So, I should say that I love this as an idea for a thread, as I would say that I'm someone who plays a lot of indie RPGs. I've already played most of what's been posted, but a few are new to me, so thanks for the recs!
And now it's my turn to share! I'm going to effort-post all over the place here, so you've been forewarned! I'm doing my best to resist the urge to just post everything, and trying to adhere to the blurry lines of "indie" and "RPG", but apologies if anyone thinks that some of these fail to meet either criteria.
Let's start with a couple of my personal favourites that defy categorization:
Lords of Xulima is a challenging Role-playing game set on the mythical continent of Xulima, where Gods and humans once walked side by side. Experience a genuine RPG featuring over 100 hours of gameplay, and discover one of the most epic sagas ever told.
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I was turned on to this Spanish-developed game by
@Mogri 's Let's Play a decade ago, and was instantly smitten. I've still never played anything else like it, and still pine after that announced sequel that will probably never see the light of day. I'll steal my pitch directly from Mogri's LP:
"...it's a CRPG with the battle system of a JRPG, and that's great. It takes its structure from games like Baldur's Gate or Planescape: Torment, then it removes their clunky combat systems with something more similar to Final Fantasy. The result is one of the most engrossing RPG experiences I've had in years."
Man, now I kind of want to replay Lords of Xulima...
Star Renegades is a dimension spanning rogue-lite strategy RPG. Outsmart uniquely generated adversaries, forge bonds between heroes and end the cycle!
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I think this is one of my favourite games of all time? It's technically a roguelike, but each run is many hours, so it's not paced like one. Assemble a team of mercenaries to battle a multiversal threat by carefully manipulating a Grandia turn chart in turn-based combat encounters.
Next off, a genre near and dear to my heart: dungeon crawlers:
A dungeon crawling microgame for tired people.
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A dungeon crawler for tired people.
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I've been very sick for basically the entire month of July (it's really sucked), which means that the elevator pitch of "A dungeon crawling microgame for tired people" that these two have on their store pages really landed for me. The result of a game jam, Dragon Ruins takes a grid-based crawler and automates the combat and cuts out the complexity. You just kind of explore a single-floor wireframe dungeon and vibe out for a few hours (it's not very long) as quick and punchy combat happens without any user input, returning to town periodically (upon which you are automatically revived and healed) to bump up your stats via either levelling up or upgrading gear (which just generically increases your stats without any specific items involved).
The second game replaces the wireframe dungeons with a nice pencil aesthetic and adds quests, gear, and a playable monkey(!!!), but still keeps the same basic automated combat engine. Probably not my jam in usual circumstances, but exactly what the doctor ordered for a barely conscious haze.
Explore an underground labyrinth in search of mythical seeds in this 3D dungeon crawler RPG! Leaving things to chance will prove fatal🌱Explore underground labyrinths, expanding your range of actions as you go🌿Light up the path, defeat those in front of you, grow stronger, and unravel the mysteries
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IYKYK, but this one's a classic. An adorable Japanese indie crawler with some fun novel ideas, both in combat and dungeon navigation.
Operencia: The Stolen Sun embraces everything you love about classic first-person dungeon-crawlers, enhancing the old-school turn-based RPG experience with modern sensibilities. Guide a team of memorable characters through a world inspired by Central European mythology.
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A pretty traditional crawler, but not one I've often heard talked about. It's like if Grimrock had turn-based combat and less of a focus on puzzles. It has a fun sense of humour, stellar voice work, and really fine-grain difficulty settings.
Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown is a classic western RPG inspired by the games from the 90s. Basically, it’s the kind of game I personally find missing nowadays. Light, fairy tale, epic, heroic, slightly humorous and without the need of endless grind to progress.
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Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees is a classic western RPG inspired by great 90s era games such as Might & Magic, Wizardry, Ultima, the Gold Box series. Light, fairy tale, epic, heroic, slightly humorous adventure.
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Indie Might & Magic. What's not to like?
Now let's exit the dungeon and set foot onto the grid for some tactics games:
Face the Ancient Gods! Set the sails of your flying pirate ship and embark on a roguelite adventure in the steampunk world of Dead Weight. Explore floating islands in search of loot. Choose a class and enjoy turn-based tactical combat on tiny battlefields where every step matters.
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This one just came out! It's a roguelike what where you're piloting a sky-ship and making strategic decisions and then participating in bite-sized Into the Breach style combat encounters. It's nifty!
