Top 25 BEST Indie Game Hidden Gems of the Year 2023 (GOTY 2023)

[@isto_inc]

Number 5!!!!! Wowowoowow I’m very honoured to be included on this list!

[@j.d.v.2782]

That's dope, congrats!!

[@lighting7508]

Lol I remember watching atrioc play your game 😂 that was hilarious

[@louiemac9455]

You earned a great spot 👍

[@MeDjezze]

Good list with a lot of great games. For me Wordless is criminally overlooked and many more. You probably could make a second part with games like: - Planet Cube - Bzzzt - LUNARK - Bilkins' Folly - Torn Away - GYLT - Gunbrella - Nocturnal - Decarnation - Full Void - Pan'orama - EMPTY SHELL - Vlad Circus - Erra Exordium - Ugly - Prison City - DROS - Cramped Room of Death - Bat Boy - Teslagrad 2 - Valfaris: Mecha Therion - While the Iron's Hot - A Highland Song Also some EA titles I played myself a lot: - Flying Tank - Keeper's Toll - Bosorka - An Ankou - XENOTILT - Gravity Castle.

[@damiancieslicki4038]

Give me more man, please!

[@MeDjezze]

@@damiancieslicki4038 I've added a few more. But I think the games that have been released in the last two months haven't had enough time to shine yet.

[@damiancieslicki4038]

@@MeDjezze thank you! A lot of times good games are hard to find so thanks a lot.

[@bravoalley228]

Thank you for showing these.. I have too many that I am following but I appreciate what you have provided.

[@mattpenix8438]

My absolute favorite comments ever. This is fantastic. Thank you. I’m familiar with about a third of these so already off to good start. Thanks so much for taking the time to share this and I hope everyone that follows, including myself, will forward this list on to other gamers or channels. Thanks you

[@AzzRushman]

I remember stumbling across the dev of Lone Fungus on Facebook when he was starting his project. At first it looked kinda average, but it quickly came to attention just how good he was at level design. I'm so glad that his project is getting attention, and that he's even able to work on a sequel!

[@blooddumpster3427]

Fighting game player here, Pocket Bravery is a solid entry into the genre. While it still has a few weird bugs from time to time you can compare it to KoF.

[@jurtheorc8117]

If i may ask, without comparing it to KoF, how would you describe Pocket Bravery's mechanics and the like?

[@syncr0904]

@@jurtheorc8117 I played the demo of Pocket Bravery before and after getting really into Street fighter and getting good at motion controls. It feel to me at least like a mini street fighter 5 with 4 attack buttons (light/heavy punch/kick). You have a super gauge with a couple ways to use it. And you have several special moves and a grab. The characters have a good range of archetypes (rushdown, grappler, zoner, etc). Definitely the most polished and fun indie fighting game I have played

[@ClemmyGames]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ofuturopolimata6961]

This impression is because the dev is a huge fan of KoF.

[@HeadPats4Peter]

for viewers, with regards to number 23, game name Koa and the Five pirates of Mara, this channel has covered other 3d platformers before eg. Pseudoregalia in vid "Top 10 Best Indie Games - July 2023" in number 10 Corn Kidz 64 in vid "Top 10 BEST Indie Game Hidden Gems - October 2023" in number 9 I am quite certain there's other videos with 3d platformers listed. Not sure if this channel has gone over Cavern of Dreams though. 8 and 6 in this vid are pretty cool too.

[@loxzone1]

Worldless is incredibly underrated. That game is fire and some of its later boss fights are quite challenging, not to mention that theres some kinda flexibility/variety in its combat.

[@l0rdfr3nchy7]

Worldless needs to tune down its difficulty, its impossible to put the game down and pick it up a week later. But yes, its a great underrated game.

[@loxzone1]

@@l0rdfr3nchy7 - Nah, it's difficulty is the reason I have more hours in it than what's required. I absolutely loved the harder boss fights because then I was forced to mix up up my playstyle against them. More people need to play this game man.

[@l0rdfr3nchy7]

@@loxzone1 im just saying, i love hard games and i think the difficulty is what makes people not push through this game. Even for me its too hard, and that's saying something xD but i get where you're coming from, if this is the only game you're playing from start to finish, the learning curve is exciting

[@glueckssilben]

"Paquerette Down the Bunburrows" is an outstanding GOTY-candidate.

