Hey everyone! The year 2024 turned out to be yet another stellar period for indie games, and I’m thrilled to walk you through 11 of my top picks that debuted on PlayStation this year.
Let’s kick things off with Pacific Drive, a unique ‘road-lite’ survival game. You find yourself navigating a stormy and enigmatic forest with nothing but your trusty car. As you venture forth, your car gradually accumulates damage due to mysterious anomalies, and your mission is to make it back to the garage in one piece—or risk starting from scratch. Between runs, you can restore and enhance your car using the resources you collect. The procedurally generated wilderness ensures each journey is distinct, keeping you hooked and wanting more.
Next is a game that brings a nostalgic yet fresh feel with its pixel-art aesthetic and surreal lighting that beautifully brightens its world—Animal Well. It’s a Metroidvania-style game full of infinite surprises. The satisfaction you get from tackling its arduous platforming sections and intricate puzzles is truly unmatched and exhilarating.
For those who love sinking their teeth into vampire tales, the immensely praised vampire survival game that took the PC by storm is now on PlayStation. Players rise as weakened vampires and must seek out the blood of foes and animals to regain their powers and dominate the land. But beware of the sun’s harsh rays, as daylight is your sworn enemy.
SCHiM plays into childhood nostalgia, where you might have once imagined leaping from shadow to shadow. Here, you control a frog-like creature that can only traverse the landscape in this peculiar way. It’s an eye-candy game too, boasting a distinctive color palette and artistic direction.
Turning the page to Plucky Squire, this delightful action adventure lets you leap between 2D and 3D realms. One moment, you’re engrossed in a 2D game set within storybook pages, and the next, you’re embarking on a 3D adventure out in the real world, only to jump right back into solving book-based puzzles. Packed with charming quirks, this game offers a delightful journey for players of any age group.
Hailing from Japan, Palworld offers an open-world experience brimming with adorable creatures, known as Pals. It’s a blend of crafting, survival, and adventure, and it has taken the gaming community by storm. The irresistible loop of gathering Pals, fortifying your base, and exploring the vast world is highly engaging and rather difficult to pause.
From the visionary team behind GRIS comes Neva, a haunting yet exquisite adventure narrating a silent story of you and a wolf cub, Neva, traversing a vibrant landscape shifting through seasons. With no dialogue at play, the narrative’s conclusion is bound to make you reach for the tissues.
Fear the Spotlight throws players into the eerie nostalgia of retro low-polygon horror, reminiscent of classic PlayStation-era visuals. Two teenage schoolgirls, sneaking in after hours, lose each other to chilling supernatural events. Together yet apart, they must unravel puzzles and evade the grim monster haunting the halls to reunite safely.
Straight from Keiichiro Toyama, the brain behind classics such as Siren and Gravity Rush, comes an intriguing narrative. Set against the backdrop of ’90s Kowloon, Hong Kong, plagued by eerie murders, you inhabit a bodiless entity possessing various NPCs to combat gruesome Slitterheads. Defeating these brain-eating creatures using everyday characters like middle-aged citizens is an absolute thrill.
Red Candle Games, known for their gripping titles Detention and Devotion, brings forth Nine Sols. Inspired by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, this action game focuses heavily on deflection-centered combate. Landing a perfect parry and counterattack is as satisfying as it gets. The game’s atmosphere, merging cyberpunk elements with ancient Chinese mythology and Taoism, delivers a mesmerizing experience.
Lastly, imagine poker meeting roguelike gameplay—a combination that surprises and captivates. Hard to believe, but this globally acclaimed game was crafted by just one remarkable developer. Once started, it’s almost impossible to put down.
And there you have it, some astonishing indie titles that truly made 2024 a vibrant year for PlayStation gaming. Which one of these piqued your interest the most?
