Most otherworldly indie games

The spiritual and imaginative worlds of games like silent Hillthe Oddworld series and titles like Alan Wake 2 AND Check they often provide some of the most creative and experimental experiences in the industry. When it comes to indie games, experimentation is in abundance, and this often leads to otherworldly experiences that immerse players in strange, sometimes spiritual settings.

Games like Outer wilderness feature immersive spaces for players to explore, with otherworldly aspects such as time travel, alien creatures, and fictional planets. On the other hand, you play games like Kentucky Route Zero uses magical realism to immerse players in a surreal world.

8 Rain world

A hauntingly beautiful and brutal survival story

Rain world is a fully immersive 2D survival game that tasks players with exploring a vast, harsh and truly unforgiving world. The game puts players in the shoes of the fictional “slugcat”, hunted by a variety of ferocious predators and just as prone to danger as the titular rain.

This brutal story of survival is told across hauntingly beautiful landscapes, filled with crumbling industrial architecture and a variety of overgrown regions. By depriving the player of information, Rain world keeps its setting mysterious, and the vague and somewhat subtle nature of its narrative only adds to its otherworldly atmosphere. It's the imaginative images and designs of The world of rain inhabitants, however, who really sell its distinctive world.

7 IN

A narrative-driven platformer in a dark dystopian world

Developed by the studio that attracted the public LIMBO, IN is a puzzle-platformer with an immense and highly engaging atmosphere. Similar to games like Little nightmares, IN is a narrative-driven adventure that relies on environmental and visual storytelling.

The world in which IN The setting is depicted in vague detail, painting a dark picture of a dark, dystopian future. The thick and foggy atmosphere, the eerie background and the surreal nature of IN the dark setting is practically palpable, resulting in a truly immersive experience that is both haunting and serene.

6 HROT

A wild and surrealist journey through 1980s Czechoslovakia

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2023
• Developer(s): Spytihnev
• Genre: FPS

HROT it's set in the relatively grounded setting of 1980s Czechoslovakia after an unspecified disaster, but as a game it's layered with a dark sense of fantasy and layers of surrealism that provide an otherworldly atmosphere to its brown, rainy environments. For fans of 90s shooters like Earthquake and oppressed and calm atmospheres, HROT it's a real gold mine.

HROT the gameplay is a relatively simple loop that will be instantly familiar to any fan of old-school first-person shooters; Blast enemies as you collect keys to open doors and progress through the level, collecting health and ammo along the way to stay alive. While HROT the gunplay is far from perfect, the otherworldly atmosphere, facilitated by a surrealist world and highlighted by the game's dark humor, pushes players through the angular architecture of its drizzly missions.

5 Disk Elisio

A harsh world depicted with surreal beauty

Set in the turbulent, troubled and entirely fictional city of Revachol, Disk Elisio is a surreal and harsh RPG, full of biting realities and unhinged characters. Disco Elysium The painterly art style depicts Revhol with a surreal beauty, brought to life through evocative writing and unique role-playing mechanics.

Disk Elisio it may be an RPG, but the city of Revachol is its heart and soul. Interacting with its diverse set of characters and exploring the possibilities of its pictorial world are the game's strengths, and while some of its themes may be more grounded, Disco Elysium augmented reality provides the perfect playground for a role-playing game.

4 Outer wilderness

An immersive and completely alien journey through time and space

From the alien nature of the player's home planet, to the wide variety of environments in the game's solar system, to infinity Groundhog Day loop in which he traps his players, Outer wilderness it is a truly otherworldly experience that is almost spiritual in its essence. The heartwarming characters, the unknown dangers of the solar system, and the entirely comforting music make for a game that, at times, feels like a warm blanket.

Outer wilderness the lack of hand-holding and refusal to give the player much or no direction results in pleasantly liberating gameplay, which supports the player's agency by allowing them to explore at their own pace. This also helps facilitate a sense of wonder, as the world is presented to the player as a space of opportunity, a space where each discovery is truly the player's own.

3 Qud Caves

Roguelike exploration in an imaginative sci-fi world

Rusty caves, vast desert, ruined cities, strange nomads, magical cats, the sci-fi world of Qud Caves it's a great place to be; players could spend hours exploring its many nooks and crannies, traversing its vast expanses, meeting its eccentric characters, immersing themselves in its culture. From the banana groves to the rotten and rusty dungeons of Golgotha, the evocative places are just a piece of Qud Caves otherworldly atmosphere.

The strange, almost alien soundtrack provides a fitting backdrop, heightening the tone and more than compensating for the game's minimalist graphics by stimulating the imagination. The writing is also otherworldly in nature, highlighting the strange and wonderful complexities of the world and its characters through nuance and a subtle sense of humor.

2 Paratopic

An eerie walking simulator with an otherworldly atmosphere

• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox
• Released: 2018
• Developer(s): Arbitrary metric
• Genre: Horror

Paratopic it's short. Incredibly short. However, players shouldn't let this dissuade them from experiencing this one-of-a-kind title, as its surreal, otherworldly tone and thick, foggy atmosphere are unnerving in the best of ways. Swinging back and forth from tranquil to disconcerting with violent flicks, Paratopic is a wild and experimental game with small gameplay but full of interesting ideas and visuals.

This low-budget indie title is essentially a walking simulator, although it encourages multiple plays with its thin narrative, which ensures players may miss details the first time through. Fans of grungy, low-poly graphics, experimental stories, and light gaming experiences should definitely consider at least one game, especially considering the affordable price.

1 Kentucky Route Zero

An emotional journey steeped in magical realism

Most video game enthusiasts will naturally expect gameplay to be present in the titles they purchase, and in the meantime Kentucky Route Zero technically meets this requirement, it is clear that the developers have created Kentucky Route Zero with more atmosphere, narrative and pure feeling in mind than anything else. Fans of experimental narrative, quiet, contemplative atmospheres, slow-paced gameplay, and the vague, unbridled style of David Lynch's work will surely enjoy this tranquil title.

Kentucky Route Zero it's a bittersweet, surrealist dreamscape that is at times down-to-earth and full of heart, at other times downright strange and profoundly bizarre. The game's narrative twists and turns, sometimes bordering on the insanity, provide moments of emotional warmth while not being afraid to upset the audience. The slow, plodding plot leaves so much room for the story and its characters that, if players allow themselves to sink into its otherworldly setting, it's all too easy to get lost.