New Year’s Wish List – Ryan Noble

2015 is nearly upon us, and with it comes both heavy anticipation and great expectation to look for the most promising indie games of next year.

2015 is nearly upon us, and with it comes both heavy anticipation and great expectation to look for the most promising indie games of next year. While there is undoubtedly a great treasure trove of titles we’ve yet to hear about that will be worth getting excited over, there’s already no shortage of wonderful-looking projects to whet our appetite for the coming year. With that in mind, here is my personal list of the games I’m most excited for in 2015.

Hover: Revolt of Gamers is a game that was successfully funded on Kickstarter in the summer of 2014, and brings vibes of Jet Set Radio and Mirror’s Edge to the mix. I’m extremely excited about this one, as Mirror’s Edge is possibly one of my all-time favorite games, and free-running around the insanely colorful, futuristic world of Hover looks to be epic. As an added bonus, the composer of the Jet Set Radio soundtrack, which has gained a following in its own right, is also composing the soundtrack for Hover , meaning that it is bound to have pretty sweet music to accompany the fast-paced parkour. Myself and Nick Cescon (better known as half of the Average Giantsstream-team ’round these parts), have even formed a bromance with Hover as our solid foundation, so it better be on his list, too. Don’t let me down, Nick.

No Man’s Sky captured the imagination of everyone when it was first revealed at E3, showing the first glimpses of entirely open, never-ending exploration in which gamers discover new species, plant-life, planets, and even galaxies. While it is still unclear as to whether the game has any form of narrative or objectives, it certainly looks to be a beautiful experience, and I for one can’t wait to jump into a spaceship and explore the depths of space. Even better is the fact that gamers will be able to do this alongside others, as No Man’s Sky is set in a persistent, online universe.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know anything about this game before I was completely under its spell. That was all due to its breath-taking visuals, brought to life by Olly Moss, a British illustrator that is best known for his creative reimagining of movie posters. “ Firewatch is a mystery set in the Wyoming wilderness, where your only emotional lifeline is the person on the other end of a handheld radio.” There’s still much more to be known about the game, but it looks to be a thoughtful, yet vibrant, game, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it in 2015.

Happy New Year, readers! I hope 2015 brings everything that you were hoping for, and a whole bunch of indie games, too. For everything you’re going to need to stay out in front of the indie-gaming knowledge sphere, don’t go anywhere but IGM. We’ve got you covered.