[@ArmourBlanche]

Glad Atrio got a mention. Love the aesthetics and mystery of the world they build in it.

[@BlackCanvasAudio]

I have a completely ALTERNATE Hidden Gem list with at least 25 different games. lol Just goes to show you how many games get overlooked each year! Some absolute bangers last year.

[@Captain_Triiips]

What is your top 3 this year? Thanks 👍

[@sapremia]

Fantastic list! I had only heard about 5/25 of these games and wishlisted four as soon as I saw them, so thank you for really digging for some cool and obscure stuff.

[@ClemmyGames]

Thanks for wishlisting!

[@CecilyRenns]

For roguelike deckbuilders, would also highly recommend Cobalt Core. Its cutesy graphics do not properly represent how intensely deep the gameplay mechanics are

[@Cibertartar]

But my indie GOTY of 2023 is Astral Ascent, I still haven't been able to stop playing because of so much content and how good the gameplay is

[@maximerheault8349]

Do you play in co-op? I am actually playing mario bros wonder and nobody saves the world with my girlfriend. I was wondering if the game is actually hard?

[@travelfix86]

Not so hard, the progression is quite fast if you are skilled.

[@mattpenix8438]

This is perhaps one of the richest, most tasteful, and deep pick list I’ve seen lately. Absolutely hidden gems in here. Well done. This is why I’ve subbed.

[@hafaball]

Void Stranger seems like one of those games you play for 40 hours, finish and realize you only unlocked 23% of the game lol, still I'm sold, thanks Clemm!

[@malkilthewizard]

I'm at 90 hours and still have stuff left to do. Top 3 best games of all time.

[@hafaball]

@@malkilthewizard wow. sounds awesome, thanks!

[@azuarc]

God, I should just wishlist 80% of this video. I'm amazed that so many of these are falling into the "hidden gems" category. I thought for sure Koa, 9YoS and Poly Bridge 3 would have found audiences. A lot of these others were very talked about by critics, like Venba, American Arcadia, and El Paso Elsewhere. Maybe it's just testament to how much came out in '23 that we just can't find time for it all, but I'm still stunned that so many of these fell through the cracks.

[@hafaball]

agreed, 9YOS has surprisingly low review numbers, never heard of the others though.

[@ClemmyGames]

DO IT

[@dan_strummer]

Little Goody Two Shoes was amazing! The OST is also fantastic

[@authormichellefranklin]

Love Koa! Little Goody Two Shoes was such a surprise. The shouty old man from DotAge is the best.

[@RockyVegaTV]

I'm also surprised Worldless hasn't taken off more. That game looks like an absolute labor of love.

[@micahcaraballo5917]

An honorable mention is Gravity Circuit! I highly recommend that game to those who love retro 16-bit designed games!

[@Doortodoorgeek]

I really do appreciate you highlighting some of the cultures behind/in these games that I might not of realized

[@AirBendinCat]

Worldless was such an incredible game for me. I bought it in Jan and beat it in a few days. I couldn’t put it down and is still my top game for the year

[@happybean9135]

Shinobi non Grata is a good platformer.

[@Sultansekte]

Ok i have to admit I was very close to write the comment you forgot Void Stranger, cause i would've never expected it on this list. But yeah I'm glad it gets the recognition it deserves and that you actually played it.

[@jgreysquirrel]

Wow what a game to start with! Added Kill the Crows, Cusineer, and In stars and time to my wishlist. Lone Fungus is an awesome game.

[@ClemmyGames]

Fantastic

[@drstclair]

My biggest gripe was the narrative. It really gets away from why it's even called Knuckle Sandwich and attaches the story to multiple small nuggets. Combat is top notch, which save it for me.

[@Fallout2Forever]

HI Clemmy, how's it going? I wanted to thank you for both cutting down on the large amount of rogue-lites and souls-likes in your 2 january videos, as well as including so many story focused games. I really appreciate it!

