27 Indie Games You NEED To Try (or else)

[@yakkocmn]

hello! here is a compilation of my last two years of indie game recommendations, with a little bit of re-editing so it all feels like one big video. getting to share cool games with so many people has been one of the highlights of creating content here on youtube, so thank you for watching!

[@Doduszkaa]

THE ULTIMATE WATCHTIME BOOST

[@ghost-in-the-ciel]

Do you really manually find each 1 second clip, place the in/out cut markers, place it in the timeline, and then repeat for the next 1 second of the video, until you have two hours? Isn't there a better way!?!

[@oscarguzman3017]

Here, I thought I was getting fresh yakko content 😢

[@ScoutOW2]

Thaats why i swear ive seen this video that released 5 hours ago!

[@otherlego]

yakko have you played pepper grinder

[@Mrmarch444]

BIG NEWS!!! Balatro out now on mobile! You can now play it anywhere and for half the price!

[@Uotre]

not half the price its 7 cheaper

[@lidbel9352]

Oh god please no, my screen time...

[@DrGoldenLink]

​@@Uotrehomie 7 off a 15 dollar game is basically half the price take your pedanticism somewhere else

[@Uotre]

@ the game is 22 dollars on pc and is 15 on mobile

[@DrGoldenLink]

@@Uotre In the US, It is 15 bucks on steam and 10 on Mobile so while still not half price, it's still cheaper. Good day to you. :)

[@digitalditz3474]

Is it weird how this video dropped as I was looking for something exactly like this in vain for half an hour, even checking yakko's latest videos to see if he had a new indie upload. Then BAM, 2 hour long indie hidden gem list, wish granted :) Thanks Yakko

[@Bloomkyaaa]

I was so worried until you said it was a compilation of old videos, my wallet is safe... 😅

[@supermariolover20]

PIZZA TOWER, BALATRO AND DEEP ROCK GALACTIC IN THE THUMBNAIL! YEAHHHHH And slugcat. I'm sorry I missed you from RAIN WORLD

[@Dan-xy4iq]

Slugcat

[@lukasmarek3424]

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" Slugcat maybe.

[@goshdarnwizard]

thank you so much for adding rain world my brother 🫡

[@pigon__]

He managed to add all my hyperfixations into one thumbnail

[@lucyarisato6850]

Dropped everything to watch this, even though I’ve seen all of it individually. Thanks Yakko!

[@LstrikeLuna]

Really hope Yakko covers UFO 50 in the next one of these. It's easily one of my favourite games of this year.

[@Memebigboi]

I've finished crosscode today and I'm gonna start on the DLC tomorrow Thank you for recommending me the game, and i can't wait to try some of these games you mentioned here, too

[@that1sprig]

Begging you to play Cassette Beasts. It’s often compared to Pokemon, but it feels so, so different. Its battle mechanics rely on your sense of logic, the characters feel very real and have real and understandable motives, and the bosses are all so incredibly unique and disturbingly (and purposefully) out of place. Not to mention its soundtrack. It’s comprised of solely bangers, and the main battle theme, “Shot in the Dark”, is still my favorite song 1 1/2 years later. The game is also surprisingly philosophical and is actually one of the core reasons it stands out among other creature collectors. Please give the game a try. Trust me, you’ll love it

[@foreskinmcfatnutsjr]

I think you’re giving the game way too much credit and people are going to come in expecting something else. The game is easily a 6/10. It’s fine but not nothing groundbreaking

[@alexbranigan8698]

Holy shit I didn’t know it was a comp at first

[@PurpulTyedye]

You got my sub. Great reviews. Love the humor and narrative in these reviews. Unlike alot of people who review games. It actually feels like you played the games instead of just compiling bits and pieces from other reviews and trying to make them for own.

[@vidril6440]

An indie game I'd recommend to play is In Stars and Time. It came out late last year and completely consumed me while playing. It's dethroned Celeste as my all time favourite game with how it's the only _anything_ that has gotten me to tear up in maybe a decade.

