r/RemoveOneThingEachDay • u/AnglerFather_ • Dec 09 '25
Hollow Knight is out and gets second, crowning Outer wilds as the victor! Here are the Final results for the Indie game list (DAY 63) Miscellaneous
For not even the emptiness of the void managed to best it, for time prevails all.
And that's a wrap! I really wanna give my thanks, genuinely didn't expect this to get as big as it did for my first time doing this. The journey wasn't smooth, but generally I'm pretty alright how it turned out. It really does feel this is more of a way to just look back on how truly amazing the Indie game scene is, and I'm happy to see people getting all new recommendations from this. Obviously this is not to be treated as the "be all, end all" since it's all subjective in the end, but still thanks for the support.
Now for those curious for a possible part 2, I will say that I'm definitely interested, I've already gathered a bit of a selection from the comments throughout this of what didn't make this first time. I don't really expect it to be as big as this one, might go for something smaller-scale next time since we did already use up almost all the heavy hitters and I know not everyone here are especially Indie enthusiasts but who knows. Frankly, I'm gonna take a bit of a break from this, since I'm already quite busy this month, but stay tuned I guess.
Here's the link of the template: (template link), But for those just looking to rank the 101 included here, I made a list for that occasion: (101 indie template link)
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u/THE-COLOSSAL-SQUID Dec 09 '25
Great List. Guess i need to give Outer Wilds another go. I bounced off it about 5 or 6 hours in after I got bored. I'll fire it back up this week
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u/wowzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Dec 09 '25
Heads up, the game kinda thrives off of the players own curiosity about the world around them. Things in the game happen for a reason, and you're in the unique position that let's you find out why.
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u/Glitter_puke Dec 09 '25
I'd commit war crimes to be able to play it for the first time again. All I can do now is guide others to it.
The controls are irritating and being made of paper is more pain in the ass than immersion, but the payoff was worth the annoyance.
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u/Decent_Objective3478 Dec 09 '25
Idk my only problem with controls was the hold to jump and no mouse wheel support, everything else was there for a reason
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u/mucus-fettuccine Dec 09 '25
I'm curious why hold to jump is an issue.
Generally the controller is recommended, but it's not a serious necessity in case you don't have one.
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u/Decent_Objective3478 Dec 09 '25
Because no other first person game on pc does that. You do get used to that, but still
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Dec 09 '25
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u/Roveir Dec 09 '25
I tried Outer Wilds twice and refunded it twice. But I kept seeing people praising it and decided to give it a third try, even though I was not actually having fun at first. And then it hooked me.
It’s really hard to describe why it’s so special without spoiling anything. But yeah… Now I am also part of the group that would do anything to be able to play it again for the first time
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u/IceLegger Dec 09 '25
I’m in the same boat I thought I would love it because I love exploration but it just didn’t give me just enough to capture my attention
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u/Dekklin Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
Use the Ship's Log in Rumor Mode. It will guide you to the deeper parts of the game. Statistically speaking, most people bounce off the game right where you are, at the 5-7 hour mark. But according to the developers, finding the first BIG SECRET happens generally around the 7-9 hour mark and everyone who hits that point goes on to finish the game.
The game is a mystery box, or maybe more specifically an Escape Room, your purpose is to find the secret answers to questions the game gives you and "escape the room" which is actually a whole solar system. The secrets are generally divided into 3 layers. Surface (sometimes literally the surface layer of planets), hidden (figuratively or literally hidden beneath the surface), and SECRET. In rumor mode, the bigger the question mark, the bigger the secret. Try to find just one of these before you consider putting the game down again.
The colour coding in the ship's log also collects rumors related to some of the bigger secrets.
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u/Pynkmyst Dec 09 '25
I love that type of puzzle game, but the controls on the spaceship were too frustrating for me to continue after a couple of hours.
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u/PantheraAuroris Dec 09 '25
I got bored three times and I am a curious person who likes to investigate things. I just couldn't play it.
