4 Indie RPG Developers You Should Be Following!

Over the years, my interest in video games has slowly shifted from the AAA industry to indie games. I attribute this interest to indie developers having the will to try new things or create something retro. Lately, we've been experiencing an indie RPG renaissance with high-profile titles like Knuckle Sandwich, Sea of Stars, and In Stars in Time, all released within the last year. So, with all that said, I want to highlight four indie developers creating RPGs slated to release sometime in the future.

Temmie Chang

Temmie Chang, perhaps best known for her work on Undertale and Deltarune, is a game developer in her own right. Her first game, Escaped Chasm, is an adventure game with a monochrome blue color palette reminiscent of the Game Boy. It's a short game involving little more than reading dialogue, but it's worth it for its somber visuals and storytelling. Dweller's Empty Path, the sequel to Escaped Chasm, is like a more developed version of its predecessor. Dweller's Empty Path has a longer runtime with more exploration and collecting. Like Escaped Chasm, the highlight is the visuals and storytelling, but Dweller's Empty Path has a wide range of emotions with cozy and unsettling moments. Temmie has expressed interest in creating another game in the Escaped Chasm series and has teased the idea of it including more than exploration and reading dialogue (I think combat would be a great addition).

Samanthuel Gillson

The introduction to the work of Samanthuel Gillson (splendidland) for many was her RPG Megaman Sprite Game, but for me, it was Apple Quest Monsters, a bestiary for a non-existent RPG. I immediately became enamored with the excellent pixel art, monster designs, and worldbuilding contained in the pages of Apple Quest Monsters. However, the first game I played developed by splendidland was a short RPG called Franken. Franken takes many cues from Dragon Quest but omits the need for grinding because the game has the exact number of monsters needed to reach the level necessary to complete the game. The standout aspect of Franken is its irreverent sense of humor that parodies the tropes of JRPGs and anime. As for upcoming projects, splendidland has two small-scale games in development (Amazing Treasure Valley and Formless Star) and their most ambitious RPG yet, Tender Caves of Death.

Chimera Labs

Chimera Labs didn't get on my radar until they announced the Kickstarter campaign for the RPG they're developing, Other: Her Loving Embrace. The developers behind Other: Her Loving Embrace are Quincy Pringle (writing, coding, sound, and general development), Kelly Pringle (concept art and art direction), and Harry (design, art, and animation). What caught my attention about Other: Her Loving Embrace is its battle system, which is like a combination of WarioWare, Devil May Cry, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Battle in Other: Her Loving Embrace is a turn-based affair with the player and enemy alternating turns initiating and avoiding attacks. Outside of battle, Other: Her Loving Embrace resembles The Legend of Zelda series, with its exploration, puzzle solving, and overworld enemies. Other: Her Loving Embrace doesn't have a release date yet, but a new trailer showcasing the current game dropped this year.

BananaSoft

Another product of Kickstarter Blue Omen Operation is the seminal work of developer BananaSoft. The developers behind Blue Omen Operation are Bryan Cox (game designer and programmer), Inkuusan (artist and creator), and Michael Staple (composer). Blue Omen Operation is an RPG that I would describe as an anime-inspired take on the Mario & Luigi series. True to its roots, Blue Omen Operation features action commands in battle that aid your offense and defense with the correct input timing. However, its "patches" present a more developed badge system than Mario & Luigi, similar to the early Paper Mario games. Unfortunately, the development of Blue Omen Operation has stalled due to the limited size and experience of the development team. In the meantime, BananaSoft is developing a small-scale game to build up more experience, knowledge, and funds for Blue Omen Operation's development.