As 2023 draws to a close and game releases start to simmer down, we take a look back at the indie games that were released in December 2023. Continue reading to discover unfamiliar titles you might not have missed!
Showcasing December 2023s Indie Titles
For one last time in 2023, we’re taking a look back at the indie games we at Game8 reviewed throughout the month. December as a whole wasn’t as busy with game releases as the past few months, both for the bigger budget and smaller-sized titles. Nevertheless, we still managed to give time and attention to the indie darlings of the game industry.
This month’s edition could prove to be on the short side, but don’t let the article length fool you, as the quality in these games is still surprisingly fun and enjoyable!
Check out last month’s edition of our indie showcase if you missed it!
One-Armed Robber
One-Armed Robber is a first-person co-op heist simulator where everyone only has one hand arm available. It’s a fun, simple, and straightforward party game perfect for friends to goof around and try to rob places of interest. You can plan ahead accordingly for stealth runs, or let mayhem loose and go guns blazing! It’s definitely not the perfect game, with some clunky gameplay and lack of story and soundtrack, but it’s straightforward casual fun with friends that’s never harmful to give a try when you have the time.
House Flipper 2
House Flipper 2 is a first-person building, deconstructing, decorating, and renovating simulator. You take contractor jobs across town for repairs, cleanup jobs, or constructing things from the ground up! It’s the sequel to the first game of the same name, and it definitely stepped up its game with many new features and quality-of-life changes.
One most notable feature is that its atmosphere has been greatly improved, with the houses you’re contracted to work on actually feeling like they were lived in. The actual owners engage and talk with you as you go about your job, which all but immerses you further.
Born of Bread
Born of Bread is an RPG with alluring 2.5D paper graphics heavily inspired by Paper Mario. It features plenty of 3D platforming with unique turn-based combat that makes use of quick-time events. Though the gameplay is a bit of a miss, with too many mechanics and systems that try to mesh together but fail to do so, it’s still an extravagant experience. Its world and characters are filled with lighthearted fun that will surely charm any player. The paper graphics are beautifully done, seamlessly blending into the gorgeous 3D landscapes of the world. Even the music is top-notch, with energetic tracks and crisp sound effects as you smash plates with a stick.
Trinity Fusion
Trinity Fusion is an action platformer rogue-lite where you play as three distinct heroines across three different worlds on a quest to halt doomsday. The story sounds good on paper, but its execution is a bit iffy, not being able to connect the three different narratives together. However, it makes up for it with its satisfyingly tight gameplay full of diverse builds. For each run, each character provides different worlds with different maps, which then provide different upgrades. Trinity Fusion has insane replayability available that deeply engages players to keep coming back for one more run.
Against the Storm
Against the Storm is a traditional RTS city-builder with roguelike elements where the maps are randomly generated. At first glance, the two genres of an RTS and a roguelike seem strange, but Against the Storm perfectly marries both into a wonderfully complex experience that will no doubt keep you engaged with its astounding synergy. Each “run” on its own is an entire city-builder game with its own randomness and happenings. You get a vast tech tree unlockable with currency, and boons you can select from a random set at the start of each year. The start of each year is the Storm, where you need to be capable of holding out with your city, citizens, and resources. It’s honestly perplexing how uniquely familiar but different Against the Storm’s combination of gameplay truly is, with elements borrowed from classic top down RTS games, to the modern explosion of rogue-likes. It’s a game best experienced firsthand and to sink hundreds of hours into.