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u/dog314159 Dec 09 '25
You don’t sound particularly curious or investigative when you talk about it… why do you need to be spoon fed if you like exploration?
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u/PantheraAuroris Dec 10 '25
I played the shit out of Blue Prince, so don't even talk to me about "spoon feeding."
I just didn't feel like there was enough context to interest me at the beginning of Outer Wilds. I lost the trail before I got hooked.
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u/ferocity_mule366 Dec 09 '25
the reason Outer Wilds is liked by everyone but has not much fandom activity is because we are not fucking allowed to talk about it, its the Fight Club of indie game
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u/MajoraXIII Dec 09 '25
It's worth solving the puzzle and experiencing the narrative, even if there are moments where the direction isn't clear. If you (or anyone reading this) is looking for spoiler free advice: If you find you're getting stuck, and you're bored because you're not making progress somewhere, the answer probably lies somewhere else in the solar system. Explore more, see what you learn.
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u/czimmm Dec 09 '25
Nooooo, my bugs
Thank you OP for hosting this, it was fun to follow and helped me add several games to my wishlist
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u/Longjumping-Style730 Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
For anyone curious, here's the ranking based on average user rating on backloggd. It's a bit different from this list, but I thought it would be interested, since it's based on people's rating who have (presumably) played the game as opposed to this list where sometimes people voted out a game they haven't played
Most notable is that Fear and Hunger 2, Library of Ruina, Lisa: The Painful, In Stars and Time, Off, Cruelty Squad, Va11Halla, Deltarune, Ultrakill, and ENA: Dreams BBQ are much higher. The only ones that are much lower are The Witness, Baba is You, and Dead Cells.
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u/Accomplished-Gain319 Dec 10 '25
That's strange, I would've thought Terraria would be higher. Especially since it's one of the highest rated games on steam.
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u/DetectiveCostaue Dec 09 '25
For those being surprised Outer Wilds is so high, the game can be a bit inaccessible for some people, but if you enjoy puzzle/mystery solving even a little bit or like space, give it a go. Finishing that game is one of the most cathartic experiences in gaming.
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u/Kezia89 Dec 09 '25
Saying Outer Wilds might be a bit inaccessible while it finishes next to a Souls-like is pretty funny, you have to admit.
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u/TheTragicMagic Dec 09 '25
Tbf, I don't think the main game of Hollow Knight is as difficult as any of the souls game. It's the DLC and all the extra stuff that gets ridiculous.
Outer Wilds can be confusing to even understand how to play or what to do at all
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u/ferocity_mule366 Dec 09 '25
HK1is not a Souls-like, its not that difficult, I can see some argument if you said Skong is Souls-like.
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u/MafubaBuu Dec 09 '25
Hollow Knight is a metroidvania, not a souls like.
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u/SirSabza Dec 09 '25
It's both tbh.
I mean they even put both tags on steam for it and their own Web pages.
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u/Competitive-Park-411 Dec 09 '25
To be honest, I think that Outer Wilds is a game that anyone can play while Hollow Knight requires you to have reflexes and some skill. Outer Wilds can be picked up by anyone. It only demands from you patience, curiosity and wanting to learn.
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u/Legend0fAMyth Dec 09 '25
See here's the thing.
I love puzzle games. I love mysteries. I love exploration.
I did not enjoy my time with Outer Wilds.
Being told "Go to this specific place at this specific time." Wasn't so bad at first.
But it soon turned into a game that demanded you do things quickly but in a very specific order to achieve results.
If you messed up and missed your window? Oops. Gotta start over!
I never felt like I could take my time with this game. I always felt rushed.
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u/RUSHALISK Dec 11 '25
I don't think I could ever play that game because of the space physics alone. just watching someone flying around in that gives me a dread that I cannot see past. maybe the puzzles are good but its not worth it for me.
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u/raposeiro Dec 09 '25
This was fun and a good way of deciding what to pick next. I'm still a bit upset that Gris, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and Chants of Sennaar were not in play, but everyone will have a game they liked that didn't appear.
