Indie games propped up 2021. It was a rough year for triple-As, with loads of delays, buggy launches (oh, Battlefield), and a relatively slim-showing compared to last year, or the year before that, or the year before that...

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These are some of the best indie games that were overlooked at The Game Awards. They push in unique directions, outside the boundaries of the glitzy mammoth studios' budgets and into the unexplored. Indie games deserve your attention this year. Play 'em soon, because 2022 looks like it's going to be a busy one.

Wildermyth

Wildermyth

Wildermyth is a party RPG where you drive the narrative, where a world of choices and events unfurls in front of you like a soft rug. This is the sort of game that you want to play with a cup of tea and a few hours to kill. You'll form platonic relationships with your paper-cut-out characters and feel devastated (or elated) when they turn into a wolf with flaming arms and start an affair with a member of your party, even though their lover is back at town raising a kid. Wildermyth is bonkers.

Wildermyth was developed by Worldwalker Games.

Townscaper

Townscaper

Townscaper is a relaxing canvas where you paint with building blocks rather than oils. A soothing game that arrived precisely when it needed to - as the UK summer wound down towards the start of September - Townscaper is simple and soothing. You create your own fun, you can play for 10 minutes or for an hour, and you'll always close the game thinking, "Yeah, that was lovely." It's an absolute bargain as well, the price of a takeaway coffee and a cookie.

Townscaper was developed by solo dev Oscar Stalberg.

Dyson Sphere Program

Dyson Sphere Program

Dyson Sphere Program is an addictive factory-management game in the ilk of Factorio, except it's like you're playing Factorio while having some kind of wild fever dream. Dyson ramps up the genre to another notch, with new tech, aerial transports for goods, and the potential to completely cover an entire planet with industry before you even realize what's happening. Even if you're not a fan of the genre, Dyson Sphere Program might snatch ya. See you in 200 hours.

Dyson Sphere Program was developed by Youthcat Studio.

Dorfromantik

Dorfromantik

Dorfromantik is a charming yet complex puzzle game about creating a landscape with interlocking tiles. Its art style and music are relaxing, but the struggle to get everything to fit together just right makes this game a bit more challenging than at first meets the eye. The game has received intermittent updates throughout the year, including a creative mode that lets you just place tiles wherever you want.

Dorfromantink was developed by Toukana Interactive.

Cruelty Squad

Cruelty Squad

Cruelty Squad takes place in a "sewage infused garbage world", which you'd think tells you a lot about what to expect, but it turns out this is just scratching the surface of this utterly bizarre game. You're an assassin. You're seriously depressed. Everything around you is depressed. The game, at points, even feels like it's having a terrible day and wishes you'd just go away. But it's gorgeous, wacky, and strange enough that you'll get sucked right in, like toilet paper round the bowl. It's a fitting metaphor. Don't let its silliness fool you. This game deals with some big issues.

Cruelty Squad was developed by Consumer Softworks.

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Demon Turf

Demon Turf

A recent addition to the year's offering of indie games, Demon Turf is a fantastic 3D platformer the likes of which you just don't see very often anymore. You play as Beebz, an ancient demon, who is tasked with defeating a Demon King. It plays brilliantly, with smooth platforming, an intriguing story, and an art style of paper cutout quality that is strangely nostalgic and yet pretty fresh. Oh, and the soundtrack is awesome.

Demon Turf was developed by Fabraz.

Death Trash

Death Trash

Death Trash is a dystopian action RPG in the ilk of Fallout 1. Take Fallout and then make everything even weirder. Yes. You can puke over everything in Death Trash, there are giant trees made of pulsating flesh, and you can harvest your fallen foes' brains. There is actually a dedicated button that makes you vomit on demand. If that's not a selling point, I'm not sure there's any point in this list at all. We won't spoil too much about this game as it's best explored on your own. Get out there and meet some of the best NPCs in any game this year.

Death Trash was developed by Crafting Legends.

Severed Steel

Severed Steel

Severed Steel is a fast-paced FPS featuring a one-armed protagonist, bullet-time, and destructible environments. The environments are stunning and provide the perfect backdrop as you somersault your way through multiple enemies. Heavy electronic music pounds in the background. It's one of 2021's most stylish games. With a playtime of around two or three hours, the game is quite short relative to its price, but you're paying for an experience that you won't forget.

Severed Steel was developed by Greylock Studio.

Toem

Toem

Toem is a game designed for sleepy Sunday afternoons. After all the whizzes and bangs of this year's most full-on triple-A titles, a quiet game like Toem reminds you that video games are for everyone. This is a game where you take photographs. It sounds simple, but the package is complete. The music, art style, and its host of quirky characters and challenges make this one of the most fundamentally enjoyable games we've played this year. You'll spend your time helping folks out with their problems and snapping pics as you go. As one Steam reviewer said, "Toem is a game about one guy going about being a pal."

Toem was developed by Something We Made.

Eastward

Eastward

Out of all the games on this list, Eastward is the one we most expected to see a nom for at the Game Awards. It has everything: a compelling art style, excellent gameplay, charming art direction, and a frying pan. The world of Eastward is utterly charming. You'll know it, too, when you find the diner with a massive whale resting on top. With twin-stick mechanics and a story about a child and their mysteriously silent guardian, you'll whizz through the game in no time. It's a blur of puzzles, combat, and some peculiar moments that hang around in your head long after you shut the game down.

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