The Best Indie Games of 2017

In a departure from the first game where the player assumed the role of a Source Hunter to rid the world of the forbidden magic known as Source, we are now taking on the role of a Sourcerer. Taking place 1000 years after the events of its predecessor, the story begins with the player being held prisoner in Fort Joy, a misnomer if there ever was one. The Divine is dead and the Void is expanding, which will eventually consume this godless world if it remains unchallenged. Sourcerers are taking the blame for this turn of events, with the player being the main target for the Magisters of the Divine Order’s witch hunt. Fort Joy is where you were sent to be “cured” of your powers. While the specific method of “curing” is not spelled out in detail, the self preservation instinct kicks in to send the message the only objective for now is to get the hell out of Fort Joy.

If there’s one game that’s bound to suck in all of your hours, it is without a doubt Skyrim . Even the base game provides so much to do, be it the main quest or the various interesting side quests, that you won’t get bored for a while. If you do, though, the DLCs do an excellent job of introducing something new and fun to the g

Pyre feels truly new, which is really saying something. The world that Supergiant built is full of unique and fascinating characters. The choices that the player makes have an impact on the game and how the characters interact with the player and one another, like having a character shave their mustache and change the character design for the remainder of the game. Pyre is unlike anything else out there and is highly worth picking up, but don’t expect it to be anything like Supergiant’s previous ga

One of the most unique features of Divinity Original 2 is the fact that, unlike Skyrim , combat is turn-based. You have infinite time during a turn to decide what to do and which opponent to attack. This is especially useful in a game where the player is often outnumbered or facing off an enemy that’s much stronger than t

The tag system is a new feature introduced in this sequel, which allows specific dialog options to become available based on gender, race, profession, and origin story. New tags may be gained and current tags may be lost based on character decisions and achievements. Should the player choose to design a character without an origin story, they will have the choice to add extra tags during the creation process to help personalize the experience by giving the character a unique personality and dialog options. There are presets that allow a character to begin the game better suited for a play style fitting a traditional RPG class such as warrior or rogue but there are no character classes, allowing the character to be customized and built as they progress through the SLG Game Strategy however the player sees fit. The multiplayer limit has been raised from two player to four player, and players may be in direct conflict with each other during certain quest goals based on origin story, making it a spur of the moment decision to play cooperatively or competitively. There is also the new dynamic music system where the player selects a character’s chosen instrument, allowing this instrument to take lead in the soundtrack during crucial moments of combat or story development.

On the note of killing magisters, combat in Divinity: Original Sin II is a complex but enjoyable affair. Battles are turn based with everyone having a set number of action points every turn. There is no finite MP meter but everything costs AP, including moving on the battlefield, and a lot of skills have a cool down period. Elevation factors into battle as well, with those on higher ground getting a damage bonus while those beneath them suffer a penalty. Trying to damage an enemy typically requires wearing away their physical or magical armor points before their vitality can directly be damaged but there is more to success in battle than just chipping away at someone’s life bar. There are numerous status effects and elemental factors that can be used in battle, whether causing continuous passive damage, incapacitating foes or buffing or debuffing. Covering an area with oil for example will inflict slow status on people who wander into it, and if that doesn’t sound bad enough a fire attack can be done on the oil covered surface to make everything burst into flames, setting anyone in the effected area on fire and causing passive damage for a number of turns. Should the player find themselves on the receiving end of this tactic, having someone with the ability to make it rain can remove the flames and burning status but can end up creating steam clouds, which sets up the board for a whole new set of problems.

Supergiant Games, the developer of Bastion and Transistor , brings yet another great game to their lineup. Pyre takes basketball and tosses it right into the middle of a fantasy setting, but with some tweaks and changes that make it interesting and incredibly fun to p