2018: The Year Of The Indies

Hollow Knight
"You wouldn't delete me, would you? I'm just a lil guy!"

By the time 2018 rolled around, the Switch was on a roll. This year began to prove the Switch’s indie cachet as small developers flocked to the successful new console, but compared to 2017, it felt a lot quieter – at least, in terms of big Nintendo releases.

Still, the fantastic breadth and depth of the indie scene more than made up for the lack of blockbusters, and we did get a lot of Smash Bros. news with the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate right at the end of 2018. But which indies will survive the bin?

Tom

I’m going to abuse my position going first for this year with a very selfish, hipster choice. Banner Saga Trilogy. I love these three games, and discovered them when they began to roll-out on the Switch. Fantastic production values, top-notch turn-based strategy, and themes that really hit home. Playing through all three in quick succession was truly memorable.

Kate

I’m glad we’re kicking things off with cool hipster indie choices, because my pick is Yoku’s Island Express – a really inventive little puzzle-platformer that takes pinball mechanics and, er, running a postal service mechanics to create a game that was just a total joy to play through. I don’t think there was a single second where I would have rather been playing something else.

It’s just perfectly pitched, you know? Size-wise, scope-wise, it’s just fantastic. I will admit, though, that 2018 was my hardest year to find games that I loved, but Yoku’s Island Express deserves it. You should play it. Right now.

Ollie

My pick is a game that’s on plenty of other hardware, but is arguably most at home on the Switch (like most multi-platform games, to be honest): Playdead’s INSIDE. It’s one of the most atmospheric, deeply troubling games I’ve ever played, and it’s one of few that I’ll quite happily replay from start to finish if I find myself with nothing else to do.

It’s got so many memorable scenes: narrowly avoiding a pack of ravenous dogs; the deadly mermaid/siren creature thingy; the ending. I won’t spoil what happens towards the end for those who have yet to experience it, but safe to say it’s one of the most bizarre, thought-provoking conclusions I’ve ever come across in gaming.

Alana

Wow, some amazing variety in everyone else's picks so far! I didn’t totally go with my heart last time, but this time I have to, for what’s become one of my favourite games ever: Hollow Knight.

For years, Super Metroid and Castlevania stood at the very top of this genre, but Team Cherry’s haunting, beautiful, and sometimes brutal Metroidvania looks, sounds, and feels like a kick in the gut of the best possible kind. The blend of Souls-like mechanics and hand-drawn visuals made the map an absolute joy to explore, with creatures of all kinds lurking in every corner, ready to make you regret seeking out that little upgrade you need, but also all the more determined to reach out and try again.

Gav

My pick for 2018 is an easy one because I know it just wasn’t on most people’s radars. Probably the only reason I played it was because I reviewed it, but I’m so glad I did. Just Shapes & Beats is such a joyous little gem of a game.

From the initial menu music through its cute little story, it showcases chiptune in its natural habitat in a way only video games can. 2018 had some real bangers, but there’s not one to touch JS&B in my book. An absolute winner you should check out immediately if it passed you by.

Important 2018 games that are now in the bin:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Celeste, Octopath Traveler, MINIT, The Messenger, Bayonetta 1 & 2, Dead Cells, Night In The Woods, SteamWorld Dig, Dragon Quest Builders, Don't Starve, Fortnite, Mario Tennis Aces, Limbo, Okami HD, Into The Breach, Gone Home, Undertale, Super Mario Party, The World Ends With You: Final Remix

Thoughts: No one picked Smash Bros?! Sakurai did all that work just to have his masterpiece thrown unceremoniously into the bin? Goodness. Another glut of fantastic indies, from Celeste to Dead Cells, will be joining Smash Bros., as well as Nintendo's blockbuster spinoffs Mario Tennis Aces and Super Mario Party. May they rest in peace.