really awkward when there is not much time to respond to a foe. Positioning isn't easy-- there's no dodge button and you don't walk, you only launch yourself between surfaces-- so if you end up in a spot where you are likely to get hit you can't just take a potshot; you need to reposition and try again. You would think that means the game then has a slower pace, but often things feel more frantic as you try to balance this unique control scheme with fighting. I really like the game's idea and overall I don't think it's a bad game-- it certainly helps that it doesn't outlive its welcome-- but I definitely think there are some fundamental issues with the way combat works.

[@CramerGamer99]

Small rebuttal to "Turn Based is boring". I'd say the fact that you can "just not heal" in action games if you "are good enough" at them is indeed a key differing factor, but it isn't what makes turn based combat worse- it's what makes it better. Well not really better, but equally good just in a different way, depending on what you are looking for. Being able to dodge or block everything if you are good enough trivializes the entire healing mechanic. Instead of being a core part of the game that it is designed around, it instead becomes little more than "training wheels" for people who are not good enough yet at the game to no longer need them. By enforcing certain limits on what you can do and having to take attacks (or use builds/buffs to avoid them) it takes the combat away from a skill and reflex oriented system and more towards a strategic and tactical one. Now that you have have to take that damage (or buff or build for evasion) you have more things to consider than just "get better at pressing dodge or bring more heals". Granted, a lot of this depends on enemy encounter design and the amount of options the actual system provides you (and how viable those options actually are in-game), which a lot of turn based games do a less than ideal job at handling- but the core issue really isn't the turn based nature itself, nor is it the lack of being able to dodge everything and ignore healing as a result- it could be argued that being able to actively disengage from a game's resource management systems is a less engaging game than a more engaging one. At the same time, it also doesn't credit games that do allow alternatives to healing strategies in a turn based system. For example, it's possible in some Trails games to get characters to have a 100% dodge rate, with 100% chance crit counters as a response to every dodged attack. All of a sudden, healing matters much less now because you have a dodge tank you can toss into the field to draw enemy attention and do massive damage. And fundamentally- it really isn't that different from the idea of "I can dodge the monster perfectly, I no longer need potions." So yeah, I think a blanket "turn based is bad" and especially for the specific reason given isn't a strong argument or point at all. That said, the rest of your video is great and on point, and Chained Echoes is indeed fantastic- don't take this criticism too negatively, I just wanted to share that I disagreed with that specific point and why.

[@mhswoocer]

I appreciate how respectful and well thought out this response is. I feel like so many people on the internet will disagree and use it to attack somebody's character, but these were genuinely some really good points

[@albertxion513]

I think this is also because turn-based JRPGs have been here for so long, and people have figured out and have been playing this kind of combat for so long. That's why games like Chained Echoes are so great, because they change the formula and make them less tedious at least to me. Another turn-based JRPG style game in Ex Astris, for example, gives you the opportunity to completely block damage if you time them well, which lessens the unfair feeling in these kinds of games for me.

[@AronFigaro]

Also, from developer interviews, why are cool drinks, and a lot of the older monhun mechanics in the games: immersion. They wanted the world to feel more hostile, more real. It takes a little bit away from gameplay, and they felt it adds a lot to the world experience. Personally I agree and like it. Many don't.

[@therighttrousers343]

I do prefer my bosses to be developments of the stages. I do like stages, too. This gravity circuit looks great!

[@danielcalabrese5769]

A game that has speed,precision and definitely flow is ori and the will of the wisp after a couple of upgrades I was running and jumping around so fast and accurately I felt like a gaming God I loved it and played it for 72 hours lol

[@JamesConrad-qi6gn]

6:23 I swear this was a Nitrome game called Final Ninja Zero

[@sk00pidis]

My god, how good was chained echoes! Totally recommended!

[@albinusclark9561]

Great video thanks 🙇

[@4bluekitty]

Ok hear me out. Im exploring game-dev for this exact purpose. For me, I like that smooth platforming with 0 stop. Add hack n slash with reduced friction. (You can fight without stopping.

[@chrisjohnson9542]

Inti creates actually made all the megaman zero games not just zx. That's why you get that same feeling and experience. Great games. 😁

[@Jim-wb7hl]

10:20 Egoraptor's sequelitis moment right there.

