Kamek's Top 5 Indie Games · 8:14pm Jul 14th, 2016
Piss off EA! Let the REAL stars take the stage!
Howdy everyone! My name's SuperKamek, and welcome back to another countdown!
Indie games are a special kind of magic in gaming culture. Through the hordes of corporate douchebags like EA, Ubisoft and now Konami who only make games for the sole purpose of making money without any consideration for any fans of any franchises, there's a spark in the dust that glows brighter and brighter. People who make games to make people...
*gasp*
...actually fucking happy!
It's funny: I've only ever played five indie games ever. Well, didn't that fit in pretty well? And we're counting down which ones were the best! Note that, obviously, there are only games I've played on this list, so if you don't see a game you like on this list, super sorry about that. Oh, and upcoming indie games don't count. Bloodstained and Yooka-Laylee look flipping amazing, but they're not out yet, so... yeah. One more rule: no indie games that were funded by bigger companies: I'm only counting games that were crowdfunded or funded by the actual developers.
Take notes EA! This is how you DON'T screw up games!
Oh, and there may be spoilers for the games I talk about here. So just be warned.
Number 5:
This game is tight! And I'm not talking about what it does to my pants.
All jokes aside, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is currently the best Shantae game I've ever played. The first one was old but charming, the second one was short but still good, but this one is absolutely perfect. Well, almost perfect if you want me to be fully honest. The game does have a few shortcomings, but they're vastly overshadowed by the main bulk of the game.
Shantae is a platforming game, as were the other games in the franchise, thank god. Pretty standard stuff, but the Shantae series was different in that you had access to different dances that changed your appearance and species, all thanks to the fact Shantae herself was, no pun intended, a Half-Genie Hero. This allowed you to solve puzzles and defeat enemies in new and interesting ways. But in Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, you don't get those powers since they were destroyed in the last game. Now you get access to pirate equipment with the help of Shantae's arch nemesis Risky Boots, who forms a temporary truce with her enemy to achieve a similar end goal. This equipment allows you to leap great distances and shoot bad guys in platforming directions the Shantae series hadn't really taken all that much.
This all accompanied by one of the finest soundtracks to a game I think I've ever heard. Seriously, take a listen to "We Love Burning Town" and tell me you didn't bob your head or tap your foot to the beat. It really is that catchy!
And in case you were wondering, yes; I do think the character portraits in-game are really well-done. I also find them fairly attractive and even cute at times. Especially Shantae and her adorable pirate gear. Do I think this is an example of sexualizing a character too much? Fuck no! Screw that feminist bullshit! It's just what Shantae and everyone else wears, and that's totally okay!
Jeez...
Number 4:
I need an adult.
Dungeon crawlers were always a guilty pleasure genre of mine. I played some really bad ones in my childhood, but I still loved them because one, I think dungeon crawlers are super fun, and two, I was a fucking kid; do you really think I would have known better? Besides, consider Binding of Isaac an dungeon crawler or not, it's still a damn fine game.
Made by the same guys behind the indie champion himself, Super Meat Boy, if you somehow haven't heard of The Binding of Isaac through the ludicrous amounts of advertising and YouTubers playing it, I'm sorry to say that you've been living under a rock. The original Binding of Isaac I never played, but it was apparently popular enough to warrant a remaster in the form of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, and for good reason! The controls are intentionally buttery yet VERY responsive, and the core gameplay is shooting your tears at poop monsters and other disgusting things while going through the different dungeons and upgrading yourself. It sounds so simple, and that's honestly the beauty of it: it IS simple, and that simplicity reflects on its enjoyability. The story is also simple, but so silly and stupid that it's actually kinda scary. I won't spoil it, but it's worth seeing.
The music is equally good. While not as memorable as some of the other themes you'll be hearing in this list, one tune that's stuck with me is the theme that plays when you're fighting Mega Satan. Yes, I did in fact say Mega Satan.
If you haven't already, I'd recommend picking The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth up. Yeah, the updated version is out right now, but shut-up this game is still good! And if you're still not sure if you should pick up such a gross, revolting-looking game, then maybe me telling you that you get to fight an demonic, unborn child inside a womb will. No?
