Weird Indie Gems I Enjoyed

[@bearcavepro8832]

We need a indie spotlight video every now and then

[@Agent789_0]

Absolutely. I feel like these could help a lot during sales.

[@rekomendasibarangkece9156]

True !!

[@GodIsDead666]

Shout out to Kongregate those were the golden days! More vids like this please, these were some true hidden gems

[@SpecShadow]

I'm really glad that Hannah and Joseph didn't stop making games after Mechajammer - their games certainly looks (and plays) different from the trove of average indie games... Perfect example of "rough gem". For me - I could add Inquisitor from Cinemax, a Divine Divinity clone. Despite balance issues, difficulty spikes and slow gameplay the spells are cool (but good luck curing from the poison and other illness with spells) and atmosphere is neat.

[@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968]

Is that the Inquisitor isometric? Yeah, that's an interesting game. Not to be confused with The Inquisitor from last year. Although I never finished the former, I did enjoy its premise. I actually bought on Steam again recently but need to try it again because I died straight away before I even got into the city.

[@isma3il2005]

Did they ever fix some of the games issues? I tried it and bounced off tbh

[@verdicktrobin]

Absolutely loved Sang-Froid! Glad you're drawing attention to it, sad it never got big; very original catchy music too.

[@AliasAerius]

One weird little game that can be a lot of fun is Costume Quest. Your sibling gets kidnapped by a monster while trick or treating, so you have to go and rescue them. You can recruit other kids to help you and build new costumes to give you new powers when battling monsters.

[@JeysieC]

My five fave indies that flew under the radar: Knock on the Coffin Lid, Cobalt Core, Thea: the Awakening, Galaxy of Pen & Paper, and I Was a Teenage Exocolonist.

[@DarthSchum]

Wow. I don't think I know any of them, and I am a gamer with "experience'". Will check them out. Thx.

[@Biouke]

Thea is pretty good, needs some investment to get started if, like me, you're easily overwhelmed by management games :p

[@JeysieC]

@@BioukeYeah, Thea is a wild one, it's basically "what if Civ but with one city, also it's a card battler and a Slavic mythology RPG".

[@MrTohawk]

Did you play Thea 2 as well?

[@JeysieC]

@@MrTohawk I did, though I didn't gel with it as well I did with as the first game. It's still a good game itself, though.

[@ryantylerdavis]

Moonring is an awesome indie title. I’m not sure if it’s in full release yet, but we’ll worth the time I spent with it!

[@ShawnBiddle]

Should also mention it's totally free and not in the live service "always online with microtransactions way." The developer (who previously worked on Fable) just wanted to release a game for free

[@TheJols]

moonring is dope.

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah it was pretty cool!

[@Wombats555]

Cyclopean is another solo dev roughly Ultima IV plus mouse controls. Like Ultima IV reskinned as The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath with Zoogs eating Cats

[@lovablebutcher6265]

sang froid has one of the most captivating soundtracks ever, we need more games like this - hidden gem indeed

[@Draconomiconn]

Didn't expect to see Sang-Froid Tales of Werewolves here, such a odd cookie, but one of those games that got me into youtube in first place.

[@phoenixfeiren7639]

Never thought I'd hear the mention of Sang-Froid again. I first heard about it on TotalBiscuit's channel many years ago and bought it right afterwards. Rest in peace, TB. Your memory lives on.

[@JesseDylanMusic]

Space Wreck's interface is so cool. I love how the inventory and interaction screens look like some weird mouse-based, pre-Windows DOS interface from the mid-to-later 1980s.

[@zenithquasar9623]

It is kind of that but kind of Amiga as well imo.

[@JesseDylanMusic]

@@zenithquasar9623 Yeah it is. I never had an Amiga!

[@ogto]

Teleglitch is a personal favorite that seems all but forgotten.

[@Marcusianery]

Huh, I thought it was another game that was FPS. I have it laying around. never played it!

[@venelinstoyanov2300]

Good one. It feels like I played it a lifetime ago :D . It had such a great atmosphere

[@Ravenlock]

Yessssss. So good. So difficult.

[@hzzzvv6671]

Teleglitch is in its own level, nothing like it! 😁

[@Beelzeblob.]

I think what sets you apart, to me at least is your prose. I could listen to you for hours and not get tired of your voice or manner of speaking. It just flows so naturally that instead of watching a KZbin video, I feel like I'm chatting with a mate. I also obviously love the content you cover too but I think in a pretty lonely world, it's a nice feeling to have.

