Black Mesa is a re-envisioning of Valve Software's classic science fiction first person shooter, Half-Life. Powered by Source Engine, You will re-visit the inaugural role of Gordon Freeman and his memorable journey through the Black Mesa Research Facility. Expect detailed environments to explore, a huge cast of characters and experimental weaponry. All-new music, voice acting, choreography and added dialogue give way to a more expansive and immersive experience than ever before.

Report RSS Players Choice - Indie of the Year 2015

The time has come, announcing the best Indie Games of 2015 as selected by you.

Posted by on

Badges


Welcome all to the 2015 Indie of the Year. After 20 days of very close voting, the results are in. Without further adieu, we are delighted to present your Top 10 Indies of 2015. Also announcing the Top Mods and Mobile Games you're invited to check them out!


10th: Undertale | Released Sep 15, 2015

Image 4 Image 7


Welcome to UNDERTALE. In this RPG, you control a human who falls underground into the world of monsters. Now you must find your way out... or stay trapped forever.

  • Killing is unnecessary: negotiate out of danger using the unique battle system.
  • Time your attacks for extra damage, then dodge enemy attacks in a style reminiscent of top-down shooters.
  • Original art and soundtrack brimming with personality.
  • Soulful, character-rich story with an emphasis on humor.
  • Created mostly by one person.
  • Become friends with all of the bosses!


9th: ARK: Survival Evolved | Early Access Jun 2, 2015

ARK: Survival Evolved ARK: Survival Evolved


As a man or woman stranded naked, freezing and starving on the shores of a mysterious island called ARK, you must hunt, harvest resources, craft items, grow crops, research technologies, and build shelters to withstand the elements. Use your cunning and resources to kill or tame the leviathan dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the land, and team up with or prey on hundreds of other players to survive, dominate... and escape!


8th: Verdun | M2H | Released Apr 27, 2015

German Jaeger Assault in the vosges, 1916 Assault on Fort Douaumont


Verdun is the first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic First World War setting. The merciless trench warfare offers a unique battlefield experience, immersing you and your squad into intense battles of attack and defense. The game takes place on the western front between 1914 and 1918, in one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history. The developers were inspired by the infamous Battle of Verdun France in 1916. The game includes many historically accurate features such as realistic WW1 weaponry, authentic uniforms and maps based on the real battlefields of France and Belgium.


7th: Prison Architect | Released Oct 6, 2015

Screenshot Screenshot


Build and Manage A Maximum Security Prison. Prison Architect is the world's latest Prison Management Sim. Starting with an empty plot of land you must construct a holding cell with basic water and electricity to house your first batch of prisoners, to buy you enough time to create a proper cell block.


6th: SOMA | Released Sep 22, 2015

In-game SOMA


Three years in the making, SOMA is a unique continuation of Frictional Games' signature style of explorative horror, provocative storytelling, and unfathomable tension, free of distractive cut-scenes and combat.


5th: Rocket League | Released Jul 7, 2015


Soccer meets driving once again in the long-awaited, physics-based sequel to the beloved arena classic, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars! A futuristic Sports-Action game, Rocket League, equips players with booster-rigged vehicles that can be crashed into balls for incredible goals or epic saves across multiple, highly-detailed arenas. Using an advanced physics system to simulate realistic interactions, Rocket League relies on mass and momentum to give players a complete sense of intuitive control in this unbelievable, high-octane re-imagining of association football.


4th: Besiege | Early Access Jan 28, 2015


Besiege is a physics based building game in which you create war machines and lay waste to peaceful hamlets and lonely outposts. You must build a machine which can fulfil multiple objectives, from razing windmills to wiping out battalions of brave soldiers and transporting valuable Ore Stones. Create a trundling behemoth, or take to the skies, and let loose in fully destructible environments. Ultimately, you must conquer all Kingdoms by crippling their castles and killing their men and livestock.


3rd Place

Black Mesa | Early Access May 5, 2015


Black Mesa - Early Access Black Mesa - Early Access


Black Mesa is a re-envisioning of Valve Software's classic science fiction first person shooter, Half-Life. Powered by Source Engine, You will re-visit the inaugural role of Gordon Freeman and his memorable journey through the Black Mesa Research Facility. Expect detailed environments to explore, a huge cast of characters and experimental weaponry. All-new music, voice acting, choreography and added dialogue give way to a more expansive and immersive experience than ever before.