[@thebigohno8757]

A few weeks ago I found your channel and binged all your indie recommendations but even so this video refreshed my memory and helped me find some presents for my gf. I really recommend rewatching it if u already watched the other ones cause I doubt you will remember all these titles for longer than a week if you don't buy em straight away. Therefore great video!

[@LucyTheBox]

Lmao, one of my friends who I ended up forcing to play Return of the Obra Dinn, sent me this video with the timestamp 21:00 and the text "that's you".

[@gooblergorp]

i love these types of videos, i feel like it brings the attention good indie games need, which is a lot since they are so good awesome video!

[@peaberry9413]

GO MECHA BALL MENTIONED, holy crap. One of my favourite little gems that literally no one else ever talks about.

[@supermariolover20]

I've been loving the Yaggo content. Thie 2 hour compilation will go hard when I visit a friend's house and put it on when they look away.

[@tvav69]

Your review of Pizza Tower alone is worth a sub! Excellent work my friend!! Thanks!! ✌🏻

[@Reviewchiller]

Your production quality is great these days

[@AchanCham_]

Super cool to see this video. Thank you for all of your hard work over the years!

[@dufimaxi]

So glad to see some people still plug Crosscode, which is my personnal favorite indie ever. The DLC was so cool too. Also check out Nine sols, of all the indies this year (and I played 14 on that list) its my Indie of the year.

[@LincolnMarsh]

I love indie games my self and I have played some of these games! I think I’m going to subscribe to you! Keep going on this KZbin channel! ( I can’t stop playing balatro it’s so fun lol I’ve been playing it for like 3-4 months )

[@refugiox5357]

This is a certified: "I'm buying too many PEAK GAMES" Video moment. Anyways, this compilation it's really cool and I don't know, I've been here since the first edition of this, so seeing like the collection from it, makes me cheer how cool your content and how you have manage to change my taste on games in general, finding a lot of my favorite games to this day now. Thanks for everything, Yakko!!

[@asgoodasgolden]

Balatro coming to mobile recently was a death sentence for my productivity and sleep schedule...

[@marin9412]

Yakko I will forever be thankful to you for introducing me to brutal orchestra one of my fav games ever that definitely would still be under my radar without you. However did you HAVE to use footage of every main plot point, emotional climax and the final boss like cmon dude seriously

[@aPengwin1]

So I started watching this video as a big fan of the series and when you were like "this is just the entire series in one video" I was like "oh cool, a rewatch never hurt nobody" and I was gonna watch while fueling my balatro addiction you caused but about half an hour in I realized I forgot to resume balatro. That's how good your content is. I was going to watch it in the background and immediately forgot because your content is so well done.

[@Expochan]

Please play Omega strikers, the competitive scene is still very much alive! It has a fantastic community!

[@pigon__]

This guy somehow managed to cram all my hyperfixations into one thumbnail ❤❤❤

[@andreas5341]

Is it really a hyperfixation if you've got like 5

[@pigon__]

@andreas5341 do not underestimate me

[@MissMinnichan]

Sometimes I really do watch your old videos out of comfort. So this was very nice 👌

[@arminkeso1169]

Buddy, you really really love games... Love the content, keep it up, best of luck to you :D

[@unholymackerel8072]

Man literally 2 days ago I started seriously considering the Indie Games playlist you made. This is PERFECTLY timed, god damn :,)

[@efomaofficial502]

the way you described "Return of the Obra Dinn" is exactly how I feel about "What Remains of Edith Finch" , Guess I'm buying RotOD now😂

[@4000Wiggins]

This year I built a really powerful PC bc I wanted to play higher quality VR content. However, serendipitously, I discovered a whole new world of indie games that i had never really explored or even knew about before. Now instead of playing VR I play mostly indie games content: Inscryption, Balatro, FTL, Lonely Mountains: Downhill, Plate Up. There is so much great content. I can’t get enough!!

[@flyingviral7288]

Crosscode is an insanely GOATED game. The devs are currently making another game (not a sequel) with similar mechanics

[@loopyhoops001]

literally got so excited to see The Gnorp Apologue featured in one of your videos! I randomly picked it up one day and played the crap outta it for a while until the progression got a little slow. I love the game though and I hope everyone gets a chance to try it out!