[@senjusan6359]

This channel never fails to deliver at least one interesting game I never heard about. Good job, keep it up 👍

[@just_fenix_6442]

I'm so happy I found this KZbin channel. Good Work man ✌️

[@ClemmyGames]

Welcome aboard!

[@PC85X]

Thanks for the last year of coverage, Clemmy. Made a few purchases from discoveries here 👍🏻

[@dr.strangelove4665]

thanks so much for these. i use them to add to my list of games i eventually play. the diversity in your picks is amazing

[@thebarbaryghostsf]

Oh man, Fading Afternoon is soooooo good! I picked it up last night after I saw this video, and got totally lost in my life as a Yakuza for like 6 hours! Love the vaguely rogue-lite nature of the gameplay loop too. No spoilers for anyone who hasn't checked it out, but that was a really clever way to set up the loop.

[@ianinthehouse364]

Great list. Another underrated gem of a game is Pleh! which is a psychological horror game about a depressed game developer that doesn’t want you to play his game. Fantastic story line and it’s free!

[@sladikk]

Right as the steam sale is closing up, good timing!

[@ClemmyGames]

;)

[@Fachewachewa]

Can of Wormholes got snobbed!!! 😭 18:30 not true, even the earliest negative reviews of Void Strangers could be in the 50h area. The fact that the game wastes so much of the player's time is a recurring complaint

[@gooeyPhantasm]

Great list! Void Stranger was my game of the year too. If you don’t like puzzles as much but you like the vibe that Void Stranger gives off, I recommend its predecessor, ZeroRanger.

[@thebarbaryghostsf]

Picked up Kill The Crows on launch, but had to give up after a few hours lol. Just too action heavy all-the-time. There's hardly ever a break in the action, and the one hit and start all over mechanic was just too punishing for me. Sprawl was one of my fave hidden gems last year. Just found that a few weeks ago and loved it! Glad to see you mentioned American Arcadia. That had a good story. See some cool looking picks I haven't checked out yet too, so thanks as always!

[@dwayneduphraine7024]

There are three games in particular I played this year that I would absolutely call hidden gems: 24 Killers, a surreal and stylish adventure game inspired by games like Moon Remix RPG; Vividlope, a puzzle platformer about lighting up tiles on giant three-dimensional levels with a lovely Y2K/Sega Dreamcast aesthetic; and Repella Fella, a comedic adventure game with multiple endings set in a post-apocalyptic Australia, made by a solo flash game alumnus.

[@jurtheorc8117]

I've seen mention of 24Killers recently, and it looks very striking with the claymation. Makes me think of the upcoming Judero as well. May look into Repella Fella. What i'd say is a hidden gem is Clash: Artifacts of Chaos. Really fantastic 3D beat-em-up adventure set in a kind of prehistoric alien world full of sapient monsters. Rarely a human in sight. Got *fantastic* presentation in art direction, style, and music.

[@dwayneduphraine7024]

@@jurtheorc8117 Oh yeah, Clash! That weird pseudo-soulslike, Absolver-like sequel to Zeno Clash.

[@jurtheorc8117]

​ @dwayneduphraine7024 Ha ha, "Pseudo-soulslike", i see what you did there :P Yeah, it's a hard game to truly define, but for what it is i had a really good time with it. I'll gladly replay it and hope it gets more known and thus gets the devs more support. Same for the games that you all mention. Indie games really need to be talked about more in general. To that end: Any upcoming indie games you'd like to spread awareness about? For me, the likes of Blud, Genokids and Enenra have caught my attention.

[@Chadworthy_]

Glad you're enjoying puzzle games more, can't wait to keep seeing the genre in your videos! Aliensrock did a great job on Bunburrows, some of those sokoban games are crazy!

[@marssmit84]

Wait, is #1 a ZeroRanger sequel? I loved that

[@DanielG-e8t]

Yep, very different genre but its the same psychotic devs. highly recommend

[@RicochetForce]

I strongly, STRONGLY, echo the recommendation for Worldless. That game's combination of clean, abstract visuals and absolutely tacticle and rewarding combat is breathtaking.

