I got a😼notherꦫ tattoo last week. Unfortunately, the young chap next to me in the studio, also undergoing the precise needlework of Liverpool's finest artists, figured out I write about games for a living.

"Nothing will ever beat 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:God of War (2018) for me lad," he proclaimed loudly. He didn’t actually☂ say the 2018 bit. "It's the best game I've ever played." I'm h🌼appy to leave everyone to their own opinion so I didn't argue back – he's entitled to his opinion as much as I am to mine, even if his is horribly wrong. I happen to think that God of War (2018) is one of the most boring, overrated games I've ever played.

I'm not trying to say my taste is better than this young man's, but I will say, as ꦦconfidently as he proclaimed that Red Dead Redemption was boring, I have played more games than he has. And I tried to expand his horizons, push at the boundaries of his experience to show him that games can offer more than axe-yeeting cinema.

Other artists in the studio asked me for my favourite games this year and ever, and I told them about Balatro and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Citizen Sleeper. Two wildly different games that defineꦦ my experience as a gamer: cool individuals making cool things that try something n♈ew (and cool) that make the little neurons in my brain hit each other in delightful ways.

I mentione﷽d some more standard bangers, like Disco Elysium and Baldur's Gate 3, too, as I felt they were more approachable to someone who has only ever played triple-A PlayStation exclusives. I left with a slightly sore leg and a puzzle in my brain. This fella in the tattoo shop likely represents the majority of gamers - players tided over by big releases, playing little else in between. I have nothing against that, but if you ever wanted to get out of your comfort zone and play something that would challenge your preconceptions of what video games could be, then there's no better time than the present.

Indie games are always doing brilliant things, and that's never been more true than in 2024. If you want puzzles, play 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. If you want humour, play 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Thank Goodness You're Here. If you want a communist revolution through the perspective of a photographer's lens, play 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mexico, 1921. A Deep Slumber. If you want a fantasy RPG, play 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Thaumaturge. If you want high-octane shooty bang bangs, play 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:I Am Your Beast. If you want something truly c🍬inematic with serious decision making, keep your eyes peeled for the feature-length Apartment Story hitting screens later this month.

There are so many options. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:I haven't even played h☂alf of♕ these games yet, and it is my job to stay informed on these topics. I pride myself on being one of TheGamer's finest purveyors of independent video games, and yet I still haven't played all the small games yet. I want to make shrewd recomm♚endations and yet more. Games. Keep. Releasing.

This is a good thing. It's good for the industry and it's good for us as players.ﷺ Yes, even if you've never played an indie before. Yes, even if you think God of War (2018) is the pinnacle of artistic vision. Play Balatro, play Children of the Sun, play Buckshot Roulette, play Crytpmaster, play Animal Well, play Tactical 🧔Breach Wizards, play Harold Halibut, play Death of a Wish, play Indika, play anything.

I don't care how you choose, but we have a wealth of incredible, boundary-pushing in💮dependent games released this year alone. Pick one based on the reviews, pick one based on the art style, pick one basꦜed on whatever Steam recommends. Pick one by blindfolding yourself and pointing at a large, homemade sign for all I care. But try something new today, and you'll never look back.