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Essays 20 April 2023, 14:57

15 Indie Games With Best Storylines

We play games for many reasons, and one of them is the desire to learn fascinating stories. We've prepared a list of the most interesting indie games that bring the most original plots, deepest meta-critique of society and extraordinary narratives.

Table of Contents

Norco

  1. Year of release: 2022
  2. Developers: Geography of Robots
  3. Story in a nutshell: an industrial zone drains all the life from people and the environment

Norco is an incredibly personal game that was based on the real place where its creator grew up and the experiences he acquired there. This production takes us to an alternative version of the title city from Louisiana. Its heroine, Kay, returns to her homeland after the death of her mother. To make matters worse, her brother goes missing, and in order to find him, she must follow the trail of a fugitive cyborg.

Norco is maintained in the characteristic atmosphere of Southern Gothic. The unique setting allows us to explore the collapsing suburbs and swampy industrial areas of Louisiana. It's a captivating indie game with lots of interesting inspirations. The authors mention the iconic Snatcher created by Hideo Kojima himself as their main point of reference. The fictional Midgar from Final Fantasy VII was also an important inspiration in shaping this unique story. It's clear in the way a large corporation exploiting energy sources in its vicinity forms the bedrock of the story. The author himself admits that he was fascinated and at the same time terrified by the effects of such circumstances, leading to ecological and industrial collaps that has a severe impact on society.

Sebastian Kasparek

Sebastian Kasparek

Feels most comfortable in the editorials section at GRYOnline, and sometimes he also writes reviews. A fan of all kinds of culture, who reaches for works from both the top and the bottom shelf. He likes to immerse himself in niche games and productions that are hard to define unequivocally. Appreciates an analytical and critical approach when dealing with cultural works. Prefers unique, strange, visually crazy games that boldly tackle more interesting narrative issues. Addicted to high-octane productions, fighting games, big robots and arcade. Huge fan of Grasshopper Manufacture studio. He likes to catch up on forgotten "hidden gems" from years ago, especially from Japan. Interested in games and the people behind them. Strongly addicted to cinema. A huge fan of Mads Mikkelsen and Takeshi Kitano. He also loves Inio Asano's manga and Tsutomu Nihei's aesthetics.

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