[@AofCastle]

I've played Pseudoregalia a couple of times. I still don't know what "The Intended Path™" is.

[@deoxxys]

I've already seen all of your other indie game must plays. 😅 I'm going to fall asleep to this video for the second night in a row.

[@ThatOneTowel]

Everyone go play Omega Strikers right now, it's getting a lot harder to find lobbies

[@mr.sometimes7311]

Yes we need new players

[@eminglee7716]

i loved the game when i was playing with the 3 stack, sad that it's half dead now :(

[@marcosm1223]

I thought it'd be new games :c I got so excited and saved to watch later Maybe it'd be cool to list it as compilation in the title?

[@Slamandorf]

Immaculate video 👍 A really sick game I'd recommend for you to give a shot is Grime since you like cool metroidvanias

[@devyncampbell4020]

Thank you so much for this video I can’t stop playing deep rock it’s amazing and I caught on sale!

[@internetgoat4831]

Crosscode is still one of my favorite games of all time.

[@Nicc2609]

I love you

[@i_am_not_mikel964]

@@Nicc2609 i love you too

[@joemama2499]

Penny's big breakaway deserves way more success 😢 Yes it has flaws but the overall foundation of gameplay, level design, art direction and music are pretty extraordinary. Sadly the studio already had to lay off staff due to poor sales. Please please please support the game so they can make an even better sophomore effort. This studio clearly has many great ideas and a true love of gaming. A fully cooked 11 world 3d platformer for $30 and no micro transactions is worth it

[@StarsongKey]

I don't know if I'd call a 2 hour video "easily bingeable" but it's not like that is gonna stop me

[@vinceb8123]

Two and a half hours of yakko?! Christmas is early this year

[@tvav69]

I think you’d be less in love with Bomb Rush Cyberfunk if you’d played Jet Set Radio. BRC is a blatant rip off. Maybe they see it as a tribute to the original. Idk, but it’s weird for me and I haven’t played it yet because of that. ✌🏻

[@JenNittahl]

It saddens me, how Omega Strikers got basically abandoned for no reason. In my region, finding matches takes hours now and for what? They had a good game in their hands and just dropped it for no reason. The peak player count this week was 500 on Steam.

[@mmlop4704]

honorable mention to ‘Sorry We’re Closed,’ the incredibly gay silent hill that captured my imagination immediately with its striking art style & earnestly-written story

[@realkingofantarctica]

You need to be careful not to overuse "(or else)." When you say it too much, the threat of cruel and unusual punishment becomes less impactful, and that would be a bummer.

[@yakkocmn]

27 Indie Games You NEED To Try RIGHT NOW (the police are on their way)

[@NasNas3214]

yeahhhhhhh

[@toolazytobeoriginal4587]

27 Indie Games You WILL Try IMMEDIATELY

[@Vaguer_Weevil]

Only if the impact is never delivered 😉

[@CereliaYuna]

I LOVE THIS VIDEOOOOO AAHHHHHH thank you Yakko :3

[@claptrappington5895]

I feel like Outer wilds shoud've been on the list alongside tunic and obra dinn. They go so well together and thje other two usually get recommended after you complete one these.

[@AzureSkyBeta]

oho new yakko vid, don't mind if I do... oh, it's just all the previous Indie games you need to try... *watches all of it over again anyway*

[@ВоваЧернуха-б3ь]

ty for The Case of the Golden Idol. Very cool game

[@Folly_Inds]

I'd forgotten you had already talked about citizen sleeper. It's such an amazing experience that really captures something like the ttrpg experience or a boardgame. If you've ever played a really well built campaign with strong roleplay the feeling is the same... But with the weeks of buildup compressed into 8 hours

[@barkie_swag]

this is a compilation ill thoroughly enjoy

[@jakesullypl]

Great Compilation. Thanks

[@noobtub333]

Play Nine Sols bro 😭 it’s Ninja Cat Hollow Knight

[@misamagica]

SECONDED EVERYONE PLAY NINE SOLS RIGHT NOW

[@noobtub333]

@ real 🫱🫲🤝

[@lukasmarek3424]

I will try it when it will be in gamepass.