[@ginocerda3290]

Yeah I 100% agree he has naturally soothing speaking pattern and cadence

[@MortismalGaming]

I appreciate that! I spent a lot of time on it, most youtube videos sound very forced to me and if you listen to my old videos I struggled myself but I found what worked for the most was to treat it more like I am in fact just having a conversation with someone which seems to have worked out!

[@venelinstoyanov2300]

Never finished Sang-Froid, but it was pretty cool. What wasn't was the voice acting :D (one of the brothers especially). The first conversation between the 3 siblings had that "If it isn't my little sister, Josephine!" line that still makes me shudder, but most of the time it was actually funny. And I do understand indie games often have non-existent budgets. It was a good game :) As for Mechajammer, I haven't played it, but I've seen it and its scary low number of reviews on Steam and I'm glad they are still making games. Banquet for Fools looks very promising.

[@Klosterhiem]

Iron Danger was one of my favorite games the year it came out; I'm always happy to see it highlighted.

[@onatgz]

free comment to boost visibility. both of the channel and the games.

[@mulatdood]

Lost Technology - Successor to Brigandine in my heart Lines - Simple Puzzle game that hooked me. Warsim - Text-Based Kingdom Management Game Open Sorcery - Text adventure where your character evolves based on your choices One Way Heroics - Rouge-like where you outrun the world ending behind you

[@armelior4610]

Mine is Freedom fall, a short and sweet platformer where you are escaping a dungeon run by an evil princess, instead of the usual fairy tale. I loved how the narration is mostly done by graffitis on the walls as you progress

[@nmj1937]

Weird indie game that made its mark on me is Alder’s Blood. It’s a stealth-focused TRPG set in a dark fantasy/post-apocalyptic world (think Vampire Hunter D or Mid-World from The Dark Tower). The art aesthetic is what immediately got my attention but I also ended up really enjoying the gameplay as well. The idea is that you are severely outclassed by the monsters that roam this world, meaning full frontal assault is usually a bad idea. Thus you resort to hiding in brush and backstabs. The more unusual mechanic (in my experience) was arguably having to worry about your scent and which way the wind is blowing. The monsters have a very heightened sense of smell, and your scent range/direction is indicated by a line that extends out from your character. So an inopportune change in the wind might mean they now have your scent when previously you were hidden. TRPG is a genre that I tend to enjoy and this one had a neat twist on the formula, as well as a gorgeous art style imo.

[@normal6969]

In the Dominions series you can have elmost CRPG level heroes who lead your armies and can act as a spy, preeacher and assassin.

[@ryanb7186]

The Space Rangers games were really good indie games. Run and manage your own ship as you take on missions for various factions, all while trying to fend off a galactic threat to civilization happening in the background. The space combat is turn based, hyperspace battles were like an arcade game, and there was also RTS ground combat with giant robots you build. There were text adventures and puzzles to solve too. The game feels alive, as every time you warp into a new system factions are fighting, pirates are raiding merchant ships, or the galactic menace is laying waste to everything and taking over system (different alien factions will plot to take those system back, and you can even contribute to the war effort directly and indirectly). When ships are destroyed, you have a chance that ship components and other loot drops. You can even go into a zone over your head combat wise and just vulture the drops, then get out of there before you're the next target. You can upgrade your ship with equipment you either buy, salvage, or win. They are really great games and a ton of fun!

[@GreenLeaderMusic]

Love videos like this! Thanks for sharing your perspective!

[@retroinspect]

I was surprised by the low ratings on mechajammer because it’s legitimately awesome. I wish there was a way for Steam to hide reviews by major updates because all launch issues were long resolved and they still added more in huge updates.

[@jhit2026]

It's always nice to hear about games i never played or my style.

[@joshuabroekema6416]

Less weird and more unique but my favorite weird game is The Vale: Shadow of the Crown. It’s an audio only game you play with headphones. You play as a blind female protagonist on a journey and you navigate the world with side quests and combat using only directional audio. It’s incredibly immersive and satisfying to be able to close your eyes for the entirety of a game. You really feel like a warrior and like you’re this blind protagonist

[@DarthSchum]

Quick comment to mention that I liked this unusual video, and that the care given to the chaptering and description is as always appreciated. Have a great rest of your day.

[@MelfiSilver]

Reminded me of weird indie games recommended by TB back in the day: Sunless Sea, Last Federation, Dwarfs, Long Live The Queen. Great stuff.