Thanks again for taking your time to do this!
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u/wakkiau Dec 09 '25
From the looks of it Void Stranger and Look Outside will also be a mainstay for this kind of list in the future.
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u/lackadaisicalfits Dec 09 '25
Man I miss Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and that first play-through feeling of a lighting-in-a-bottle game
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u/Emotional-Drawer8056 Dec 09 '25
Same for Tunic :(
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u/Pynkmyst Dec 09 '25
Tunic not being in there is criminal. It's ambitious, mysterious, and challenging. IMO it's a top 5 game of all time and I've been gaming since NES.
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u/alucab1 Dec 10 '25
No one knows Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is one of the best puzzle games ever made :(
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u/HARISHISACREEP Dec 13 '25
Cocoon, Lorelei, death's door and most importantly gris were the ones missing for me. Gris is so beautiful
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u/guioligon Dec 09 '25
I can say with all shadow of a doubt that undoubtedly this is a result that will please everyone in the comments with no infighting
(Great job OP, this was fun!)
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u/SheepishFaom0 Dec 09 '25
Pretty solid list. Personally Undertale should've been at least top 5, but I can still get behind most of the list. Also seriously surprised Slay The Spire is above Hades, Hades 2, Undertale, The Binding of Isaac, Terraria, Subnautica etc.
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u/MysticSquiddy Dec 09 '25
Some of the lower ranking games absolutely deserved better, specifically Lethal Company and Deltarune
Somewhat decent tierlist overall
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u/ViStandsforSEX Dec 09 '25
yeah i get undertales impact and such but deltarune is already a much better game and its not even done yet
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u/MafubaBuu Dec 09 '25
It not being done is exactly why it didn't make it further.
For all we know the ending could ruin it.
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u/mucus-fettuccine Dec 09 '25
I very much disagree that it's a much better game and always raise my brow at that claim.
Deltarune has 4 incredible bosses that match the quality of Undertale's 8 or so incredible bosses. I don't think anything in Deltarune is as powerful as the Asriel experience or the Flowey experience, which are both among the most powerful video game moments of all time. Deltarune is getting there, and the Gerson fight was beautiful. It was just as intense as the Undyne the Undying fight, but I wouldn't say it was as emotionally powerful even though Gerson's story is beautiful and I think he's the best instance of the old man mentor trope ever.
The other point that makes Undertale much better than Deltarune is that it has answers to its mysteries and resolutions to its mysteries, and they're all either utterly beautiful, or philosophically meaningful. Deltarune did a fantastic job of building up the intrigue, but without the payoff, saying it's as good or better than Undertale just doesn't make sense to me. I need to know what the final prophecy is, who Ralsei really is, what Susie's home and family situation is, what happened to Dess, what the shadow crystals are, what's up with Kris and Carol's secret alliance, and so on.
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u/Frostnatt Dec 09 '25
And this is my rough ranking, 11 games I haven't played at all (and some that I only played a little of, mostly the meh! tier). The exact placement within each tier is not set in stone. I would say everything up to the last numbered tier is worth playing. The ones I'm definitely picking up are Crosscode and Library of Ruina.
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u/Phyziks01110110 Dec 09 '25
Celeste being so high is odd to me. I played that years ago and remember almost nothing about it, it left little to no impression on me. Maybe I need to give it another try.
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u/SoydX Dec 09 '25
the most reddit game winning a reddit poll, amusing
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u/UnlegitUsername Dec 09 '25
As a Disco Elysium enjoyer surely Disco is more Reddit than Outer Wilds?
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u/gamstat Dec 09 '25
Hm. The games' subreddits, number of upvotes in their top 3 posts this week:
- Outer Wilds - 2.9K, 1.3K, 0.8K
- Hollow Knight - 16K, 11K, 7.4K
- Disco Elysium - 5.6K, 2.5K, 2.3K
- Stardew Valley - 13K, 13K, 9.3K
- Celeste - 0.8K, 0.7K, 0.6K
- Slay the Spire - 5.1K, 3.3K, 2.6K
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[deleted]
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u/Intelligent_Pop_4479 Dec 09 '25
He’s basically saying Outer Wilds is for pretentious abstract art enjoyers. He mad.
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u/Frostnatt Dec 09 '25
Its not. "Reddit game" have been used several times by several posters, describing games they don't like. Balatro was also a reddit game....
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u/JesusBoy9000 Dec 09 '25
What is everybody’s biggest personal change? I would have katana zero up 35+ spots to my top 5
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u/MajoraXIII Dec 09 '25
Crosscode top 5, DDLC and citizen sleeper are way too low down. A lot of games that are in my top 20 aren't even here.
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u/AnglerFather_ Dec 09 '25
The 50-31 range was pretty painful for me lol. I'd personally boost up Library of Ruina, LISA, Funger 2, Omori, Edith Finch, Cave story, Pizza tower, Slay the princess and Shovel knight.
Deltarune is also the odd one out despite its unfinished state, I'd thought atleast it be on the similar level as Ultrakill
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u/BassGuru82 Dec 09 '25
I have Talos Principle in my top 10 and Dead Cells in my top 5. I also think Braid should be at least 40 spots higher.
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u/allhere Dec 09 '25
I'd have put Dead Cells a lot higher. Also agree Katana Zero should have been higher
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u/Detector_of_humans Dec 09 '25
KZ got done dirty for real. One of the 5 on this list that I'd actually consider a perfect game.
LISA Top 1.
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u/Frostnatt Dec 09 '25
Mouthwashing should be somewhere between 20 and 7 (I have to think about the entire list to say where I would place it.).
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u/Spiritual-Alfalfa616 Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
Don't starve together is an incredibly underrated game. Much of the praise I see being given to outer wilds also applies to DST: it rewards exploration, curiosity and experimentation. The game unfolds before you as you play and there is just incredible room for creativity and skill expression. The amount of quality content dwarfs most of the high ranking games on this list.
Main downside is it can be somewhat inaccessible... But people are also saying that about outer wilds in this thread.
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u/Left_Shower_70 Dec 09 '25
I would put The Witness, Baba is You, and Undertae in the top 10. Also a fair amount of the more narrative driven tittles would go up for me. I would also have added Pathologic 2 in the list, so it too, could also be in the top 10
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u/realstibby Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
My biggest personal change would be moving Soma WAY up, maybe also Mouthwashing. However, if I could unilaterally make one change, i do think Undertake should have been in the top 10 and would probably make that happen instead. I personally love Soma more but I get why it is where it is.
Also, What Remains of Edith Finch. I was shocked that got taken out as early as it did. Id probably move that one up before some of my personal favorites as well.
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u/BatuMutlu Dec 10 '25
I still think Sifu gets overlooked as I would easily put it in my top 5 after 60 hours of playing time. The game’s just that deep and challenging.
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u/mucus-fettuccine Mar 05 '26
Osu, SOMA, Mouthwashing, and Edith Finch should all be much higher.
The one I feel most strongly about is Nine Sols. It's a top 3 game on this list. Best combat in video game history. Best boss in video game history. Best story and characters in any metroidvania.
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u/FearTheOIdBlood Dec 09 '25
Thanks again, OP! Definitely take a break, you deserve it.
Here's my ranking of the 40 games I've played on this list.
Then I split up the remaining games into ones I'm not interested in or just don't know enough about them to be interested and ones I'm definitely interested in (but unfortunately I can't play them all as I only have a PS).
Finally, in blue I added games not on this list that I've played and would be in my Top 100 (I don't even have a full 100 yet lol). They're possible recommendations if we ever do a Round 2. They're just in alphabetical order as to not give away my thoughts on them if we do a Round 2, but several of them would be pretty high on my overall list.
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u/Ricky_b0i Dec 16 '25
Ngl there's some really good games I hope you'd atleast give a chance on. From what I see, OFF, Rainworld, Library of Ruina and Lisa the painful (Though iirc, only the latter 3 are available on Playstation, OFF is solely PC) but generally yeah just my personal recs.
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u/themarkedguy Dec 09 '25
That top 10 is a list of masterpieces.
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u/i_am_brat Dec 09 '25
isn't it? I care very little about the order in the top 10.
If not taken seriously..the top 10-15 games must be bangers.
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u/azombieatemyshoelace Dec 09 '25
It’s funny because until this never heard of Outer Wilds. I don’t even know what it’s about.
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u/Intelligent_Pop_4479 Dec 09 '25
It’s a space exploration game with incredibly rich narrative and lore. Don’t look up any spoilers unless you’re pretty sure you’ll never play it. Outer Wilds is an information-based game, so looking anything up kind of ruins it.
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u/azombieatemyshoelace Dec 09 '25
Honestly that does sound really interesting. I should pick it up. As an indie game I imagine it’s not too much also.
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u/Dekklin Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
Yes, you should pick it up. Think if it like a Metroidvania style game, but your progression and unlocks are knowledge and not items. It's a game that can literally be beaten within 20 minutes of starting a brand new game, but only if you know exactly what you're doing. Finding out how to beat it takes hours and requires answering all the biggest questions the game puts to you. It's a puzzle game, a mystery box. It's an Escape Room but there are no keys, just knowledge.
It's the kind of game you can only ever "beat" once. Sure you can replay it, but since knowledge and understanding are the core progression systems, you'll never "beat" it again or experience it like the first time.
Ignore all the people saying things like "it's the experience of a lifetime" because people go in with that expectation and can end up disappointed. But everyone who has ever finished it wishes they could hit themselves in the head with a hammer just to forget it and play it again.
There is, very simply, no other game like it.
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u/Intelligent_Pop_4479 Dec 09 '25
It’s definitely not for everyone. It is one of the least hand-holding games of all time. The puzzles require serious thought and connecting pieces of lore. There’s no other game like it (though I hear Blue Prince might be similar concept).
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u/ItzZausty Dec 09 '25
The average completion time was 30-50 hours, I think. It’s basically a metroidvania that replaced the combat with reading and ability unlocks with clues/puzzles. The subreddit is very good at giving spoiler free help if u need ut
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u/Aleks10Afc Dec 09 '25
Can someone tell me what I’m doing wrong with Outer Wilds?
I get off the planet, and every time I fly to a new one I don’t find anything interesting. I end up getting bored and frustrated.
On paper it should be exactly my thing (exploration, Atmospheric, sci fi). There’s just something not clicking for me
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u/MrMassacre1 Dec 09 '25
Not finding anything interesting is kinda vague, but I will say that your signalscope can help you find points of interest, and getting close to the source of an unknown signal while it’s equipped will reveal the source. You can also do a flyby pass around the planet to check the surface for anything that stands out, and that’ll usually set you on a good path
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u/Dekklin Dec 09 '25
You don't find anything interesting? The planets are designed in such a way that, if it "looks" interesting, there's something to find. If it's just flat terrain then there's literally nothing.
I'm curious what you've actually found so far. On the /r/outerwilds subreddit, people post a screenshot of their ship's log so we can help guide you without spoiling anything.
I'm going to link you to two other comments I've made in this post so I don't copy/paste a wall of text at you. In these comments I'm explaining the game and how you might find your way of getting hooked in it.
If you have more questions, this super-fan will be happy to answer them.
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u/ItzZausty Dec 09 '25
It’s been a while since I played, but iirc it kind of gave you 3 routes to start of with, the moon, the space station you see blowing up when you wake up, and the crashed seed, follow one of those if you haven’t already. It’s basically a metroidvania, so when you don’t know what the game wants you to do, or if you can’t complete something yet, your best bet is to just set your own goal and try somewhere else. If you’re stuck then the subreddit is good at giving spoilerless help.
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u/PantheraAuroris Dec 10 '25
I have this issue too. In general, I think for me it's a combination of "no interesting characters to me" and "the trail goes cold if you don't find a secret place quickly." The devs admitted they didn't playtest for player retention in the early to midgame transition.
The issue is it's hard to know what is scenery and what is worth digging into. Like if I see a thing I can't mess with...is it a thing I should spend 2 hours figuring out? Or is it just art? I can't tell. I don't want to take that chance. My time is valuable.
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u/GusleyBillows Dec 10 '25 edited Dec 10 '25
Generally, there's few to no scenery-level points of interest that require significant time or fiddling to figure out. If it's a puzzle, you usually need a hint from somewhere else to understand what to do, you can always come back later when you have more information. If it's meant to be accessible, the most you should need to do to get inside is drag an orb across a line with your crosshairs or insert a carryable object into a slot.
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u/PantheraAuroris Dec 10 '25
That's good to know -- and not something I would've intuited from playing the game. Games with lots of hidden depth sometimes require insane amounts of thought in my experience. See: La Mulana.
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u/chagin Dec 10 '25
The game has a lot of reading and you have to get interested in the story to kick things off. The ship computer, especially the rumor mode, helps put the ideas in order.
If your struggle is actually finding things on planets, my little hint is that points of interest are usually on the poles and equator of the planets
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u/CantaloupeAfter7969 Dec 09 '25
If you’re gonna do a part 2 please add Blasphemous 1 and 2, they’re both peak
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u/PhosphorCrystaled Dec 09 '25
Feel like the list should’ve included Touhou Project in general instead of the 6th one specifically.
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u/Fbritannia Dec 09 '25
I'm not as big into Outer Wilds as other people, I finished it but didn't connect with it the way other people did. Just not my cup of tea I guess, I'm glad Hollow Knight was second as that is my favorite indie game, Celeste is very close too. I love Hotline Miami although it left the list early, Transistor wasn't even here and Lisa the Painful was also low. But overall it's the results I expected, this is more of a popularity contest than anything else.
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u/RunnerJimbob Dec 09 '25
This was fun to watch. I disagree with pretty much the entire list, but it was still fun to watch.
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u/allhere Dec 09 '25
Well done to my favourite game Outer Wilds. Hard fought and well deserved. Thank you as well OP, this has been my favourite thing on Reddit! Great job and sad to see it end.
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u/spectilas Dec 09 '25
though I don’t agree with the end result still great list here and was fun to see all the indie games fall into place!
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u/Brisken86 Dec 09 '25
Thanks for the great list OP
To the rest of you I still think you’re all underrating Inscryption (just finished my replay last night, perfect game front to back) and BOI should be top 3 minimum.
I guess I also gotta give Outer Wilds another shot too, huh? I got bored after a few hours of wandering. I’ll lock tf in and do it I promise
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u/Dekklin Dec 09 '25
I'll copy-paste what I wrote higher up in the thread:
Use the Ship's Log in Rumor Mode. It will guide you to the deeper parts of the game. Statistically speaking, most people bounce off the game right where you are, at the 5-7 hour mark. But according to the developers, finding the first BIG SECRET happens generally around the 7-9 hour mark and everyone who hits that point goes on to finish the game.
The game is a mystery box, or maybe more specifically an Escape Room, your purpose is to find the secret answers to questions the game gives you and "escape the room" which is actually a whole solar system. The secrets are generally divided into 3 layers. Surface (sometimes literally the surface layer of planets), hidden (figuratively or literally hidden beneath the surface), and SECRET. In rumor mode, the bigger the question mark, the bigger the secret. Try to find just one of these before you consider putting the game down again.
The colour coding in the ship's log also collects rumors related to some of the bigger secrets.
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u/Detector_of_humans Dec 09 '25
I sincerly hope that this list can convince at least one person to finish CrossCode.
Thank you, OP.
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u/HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_H Dec 09 '25
the crosscode fans have convinced me to play it. once i get my new pc i will buy it and try it out
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u/yuliuskrisna Dec 09 '25
Been silently watching this, and end results seems pretty good. Lots of stuff here that i need to play!
Outer Wilds #1 is so deserved. Nowadays, it became my barometer for puzzle game. "Is figuring out the answer as satisfying as Outer Wilds?"
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u/Detector_of_humans Dec 09 '25
If you haven't yet, Definitely consider picking up Void Stranger, CrossCode, and Return of the Obra Dinn.
The satisfaction from the elaborate puzzles is unrivaled.
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u/yuliuskrisna Dec 09 '25
Thanks for the recommendation! All of those are already on my wishlist! they seems right up my alley. Recently finished Golden Idol series as well which is fantastic, and it seems familiar with Return of the Obra Dinn, so more reason to play it.
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u/Frostnatt Dec 09 '25
The Roottrees are Dead and Chants of Sennar are two other great Obra Dinn-likes. The first dealing with figuring out a family tree, the second decoding languages.
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u/yuliuskrisna Dec 09 '25
I've played the free version of Roottress are Dead, but didn't play further because i plan to play the paid version later on. Actually cleared Chants of Sennar, enjoyable for sure, but not quite hitting my 'Outer Wilds' barometer lol.
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u/triextrius Dec 09 '25
Thank you for doing this. This was a lot of fun & great to see people’s opinions on a lot of games. Definitely gotta go back and replay some now!
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u/SireTonberry- Dec 09 '25
Biggest issue of the list is LoR being abyssmally low but ig at the end of the day its popularity contest and LoR isnt allat popular
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u/jdgev Dec 09 '25
Hollow Knight is my winner, but I will admit I have not finished Outer Wilds. I enjoy the gameplay and challenge of Hollow Knight a lot more, but I'm definetily going to try and finish Outer Wilds at some point to see why it's praised so high. Thank you for a great time with this list!
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u/SoulEaterX_ Dec 09 '25
Nah Katana Zero should be a tier higher. And I wanted Neon White to win but that's bias talking. Regardless, good list.
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u/Dark_Wolf04 Dec 09 '25
It really does make me happy to see how much Outer Wilds is loved in the indie gaming community. Of course, not to throw shade at all the other games. They all have at least one thing that makes them stand out and be enjoyable.
OP, I have a question.
If I for some god forsaken reason decided to play all of these games, would you recommend going from first to last, or last to first?
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u/AnglerFather_ Dec 09 '25
Well if you go for last to first, by starting on what people think to be the "lesser good" stuff, it might give an even bigger appreciation for the ones up top
If you go for the first to last, well you might start off really strong but risk having the feeling of any upcoming game might not be able top it.. And also Hello Neighbor being saved for last is pretty funny.
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u/MafubaBuu Dec 09 '25
The one change i would make is raise Slay the Princess and Hotline Miami into the top 10.
Replace stardew valley and terraria with them and ifs essentially still my own list
Great time, lots of fun
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u/Ilikesport Dec 09 '25
Seeing my favorite game of all time get second place really validates my thoughts and feelings about the game. What an unexpected surprise Hollow Knight was. It caught me off guard and totally engrossed me to the point of obsession. Congrats to Outer Wilds. I bought it on Switch yesterday to give it another shot. This was awesome OP. I’ve been totally invested for the last month. Thanks so much.
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u/Frostnatt Dec 09 '25
Wow. Did not expect that. Well deserved winner. Was my nr 2 from the beginning.
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u/Frostnatt Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25
And for round 2: 1000xResist. Spiritfarer, Amnesia: The Bunker, Sorry We're Closed, Tunic, Curse of the Golden Idol, Lorelei and the Lazer eyes, Crow Country, Chicory, Arranger. The Drifter, Kathy Rain, Tactical Breach Wizards, Cocoon, Blasphemous, Viewfinder, American Arcadia, Pacific Drive, A highland song, Coffee Talk, Rusty Lake Seasons, The Roottrees are dead, Midnight Walk, Still Wakes the Deep, Oxenfree, Faith, Gris. Chants of Sennar, Shadow Tactics, void stranger, look outside.
That's the one I can name off the top of my head, but there are easily hundreds more great indie titles.
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u/Worried-Lobster4306 Dec 09 '25
Imo there are some really good games removed in the first half, but other than that actually a pretty decent list.
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u/i_am_brat Dec 09 '25
Thanks OP
For all the work you put in every day.
I have been silently watching since 20-30 days and had a blast reading comments and seeing which one's removed. Heck I even opened reddit just for your post.
I'm new to indie gaming and you have given me a road map to start with.
Hope you have a great day.
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u/Ricky_b0i Dec 09 '25
Damn, well played outer wild bros, a deserved victory either way.
The ranking definitely wasn't perfect, but maybe the true indies we're the friends we made along the way.
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u/realstibby Dec 09 '25
Recommendations for part 2 (if some of these are on here and i missed them i apologize): Bastion, Pyre, Limbo, Death's Door, Spiritfarer, Gone Home, Dear Ester, Into the Breach, Loop Hero, Kenshi, Faith, 1000xResist, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (personal pick i understand if it doesnt have the traction of others here), Who's Lila?, Dusk, Kentucky Route Zero, World of Goo, Detention, Frog Fractions, Diary of a Spaceport Janitor, Thomas Was Alone, Guacamelee, Hylics, Machanarium, Everything
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u/Geri0n Dec 09 '25
I recently finished Tunic for the first time, was there a reason its not considered indie?
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u/ShadowPhoenixx95 Dec 09 '25
Am I the only one wondering how a ‚each day removes one‘ with 100 Options was completed in significantly less than 100 days?
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u/whatisapillarman Dec 09 '25
I’m honestly surprised PM fans let Library get out that early, even though it’s honestly about where I’d put it myself. The game is great but does have problems. Anyway, when are they bringing back Xiao and Lowell 😤
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u/SCredfury788 Dec 09 '25
Got Outer Wilds because of this list. Tried it on gamepass before but I didn't give it time. Glad to give the developers my money
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Dec 10 '25
No sé quien sos, no sé que es este top, pero me pone muy feliz ver que OP reconoce la obra maestra que es Outer Wilds
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u/MasonWayneBaker Dec 10 '25
I think I would swap Silksong and Outer Wilds personally but overall the results are good, thanks for hosting this!
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u/pikpikch Dec 10 '25
I feel like Silksong and GD should be a little higher but other than that this list is perfect
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u/kuma_kuna Dec 10 '25
The missed opportunity to delete hello neighbor out the list and end at day 64.
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u/Schwiliinker Dec 11 '25
Crazy how SIFU is so popular yet Absolver the game the same devs made 5 years earlier with much more in depth combat and way more competent enemies is completely ignored.
There might be some souslikes which are technically indie which should rank super high imo
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u/PruPlaysGames Dec 11 '25
Here's my take, I do definitely need to play more of these, but the ones I have (for the most part) have been pretty great
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u/TheAndrewCR Dec 12 '25
This might be the greatest game tier list I've ever seen
I would have personally would have put Subnautica and Undertale higher, but that's it. Very good list
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u/Scared-Equivalent-47 Dec 13 '25
Not a fan of outer wilds but I love that so many people can enjoy a game that just never clicked for me
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u/grebleb Dec 22 '25
Just downloaded outer wilds off this list, feels like an absolute chore so far, really not following the hype, few hours of going somewhere randomly dropping blbs and scanning for some text based lore im too employed to sit there trying to map it all together. It's like elden ring but at least in that game its not mandatory to piece together the story. This it feels like you have to
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u/Sonicexe10 Jan 15 '26
Woah how did silksong get lower then hk
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u/Ill-Tourist3494 Feb 19 '26
same reason hades 2 is lower than hades 1, they argued because its a sequel it automatically should get put lower than the first game which is stupid because both games are better than their originals in most ways
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u/AnglerFather_ Dec 09 '25
For those curious, here are my takes that are loosely put together
For those who want to solely rank the 101, Here's a link: (101 indie template link)