[@noobtub333]

@ my man 🤝 it’s worth it I already got 30 hours init and I’m at the final boss rn

[@Allen-jj7vv]

It's nothing like Hollow Knight. It's an amazing 2D Sekiro game

[@Chriscinos]

Awesome as always Yakko, I have noted the ones that I find appealing. I was also expecting to find an awesome game released this year but it wasn't there, so here is my recomendation: Chrono Ark, a rogue-lite card rpg game that has an amazing story and surely you will like and recommend. Thanks for your videos!

[@johnlewandoski1645]

Tunic is definitely worth a play the way the log fills out is amazing.

[@krayozmines]

Love yr channel yakko❤

[@jdartt7243]

Nice list, I also recommend Darkest Dungeon. One of the most atmospheric and engaging indie games out there. With that being said, ROCK AND STONE!!!

[@thatonedude5277]

Big fan of the x and y box art print out by your desk

[@MarcoundMarco]

So many interesting games that i didn't know. love this list.

[@igorkornienko7761]

wow, didnt expect to see crosscode. To me it came off as crazy underrated, I was baffled by how good it is vs how little waves it made. Played it at release.

[@Elesterion]

1000xResist mentioned!!! I'm absolutely obsessed with it since i first played it.

[@chrismurcia3111]

This is amazing. I’ve gotten introduced into so many new games because of you so thank you for that !! Lmao

[@SusietheSkelethor]

Im so happy you included picayune dreams!!!

[@minionpeter]

I was excitet becuase i tought it was a new vedio but i will gladly watch this compelation again 😊

[@headbang3r1186]

Brutal Orchestra my beloved. One of the best indie OSTs ever.

[@ausjense]

In a world of AI generated garbage list videos that recommend the same (not so) hidden gems, I'm thankful I found your channel. I've already added so many new interesting games to my backlog. Keep it up

[@ShockedTaiLung]

I feel like such a cool gamer having already played all of these

[@jokerofspades-xt3bs]

Really fun and underrated indie games? Might I recommend Barony. Please take note that if you plan on playing Barony it is highly recommended to have friends to play the game with, it is fully possible to beat the game solo but not recommended.

[@Icebearbear]

ITS YAKKO TIME

[@tedecoo]

the last thing I watched in 2024 and it was worth any minute. didn´t think I would be jumpscared by a broken Magic Wand toy as a weapon but I do appreciate surprises :D cheers

[@pecpudim]

Oh yakkocmn you're the goat mate

[@Sebboebbo]

DA INDIE KING IS BACK BABY HE NEVA MISS WE'RE EATING GOOD TODAY Y'ALL

[@JUSTAS210]

calm down this is basically a re-upload of his old videos

[@Folly_Inds]

As is tradition, I will ask you to play Jet Lancer. I've already told you the soundtrack is phenomenal so this time I'll try explain one of the mechanics. If you get die in jet Lancer but dodge in the few frames afterwards, you will instead counter the hit and get bonus damage and score. You like parries right? as a second suggestion, hummm have a whole list. Sable Brigador Not a Hero Paradise Killer Hardspace: Shipbreaker Hammerfight Receiver 2 The Zactronics games

[@ZaneZansorrow]

The Big Catch Tackle Box/ Rabbit and Steel definitely going to my wishlist!

[@Dragonmist19X]

I do enjoy seeing a compilation of these, but kind of wish the games from "5 of the Best Indie Games You've Never Played" were included too.

[@BrooksSoljah]

Void rains is about to get a lot more than 1k reviews thanks to this video

[@wolfmen5907]

Indie games videos. That's what I like and an easy choice for a meal video!