[@Sagan_Blandard20XX]

I don't even have a PC for games and I still watch your stuff. Dude has one of those voices.

[@elimalinsky7069]

I remember the great late Totalbiscuit covering Sang-Froid in one of his first impressions videos. That takes me back.

[@Pedone_Rosso]

Cool list. I especially enjoyed the part when you let us know of a sub 3 dollars game to play: very useful, very welcome. Thanks for your videos!

[@JesseDylanMusic]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I spent a lot more than $2 on that one--I was shocked to see it at $1.99 today :P

[@AstralFrost]

Thanks for turning me onto Mechajammer. Definitely gonna pick that one up!

[@ogto]

oh boy, sang froid, now there's a blast from the past. from the 2nd-3rd ish wave of indies.

[@Killbomb]

I hadn't heard of Wigmund before but it definitely looks like something I'd be interested in.

[@RollingBallofFury]

Loved Sang Froid, beat it in like 2009. Music on that game is absolutely amazing.

[@supergranular]

1. Don't yell at Mortim. 2. Sang fw(r)ah

[@claudemoney6798]

'' SIENGFRUUND '' i'm dead lol

[@cvxmademedoit]

If it helps with future endeavours Sang - Blood Friod - Cold Aka Coldblooded Or at least that’s how I’ve always translated in my mind Deep cut, great game atmosphere 100% mechanics little twitchy

[@zackeryparkerson]

Hey, these games are actually weird and obscure! Usually these kinds of lists are like “Braid is the weirdest game I’ve ever played.”

[@JesseDylanMusic]

"Zelda: Majora's Mask was so weird and trippy for a Zelda game!!!!?!?!?!"

[@MikeStoneJapan]

Mecha jammer's look is right up my alley. Space wreck looks cool but makes me want to play ostranauts instead

[@mr.fantastic7756]

SANG-FROID TALES OF WEREWOLVES MENTIONEDDDD I had gotten it back in the day when it was free, loved the vibes of it

[@mekal177]

Have to agree Wigmund while not amazing is well worth the price and cozy throwback to older titles

[@midnightz7]

Sang Froid has been on my Steam wishlist for a while, but I always have a backlog of games I've bought and not played so I haven't ever gotten around to downloading it. Yet. And pronunciation, if you're interested, would be something like "Song Fwah".

[@robert.r.g]

Video idea: best gateway games to experience each genre for the first time

[@Lirka_906]

I love Mechajammer so much, despite how buggy it still is! The world, music and especially the atmosphere are amazing, and there's just no other game that's like it. The weird mix of Escape from New York and Blade Runner is so perfect that everytime I play it I'm amazing it hasn't been done before. The devs have said that the publisher stopped them from fixing up the last bugs due to their contract, and they regret not building in mod support. So that sucks. I wish the game was more popular so someone could make a fan-patch.

[@Muglurk]

Mort my dude you are an absolute powerhouse of a creator, all the love

[@Ravenlock]

Hunh! Most of these I've heard of or already have, but Wigmund is totally new to me and looks right up my alley. Gonna pick that up. Thank you! 🙂

[@Jamesssssssssssssss]

WOW MechaJammer looks great. Will add it to my wishlist

[@dgayle2348]

Does anyone know the name of the game in the intro with the pizza guy?

[@deathroll32]

need to know this

[@RockoEstalon]

While not CRPGs, I highly recommend the other games by Cosmo D (Dev behind Betrayal at Club Low), they're supper whacky with great music and deeper themes than it might look at the surface. Also, Cosmo said his next games were also going to be RPG mechanics like "Betrayal".

[@me36391]

Well, I thought I was the only other person to play Sang Froid. I looked in my library and had to be one of the first games I ever purchased on Steam in 2013 GG. If you like time manipulation but set during WW2 then give Broken Lines a try, I had more fun than I ever expected. And I could add a lot of weird games, but I still think In Verbius Vertus from 2015 was and is still way ahead of its time. Basically it is somewhat a Harry Potter game, but you HAVE to use actual voice(microphone IS required) commands to cast spells. And not only looks good, but it works better than most still today trying the concept.

[@jimb2109]

Last year my game of the year was Hardspace Shipbreaker. I know it came out in 2022 but I got the platinum trophy on PS5 last year. Such a great game. Need more like it on PS5.