[@Senumunu]

i really want more beat-em-ups River City Girls was vr fun, especially figuring out how to make longer combos the genre also doesnt have a lot of clutter but allows for meaningful unlocks

[@malkav0488]

Void Stranger was definitely my indie GOTY of 2023 ❤ Best way to dive into it is to not look at anything about it and take the world full of secrets and questions head on

[@Cibertartar]

Pocket Bravery was quite a surprise, a game with absurd quality and passion from the DEVS

[@candideouloptimisme]

wow! amazing! unbelievable! for the first time, a video with two puzzle-games in the list!

[@40GamersCompany]

I hope my game get into such list for 2024 ^_^

[@darknetworld]

It good to see some hidden games that not easy shine with many other games on the market.

[@cleander3645]

lone fungus blew me away actually really good game if you like things like hollow knight

[@ASTAn157]

Yeah

[@ClemmyGames]

good game

[@RobVespa]

You did have a treat for me. The first game - and lowest on the list - is worth the video alone... and yet almost all of them went on my wishlist. Many thanks!

[@ClemmyGames]

glad to hear it!

[@missitheachievementhuntres560]

Nova lands is so hogging my wishlist! I would love for more Forager/ Lost Nova kinda games. In stars and time is awesome ❤

[@ClemmyGames]

Good games

[@masterofdoom5000]

Huh neat Sokoban game *40 hours later* I HAVE WITNESSED SECRETS THE VERY ENTITIES OF CHAOS WOULD SHUDDER BEFORE, THIS KNOWLEDGE IS SEARED INTO MY SOUL

[@ClemmyGames]

Mmhmm

[@osazehenry5975]

Small thing, but if the numbering is arbitrary why are the names of the last 10 games not listed in the chapters? Seems like the thing some people might do to try to avoid spoiling the top 10 but that doesn't make sense if the order is random.

[@ClemmyGames]

The number I was referring to is the 1000ish reviews for it to be considered a hidden gem, not the ranking

[@osazehenry5975]

Gotcha. @@ClemmyGames

[@Vekerur]

How Afterimage didn't make this list? Or was it ruled out for something?

[@ClemmyGames]

because it's here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6O3lnmuhaxjm7s

[@CoenBijpost]

Worldless, omg, what a fantastic game! People need to try this one, for sure.

[@tallchap30]

Great work as always. Keep up the good work. ❤️

[@pipeiba]

your videos are the best! thank you very much

[@robertfernandez3746]

THE YEAR OF VOID STRANGER WOOOOOOOOOO

[@lautarofigueroa1467]

I'm surprised with the top 1, what I saw does'nt atract me, only because I trust in your taste, I'll try it :)

[@ClemmyGames]

Thank you for your trust, hope it doesn't disappoint

[@BenFoster-cx4em]

white snow was pretty cool too. thanks for the list. trying ghostlore again

[@ElieHaykal]

What a list! My Wishlist keeps on growing after watching your videos 😊

[@jayakumar9652]

Glad you added the Venba game. This game tells our Tamil culture. Kudos to the Visai games for making Venba

[@Artvuka]

Great video as always. ❤

[@Joe-bq9fj]

nice selection bro thanks 🙏🙏

[@tomato1087]

Can't believe kairosoft games doesn't come out here it has a lot of fun games

[@tylereikenberg9651]

So many cool games to check out!

[@ClemmyGames]

thanks!

[@DaveM-g6f]

A few Switch indie hidden gem recommendations not many people know about: Arco Athenian Rhapsody Aura of Worlds Bear’s Restaurant Black Skylands Bokura Cavern of Dreams Cleo a Pirate’s Tale Corn Kidz 64 Crypt Custodian Disjunction Duck Detective Embracelet Ember Knights Fading Afternoon Guns, Gore & Cannoli 1 & 2 Ib Inmost In Stars and Time Jack Move Kingdom Eighties Lacuna Lonely Mountains Downhill Meg’s Monster Melon Journey Mondealy My Big Sister Remastered Ocean’s Heart Olija Once upon a Jester Paperball Deluxe Pine Hearts Riptide GP: Renegade Rusted Moss Samurai Bringer Shadows of Adam Spookware Streets of Rogue Stories Untold Street Cleaner: the Video Game Super Kiwi 64 Terrorbane Terror of Hemasauras The Final Station The Kids We Were The Punchuin There is No Light Wild Dogs

[@Khemikal_X]

Great video

[@tojitoshizou835]

Sanabi is actually the best indie game of 2023. this game is so amazing play it.

