Today, we’re going to highlight some of the best Xbox 360 indie games on the marketplace – Just don’t expect the high-def graphics that you’d find in AAA releases. Instead, you can anticipate enjoyable experiences through casual, yet unique games. The Indie games category is filled with titles from talented individuals who are just trying to get their creations recognized, sans any major financial support. It has also been home to some of the most popular games on the market and we’re not just talking about Minecraft – There’s the Amnesia series, Limbo and Super Meat Boy, to name a few.
We’ve even come across unique and never-before-seen creations that will simply blow your mind away. Crowd funding websites like Kickstarter are a good place to discover such releases and even help developers bring them to the market by backing their projects. In this compilation, we’ve handpicked several games that are easy on the pockets and will keep you hooked on for hours. We’ve got sports, the much-loved zombie mayhem, retro shooters, arcade releases, puzzlers and more. Head on below for brief descriptions of each release and be sure to check out the links to the Xbox marketplace for additional screenshots and information.
1. Miner Dig Deep:
Our first recommendation is an action adventure release from Substance that made its debut back in 2009. Being single-player only, the game features 2D visuals and puts you in the shoes of a miner whose job is to dig deep into the earth and collect treasures. The deeper you go, the more rare gems and metals you will uncover. The entire ideology here somewhat resembles that of Minecraft, albeit there are no survival elements. The money you earn can be spent for new equipment which will allow you to dig down deeper. Miner Dig Deep is just 10MB in size.
2. Easy Golf:
At number two in this queue is Easy Golf which is precisely what the name suggests. This is a casual release for those days when you just want to kick back and have some fun with a casual game of golf by yourself or with friends. The game supports up to 8 players online and you won’t need any skills to enjoy it, making it a nice option for a family game night. The key highlight here is content creation. The game allows you to design your own courses and even share them with others over Xbox Live. There are unlockable items, player statistics and weather condition settings amongst others, as well.
3. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1:
If you’re not capable of reading the title of this release, then you’ve clearly not spent enough time on the internet. I Made A Game With Zombies In It was developed by Ska Studios back in 2009 and it’s also available on the now-deceased Windows Phone 7 platform. This shoot ’em up game puts you up against hordes of zombies that flock in from all sides of the screen. To help you stay alive, power-ups will randomly appear and you’ll be treated to a humorous theme song that’s about a developer creating a game with zombies in it; no, really. There’s multiplayer support as well. This is certainly a must-have release.
4. Retrofit – Overload:
If you love arcade shooters, then this title is just what you need from our roster. It was created by Wam Games and is clearly inspired by multiple retro arcade releases. Gameplay here is fast-paced and your goal is to destroy as many enemies as possible as they invade your screen. You also get some pretty colorful visuals along with online and offline multiplayer where you and a friend can take up the challenge together. The developer has even thrown in online scoreboards where you can brag about how great you are at Retrofit – Overload.
5. The Useful Dead:
For puzzle fans out there, The Useful Dead is a good dose of enjoyment, but we wouldn’t recommend playing it with the family. High on violence, the title will have you putting weird-looking, yet cute, critters to rest and using their bodies to overcome obstacles and complete levels. The objective here is to find buried treasure and you get a total of 99 critters at your disposal.
6. Produce Wars:
Produce Wars is the second puzzler in our lineup and it most certainly looks like a rip-off of Angry Birds from Rovio with a Donkey Kong Country-inspired narrative. Here’s how the story goes – The evil Doc Broc of the Vegetable clan has kidnapped the Peach Princess and it’s your duty to guide several fruits through numerous levels to save her. This physics platformer will have you blowing up structures, squashing vegetables and solving puzzles in a hurry to stay alive. There are several characters you can play with and each of them has a special skill.
7. Vintage Hero:
We’re down to our last addition with Vintage Hero which will definitely give you a feeling of nostalgia if you’ve played run and gun platformers such as Contra. Here, you step into the shoes of Floyd who sets out to stop alien invaders from attacking the Earth and defeat the evil General. There are six stages in total and they can be played in three difficulty modes – easy, normal and hard. Also, you’ll have to face 25 different enemies including bosses. This game has role-playing elements where you’ll have to develop your character by increasing stats like attack, defense and strength.
Conclusion:
Well, that’s a wrap. Each of these titles is available as a free demo and can be purchased for a very low price of just $1. So what are your thoughts on the aforementioned best Xbox 360 indie games? You might also want to check out releases from independent developers on PC and Steam, if Microsoft’s console doesn’t do it for you.