Rainworld: if I were to describe it, I'd say "survival information metroidvania with vaguely buddhist inspired lore". The pixel art is gorgeous and the AI is pretty unique (it drives the animation of the NPCs procedurally).
Sunless sea/sunless skies: Some of the best worldbuilding I've ever seen, the br*tish really do ruin everything. The games have a really slow pace and mid gameplay but the rest is soooooo good. I recommend turning permadeath off at least on the first playthrough
Wildfrost: My new favorite roguelike deckbuilder. Great combat system. Really pretty. Really hard.
Deltarune/Undertale: You definetly played or at least heard of these. My sixth sense is telling me the next deltarune chapters will come out later this year so there's that. Currently getting my "one foot in the snowgrave" save ready for the hypothetical occasion.
Other mother-likes: Omori and Lisa: the painful are also pretty good. If you're into really bad games there's also YIIK.
Fear and hunger 1 and 2: Brutal survival horror rpg. The more I think about this game the more I like it. Read the content warnings though, please. It's edgy.
starseed pilgrim: I don't know how to describe it.
glittermitten grove: I'd be all vague about what this is but everyone knows its frog fractions 2 by this point. Play it if you like frog fractions. Or the band Korn.
Is Outer Wilds indie?
everything Daniel Mullins: everyone knows Inscryption but Pony Island and The Hex are also good.
the games have a really slow pace and mid gameplay
This was my main gripe with Sunless Sea and one of the reasons I vastly prefer Skies: far less back-and-forth / grinding. It moves along a lot more, even if still slow-paced at times.
Also and to add to your list: A House of Many Doors - extremely close to both Sea and Skies. It's good.
Is Outer Wilds indie ?
Eleven people team, first mainstream game, studio unknown before it; I say yes.
I'm curious about your thoughts on Fear and Hunger. I played both and I enjoyed one more than two (I felt two was kind of Fashy but the more I've looked into it the more I feel that wasn't the intent???)
A lot of these are very popular but
You have a Baba Is You username and you didn't recommend it
Baba Is Dumb
The Sunless Sea/Skies devs also recently put out a visual novel called Mask of the Rose
This was my main gripe with Sunless Sea and one of the reasons I vastly prefer Skies: far less back-and-forth / grinding. It moves along a lot more, even if still slow-paced at times.
Also and to add to your list: A House of Many Doors - extremely close to both Sea and Skies. It's good.
Eleven people team, first mainstream game, studio unknown before it; I say yes.
Already in the backlog. Good to know it's good!
I'm curious about your thoughts on Fear and Hunger. I played both and I enjoyed one more than two (I felt two was kind of Fashy but the more I've looked into it the more I feel that wasn't the intent???)
This might need its own thread.