[@Biouke]

Sang-froid, French for "cold-blood". You have to pronounce the "a" like in "m[a]chine" and the "oi" like in "[wa]r", keep the "d" mute. Also, great video as always. Iirc your review of Mechajammer was what got me to buy the game, and on this corner of YT. Lovely game despite the jank and bugs.

[@joshuabroekema6416]

Another standout indie gem for me was Life & Suffering of Sir Brante. It’s a choose your own adventure book game. It’s not the same as but it reminds me of Pentiment with just how good the writing and choice and consequence is in that game.

[@MortismalGaming]

I actually own that one, havent gotten around to it yet

[@joshuabroekema6416]

@@MortismalGaming it’s a great palate cleanser kind of game. Good to play after a really busy open world or action game

[@ropocop]

Those Who Rule might be up your alley!

[@HangarPilot-1985]

I'm looking at this one now and would really like to see a decent review (hint hint).

[@__Logan]

Sang-Froid (cold blood) is more or less said "saun fwa" with "saun" as in "sauna" without the "a" at the end or "song" without the "g" at the end

[@TimSedai]

Last year, I had a blast with Beyond Galaxyland. It was like a weird sci-fi final fantasy

[@sugamonogaijin]

sang-froid --> if I were to use the english pronunciation rules, something like "san-frwa" or "san-froa" Otherwise: love your indie games takes. Looking forward to more!! Edit: Sang-froid is the ability to stay calm under stress Edit 2: a word play with cold blooded

[@HangarPilot-1985]

Just finished "Ancient lands: the Tsar awakening" ... very fun tactical gem.

[@randomhodgepodge8902]

I played the Wigmund demo and liked it.

[@HangarPilot-1985]

Good game. I think he nailed it ... a bit of jank and the story is a little confusing ... but it's so fun you don't really care. I was actually looking at it in my library YESTERDAY thinking about re-installing it and giving it another go!

[@jack6600]

You should check out Caves of Qud when you get time, really great indie game. I scrolled through all 369 of your steam games to see if have it😂 It’s a traditional roguelike RPG and it plays kinda like the OLD school RPGS from the 80’s if you’re into that. Been in development for 17 years and FINALLY released in 1.0 last December, the content is endless.

[@inkeddecker9964]

banquet for fools and mechajammer I loved it

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Recommending - *Memoranda* PnC Adventure Game about a woman forgetting her name and goes around asking everyone. Inspired from Murakami novels and has Wes Anderson vibe with its' art and characters. I'm shocked not many have played it.

[@WolfoxBR]

My recommendations for great, weird indie gems: Path of Achra, which is a fantastic roguelite with some unique ideas; the strategy games by Blendo Games - namely Atom Zombie Smasher and (to a lesser degree) Flotilla; and there's a couple that (as far as I know) are no longer available for purchase, but if you can find them... namely, Six Gun Saga and The Occult Chronicles, from the now defunct studio Cryptic Comet, original creator of acclaimed games like Solium Infernum and Armageddon Empires.

[@Notsram77]

Hidden Gems are my favorite.

[@gorxela8982]

Gonna shout out Black Grimoire: Cursebreaker - awesome indie that is basically a single-player old-school Runescape.

[@fakeigniz13]

Whalenought really do make games that are really interesting but a little too difficult to get into for their own good.

[@AshParth560]

At the end of the day, we just enjoy any kind of video games for the fun of it, even on the indie side. 😌

[@Pulletlamer]

Kongregate was top tier. It shall be remembered

[@illegalkiwi2193]

Wigmund looks really cool

[@Statchar]

My sleeper agent code word was activated when kongregate was mentioned. Thats all my computer could run alongside binding of isaac and faster than light.

[@KhaosElement]

It isn't on PC, but an old PS1 JRPG that needs more attention is Azure Dreams. Just the best monster taming game ever.

[@ryandavid1277]

Gonna wishlist Wigmund. Buying up all the Arpgs

[@varnan12]

Sword Legacy: Omen. Short and buggy but solid Arthurian TRPG focusing on Uther. Wouldve loved a refined sequel where we play as Arthur.

[@spellfire2098]

got fang froid loved it so much got it for several friends after as birthday presents

[@coconutologist]

Thanks for the video. A dated title, but To the Moon is supposed to be pretty good. I could never get into it though. Probably too smart for me. Onward to 400k. All glory to the algorithm.

[@AliIKarimi]

Played Skald based on your recent recommendation. Its incredible. Hope everyone tries it out!

