Top 10 Best Indie RPGs OF ALL TIME!

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[@davidvinc]

Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/TheDavidVinc Watch me stream! www.twitch.tv/davidvincstreams

[@IxisNaugus]

Just a small correction, Cosmic Star Heroine is not available on Xbox platforms like the video stated.

[@a.m.pietroschek1972]

Good moderation. Thank you.

[@kekgoogle4809]

CrossCode is such a gem, absolutely blew me away. I wasn't expecting to get such fun out of it.

[@Llortnerof]

Playing through it again with cheats turned on is also excellent fun. Especially when grass hair utterly looses it that nobody cares when you come out the starter zone with endgame levels. Or casually oneshot him with Sergei Hax.

[@fd5934]

CrossCode has some of the most charming characters and characters interactions that’s I’ve seen in jrpgs, absolutely fantastic game

[@buckroger6456]

I bought CrossCode on a whim cause it looked cool. The game ended up being so good that I got a few friends to pick it up.

[@ataridc]

​@@buckroger6456 what did you like about it

[@buckroger6456]

@@ataridc to start with I thought the pixel art looked like a early 32bit rpg. The controls are actually really good, so it does feel more like a modern game instead of stiff like those 16bit and 32bit jrpgs do. The story was pretty good, but all the characters are well written and grow on you over the course of the game. Now the puzzles are just something else, the game keeps them simple at first but as you get farther into the game they start to become pretty hard. I found myself stumped a few times on the puzzles in the late game, part of it being that some of them can be pretty long. The game is a action rpg and the combat while not deep or anything, is very solid. I will say the only real complaint I would have is some of the dungeons go on for far too long. I found a few of them to have me a bit burnt out and wanting to just go back to the world to explore again.

[@bandrew1442]

I fell head over heels for Chained Echoes, there are some really great indies out there and I'm excited to check more out

[@kableguy0294]

Ara Fell and Rise of the third power are some of my favorite indie games. I’m really hoping they end up making fall of the third power.

[@danieldagenais8269]

Those are fun games.

[@mike1989libra]

Would love it

[@ataridc]

I thought ara fell was good but I wasn't feeling the open world and trying to hunt down the next objective so I kinda gave up on it. Sometimes I just want a big orange arrow pointing the way 😂

[@nerdzone]

The third power actually fell in the games itself, no? I thought that refered the rise of Noraskov's empire?

[@ataridc]

I'm trying to beat ara fell again

[@Scuzoid_Melee]

Star Renegades, Monster Sanctuary, Battle Chef Brigade, and Symphony of War are 4 indie rpgs that are made by companies that I very eagerly await their next game and will very likely purchase whatever that game is day 1.

[@unsynchronized1]

Star Renegade is great!

[@richardcaraballo1185]

Star Renegades left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Not because the game is bad, but rather I was only able to play maybe an hour before it crashed and now all it can do is play the intro movie. What I played was indeed great but now all it does is crash 😫😫😫

[@buckroger6456]

Star Renegades is epic buy also total crap at the same time. The game is always one step away from crashing on you. My next biggest problem with the game is, too much is left up to the RNG gods, like what weapons, gear or characters you get. I will say that the combat is amazing and the final boss is just insanely hard.

[@lycorisaurea8993]

I'm so in love with Chained Echoes, it really satisfied needs that barely any modern rpg could have. It did so many things right and it never gave you a moment to calm down, when you think you hit a slower point they just put more fuel in the fire the next moment. And the music is just amazing. I think Chained Echoes is an example of the great potential of indie jrpgs

[@DEEPSTATE000]

Agreed, love that game

[@aaronpischke5019]

I'm playing through chained echoes right now and I'm OBSESSED! Wonderful list BTW, David!

[@leahbeth8335]

Thanks a bunch for this. I just got a Switch and it's been pretty light on RPGs so far. Now I've got a lot more to check out.

[@chrisschuck249]

Reallyenjoyed the video, i always wanted a youtuber to talk more about Indie rpgs, so I know what to play. Please keep this series going :)

[@lockedine]

This video is excellent, I appreciate that you understand the deluge of indie games and help sort it out

[@thehoff3189]

I am excited with what the creators of Chained Echoes will do next! That being said I'm going to be giving indies a much closer look in the future

[@GlobeZ87]

totally agree! even more impressive that the game was mainly done by only one guy!

[@YouTubeCensors]

Yeah , the Dev is one guy. It was funny when I saw it on the game description. Apparently it took him 9 years to make the game.

