The gaming public is getting plenty to play in the Year of Our Lord 2023. A new Zelda, a new Street Fighter, a new numbered Final Fantasy—lots of big tentpole titles are rolling out this year. But amongst the hype machine heavy hitters, let us not overlook the many cool indie games coming out this year as well.

Admittedly this article is quite late, as I’ve dragged my feet all the way into July. Whoops! Well, better late than never, right? So while the year might be half over at this point, I’d still like to take a moment and highlight some of the indie game gems we are absolutely pumped to play in 2023.

Bushiden

Bushiden is one of those games that looked so cool, I backed it on Kickstarter ages ago. An action platformer in which a cyborg ninja takes on an army of robots in a cyberpunk dystopian future, this game hits all the right notes for my personal tastes.

In addition to looking rad as hell, it is very likely to sound rad as well. Bushiden features a killer soundtrack by Garoad, which I’ve already purchased on bandcamp and listened to repeatedly at this point. This game still has a vague release date of 2023, but I feel confident we’ll get to play it before the end of the year.

Bushiden on Steam

Lunark

Lunark, by Montreal-based studio Canari Games, is a new modern take on the 2D cinematic platformer. This marks the second game in our list and the second game that I backed on Kickstarter, so it’s another one I’ve had my eye on for some time.

Here’s how the developer describes the game:

Inspired by classics from the '90s, LUNARK is a cinematic platformer set in the distant future, where the Moon has been transformed into the vessel for humanity's survival and an AI called NOAH rules with an iron fist. As Leo, a courier with unique abilities and a mysterious past, you'll explore gorgeously animated pixel-art environments while overcoming traps, solving puzzles, battling enemies, and more. Join the revolution in this epic sci-fi adventure!

Lunark released on PC and consoles on March 30th, so you can go out and play it now. Look for our own review below as well.

UPDATE: Lunark review on Kelleher Bros.
Lunark on Steam
Lunark on Nintendo Switch

Shinobi Non Grata

Shinobi Non Grata is retro ninja action platformer developed by Studio PICO and Esquadra, Inc., and published by Flyhigh Works. While many folks will likely compare this game to Ninja Gaiden or The Messenger because of its ninja theme, I think it’s actually a lot more similar to titles like The Legend of Kage or Genpei Toma Den (aka The Genji and the Heike Clans).

SNG presents some charmingly old school aesthetics, while delivering very fast and legitimately demanding hardcore difficulty. Having played a demo on Steam awhile back (which is no longer available), I can say that the gameplay is super fun, but it is really very hard. Still, can’t wait to play more!

Shinobi Non Grata launched on Steam May 25th, and should release on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch August 17th.

Shinobi Non Grata on Steam

Gravity Circuit

Gravity Circuit, developed by Domesticated Ant Games and published by PID Games, is a 2D action platformer in a similar style to Mega Man, but with a much heavier emphasis on melee action. You play as a super-powered robot, Kai, fighting against an army of robots to save the world from an evil mastermind. But instead of using a megablaster, Kai fights with his fists and feet, and grapples for good measure.

Reminiscent of classic platformers from the 80s and 90s, with action dialed to maximum, channel your power into your fists and send foes flying, or grapple them to get up close and personal. In your quest you will acquire many new powers, which will allow you to go even further beyond!

If this all sounds good to you, I have good news: the game comes out next week! Gravity Circuit releases on PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch July 13th.

Berserk Boy

Berserk Boy is another indie game I saw shared around twitter one day and been following ever since. A 16-bit-style action platformer, Berserk Boy’s gameplay reminds me of Mega Man Zero crossed with Sonic The Hedgehog: fast action, vibrant colors, and a 90’s Sega kind of cool. A demo I played on Steam awhile back—which unfortunately is no longer available—also helped to convince me that this game is gonna rock.

With a little luck, Berserk Boy will release on PC and consoles sometime in 2023.

UPDATE: Haha, literally the day after this post went live, Berserk Boy reappeared on Steam. The game has a new trailer and new release window. Now we’re looking forward to playing it in 2024!

