Gamepur’s Best of 2022: The five best indie games of 2022

This story is part of Gamepur’s Best of 2022 round-up.

Indie games continue to impress players, and 2022 was an excellent year for showing triple-A games what’s up. Plenty of fantastic and unique indie titles came out this year, so it was very hard to narrow down our list to just five titles. However, these titles managed to dazzle us with just how well every single aspect came together to create a memorable experience. If you haven’t played a game on our following list of the top five indie games of 2022, be sure to pick it up.

5. Goodbye World

• Released: November 16, 2022
• Developed by: YO FUJII
• Published by: Flyhigh Works, IndieArk

Goodbye World is a short story that focuses on two young women named Kanii and Kumade. After meeting in college, the two decided to pursue game development together. However, their games ended up not selling well, which affected them both in different ways. Kanii wants to keep creating though her anxiety and depression prove to be a challenge that she’s struggling to overcome. Meanwhile, Kumade gets a full-time job since game development is no longer fun or profitable for her.

While the game features platform puzzle mini-games that you play at the start of each chapter, Goodbye World truly shines in its story. Kanii and Kumade’s stories are real and grounded. Even if you may not be in game development, you can relate to them. Trying to make your passion into a career is hard and when you’re met with failure, it takes a toll on you. Goodbye World is a beautiful yet harsh game that shows how making your dreams come true isn’t easy and you won’t be greeted with immediate success.

4. Signalis

• Released: October 27, 2022
• Developed by: rose-engine
• Published by: Humble Games, PLAYISM

Signalis is a sci-fi horror game where you play as Elster, an android made up of human neural imprints, who is set on finding her lost partner and fulfilling a promise she’s made to her. You’re led to a facility where monsters roam free — with only six inventory slots to put your items in, you’re going to need to carefully navigate your way through the facility, fighting or avoiding monsters while solving the puzzles that are scattered throughout.

Combat is intense since ammo is limited but enemies are plentiful, so you always need to decide whether it’s better to flee or fight. But combined with the fantastic sound design, you’re constantly on your toes wondering what lies ahead in the next room. Signalis is a well-crafted horror game that harkens back to classic survival horror and it’s a must-buy for fans of the genre, especially those who enjoyed the early Resident Evil games or Silent Hill.

3. Cult of the Lamb

• Released: August 11, 2022
• Developed by: Massive Monster
• Published by: Devolver Digital

In Cult of the Lamb, you play a sheep that’s about to be sacrificed by four Gods but is saved by the fifth one at the last second. To pay your debt to that God, you create your own cult. Your goal is to assert your dominance as the best cult. From there, the game turns into an adventure and management game. In the adventure portion, You’ll sometimes go out and fight enemies, with the combat feeling similar to The Binding of Isaac and Hades.

The other half of this game — the management portion — is where you decide how your cult is run and what you do with your followers. You’ll use resources to build structures and maintain your cult. Of course, you’ll need to perform sermons and sacrifice your followers to increase your cult’s power. How you treat your followers is left up to you. Ultimately, all of these aspects create the cohesive and fun game that is Cult of the Lamb, and we strongly recommend playing this, because once you do, you won’t be able to put it down until the end credits start rolling.

2. Potionomics

• Released: October 17, 2022
• Developed by: Voracious Games
• Published by: XSEED Games, Marvelous USA Inc.

After receiving news that her uncle passed away, Sylvia inherits his potion shop only to learn that the massive debt he’s accumulated will be passed down to her. Determined to not live on the streets, Sylvia decides to enter the local potion competitions to pay off the debt. Though, she’s going to have to learn how to make good potions if she wishes to get the prize money. 

For those who’ve played Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale, you’ll feel right at home with this shopkeeping simulator. You’ll need to create potions and sell them to customers, haggling with them to try and get a price for your potion. You’ll be spending your time doing that and going out buying materials from the shopkeepers and adventurers, who you can befriend and romance. You can’t spend all your time focusing on your shop or talking with characters — remember, there’s a competition coming up and they require specific potions. If you fail to make the potions before the competition, it’s game over. Overall, Potionomics is an enjoyable game that requires you to use your time wisely and when you do, it feels very rewarding.

1. I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

• Released: August 25, 2022
• Developed by: Northway Games
• Published by: Finji

In this visual novel RPG, you play as a young kid who is a part of the first extrasolar space colony. Though what seems like a life full of promise and happiness, things begin to change once monsters start threatening the human colonists. During the next 10 years, it’s your job to help shape and create a new future for everyone on the alien planet.

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist contains choices, skills, and a card battle system where you need to meet the numeral goal if you want to pass. All of these things affect how your story plays out. Sometimes your actions could result in you getting close to someone, or it can result in their death. Character deaths in this game hurt, and that’s thanks to I Was a Teenage Exocolonist’s strong writing. Each character is fleshed out, especially the love interests who have their own personality, dreams, needs, and more. You can’t help but connect with them, which makes their death all the more tragic if their death was due to a decision you made. I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is an excellent game and it’s a must-buy for those looking for a well-constructed narrative.