Well alright...
Number 3:
What did you honestly expect?
Okay, I was joking around when I said that if you haven't heard of Binding of Isaac you're living under a rock. If you haven't heard of Undertale, NOW you're living under a fucking rock. But let's forget about the obsessed fans who's sole purpose in life is to spoil the shit out of the game to force you to play it, and let's focus on what the game actually is: an amazing game.
Undertale is an RPG, plain and simple. It revolves around classic RPG-styled combat with numbers and turns, as well a first-person view of battle. In that sense, it's a lot like Earthbound and Mother 3. What sets it apart from those other games is your ability to kill or spare your foes, which is more than just a neat little feature in the game. The story is heavily based around sparing or killing your opponents, and the ending of the game can change DRASTICALLY depending on who you did or didn't kill. Speaking of the story, I think I speak for all of us when I say it's one of the most well-written masterpieces to ever grace our PCs, even if the plot point of "Determination" is hammered in every chance the game gets. Every character is vastly different from one another, and their personalities are so endearing and likable that it makes you wish they were real. Papyrus tries to be threatening, but is just too kind-hearted and lovable to hate, Sans is laid back and loves to crack jokes, Undyne is determined and loud, Alphys is quiet and totally loves anime, and Asgore is warm, approachable and truly resents what he's done in the past that lead up to Undertale's events.
The music is without a doubt one of the best aspects of the game. Each track is memorable and amazing in its own right, and truly sets the stage for whatever may be happening at that time. My favorite track is surprisingly not Megalovania, but rather the game's own main theme: "Undertale".
Who's my favorite character, you may ask? Mettaton, to be honest. I love his personality and music, and that final scene of his at the end of his battle really touched me. Of course I can say this about really any character in the game as all of them are fleshed out and perfect in their own right. This is a perfect game.
But what could be higher?
Number 2:
"FURRY!!!" shouted all who got pissed at Kamek.
Believe it or not, I enjoy Sonic games. I want to make it very clear I'm NOT a fan of the Sonic fanbase. I think it's cancerous and, as I've covered a while back, some of the "OCs" that spawn from it are just... horrid. Of course I'm disappointed in Sega for not making a proper Sonic game since Generations, but thankfully we have the guys at GalaxyTrail to make us a worthy spiritual successor!
Freedom Planet is much like the original Sonic games in the sense that it focused on the speed aspect and not so much how "different" Sega could make its beloved franchise. This game is a platformer with a high emphasis on speed and combat, which sets it apart from Sonic, but surprisingly it actually has a really nice story. Sure it's a little cheesy and corny at times, but it starts out really strong and, while never really getting any higher, stays true to that strong start throughout the entire game. The voice acting is also surprisingly really top-notch, even if it has some awkward blips every now and then. But honestly what game doesn't? But I can't stress this enough: the gameplay is superb. Tight controls and great platforming are only a few of the things you'll find when playing this game. But the art style and sprite animation is fluid and beautiful. Funnily enough, even though GalaxyTrail wasn't TRYING to make the characters look like something from Sonic, the style is uncanny and caused a lot of controversy. Huh.
The music is fast and rocking! It really invokes a sense of speed and adventure whenever you're running through the world or beating up enemies. But the best track in the game has to be the main theme, which sparks SO much triumph and excitement!
My only grip with it is that its short, but with three whole campaigns to play through and two bonus characters to unlock, it evens out to a pretty lengthy game. Oh, and the main character? The purple one? Yeah, that's Sash Lilac, or just Lilac. She's NOT a dog or mammal or whatever, she's a water dragon. Get it right.
And make sure you NEVER hurt Milla!
Number 1:
REJOICE!!!
Shovel Knight is one of the finest platformers I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Like, seriously. There's not much else to say other than that. Go out and buy it! Yacht Games deserves the money for putting out such a fantastic game! Why are you still here! GO OUT AND BUY IT, DAMMIT!! What, you want me to talk about it some more? Fine, let's see what I can do.