A story-driven, tactical RPG set in the fantasy realm of Lumus; a world divided by affluence and poverty. Take control of Nahmi and her fellow outcasts, utilising a brand new deck and dice based combat system to strike a blow to the noble Lords’ and Ladies’ unquenchable thirst for profit.
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An oldie but a goodie, this is a pretty traditional tactics game that doesn't overstay its welcome and has some novel mechanics. The basic gameplay conceit is dice crafting and dice rolling, and I love how it physically models those rolls so you can try to aim your throws to hit previously rolled dice.
A tactical, turn-based RPG from the makers of Legend of Grimrock games. Every action, every turn counts as you control your party of heroes through challenging, handcrafted missions in the ancient, mist-clad Menhir Forest.
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Basically no one but me played this, but I loved it. A short and sweet tactics game from some of the Grimrock devs.
Wildermyth follows heroes over their whole careers, from their pitchfork days to their powerful primes, and on into old age and memory. It’s a party-based procedural storytelling RPG where tactical combat and story decisions will alter your world and reshape your cast of characters.
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Focusing much more on the role-playing side of RPGs than is typical for video games, this game is all about crafting a dynastic narrative, as you manage an evolving trio of heroes and their interpersonal relationships, experiences, and descendants. One game might be about how your MC contracts a petrification disease and tries to save the world with his increasingly powerful body as he gains stone powers but before he completely loses his humanity, all with the help of his childhood best friend who wants to become the land's finest chef, while another might be about two lifelong rivals, one of whom has contracted with a demon and the other of whom wants to become a Paladin. Etc, etc. Boasts a pretty unique combat system besides, including a magic system that revolves around inhabiting objects in the environment and using their inherent properties to cast spells (the closest analogue I can think of is Phantom Brave, but that's still quite different) .
Step into the world of Terrazael and lead soon-to-be legendary heroes in a quest to restore a land fractured by broken oaths, reckless wars, and untamed magic. Fight back in turn-based battles, manage character relationships, collect dangerous artifacts, and hopefully restore the world...
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Verroa is a peaceful continent on the brink of war as the Asverellian Empire seeks to expand - at your homeland’s expense. Command unlikely heroes, fight challenging turn-based battles, and watch hardship forge iron into steel. Dark Deity is back, bigger and better than before!
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A pair of really fun indie Fire Emblems. They're a bit janky and buggy, but in an endearing way, IMO. Adds some fun novel ideas to the space (I really like the weapon system), and has a fun cast of characters and some really nice spritework.
A prince in flight, charged with defending the last of the royal family, determined to secure a future for his kingdom, unaware he would be fighting for stakes greater still.
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Hey, speaking of Fire Emblem, did you know that the Fire Emblem guy just up and made his own game? It's not much of a looker, but it has good bones. There are two sequels too, if you're left wanting more!
Enter Tahnra, a land savaged by war. You, a fresh academy graduate with humble beginnings, will grow to lead a grand army against a corrupt adversary. Gather heroes, form bonds, and lead your force in turn-based battles. Make use of tactics, terrain, morale and more to bring peace to the land!
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An utterly unique game that takes Fire Emblem battles but has each actual exchange of blows between units be Ogre Battle automated squad-based combat instead. So it's basically like if FE & OB had a baby, and as some who really likes Ogre Battle but prefers turn-based affairs, this hole was made for me.
Defend the last bastion of humanity with your squad of heroes! Exterminate fiendish monsters with magic and brute force by night and re-build your battered city defenses by day in this tactical RPG with rogue-lite mechanics.
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The Last Spell takes the tower defense genre and puts it on the turn-based combat grid. An at times brutally difficult game, deploy a small squad of heroes against increasingly unreasonable hordes of undead as you try to defend and develop a small town.
Hey, what if that grid was also a board game?
For The King is a strategic RPG that blends tabletop and roguelike elements in a challenging adventure that spans the realms. Set off on a single player experience or play cooperatively both online and locally.
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Battle against Fahrul's tyrannical Queen alone or as a party of four players in the sequel to For The King, the massively popular turn-based roguelite tabletop RPG. Will you unravel the once beloved Queen's terrible secret?
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For the King(s), which can play 1-3(4) players, is basically a modern and much more mechanically rich/satisfying take on Dokapon Kingdom. Create a team of heroes and try to save the world as you navigate from town to town, uncovering the map, doing quests, etc.
What if the grid was part of a roguelike instead?