2nd Place

Squad | Early Access Dec 15, 2015


Squad m2a1 emplacement Update


Squad is an in development tactical multiplayer shooter with a heavy focus on teamwork, communication and realism. The game will allow players to fully experience the rigors of modern day combat, from the tactics and tension of maneuvering, all the way to the action and intensity of a firefight.

In order to promote that sense of team-play and realism, the game will employ a number of features which range from shaping gameplay mechanics and supporting extensive voice communication, to employing accurate equipment and building over a large scale.

All things considered, Squad seeks to establish a culture of camaraderie throughout it that is unparalleled in competitive multiplayer shooters.


1st Place

Space Engineers | Early Access Oct 22, 2013


Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction, exploration and survival in space and on planets. Players build space ships, space stations, planetary outposts of various sizes and uses (civil and military), pilot ships and travel through space to explore planets and gather resources to survive. Featuring both creative and survival modes, there is no limit to what can be built, utilized and explored.

Space Engineers features a realistic, volumetric-based physics engine: everything in the game can be assembled, disassembled, damaged and destroyed. The game can be played either in single or multiplayer modes.

Space Engineers concentrates on construction and exploration aspects, but can be played as a survival shooter as well. We expect players will avoid engaging in direct man-to-man combat and instead use their creativity and engineering skills to build war machines and fortifications to survive in space and on planets. Space Engineers shouldn’t be about troops; it should be about the machinery you build.

Congratulations to all, We wish you a happy new year and all your developments the best in 2016!

Post comment Comments
Marek33
Marek33

Huge congratulations to everyone but especially to Squad for getting to second place but for me they are the best Indie game this year.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+10 votes
Guest
Guest

This comment is currently awaiting admin approval, join now to view.

INtense! Staff
INtense!

I'd say the most diverse, and deserving list of indies i've seen. Awesome top 10 players, well voted and congrats to the winners

Reply Good karma+12 votes
frenchiveruti
frenchiveruti

That, and the fact that there's no FNaF this year...

Reply Good karma Bad karma+4 votes
tman0617
tman0617

Boo! This for sure deserves far better than 8th!

Reply Good karma Bad karma-3 votes
Graygolemgamers
Graygolemgamers

out of hundreds

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Coal-Chip-Cookie
Coal-Chip-Cookie

IndieDB doesn't have honorable mentions?

Reply Good karma Bad karma+5 votes
HenryT77
HenryT77

(buried)

"Squad is an in development " - so what is sense to vote for game not finished yet? It's stupid.

Reply Good karma Bad karma-10 votes
Hazardous27
Hazardous27

Half of the games in this list are still being developed and are not finished yet.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+10 votes
HenryT77
HenryT77

So it's more stupid... Very often finished game is crap even if demo was good. Games not finished should not be voted.

Reply Good karma Bad karma-2 votes
Guest
Guest

but there is alot of games which can already work as "finished" but they are still 'in expand' (one good example: Minecraft) One of them is Space Engineers

Reply Good karma Bad karma+4 votes
HenryT77
HenryT77

But this is like review of movie not finished yet. In case of Minceraft - game was stable and from moment of debut is updated. And this is ok.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Guest
Guest

This is nothing like a review of an unfinished movie. This is more like the review of a movie's first draft, before extra scenes and/or features are added to make it better.

Reply Good karma Bad karma0 votes
kingius
kingius

Absolutely right and many of these are very well known games in the indie field, not obscure gems. Please consider my game The Dungeons of Castle Madness, which is not very well known and is released, see: Indiedb.com

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
bukanijam
bukanijam

Congrats to all winners. Insurgency is my ioty.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+8 votes
Guest
Guest

Too bad neither Underrail nor Age of Decadence made it to the top 10; IMHO two of the best RPGs in the last decade.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+4 votes
Ben__Mears
Ben__Mears

Congrats to all the winners, great list of games here!

Reply Good karma Bad karma+3 votes
Dr.Goupyl
Dr.Goupyl

That's a surprisingly good top 10 indeed ! Good job everyone !