[@Okami31]

Currently playing Rise of the Third Power on the Switch based largely on David’s recommendation way back when. It is quite fun, with humorous dialogue and an enjoyable battle system.

[@MiamiSunrise]

What a winner 🏆 of a list. Ara Fell/Rise of the 3rd Power got a physical through Limited Run and i couldnt help but get the PS4 standard and Switch LE. Everything in this list is clearly worth playing. Thanks for dropping this David! 😊

[@picassosparks]

This was great. Getting back into the switch and this guide is full of exciting ideas.

[@CCV334]

I see Sea if Stars at the start there. Can't wait for it to come out this year!

[@russelraglandlerma9104]

Chained Echoes was one of favorite JRPG experiences in a while. I played through a second time with my 16 year old son. I think it didn’t hurt that the creator was heavily inspired by Xenogears, which is my favorite game

[@YouTubeCensors]

Started it yesterday, just to sample it on Gamepass and noticed it right away, plus the dev or publisher even responded to a review recommending Xenogears and have to say it pleased me greatly. Good to know there are devs out there who got Xenogears love. What with the very obvious Easter eggs in this game and the One in Hi-Fi Rush.

[@oli.the.oddball]

saying its inspred by xenogears is all i need to hear for me to try out this game i cant wait

[@TheGamingShelf]

Great list David! Some many incredible games. I had heard of Rise of the Third power but never seen any gameplay. It looks cool! I’ll have to check it out.

[@davidvinc]

Oh it’s definitely a great one! I love those old school throwbacks!

[@jimdowell1729]

Brilliant! List of games here. All of these are just so wonderful! I played some of them and have wish list others. Can't wait to start getting into more of these. Ara fell, chained echoes, cosmic star heroin, and cross code are some truly amazing games that I've thoroughly enjoyed! Can't wait for see a stars and might have to get back into fell seal since I spent so many hours on just the character customization at the beginning and got burnt out lol

[@jasonangeles3765]

glad to see Cosmic Star Heroine here, i clicked on this to see if it made your list.. i really liked its original take on turn based battles..

[@kickpuncher1892]

Love watching these videos my man! Keep up the great and fun content and I'll keep watching. Got my sub, easy.

[@matthewmarkiewicz5206]

Thank you once again for these recommendations of indie RPGs. There is a sea of indie RPGs that can range between very good and very bad. So thank you for the list, and thank you for telling me about Chained Echoes, otherwise I would have missed out on it

[@35infinite]

Added Jack Move to the wishlist, and I can't recommend Crystal Project and Chained Echoes enough. Thanks for indie love, David 👍 Great vid

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

"Rise of the Third Power," IS AWSOME. Gorgeous sprite work, excellent music, great story and the systems are top notch. You really get the full effect playing on, "Expert," It's the kind of game where you REALLY need to understand every trick and every move and how characters complement each other to beat bosses becuase the shared level bar makes grinding extortionary difficult (and that's a good thing in my book).

[@that_newton_guy7069]

Forever Home was the first indie game I played, and ended up loving. Very reminiscent of the few PS1 and SNES jrpgs I've been exposed to.

[@AngelLeroy]

Chained Echoes is SO GOOD. Favorite game I played this year. Glad to see Cosmic Star Heroine on here as well. I haven't liked Zeboyd's recent games that much, but everything up to and including CSH are wonderful. I need to check out the rest - Arafell, Cross Code and Fell Seal are in my backlog

[@GlobeZ87]

I know there's a real hype about chained echoes but I think it absolutely deserves it! I loved it so much and when a lot of AAA titles lack of a good story, chained echoes delivers! was worth every minute of playing!

[@JeffJohnsonBroadcasterJeff]

Awesome list! I hope my game makes it on one of your lists someday! Course, I got to finish making the darn thing first... sigh...

[@dextersbeard3472]

Cosmic Star Heroine was excellent and no one ever brings it up. I bought the physical version from Limited Run and loved it. The environments are beautiful.

[@CielBlanche]

CSH rocks

[@toolman4745]

I loved Ara Fell and Rise of the Third power more than I've enjoyed any game in a long time. I enjoyed them so much that even though I bought both digitally, I bought the combo physically from limited run games so I have physical copies of them. I own cross code, bought it as part of the Ukraine support bundle on itch but haven't played it yet. Looks great. Fell seal is one of me favorite tactical RPGs for the recent past. I backed it on Kickstarter actually. I still own my copy of black sigil as well. I love cosmic star heroine, very fun and inventive. I bought chained echoes physically and it's not coming out until later this year so I haven't played it yet unfortunately. Great video David, loved this one.

[@roseforyoubabe]

great list david!!

[@KazeShikamaru]

I own like three or four these already. Thanks for the video David!

[@nerdzone]

I myself have played Cosmic Star Heroine, Ara Fell and Rise of the Third Power and can't reccomend them enough to classic RPG fans like me. Jack Move's demo caught my attention and I will definitely play it some day. However, I came here to shout out CrossCode. It is amazing. Like really one of the best games of the previous decade. Absurdly polished for an indie game, gameplay is top 1%. Just play it!

[@kalega311]

Great list, thank you. I really need to finish Rise of the 3rd Power.

[@jakenbakin9086]

Great list! One of my favorites that's criminally underrated is Ikenfell. It even has an incredible soundtrack by the Steven Universe composers! I'd love to play Crystal Project, too, but i feel like it's never leaving PC sadly. One day i guess.

[@hugbuzzard]

Chained Echoes is incredible. One of the best RPGs I’ve played in years. Can’t wait to get the physical copy.

[@turnbasedtoddy7664]

Great video once again! What Quality of life features where you talking about in Chained Echos?

[@ryanoneill9333]

Great list my friend!

[@ddvjbh]

I LOVE CrossCode. Every time I see this game on a countdown, I feel the need to comment how good this game is. Very clever with the attacks and the puzzles. Must play, at least wait for a sale.

[@YouTubeCensors]

Picked it up on a sale myself just yesterday to backlog it since I'm playing so many games right now it's hard to keep up. Literally the curse of Gamepass for me. which brings up Chained Echoes as it's another game I sampled yesterday as well to see if I'll play it sooner than later and both are definitely in my must play list now.

[@ddvjbh]

@@KZbinCensors Chained Echoes really is a great game. That was a good pickup too.

[@Meisuko]

Nice list, thank you

[@richardcaraballo1185]

At 0:08 in the intro you showed a clip from a metroidvania that looks like a hybrid of Symphony of the Night & Odin Sphere, what was the name of it and is it available on PS4?

[@razielvaleth]

I finished Chained Echoes on Sunday, it was fantastic, one of the best games I’ve ever played(the soundtrack alone is incredible!). I’m excited to try out some of these other indie RPG’s as well, cheers!

[@jerrylong891]

Did you know it was created by one man?

[@Skimmer951]

Seeing bug fables on the list makes my heart sing! I adore this game and the world it portrays. Anyways regarding other indies if interest. I have a hard time to out cassette beasts down. Its so fun. A open world monster taming rpg with great pixelart and heavy leaning on 80s aesthetics.

[@feeamerie5011]

Rise Eterna is a beautiful pixel art SRPG that respects your time and wallet. Great little game. Oh and that beautiful voxel art game at the end that was all 3D dot heroes-like? There’s a similarly gorgeous turn-based condiment JRPG on Switch called Castle of the Underdogs and it’s fantastic! I love it. Some amazing games in this list as always David your taste is as clutch as those guns 🫶

[@thewingedavenger1007]

Great list! I haven't played most of these, but I can vouch for Cosmic Star Heroine, which is kind of the new Phantasy Star game that Sega still refuses to make.

[@aaron6493]

I am really lucky getting just all the games you recommend for the best price David, looks like all your recommendations are just in time 😉 just bought Cosmic Heroines for a super low price (almost free). Tx again David.

[@Morraak]

Dark Deity has been pretty good so far! Have yet to get chained echoes but it's on my list.

[@danwoods8195]

these look effin bangin-- nice video.

[@CandiBookCorner]

I played Ara Fell and Chained Echoes this year and loved them both! They were both so charming and just challenging enough to be super satisfying. As for other Indie (J)RPGs, my favorite has to be Undertale (whether it technically counts as a JRPG or not) because it was my first introduction to narrative turn-based RPGs. Now that I've gone back and played some of its JRPG inspirations, I appreciate its twist on genre conventions even more

[@graysonpeddie]

Are there any indie JRPG games with accessibility options? I want options for setting the size of text so I can read them easily. And no, getting a larger TV won't help. My LG C2 42" TV is large as it is as a PC monitor and I cannot go any larger than that.

[@juanmontoya451]

Thanks for the list! I think Crystal Project looks pretty cool.

[@ombrenn]

Good list! 😁

[@JamesShow]

Added like 3 or 4 to my Switch wishlist and downloaded that Jack Move demo. Totally looks like the Phantasy Star 2 or Shadowrun combat interface.