[@HurricaneSparky]

Weird to see Indivisible cited for anything. It had a lot of promise, but didn't really deliver on any particular aspect.

[@fiddleronthecube7835]

Void Stranger looks similar to Evoland. I might look into it.

[@ClemmyGames]

Please do

[@commentarytalk1446]

Pocket Bravery is my pick of indie games. It's only on PC atm so here's hoping with console releases it can grow an active community. There's plenty of awesome duals/fights on YT to watch if you click search so there's a dedicated player groups and some of the quality of skill on display using various characters is phenomenal. Notice how with fighting games the barrier to entry is exceedingly high! But also notice if you do enjoy and master the skills, then how much quality you can fill into 90s count-downs each match! That's why those who love these games really dig them! But they are punishing to learn for sure. Fading Afternoon - My other favourite game of 2023! I hope good word of mouth builds: If anyone likes those extreme violence East Asia movies albeit it's more about the deep and heavy emotions behind the action... then this game is a gem creating some of the vibe and ideas mowing down hordes of goons and wondering philosophically what it all means?! Void Stranger - Wow did not see this one before: It looks quirky but containing hidden depths! Thanks for the hot tip.

[@jurtheorc8117]

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is another little-talked about game from early last year which very much deserves more attention too. Recommend looking that one up, for art style and music alone it hits hard.

[@LaserStorm117]

Damn. I haven't thought about Pocket Fighter in a long time.

[@TheTuttle99]

Not really my style for most of these but it's cool to see

[@CYI3ERPUNK]

fantastic list =] ; pocket bravery soooo underrated

[@thewatcher62]

Woa this is a great list.

[@avatarxs9377]

how is this possible that i never heard of them, anyway, thank you so much

[@Thestandingturtle]

Love aliensrock’s content. He’s great

[@joshuatheargonaut4412]

Some of these I'm honestly surprised are flying under the radar. In Stars and Time has been in my wishlist since it came out. It looks so good. I'm going to have to help them out. Good list thou. Hopefully it will shine some light on some of these and they'll find a good home.

[@winemomkirby]

void stranger gang represent!!!!!🤩

[@Mels.Melgior]

I love kill the crows, its sooo satisfying!!

[@ryanc2115]

Pocket Bravery and Fading Afternoon for me!

[@RedDragon-yp3tg]

Kill the Crows definitely my goty.

[@aoihitori]

Platformer was not dead, it is just "Game Journos" didn't made em justice and always rated lower as much as possible and just calling em Bad games instead of saying they hated Platformer games.

[@PouyanArephpoor]

I hope "Wekillya" get in these list for 2024

[@ChronoTriggers]

Cobalt Core, low-key banger

[@projectfear22]

Thumbnail game is?

[@christopherm.gitonga6373]

Ghost Lore And WorldLess

[@sqire1234567]

My indie GOTY is Laika: aged through blood, super unique metroidvania on a motorcycle, dont see it on anybodies lists :/

[@dityan94]

worldless be thickkk!!

[@guve25]

I hate this channel, made me buy games I'm interested with... Continue.

[@bravoalley228]

You have a wife!.. How do you give her time with how much content you provide?!?😅😂

[@GJPGAMESvideos]

Worldless is a great looking game! I thoroughly enjoyed the demo! I would love to do a playthrough for the devs!

[@titomartin2866]

3:33

[@ginglee4199]

Damn you really need to fix your video it keeps on stucking on one frame while the audio just goes on

[@ClemmyGames]

?? Is it your connection?

[@sonhsembung3620]

Mantap mantap gamenya aku ok banget sukses amin.

[@goblack3661]

I'm sorry but I have to say this. With all due respect, I can't imagine what he sounds like when he has a cold.

[@Zihenroy]

Sadly nothing for me :(

[@bravoalley228]

why is Kill the Crows so cheap?

[@adolfocabarcas5795]

damn bro you sound like speaking german

[@adolfocabarcas5795]

really good video, i saw now, sorry my comment