This game kicks so much ass, I swear. The gameplay is based around classic NES games of the past, but it goes above and beyond that. Instead of having clunky controls like MOST, not all but most NES games have, the controls are tight and responsive. The level design is also made in a way that if you fall and mess up, it's YOUR fault and not necessarily the game's. Yes! I love that aspect! The game doesn't have overly difficult jumps just to make the game harder, the levels test your abilities and skills with different items you get in the game to get to the end goal. There are also bonus levels which are based around a single item for expert puzzle solving. My only quarrel with these levels is I wish they were longer, because they're just that fun. Speaking of fun, the platforming in the game is top notch, the bosses are challenging and equally enjoyable, and the characters are so complex and intriguing that their personalities are set and done perfectly in just a few sentences. I WISH the gaming industry had more of that in their games!
Sweet god almighty, the music is like listening to old NES tunes of the past and I love it! Midi melodies everywhere that fit the scene perfectly, and you realize every track will be incredible the moment you load up the game:
My only gripe with the game is that it's pretty short for fifteen and even twenty-five dollars depending on which device you play the game on. But with new DLC coming out soon in the form of different boss campaigns where you play as bosses on their own adventure, not to mention other modes being added soon and a multiplayer mode, you'll be playing Shovel Knight for quite a while.
Oh, and Specter Knight's DLC is gonna be awesome, why?
(That's a link. Click it.)
Hey, it's me again; that jackass that keeps popping up in your feed. Did you enjoy the list? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll be sure to get to them as soon as I can. Also tell me what YOUR favorite indie game of all time is, which, again... you can put in the comments below... duh.
This has been SuperKamek saying thank you, have a great night, and bringing up scythes again has made me realize something important. I gave my Top 5 Scythes list unfair injustice, and thanks to the help and support of you lovely people, I think I might just go back and redo the whole thing as a Top Ten list!
Or not, whatever! 
4091437
This is the extent of my humor now.
4091442
Hehe. The funny thing... I'll tell you in PMs.
I've heard really good things from Shovel Knight
4091449
Oh, those things are true!
5:
I gotta play Shantae.
4:
I gotta play the Binding of Issac.
3:
I gotta play Undertale.
2:
I gotta play Freedom Planet.
Speaking of, did you ever try Yahtzee's Sonic OC test? After reviewing Freedom Planet, he wrote an extra punctuation saying that you could put
"Your name, the Hedgehog" in Google and always, ALWAYS find an OC...Unfortunately.
img14.deviantart.net/4b99/i/2015/114/3/a/andrew_the_hedgehog_by_lunehedgie234-d543ngq.jpg
1:
I gotta play Shovel Knight, almost got it, but Xenogears caught my attention on PSN.
As for favorite Indie Game?...Probably Broforce.
Yume Nikki.
4091457
BROFORCE!!!
4091466
Heard of it, but never got around to playing it.
I'm actually surprised that I played each of these games too.
So lets get through them in reverse order:
1. Not much to say. It's Shovel Knight.
2. "nice story"? The intro shows a decapitation. This game is DARK. And I love it!
3. *Insert random Undertale joke*
4. I know where you stole this picture from
5. Sexualised? Ha! This game knows it and makes fun of it all the time (desert stealth section, branson conversation). So...
Half-genie hero hype!
Shantae for Smash!
4091483
Maybe... GOOGLE?!?!? 
1. Yep.
2. I said "nice story" because decapitation is normal for me.
3. *insert sans pun* *kamek gets angry*
4. Oh, and where did I steal it?
5. All feminists are confused when it comes to women in gaming. There are those that are sexualized, and those who's sexuality is part of their character, much like Bayonetta and, yes, even Shantae.
1/2 Genie Hero hype!
Sakurai's done with the roster.
4091481 I played it, it's a very dark game.
4091499
This picture is from the german Let's Player Zombey. Even his most viewed video.
The hat and monocle are kinda his trademark
Undertale is the only indie game I've played that I'm aware of, and YOU'RE the one who convinced me to try it. Thanks a lot, Kamek.
4092077
Yeah! I did it!
Any other games here that spark your curiosity?
4092182 Funny enough, the two that aren't on Renegade for Life. (Vegeta couldn't get past Toriel
)
Thank you for making this
4095041
You're welcome! Have a favorite Indie game?
4095056
Either Isaac or undertale. Both a great.