[@yakkocmn]

i do this so no one has to eat without youtube

[@wolfmen5907]

@@yakkocmn Thank you, it's a sin to eat without a video haha

[@ngothuan6820]

You should play Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands. This is one of the most favorite games with Crosscode. This is an RPG game with music theme. Special gameplay, you and the player will have 1 time bar. Anyone to the end of the bar will have a turn. Players control 3 characters, you can convert anyone to any time when it is your turn, it sounds simple but you can put buff or debuff to the time bar. You can put buffs like healing, accelerating, defensive increase, attacking, ... or Debuff's placement so Time Bar is as slow, dame over time, decreasing, reducing the work, ordering bombs, etc. .. The game has 5 classes and you can give the character any class you want Especially you open the door and chest by kicking it The graphics are 2d hand-drawn comic style. The game developer is a comic artist. The game is very bright and colorful like a comic book. All the characters and enemies are very unique, somewhat quirky and humorous The story is probably the best part of the game. Every word is very witty and humorous that can make you laugh. You sign up for a competition between bands, you are cursed that music can hurt you and your music can hurt others. You have to win the competition to survive. You will laugh a lot when observing the very weird world and the characters influence each other in a very weird way that will make you want to laugh. You can mistake this as a happy game but the game can be very dark because of the word dead and the game will have death, you can be very sad when it comes to moments. The music is the best with 60 original tracks, along with 1 skill will have a different sound, you will be surprised how music can liven up and make your gaming experience better For 10 dollars you will get 20 hours of fun experiencing this fun quirky world with a deep story that touches on many heavy themes, a complex combat system along with a music farming system (weapons) that can take up to 10 hours if you want to collect all the music. I love this game, I replay it many times every chance I get. I wish more people knew about this game because it is not really popular despite its great quality If you like RPGs then you should try this game

[@Rev_Boneman]

A friend of mine played Return of the Obra Din in discord, and boy was it fun to figure out shit as a group. Great game!

[@luckytiger2775]

When you were talking about Laika and mentioned Katana Zero it reminded me of a game called Sanabi. The easiest way to describe it is imagine if Katana Zero had a story you could actually understand. It was great and made me cry, if you haven't played it before i'd give it a shot if you enjoyed Katana Zero as much as you should have.

[@rosemary3029]

If you want another warioland inspired game there's antonblast in which both of the devs are supportive of eachother

[@johncameron1935]

UNSIGHTED MENTION I still need to go back and finish the dojo. What a satisfying parry mechanic.

[@vivi_for_real]

40 minutes in and i want to try every game mentioned so far 😭😭

[@greninja0guy07]

this si THE video for indie games other vids show games everyone has heard of and spoil the game too much or show most negative stuff but dont rly back up the good stuff ive downloaded 4 games from here already and im still watching through

[@VanPebble]

Whatta great video...Really good...Subscribed...

[@mozzarellasalad494]

You should check out Until Then. It's def been my GOTY and one of my all-time favorites, tho I can't say much since it should be experienced as blind as possible. Just an amazing masterpiece, cannot recommend it enough. The world hasn't ended yet :)

[@shiina4826]

holy shit yakko

[@bobvella7228]

forgot going under, it got it's own video but makes sense to me to add it to a monster of a indie review compilation

[@litapd311]

5 views in 33 seconds? it would be irresponsible to discuss the ongoing status of this channel without further data. who am i kidding this is the greatest channel on youtube, yakko never misses

[@snowpoint720]

As always, I need to rep my favorite Indie RPG, Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands. Game does everything right, so much fun. More people need to play it.

[@chrisdaisy109]

I’m now addicted to gnorp apologue oh and also for rain world you should really do the hunter campaign and experience true suffering

[@prinnydadnope5768]

Great list! I'd add Beastie Ball, Cassette Beasts and Fae Tactics to anyone enjoying RPG and colors.

[@HippothePotamus]

You should all really try A Hat in Time, its a really good Indie 3d Platformer that's well worth your time.

[@mr.sometimes7311]

Speaking of dynamic music, in Omega Strikers the music depends on who gets first pick every set.

[@godsil11]

alright winter sale is here, time to find out what to buy

[@supermariolover20]

Hold on. 2 hours? ZAMN. This is really a short review per game crazy