GOTY 19: Indie Spirit

The distinction between indie and otherwise used to be fairly straightforward, but as studios have grown and publishers have expanded their portfolios to include more modestly made games, the line has begun to blur beyond recognition. In 2019 it's a distinction that's harder to make than ever before, with specialist indie publishers often stepping in and helping even smaller teams at various stages of development. In this list, we've tried to include games that evoke indie spirit - games made by small teams on modest budgets that explore interesting themes in unique ways. In other words, here are our favourite indie games of 2019.

5. My Time At Portia by Pathea Games - This quirky little builder has players working to revive the fortunes of a town called Portia, and this is done by crafting new items and using this gear to adventure further into the world. It's not just a case of helping out the townsfolk, there's also a wider world to explore and that includes Zelda-inspired combat and dungeons to clear. It's an infectiously addictive blend of ingredients that we thoroughly enjoyed playing at the start of the year, and its cute cartoon style and bubbly personality kept it in our hearts long after we put down the controller.

4. Outer Wilds by Mobius Digital - Timeloop storylines are becoming more prevalent in gaming, but that's because the medium is so suited to repetitive actions with differing outcomes. In the past we've seen Zelda tinker with timelines, and more recently we've got a VR game set in the Groundhog Day universe, but this year's greatest triumph in terms of time is none other than Outer Wilds, a game which won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2015 IGF and that delivered on its promise when it finally released this year. This open-world adventure gives players 22 minutes to explore their environment before the local star goes supernova, resetting the cycle and sending them back to the start of the adventure. Outer Wilds is thoughtful and engaging, delightfully designed, and full of intrigue and mystery.

3. Katana Zero by Askiisoft - Askiisoft's Katana Zero blew our minds this year with its neon, cyberpunk visuals, its dark narrative inspired by Korean revenge thrillers and, last but not least, its remarkable gameplay. The action-platformer managed to keep each level interesting and entertaining despite its trial and error-based insta-death gameplay system that has you start the room you were in from the beginning. While challenging, Katana Zero's mechanics, especially the one that lets you slow down time and execute some fantastic combat manoeuvres in the midst of total chaos, had us gripped throughout as we deflected bullets, dodged incoming attacks, and sent projectiles back at our attackers. If you like your indie hard-boiled and razor-sharp, then Askiisoft's platformer is a slice of gaming perfection that's easy to recommend.

2. Disco Elysium by ZA/UM - We had been intrigued by No Truce With The Furies since we first clamped eyes on it, but even a name change to Disco Elysium and a growing understanding of what the developer was trying to do couldn't prepare us for the excellence of ZA/UM's new isometric RPG. The characters and writing are superb, the audio-visual design is first-rate, and the story had us hooked from start to finish. We loved the witty dialogue, the deep and nuanced characters and their interactions, and the zany situations that we ended up in throughout our adventure. Taking inspiration from the word of pen and paper role-playing, Disco Elysium gives the player freedom of expression in a way we've not experienced in a video game before.

1. Untitled Goose Game by House House - We had an inkling that Untitled Goose Game would be special, but even though we had high hopes for House House's sandbox quack 'em up, we didn't realise just how much we would enjoy it when we finally got our hands on it this autumn. Set in a sleepy rural village somewhere in England, the game puts you in charge of cheeky goose out on a rampage of mischief and sandwich-stealing skullduggery. Moving between small sandbox levels, the aim of the game is to complete a series of challenges, nearly all of which involve sneaking around the locals and pinching their stuff. It's gloriously entertaining and we loved sinking into this uniquely mischievous little puzzle game, which is brought to life with a strong and straightforward visual style and wonderful dynamic soundtrack. Untitled Goose Game is a family-friendly delight and also it's one of our favourite games of the year.