Are You Looking For A New RPG To Play? Give these Indie Games a Try
It’s a familiar feeling for gamers around the world – after dozens or even hundreds of hours, you’ve finished a game, and now you don’t know what to do with yourself. Picking a new game is a small but strangely important change to a player’s routine, and it can feel like a major decision.
If the time has come to play something new, indie games are always a great choice. These are the games that are willing to take risks, refine old ideas, or try something completely new. They also tend to fly under the radar in the face of triple-A giants.
Try one of these recent or upcoming turn-based RPG from indie developers. Who knows, maybe you’ll be one of the first to play a new classic!
Moonring
This retro-inspired RPG was developed by Dene Carter, creator of Dungeon Keeper and co-creator of Fable. It’s an ode to classic roguelikes and the beloved Ultima series, blending old-school gameplay with modern systems.
Players can explore the carefully crafted overworld, seeking out dungeons to delve, but each time they die the dungeons are randomized. Not only will Moonring offer a challenge for RPG fans, but it does so without costing a cent – it’s completely free!
Anomaly Collapse
Anomaly Collapse features an oddly compelling blend of the adorable and the abominable. Leading a team of cute anthropomorphic heroes, you’ll battle monstrous, mutated creatures straight out of a nightmare.
This upcoming title features a single-lane battle system similar to Darkest Dungeon, but with more movement and tactical choices. Rather than being limited to your side of the board, both your teammates and your enemies can move fully to the left or right, allowing for tactical flanking maneuvers and combos!
Wishlist Anomaly Collapse on Steam
Quasimorph
Space is scary enough without sharing it with terrifying, killer monsters, but in Quasimorph you don’t have much choice in the matter. You’ll have to command your cloned soldiers to navigate infested stations, fighting for their lives against whatever skittering horrors are around each corner.
Sure, you could load up your current clone with all the best gear you’ve found, but if you die then you lose everything that they had equipped. Each run is a game of risk and reward… not to mention fire and blood.
LunarLux
LunarLux is a game that knows where to find the fun in JRPGs. With bright, colorful visuals and quirky, memorable characters, it’s a sci-fi adventure bound to bring a smile to players’ faces.
Combat allows for positioning, timing, and combos, making the game deceptively strategic despite its candy-colored appearance. If you want to catch some monsters while you’re at it, LunarLux‘s Steam version is available as part of a bundle with Coromon!
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
You won’t find a modern RPG that doesn’t owe its existence in some capacity to the classic PC game Wizardry. From Final Fantasy to Metroid and everything in between, nearly every classic series and their descendants draw inspiration from Wizardry.
Proving Ground Of The Mad Overlord is a full remake of the original game in the series, offering visuals that ’80s gamers could only dream of. Outside of finding a functional Apple II and some floppy disks, this is the best way to experience one of the most important games of all time.
Get Wizardry: Proving Grounds Of The Mad Overlord on Steam
Get Wizardry: Proving Ground Of The Mad Overlord on GOG
Sigil of the Magi
Sigil Of The Magi is a mix of Fire Emblem and Slay The Spire, two names that will make any RPG fan want to give it a try. Commanding your small squad of fantasy heroes on a tiny tactical grid, you’ll play cards from your deck to issue commands and defeat whatever threats come your way.
With only three characters on your team at a time and limited space, there’s little room for error. Each decision counts if you want to make it all the way to the end of a run!
Get Sigil Of The Magi on Steam
Sagres
Sagres feels a bit like a JRPG version of Sid Meier’s Pirates! Traveling an open map of the real world, you’ll lead your ship and crew to battle buccaneers, establish trade between cities, and solve the mystery at the heart of the game’s story.
As you might expect, ship customization is essential, as you’ll need to balance the needs of your crew with having adequate defenses. Combat uses a rock-paper-scissors system that rewards insightful planning. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another game like this one!
Alder Forge
If you’re in the mood for high-powered anime fantasy combat, Alder Forge could be the game you’re looking for. Following a small group of soldiers in a tottering feudal society, you’ll be able to fight for a new world.
While it’s not quite as stylish as Persona (but then again, what is?), the turn-based combat offers a similar level of satisfaction. In fact, Alder Forge‘s world and characters all look great for an indie title, so you’ll want to explore every corner of Ertherya once you’ve jumped in.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
The long-awaited tactical RPG from the Trese Brothers has finally arrived! You’ll use stealth and XCOM-style combat to carry out dangerous heists in a cyberpunk world where all of your decisions matter.
Getting to know your teammates and enemies equally will give you new story paths and options, so no two playthroughs will be quite the same. Luckily, you’ll have an arsenal of weapons, cybernetics, and other gear to help you stand up to whatever dangers you face.
Get Cyber Knights: Flashpoint on Steam
Dungeon Dungeon!
With a name like Dungeon Dungeon!, you know exactly what to expect; you’ll lead a party of fantasy heroes into a labyrinthine lair to slay monsters and find treasure. What sets Dungeon Dungeon! apart is its lovely anime character designs and team customization.
Dungeon Dungeon! is still in early access, but even in its current state it’s a great way to enjoy some fantasy battles and get the satisfaction of leveling up. It’s truly impressive that this is a solo project.