A dark-fantasy, turn-based, retro-fusion of classic turn-based RPGs and roguelikes, all presented with a unique neon aesthetic.
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Moonring is a modern take on a pretty traditional roguelike model. Specifically, it's drawing heavily on ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery), which is not my favourite, but it's a got a cool kind of pixel vapourwave aesthetic and also it's free, so maybe give it a shot?
A turn-based horror RPG with retro 32-bit 3D graphics. Survive the horrors of the mansion that changes every time you enter.
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What if Shiren the Wanderer and the original PS1 Resident Evil had a baby? This adheres almost shockingly closely to the Shiren model while also drawing almost litigiously on RE1 for story and aesthetics. The only real mechanical wrinkles are firearms and spellcasting, the latter of which oddly seeks to evoke FF7/8 visuals.
Now let's finally leave the grid entirely and try some actions RPGs:
Caught in the middle of a divine clash of epic proportions that has left gigantic weapons towering over the landscape, Cyan and newfound allies Elise and Zantis set out on a quest to save the world…and defy the gods. Claim your fate in this fantastical adventure inspired by classic JRPGs.
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Trinity Trigger
really wants to be Secret of Mana, and it isn't, but it looks nice and is pretty fun to play. A bit too talky, and a bit too grindy, but can definitely scratch that mana itch, and supports co-op play. Oh, and there's some real neat world-building in the form of gigantic weapons from an ancient war radically altering the landscape and serving as landmarks and shaping society.
A retro-inspired 2D Action RPG set in the distant future. CrossCode combines 16-bit SNES-style graphics with butter-smooth physics, a fast-paced combat system, and engaging puzzle mechanics, served with a gripping sci-fi story.
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A very weird game, it's a single-player game where the conceit is that you are playing an MMO, so it has MMO quest and world design, but don't let that scare you away: it also has really fun world navigation puzzles that remind me of Alundra, really satisfying puzzle dungeons, multiple sphere grids, and a story that I found really touching and that made me cry more than once.
A Mesoamerican fantasy RPG that blends turn-based and real-time combat. Explore the world through three handcrafted stories forged in bloodshed, laced with magic, and united by revenge.
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Arco is a masterpiece. It's a melancholy tale of revenge with multiple POV protagonists, branching storylines with excellent writing, immaculate vibes, and an utterly unique and compelling real-time combat system that freezes time every few seconds to issue new orders, but breaks its own rules when the ghosts of your past literally manifest and start stalking you outside the frozen time while you're deciding your next turn. Don't miss out!
And finally, some leftovers that don't really slot into the other groupings:
Randomized dungeons, strategic battles, diverse growth factors, unique characters... ARIA CHRONICLE offers an unparalleled gaming experience. Let’s set out to help the Princess of Tamageria!
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Another Japanese indie game, what if Darkest Dungeon had anime throw up all over it with budget Vanillaware artwork? I think it had a few fun mechanical wrinkles besides, but I'm honestly too far away from it to recall anymore.
DEAD IN VINLAND is a survival/management game, mixed with RPG and adventure elements, about a Viking family trying their best to survive on a mysterious island.
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A viking-themed resource management game with a bunch of weird gameplay systems, including turn-based combat encounters. Try to help your family survive and thrive on a deserted(?) island.
Voyage into the wide world of Eral as an explorer, trader, or privateer. Defeat your enemies on land or at sea in deep but straightforward tactical combat. Unravel the secrets behind Dominio's betrayal – or sail off in search of your own adventure.
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A very big, ambitious game, it's an open-world sailing/tactics game with Stardew Valley aesthetics.
The horribly toxic Swamp King has risen once again! Gather your party and set out on an open world, retro-styled, RPG adventure. Powerful mystical artifacts are scattered about the world, each able to grant you new powers. Which will you choose? What is your destiny?
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Probably the best fit with the other games highlighted prior in this thread, it's a cute and clever traditional RPG with a weird up-front mutually exclusive choice with a big impact: would you like a set of stat-boosting artifacts, the ability to time travel, or an airship?
Immerse yourself in this Decopunk Narrative RPG set in an alternate 1930s where anti-gravitational technology has taken cars, roads, and even New York City into the sky. Muster a crew, master tactical turn-based combat, and unravel the dark secrets lurking beneath the floating metropolis.
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A recent release, this one is a bit weird and wacky: a steampunk CRPG with turn-based grid-based car-based combat.