Berserk Boy on Steam

Murtop

Murtop is single-screen arcade game that feels like a lost relic of the 80’s. Its gameplay is the perfect mashup of Dig Dug and Bomberman, except that you play as a bomb-pooping rabbit. Fun times!

This game released on PC and Switch on May 18th, so it’s available to play now if you’re interested.

Update: Murtop review on Kelleher Bros.
Murtop on Steam, itch.io
Murtop on Nintendo Switch

Bat Boy

Bat Boy is retro action platformer in the same vein as a Shovel Knight or Panzer Paladin, where the audio/visual presentation feels authentic to the 8-bit consoles of old, but the gameplay is actually far superior to what was even possible back then. I played the demo on Steam and it only increased my enthusiasm for sports-based heroism. Bat Boy feels like the real deal!

This game released on May 25th for PC and consoles. You can get it now, if you’re so inclined.

Agent 64: Spies Never Die

Did you love Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark on the N64? Why am I even asking—of course you did! We all loved Rare’s classic shooters back in the day. And that’s why Agent 64 is so compelling, it aims to recapture that retro console shooter magic. Having played the demo on Steam, I think it manages to hit all the right notes, at least for a single-player campaign. Could multiplayer be an option as well?

Agent 64 doesn’t have a solid release date, but is planned for 2023.

Agent 64: Spies Never Die on Steam (Demo available)

Shashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography

Shashingo is yet another game that caught my attention with its Kickstarter campaign. The Dreamcast-esque cartoony visuals, the chill LoFi music, the soft-spoken Japanese narration, I’m really digging everything I see here. How effective will it be for study the Japanese language? Probably not much honestly, but I’m looking forward to trying it out.

Shashingo doesn’t have a solid release date, but is slated to come out in 2023.

Shashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography on Steam

The Siege and the Sandfox

I randomly came across The Siege and the Sandfox online and was instantly hyped. A 2D platformer that is both a metroidvania and a stealth game?! Sign me up! Perhaps it’s a little too good to be true though, because I haven’t been able to find any solid news on the game’s development. Will it actually release in 2023, or could we be waiting for this game for another year? Or two? Only time will tell.

The Siege and the Sandfox on Steam

Blazing Strike

Longtime followers of this website—and again, thank you Dad for reading—might recall that I have talked about Blazing Strike before. Ever since stumbling across solo game developer RareBreed Makes Games on twitter back in the Before Times, I’ve been ridiculously excited for Blazing Strike. I was so excited that I tried supporting the game’s Kickstarter in 2019 (as clearly I am wont to do), but the campaign ended up being cancelled when a publisher materialized to back the project.

Blazing Strike is a 2D fighting game sporting pixel art visuals and some very cool character designs. The game’s aesthetic is somewhat reminiscent of millennium-era classics like Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and Garou: Mark of the Wolves, hence my excessively high enthusiasm.

Unfortunately this is another game whose actual release date remains a mystery. The initial release window had been set for Fall 2022, but that slid to Spring 2023. We’re now well into the summertime and I can’t find any news about when Blazing Strike might actually be released to the public. It could be imminent, or we might be waiting for months, it’s anyone’s guess. Having preordered a physical copy for myself back in February 2022, I am really hoping to play this game before the new year.

To wrap things up…

I want to clarify that this is a simply list of games we’re excited for, with the 2023 aspect being rather arbitrary. We would not mind if any of these titles end up being delayed into 2024 or beyond, we’re just looking forward to playing them. Please don’t misread the enthusiasm as pressure for developers to push new games out the door as soon as possible; that’s not what we’re about at all. Only positive vibes here!

Related to game release delays, I’ve heard of a few instances in which an indie game developer ended up fighting with their publisher. Take for example this Rock Paper Shotgun article. It’s troubling to think that some game publishers out there might be more in the business of exploiting a solo game dev’s passion and inexperience rather than properly managing the marketing and distribution of their project. But as the game industry continues to grow, such publisher conflicts are unfortunately likely to become more common in the indie space. I guess that’s capitalism for ya.

We love video games here and we value the work that game developers do, whether it’s a large team or just one person working solo. So again, no pressure from us to publish a game before it’s ready. And to any game devs who give this post a look and actually read this far: Keep up the great work, but take all the time you need! Your game is awesome and we salute you!