[@Skimmer951]

well i certainly do, I adore cassette beasts and have played it several times and i want to buy the soundtrack, chained echoes is talked about a bunch so is short hike.

[@MateusDrake]

Inti Creates also developed the Mega Man Zero series itself, not just ZX and ZX Advent. Also, Mega Man 9 and 10, and Mighty Number 9.

[@sutaideru1426]

Brasilian game getting recognition, let's gooo!

[@LotusGramarye]

Honestly not a terrible list. Listing Chained Echoes is a tad odd since it recieved so much indy press when it came out, but everything else is relatively unknown enough. Still iffy on the choices since none of them have less than a hundred steam reviews whilst being a fantastic game, but still better than most "obscure games u ahvent😢 heard of" videos.

[@portwain]

I played all of these. Hope for something more obscure next time!

[@RedEyeStorm7]

The constant subscribe segments are really annoying and take me out of the video every time they happen. Once is enough, any more than that is just distracting.

[@lilrockstar77]

Most of these indie games has thousands of reviews

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@gmg9010]

My game of the year so far is Hollywood Animal and I’ve only played the demo.

[@iah6866]

How have i never heard of gravity circuit 😭 But yeah short hike is perfect

[@FilipeAguiarCarvalho]

Dandara is a Masterpiece.

[@RisingShadow11]

i subscribed because i couldnt take how many times he asked me to do it

[@andrewtyrell4795]

I've heard of all them all, played three, and finished one.

[@FlutterSwag]

Last Step from Eden is the battle network clone i didnt know i needed

[@EeleyeDD]

Can we please get a new Megaman X that feels like Zero did that'd be fantastic. Also go play 30xx if you haven't. Closest to Zero in feel its just missing the hit stop. You'd love it. Nina is like the first time you could REALLY be a Megaman in a Zero game where you don't need to cut things but instead destroy large swaths of things in your path if you use your weapons and buster right, with modifications that can capture more of it.

[@marketbroiler24]

New subscriber saying “hi” 👋🏻

[@KailTirasleen]

I've played all but Cassette Beasts. Never heard of? Nah. This video is good for indie visibility though.

[@Gereminhow]

you should toke a look at void stranger, its that kind of game that lives rent free on your head. dont ask how i know.

[@real23lions]

I had fun with Dandara but I kinda got tired after 4 hours of it. Fun though

[@Schlen_]

GRAVITY CIRCUIT!! It's such a hidden gem, thanks for covering it!

[@Soccer333bc]

If you like A Short Hike, definitely try out Lil Gator Game.

[@bendros9716]

Godlike vid keep it up

[@therealtijuanaman]

I've literally heard of all of these games; I've played most of them

[@davehoffman515]

You should check out Azure Gunvolt 3 or the Copen spinoffs for high speed slashy combat. I didnt really click with the tag system either with Gunvolt

[@Kesvalk]

Oh, chained echoes was looking so good, until you mentioned that there isn't any grinding, i love grinding in games, particularly JRPGs. that is 100% a deal breaker for me.

[@fantactic259]

great video but the call to action to subscribe genuinely got super annoying. Do it maybe once a video, if you want more than one call to action then maybe have some sort of animated graphic in the bottom left instead of saying it out loud every time.

[@mhswoocer]

The reason there are so many is because this is a compilation of a lot of my older videos, it totally skipped my mind but I'll edit them out next time I do this

[@fantactic259]

@mhswoocer ah, that makes more sense, I thought you were just trying to do a bit XD Genuinely us a great video btw, good job < 3

[@zackeadop]

Gravity circuit is geniuly so good

[@Dojibu]

hmm, that downside to Dendara.... I lived through a lot of the classic games of the 80's-90's. Doesn't sound that bad, but I can see how the runback would get annoying if it is indeed difficult

[@saratchandramv1886]

I will try Chained Echoes. I think i never played jrpgs before. or maybe i did and didnt knew it was that genre. wait pokemon is a jrpg! :D - plus i have cassette beasts already. so will give each 2 hrs!

[@xxCAH4EZxx]

Try MO Astray, there us similar gameplay to Dandara, but it's different and more complex