5. Don’t Starve
Pretty self explanatory name, Don’t Starve is all about not starving. Well, more along the lines of survival in general – a lot of factors go into keeping the protagonist, Wilson, alive. You must battle the elements and woodland critters alike in order to keep you nourished and, more importantly, mentally stable. There’s not much along the lines of a plot for Don’t Starve, but the gameplay and randomly generated worlds is certain to keep you hooked for weeks. Did I mention the art style is heavily influenced by Tim Burton? If that doesn’t at least intrigue you, I don’t know what will.
6. Terraria
Like Minecraft, but 2-D. Or at least, that’s how most people choose to describe it. In reality, Terraria for Xbox One offers so much more. This sandbox, open world title is completely for you to make of it what you will – build houses, invite villagers in and create a kingdom. The sky’s the limit with Terraria – except it’s not because you can go to Heaven as well. Be prepared to endure seemingly impossible boss battles in your never ending quest to get better and better equipment, and be sure to enjoy some downtime down the mines you constructed too. But what if I get everything in the game? I hear you say – then just start a new world! I personally guarantee you will be playing Terraria for months after your initial purchase. The cheery music, paired with the nostalgic sprite theme and infinite possibilities for construction is enough to continuously draw anyone back.
READ MORE: 10 Best PS4 Exclusives
7. BattleBlock Theater
From the same people that brought you Castle Crashers, it’s BattleBlock Theater! Developed again by The Behemoth, BattleBlock Theatre is a laugh-out-loud funny platformer that’s similar in style to previously mentioned Castle Crashers. You start out in a cutscene on the S.S. Friendship, before being shipwrecked upon a mysterious island during a freak storm. With the crew missing, you take shelter in a conveniently placed and seemingly abandoned theatre, only to discover the theatre is in fact a demented and torturous prison, run by cat guards. The gameplay involves you partaking in various puzzles for survival, collecting green gems as you go. On several occasions this game properly made me laugh with tears of joy, and there’s no wondering to why it was so critically acclaimed. BattleBlock Theater was never properly remastered for Xbox One, but instead was brought to Xbox One players in the form of backwards compatibility.
8. Shovel Knight
This game appears to be on every platform under the sun (even Amazon Fire TV), so it’s no surprise it’s managed to make its way onto an Xbox One list. Shovel Knight is so beautifully simplistic, that anyone can pick it up and enjoy. The 8-bit art style it incorporates into itself is a nostalgia overdose waiting to happen – and we’re not complaining. Equipped with his trusty shovel, the heroic Shovel Knight embarks upon a quest to rescue his beloved Shield Knight after they were cruelly separated. Shovel Knight was crowdfunded by the community of Kickstarter, which really is a testament to how all-inclusive it is – Shovel Knight is one of the few games I would wholly recommend to anyone, regardless of; age, gender, or beliefs.
9. Roblox
Probably the most unusual entry on this list, Roblox by ROBLOX Corporation is a MMOG where players can interact and play in player built maps and game-modes, created by other players of the game. I’d hardly call this game an indie game, but I think it earns a notable entry on this list due to its distinct gameplay. For a game primarily marketed towards children and young teenagers, it’s surprisingly fun when combined with friends and pizza. A personal favourite game-mode of mine, is Survival – a Day-Z inspired open world in which players have to collect weapons and supplies in order to have a chance of survival against AI zombies and other very much human players. Playing this game will make you realise that man is the real monster and no one is to be trusted – important life lessons for your kids. Roblox is completely 100% free, but something to keep note of is it does contain microtransactions in some game modes – might be worth setting a password on payments if your kids play this game.
10. Minecraft
Can you even call this an indie game anymore? Still, I’m sure I don’t have to say much on Minecraft’s behalf. This cultural phenomenon has spread like wildfire since its initial debut, and has became one of the single most well known video games of all time – sparking a release on almost every notable platform I can think of. If you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend picking up a copy and seeing why this game is as popular as it is first hand. The sandbox nature of this game means you can play forever, and it will never feel old – because you simply cannot run out of things to build. Like LEGO, Minecraft is for everyone – and if you haven’t already experienced it, it’s time you did.
If you have any mentions you’d like to add – please write them in the comments below to help others find new and exciting games.
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