Reply Good karma Bad karma+5 votes
Nobelissimos
Nobelissimos

(buried)

SQUAD just came out, it's a buggy unfinished mess that is basically a walking simulator, and it got second? lol.

I rather paly project reality or Arma 3.

Space engineers I regret every buying, years after buying it theres still not a thing to do in that game other than spend time building things and then smashing them together and watching them blow up.

Survival mode is time wasting simulator, drill into rock for hours for ore, then wait around for hours for it to turn into useable parts, then spend hours holding the mouse button while moving around to actually build things, and then get blown up by another player just as you finish.

You build things, then smash them into things, that's all that game is. If you like building things with no purpose then this is your game, otherwise stay clear.

Reply Good karma Bad karma-9 votes
Guest
Guest

Or you could get good at the game an build something that doesn't instantly get wrecked.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+5 votes
Raeffi
Raeffi

maybe you shouldn't buy sandbox games when you don't like to play sandbox

Reply Good karma Bad karma+7 votes
Guest
Guest

This was a players choice. It's not like some random guy made these decisions.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+3 votes
Guest
Guest

Nobelissimos, if you find no purpose in Space Engineers, you're most probably playing it wrong - you have to make your own goals in SE what every good sandbox game should encourage you to do, without arbitrary stopgaps like skilltrees.

For instance, i've set myself a goal to establish a base on the earthlike planet, then make a space station, then make a base on the moon, then make a base on Mars, then make a base on the alien planet and that's without even mentioning the pirates yet; so plenty to do in SE for me.

Btw, if you find it takes too long to do stuff, why not change the speed/inventory size etc. to 10x? This makes stuff happen much faster.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+6 votes
Nobelissimos
Nobelissimos

It's a sandbox game with tools only to build and smash things together.

Theres doesn't need to be a skill tree or levels or xp, everytime I mention to someone how boring space engineers is, I get told I am "playing it wrong".

This game is made to simply build things with blocks, and then smash them into things. That's it.

Anything else you try to do falls flat because the game is not designed for it.

Survival mode is dumb and a giant waste of time.
Creative is basically godmode.

The game has so much wasted potential, and for anyone who doesn't enjoy spending endless hours building things out of blocks and then smashing them into asteroids or planets, isn't going to enjoy it.

Another game called Empyerion, looks pretty promising tho, and I honestly wish I spent money on that, that game has more to it other than just buildings things.

The addition of planets to Space engineers honestly didn't add anything whatsoever. Combat is terrible and multiplayer fighting consists of ramming things into someone else's base they worked hard on, using explosives, or just using a grinder to destroy everything. PVP might as well not exist.

Frankly, the game hardly even works anymore as it is, the developers moved on to mediveal engineers, and space engineers is left in the dust. The game is bad, and not worth money. Tho fanboys are going to just going to downvote this and say I am wrong because space engineers is the best game ever because reasons.

I don't even consider it a game anymore, it's a boring block game and nothing more.

Reply Good karma Bad karma-1 votes
Guest
Guest

This comment is currently awaiting admin approval, join now to view.

Guest
Guest

This comment is currently awaiting admin approval, join now to view.

Lord_Cylarne
Lord_Cylarne

I agree with you, Nobelissimos! The only thing great about the game, Space Engineers is the physics and exploration. You either have to play it right or not at all.

Too many learning curves, slow building, but good community. And that is why it exists as first place. Their < 100,000 subscribers came here to vote and bribe while the other games didn't have a big popularity.

The game is just full of content. It is what people likes these days...

Reply Good karma Bad karma0 votes
Mkilbride
Mkilbride

I show surprise at Squad beign on the lsit. I am interested in it, but it's the Project reality guys, so...yeah. I didn't expect to see it.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
PurpleGaga27
PurpleGaga27

It's sad that Renegade-X didn't make the top 10 player's choice list.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
kairosraider
kairosraider

Congrats to all of the placers. Keen SWH definitely earned that #1 spot!

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
BLOODYJAYDEN
BLOODYJAYDEN

Space Engineers looks Mad!!!!!!!!!

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Guest
Guest

This comment is currently awaiting admin approval, join now to view.

Post a comment

Your comment will be anonymous unless you join the community. Or sign in with your social account: