Summary
The Japanese game market is jam-packed with any type of game you can think of. No matter if you’re looking to just let off some steam with some fast-paced, frenetic gameplay, or you’re looking to have a calm, relaxing time gathering and creating items, then you’ve got plenty of material to work with.
However, if you are looking for something more off the beaten path and aren’t afraid to dive deep into a vast array of disturbing subjects and environments, you are going to have a fantastic time with some of the best indie titles we’ve collected below.
10Haunted Dungeons: Hyakki Castle
Developed By: Asakusa Studios
Dungeon Crawler fans, stand up!Hyakki Castle brings some unique ideas to the genre, including splitting your party of four up as needed to complete puzzles and try to sneak attack enemies from behind while trying to find and assassinate the leader of a secret government organization hellbent on grabbing power for themselves.
There are different races of Yokai and jobs to choose from, lending the game a decent sense of customization and depth to how you choose to broach it. If you have that dungeon crawler itch, Hyakki Castle is a good way to scratch it.
9La-Mulana
Developed By: Nigoro
Depending on your age,you may or may not remember Nintendo’s Metroidvania craze. Any movie or TV show had a thrown-together game that frustrated you more than entertained you. La-Mulana can feel just as frustrating as those games, but that difficulty it successfully emulates is one of purpose, as you’ll come to find when you progress.
See, the tiny pieces of lore that the game slowly drips to you aren’t just for simple flavor text. Instead, each serves the purpose of giving you a clue about how to handle puzzles and other obstacles coming your way. How they’ve balanced the difficulty of the gameplay with the attention to detail in both world-building and puzzle-making, you’ll soon fall in love with this difficult, but rewarding game.
Developed By: Sen
The boom of horror RPGs of the early and mid-2010s flooded the market with unforgettable gems to play for days on end. Any one of them could grace this list, but there’s something about Mad Father that somehow conjures true fear, even in the limited 8-bit visuals it presents itself in. You play as Aya Drevis, whose father is Alfred, a scientist who is very secretive of his projects.
On the anniversary of your mother’s death, you find man-made horrors beyond your comprehension, and you must survive both the night, and the secrets your father, and his assistant Maria, have created right under your nose. There are three endings, and while one offers closure, none are happy.
7Aka To Blue
Developed By: Tanshimasu
Ah, bullet hell games. Some claim that there’s a zen in the gameplay once you get into the zone, while others will feel nothing but fear and anxiety with each bullet whizzing by your vehicle of choice. No matter which side of the spectrum you fall on, Aka To Blue is guaranteed to be a fun, adrenaline-fueled good time.
You choose between the two titular characters, Aka, the red fighter with concentrated, precision shots, and fast-charging bombs, or Blue a master of crowd control with a much wider firing range, slower, but more powerful bombs, and just an overall better defense. No matter which you pick, you’re going to be on the edge as you try and blow through five difficult stages.
6Gnosia
Developed By: Petit Depotto
This game could be considered a real ‘hear me out’ moment, but picture this: Among Us, but a single-player visual novel. You read that right. Gnosia is a mysterious visual novel that places you at the center of a space facility, and you have to play one of two roles. You play as one of the crew and try to expose the Gnosia, aliens who want to commit mass murder, or as one of the Gnosia, and try and stay hidden until it’s the right time to strike.
The best part? Gnosia pulls inspiration from roguelike games, and anytime you or someone else dies, you start at the beginning and everything is completely randomized. It’s a satisfying gameplay loop, and if you indulge for a long time, you’ll uncover the true endings for each character.
5Sumire
Developed By: Game Tomo
There are few emotions as complex as grief. It could feel as though your grief impacts the whole world as you feel the loss, but it could also feel small and insignificant as you internalize it and keep it to yourself. It’s not a topic easily talked about, but mediums like video games have made it so you can express your grief in the most beautiful, interactive ways.
Sumire explores the grief of a young girl, as she is left alone after the passing of her grandmother and has to navigate her feelings. She has the help of a magical flower, but their time is tragically short, with only one day to be together. Bring the tissues when playing this one.
4Touhou Luna Nights
Developed By: Team Ladybug
The Touhou series takes a break from its frenetic bullet hell origins and tries its hand at a frenetic metroidvania-type game, and it delivers gorgeous pixelated graphics and fluid gameplay that anyone can appreciate. You’ll have to be quick on your feet if you want to get through to the end.
The protagonist, Sakuya Izayoi, has been picked up and whisked away to an alternate dimension similar to her own, and she must unravel the reason why, and how to get back home. Sakuya has her hands full, but luckily she comes prepared with her throwing knives, and slowly regains her ability to control time to help.
3The Silver Case
Developed By: Grasshopper Manufacture
Easily the most prolific indie developer on the list, this game was created by the infamous Suda 51, who created games like Killer 7 and the still-going No More Heroes series. This game was his first foray into an original project, and it is dripping with style and questions that will be swimming through your head for hours.
The Silver Case puts you in the shoes of two protagonists, ‘Transmitter’ Akira, a menacing man who joins the Heinous Crimes Unit, and ‘Placebo’ Tokio Morishima, a detective investigating copycat murders of a serial killer. You’ll have your hands full unraveling the mysteries in this gritty, futuristic noir.
2Astlibra Revision
Developed By: Keizo
Astlibra Revision is the love child between a 2D action side-scroller and old-school text adventures from the 80s. It was developed by a singular man who has a deep, passionate need to finish the game but was met with several roadblocks that almost stopped Astlibra from existing over its 16-year development cycle.
What you end up with is a game filled with adventure and hardship and crafted with love. The leveling system is similar to Final Fantasy 9, where your skills and passives are attached to the gear you equip, and will eventually become permanent after reaching a certain threshold.
1Yume Nikki
Developed By: Kikiyama
If you ever wanted to experience what a fever dream looks and feels like, then you have got to check out Yume Nikki. The game takes place inside the dreams of Madotsuki, a young recluse who prefers to explore her dreams instead of going outside. Can you blame her? She gets to travel to distant lands and experience all kinds of things that you could never do in real life.
But what happens when the world that you’ve created in your mind starts to turn on you, trying to show you what you are? Do you succumb and let creatures such as the Toriningen take you and keep you trapped, or do you fight your way back to reality? Best of all, it’s free on Steam.