[@MotherKojiro]

Cosmic Star Heroine is SO good; a lot of people call it a Chrono Trigger ripoff, but it does its own thing, and if it had been released back in the '90s, it'd have been right up there with the classics. I do have Omori and CrossCode, but haven't played them yet, and I've wanted to pick up Crystal Project ever since your review introduced me to it. My favorite indie RPGs are Cris Tales, Haven, OFF, Weird and Unfortunate Things are Happening. Cris Tales sold me mostly on its unbelievable visuals, but I really came to love its characters over time; the combat system is basically just Paper Mario with time shifting elements, but it's not nearly as complicated as the opening makes it seem. Haven is a bit light on combat and RPG elements, but the characters are that couple everyone wants to be (PLUS you get same sex options, and the writing doesn't suffer for chosing them), and exploring the weird planet is a lot of fun. OFF is good if you're looking for something SUPER weird and abstract; it has a pretty simple ATB system, but what gets more difficult isn't the combat, but interpreting the story, and I've never seen a difficulty curve quite like that. Weird and Unfortunate Things are Happening is a bit less weird and abstract, but has some really unique abilities and elementals, and does a good job of letting you play around with them, along with having some extremely memorable characters.

[@EtienneTC]

A proper list. You have done well. Agree that monster sanctuary is a great one too

[@murkywaters5502]

Great list! Although indie games have much smaller budgets, they certainly innovate in ways their bigger counterparts have failed.

[@jeffereykizior1605]

Tunic is worth your time! It’s the Zelda you want

[@vinnyolmsted8018]

As someone who lurked on RPG Maker forums in the '00s, the fact that Ara Fell is on all the major consoles blows my mind.

[@MarioDaHedgehog]

Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I didn’t know some of these !

[@calvinmatthews1527]

Impressive list David. A bit shocked u put Rise of the Third Power so low, especially since you made it clear you love overwolds. I consider it, CrossCode, & Chained Echoes the apex of indie RPG story, lore, & characters.

[@Dhalin]

OMORI! He finally acknowledged OMORI. I wonder if he actually played it, though. But yeah, it's one of THE most well written stories I've ever seen in a game with absolutely INSANE attention to detail. If he hasn't played it, it's the perfect game for a let's play, always looking for more youtubers' playthroughs, never gets old watching them react to key points in the game.

[@mo_musashi_284]

Don’t sleep on Steamworld Quest: Hand of the Gilgamech. Art style like Odin sphere, lovable characters & a very fun card battle system

[@ArcCaravan]

An indie RPG I've been curious about is Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom. The premise sounds interesting, but I'm not sure about crafting games beyond Rune Factory.

[@bryanmusso2393]

You’re the bomb David keep it up!!

[@YouTubeCensors]

Even though ive only sampled both so far. I can tell CrossCode and Chained Echoes both have qualities i love in my games and the best part, the controls are smooth and fast for both. Ara Fell has some nice qualities too.

[@aaron6493]

Thank you David.

[@InitialDL84]

Damn, most of the games you have on your list I either have already on Steam, or they're on my wishlist. Crosscode is my jam though, although I have yet to complete it because adulting smh. Cosmic Star Heroine i found out by accident, but bought it on sale and instantly fell in love with it. And it doesnt take long to complete at all, which is a huge plus in my book! On a sidenote, have you heard about the spiritual successor to the Shadow Hearts games being worked on called Penny Blood? And theyre doing the same with Wild Arms.

[@diegososa8004]

This game didnt appear in my feed!!! Thank god I saw your comunity post

[@CalebByRamen]

Good god Cosmic Star Heroine looks so cool!! Physical is hard to find though :(

[@Alfazil]

I haven't played any of these. I'll be sure to, eventually, check them out.

[@danihelfen]

Would add Monster Sanctuary and Ikenfell to the list! 😊🙌

[@alkristopher]

I'd like to give a quick nod to This Way Madness Lies, another Zeboyd gem (I'd put it at #15 or so). Although it's incredibly brief, clocking in at around 6-7 hours, the quality FAR outweighs the quantity. Even getting past the unusual mishmash of Sailor Moon, Shakespeare, and Lovecraft, the battle system is equal parts fun and customizable (both in terms of difficulty and abilities), the tone is completely goofy (go to the zoo if you get the chance, you'll laugh for a week straight), the visuals and music are top-notch, and the characters (all named after Shakespeare heroines) are likeable. The only thing it's missing, aside from more content, is a New Game Plus feature.

