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Indie games always bring along a unique experience, either with a unique art style, interesting characters, or a story design that leaves audiences stunned. These qualities help indie games stand apart from the assembly line products that are AAA titles.
Many people look forward to getting into indie games, as they are refreshing and tend to be short but impactful adventures. 2022 has already seen many examples of great indie games, with Stray taking the position so far as the best of these titles, one that is worthy of being recognized as Game of the Year.
With only four more months left in 2022, you might wonder if any good indie game titles are yet to be released, as the end of the year generally sees an influx of big titles. I’m here to tell you that there’s still a great number of indie games to be excited about, and we’re going to take a look at five of these right now.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.
5 great indie games that are still due for release in 2022
1) Slime Rancher 2
If you enjoyed Slime Rancher, chances are that you’re looking forward to the release of the sequel, Slime Rancher 2. You won’t have to wait long, as the game is coming just later this month, with a September 22, 2022 release date, when it will be made available on Early Access for Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows.
This first-person life simulation indie game sees the return of Beatrix LeBeau as the protagonist as she heads out to explore a new location called “Rainbow Island.” The gameplay remains much the same as in the previous game, with players having to build a ranch and oversee the breeding of various types of Slimes.
Slimes need to be fed so that they may produce “plorts,” which is an in-game currency and can be used to upgrade the ranch and its equipment. Slimes also react and change based on how they are fed and come in various shapes and sizes, with new ones being introduced in Slime Rancher 2.
2) OXENFREE II: Lost Signals
Another indie game sequel, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals, is the second game in the OXENFREE series by developer Night School Studios and publisher Netflix. If the first game is anything to go by, you should expect a ton of mystery, suspense, and supernatural spookiness from the sequel.
Protagonist Riley makes her way back to her hometown of Camena, five years after the events of the first game. Following strange radio signals, she stumbles across a mystery that turns out to be “more than she bargained for,” which is a scary prospect, to be honest.
While you’re not required to play the original to understand OXENFREE II, it will offer added context for the game. Your choices shape the story in this narrative adventure game, so be wise with your options and think at least twice before making any decision. The indie game is set to be released sometime in 2022.
3) Little Devil Inside
Developer Neostream Interactive is working on an upcoming action-adventure indie game, Little Devil Inside. Set to be released in the fourth quarter of 2022, the game will arrive on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 and then on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One later.
The game follows the lives of explorers in a Victorian-inspired setting as they set out on a journey to discover monsters and supernatural events. It is played from a third-person perspective and features open-world exploration, survival elements, and combat. Survival elements are not meant to be too hardcore, while players can use weapons like a sword, shield, and gun in combat.
The world consists of a diverse biome, with the narrative taking the characters to various locations such as forests, swamplands, mountains, and deserts. As part of the exploration element, there is no fast travel, and you’ll have to manually travel to different locations, managing any difficulties along the way.
4) Somerville
Somerville is a sci-fi indie game developed by Jumpship, who will also publish the game when it releases later in 2022 (a specific release date has not yet been announced). The game takes place after some sort of catastrophe when alien creatures visit Earth and follows a protagonist trying to reunite their family.
Jumpship is a studio co-founded by Dino Patti, who previously worked in Playdead. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Playdead were the developers behind the immensely popular indie game Limbo and Inside. Somerville certainly shares certain similarities to these two games, but it also seems to bring new elements of its own.
For one, the game features 3D gameplay and full cutscenes. Another new aspect is that you won’t be alone in Somerville, as the protagonist is accompanied by a dog throughout the game. My bet is that the dog turns out to be some sort of hidden alien creature at the end.
5) SEASON: A letter to the future
SEASON: A letter to the future is an open-world exploration game that is being developed by Scavengers Studio. The developer debuted a trailer during the PlayStation State of Play event in June 2022, where the release window was revealed to be Fall 2022 and that it will arrive on PlayStation consoles and PCs.
This indie game looks spectacular, and its cel-shaded art style is used to create some truly beautiful environments. Exploration is at the heart of the game, where the primary objective seems to be just going out, riding around on a bicycle, and meeting various characters throughout the world.
Played from a third-person perspective, the game alludes to a cataclysm that “washes everything away,” which I suspect is the driving force behind the story. Aside from this, details regarding the narrative remain fair and few, while gameplay seems to revolve around exploring a strange new world, recording videos or voice notes, and meeting new people.