[@mikelawrence1876]

WWE 2k5 we all know you wanna do a lore deep dive. Gotta 100 percent that one too. Lol

[@Dread-Gazebo]

I just found an amazing little gem called Moonring. It’s completely free and takes me back to my 386 / 486 era games.

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah I liked it when I checked it out a while back

[@battlericky17]

Gunna check out the werewolf one! 🐺

[@thegrimm54321]

Space Wreck is sooooooo goooood!

[@dempa3]

Very interesting list! Need to check out these. An rpg which is quite unique, and which I'd be very interested in your opinion/review on is Pathologic 2.

[@trishamiller7859]

loved Kongregate back in the day...

[@corey2232]

I know it's probably not a game you'd normally get into, but have you played Stardew Valley? There's not a single part of me that has ever been interested in farming games, but so many people told me to play it because I enjoyed RPGs that I finally gave it a try. Absolutely awesome RPG, and it's crazy just how much content is in it.

[@MortismalGaming]

I have not Im afraid, heard many good things though

[@chrisreqkless]

lmao "i wish it had done better then it did" as it stands at mixed currently in steam reviews is so funny to me. Another you either love it or hate it type of game

[@DetectiveHalogen]

Great video!

[@matthiasbreuer8710]

Thanks for reminding me of Mechajammer. I should revisit that sometime! Have you, by any chance, ever tried Kenshi?

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

If it took you 12 hours to 100%, that tells me its an 80-100 hour game for normal people.

[@Wombats555]

Add in Cyclopean, Monomyth & Bloodwood Dungeon because YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH GAMES TO PLAY MORT :)

[@vyvexthorne]

I've enjoyed pretty much all games by Amanita Design. Short (some are extremely short) puzzle games. Absurd, silly and fun.

[@gmk7992]

Have you tried Path of the Midnight Sun? It’s a party-based RPG that seems story-focused. Reviews are very positive on steam, but there aren’t that many

[@purgedome2386]

Niche games... not weird... ;p Hehe.. makes me think of NEO Scavenger when I first played it.. It's a smash indie game now.. BUT not as weird as some of these. I played a lot of indie strange type games.. Another one that comes to mind is 3030 Deathwar Redux - A Space Odyssey.. Short but sweet and 'funny' game. Might try my hand with a few of these.. but i didn't know MechaJammer were the same devs as the upcoming one you mentioned. PS: grew up playing the older versions of Maniac Mansion and Leisure Larry Suit.. lol

[@ChoppedCheeese]

Should check out Stellar Tactics during your next down time of the year. It's still in early access but getting close to being finished. A huge space crpg all done by a single developer

[@yarbles66]

Mort, you mentioned you only had a Steam account when you had to have one for Skyrim... have you always been a PC gamer or did you start on consoles?

[@MortismalGaming]

I always preferred PC but before buying myself Skyrim I mostly just played whatever I could on account of growing up very poor and homeless and one point.

[@yarbles66]

@MortismalGaming you've mentioned your story before man, I think it's brilliant that you've managed to come from being homeless to creating the best, most high effort & most unique game channel on KZbin and that you've been able to buy a home & live comfortably on it. It's a powerful & inspirational story. More power to you man 🙏💚

[@chrisdiokno5600]

I remember Sang-Froid

[@chrismanahan1533]

Hi Mort, try Ember, a short indie crpg, a bit janky but fun rtwp rpg. Another hidden gem for me is Hand of Gilgamech, but that is more like a jrpg with deck-building but more story-driven instead of rogue-like.

[@ItzSkettimas]

is space wreck just crpg of void bastards? or rather is void bastards a fps version of space wreck? man they look similar in a lot of ways. a spiritual successor? imma see it that way for fun

[@MetalHev]

You'll really like Phantom Brigade if you liked the timeline thingymabobber in Iron Danger.

[@Kenjir0u]

How about the Death Trash? Did you try it?

[@MortismalGaming]

I have yeah

[@319ut4yr]

Not sure if it's indie, but do you think you'll review Caves of Qud now that its out of EA?

[@MortismalGaming]

No plans, I am already slammed through March

[@rofflesvanwagon]

Good stuff. Some awesome ignored ones in my opinion are draft of darkness, pixel noir and path of acra

[@Slimelia_]

Kongregate still exists, if you can believe it!

[@sneslive1556]

Fucking Skyrim. Went to a midnight release for that only to find out it was just a code in the box and then I proceeded to wait on my very slow internet at the time to download the game while by pals who were on consoles just went right at it.

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah it was the last physical non collectors edition game I bought myself