[@usirnaem7999]

What is the first three games in the beginning of the video?

[@tyrant4946]

Bout time someone talked about these games!

[@UndeadEggmiester]

Banner of the maid is a amazing tactic jrpg. That's set in the France with good writing and characters.

[@sunekoo]

What’s the 2D action game right at the start? (Around 0:12) Great list as always!

[@davidvinc]

That’s Astlibra

[@sunekoo]

Thank you!

[@CalebByRamen]

I LOVE the aesthetic of Jack Move!

[@shahamut5009]

Glad to see Ara Fell on this list, my kids absolutely loved this game.

[@aaron6493]

Rise of the Third Power is also really great, love the battles

[@matthewbumgarner9928]

Ara fell and bug fables are some of my fav indy games !

[@Magnamaster]

Wjats the first game in the trailer opening ?

[@solank7620]

What game is the thumbnail from?

[@boombabri]

you should try 8 bit adventure 2, david! that game took my heart!

[@quezcatol]

I see that David put cosmic star heroine on the list and I fully agree with that, however, the two same guys who made that also made the penny arcade episode 3-4, very solid 2D jrpgs. AND I got some good news, they are now FREE over steam, yes "FREE".

[@Dhalin]

So another neat indie game, it's an oldie but goodie, Skyborn. It has a unique battle system, it might show its age but it's still a good playthrough.

[@WitherVideos]

Indie RPGs are such a great genre

[@QuwehShunMark]

Gotta recommend Phoenotopia Awakening here. It is to the adventure of link what crosscode was to link to the past.

[@thomashays9332]

Most underrated hidden gem of a indie rpg.... jimmy and the pulsating mass. Play it, game is amazing.

[@HybridAngelZero]

I've been only getting into indie RPGs recently, so this is also gonna double as a shopping list for me xD I do wanna give a shout-out to 8-bit Adventures 2, the game charmed me right away! I just wish it didn't have such a generic name xD

[@rooneytutoring]

Always happy to see Crosscode get love.

[@esteveguineueta2328]

I agree with many people here, CrossCode and Chained Echoes are both games with fantastic gameplay and lots of fun. But I have to admit I am so exicted for Sea of Stars. If the gameplay and story is up to the art and animations, that will easily become my favourite indie game of all times.

[@God-mq1dd]

What’s the game at the beginning?

[@akualung]

I really hope Kingdoms of the Dump gets finished and released someday. That game looks wonderful!

[@fumomofumosarum5893]

I like cosmic star heroine best - but you should also check out Girls & Dungeons (1 or 2) ; D

[@AntonioCunningham]

I've been *starving* for another Tatics game like Final Fantasy Tactics. I *hope* I can use a controller (the video shows keybord and mouse) if so then it's going on my list of games to play this year.

[@MondoJohnny]

I've been wanting this for a while. Look decent on the whole except... Alright, I'll just come out and say it: If I have to traipse through ONE more metaphysical manifestation of some indie dev's depression, I'll scream! I'm trying to escape from my own dark thoughts here for cyin out loud! Aren't there apps for fixing mental health issues these days? ; p Joking aside I have added these to my wish list David! Great vid as always!

[@douglasbriel6103]

Heroine looks like a 90's love letter.

[@Lamasis2]

Her boomerang, Vi is female. Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising would have been on my list and another one, but I forgot that one beacuse I's shocked by Bug Fables low number. Where does the water on flying islands come from, at some point it should be dry if it flows from the island?

[@awetistic5295]

Indie games are pretty much taken for granted these days, but it was very different when I grew up. You were at the mercy of larger publishers and if a (sub-)genre wasn't popular, you could barely find it anymore. There were times when I was scared 2D platformers or turn-based RPGs would simply cease to exist. So yeah, even though quality might vary drastically in indie games, they are a blessing.

[@carn1voro451]

whats the name of the intro game ?

[@AegixDrakan]

I see Crosscode get some love, I mash that like button. :D Mind you, it's less that Lea is "sucked into" the game, and more that it's Therapy for her, since she appears to have gone entirely amnesiac. But then the plot takes SEVERAL unexpected turns and just plain becomes one of the most compelling (and awesome) stories in recent memory. It's REALLY good. Edit: Wait, you think the story was "emo"?! Ok, it's got some heavily melancholy bits and some heavy parts here and there, but it's got too much wholesomeness just under the surface to be "emo"! XD