While it’s true that many early video games were overly complex and hard to learn (particularly in the strategy game genre), many games from the earlier days of the industry were arguably more elegant in their design than many modern titles. This was especially so in smaller arcade games likeGauntletand first-person shooters likeDOOMandQuake. It could be said that this simplicity and elegance were derived from the limitations developers suffered from at the time and the smaller games they developed as a result.
AAA games nowadays are often large and bloated, or set on creating linear experiences that are best when played for the first time. As a result, the smaller indie games with affordable price tags, minimalist styles, and small installation sizes are often great sources of repeatable entertainment.
7Roll
A Mathematical Puzzle With Dice-Based Randomness
Featuring wildly minimalist graphics and a simplistic user interface,Rollis a tiny, simple indie game about rolling dice. The premise of this clicker/strategy/rogue-like game is simple: the player is given 2500rolls of the diceto score as many points as they possibly can.
This simple premise, however, leads to a great deal of strategic decision-making that’s made replayable through the game’s procedural generation and variety of upgrades.Rollis a simple, strategic puzzle with an elegant design and a considerable amount of depth, all in spite of its tiny stature.
This smash-hit rogue-lite is as simple as games can get, featuring a combat system in which the player’s character automatically attacks their enemies. The only input the player has inVampire Survivorsis movement and theirchoice of upgradeswhen they level up.
Despite this simple gameplay loop, and the game’s minimal visuals,Vampire Survivorsis surprisingly replayable. This comes down to its addictive nature, variety of unique maps to play on, and abundance of playable characters.
This minimalist,accessible turn-based strategygame plays similarly toDarkest Dungeon. Despite the similar gameplay loop, though,Tinyfolksstands out on its own with its brilliant chip-tune soundtrack, simple pixel-art style, and unique push-your-luck mechanic.Tinyfolkstakes the gameplay ofDarkest Dungeonand distills it down into an elegant loop that’s easy to learn and highly replayable.
In the game, players build up a burgeoning town, recruit and upgrade new adventurers, and then send those adventurers into various dungeons. Each dungeon inTinyfolksfeatures its own unique set of enemies and its own distinct boss, each of which offers a new challenge.Tinyfolksis a smaller and easier-to-learn interpretation ofDarkest Dungeonthat, despite its relatively simple gameplay, manages to be highly replayable with its variety of strategies, difficulties, and challenge modes.
Although the tower defense genre typically suffers from a lack of variance, the number of strategies, playable maps, and difficulty modes inBloons TD 6keep it from getting stale. The distinct ensemble of towers players can place in any given game, along with their three separate upgrade paths, makes for a wide variety of strategies, no matter the situation.
In order to be successful inBloons TD 6, players must learn the strengths and weaknesses of both their enemies andtheir own turrets. Players must also concern themselves with their economy, as having a solid income can result in more towers and upgrades to help defend against the balloon swarm.
Contrary to its name,Tiny Roguesis an action rogue-lite with a massive amount of content. Despite being extremely minimalist on the surface with its simple four-walled rooms, limited colors, and simple pixel art,Tiny Roguesis a surprisingly deep game.
Tiny Roguesisa bullet-Helldungeon crawler with a rogue-lite structure and an abundance of playable characters. These characters often impact how a player builds their run, but the game’s variety of fun traits also help to inject some diversity. The sheer number of potential builds, random encounters, and alternate bosses makeTiny Roguesone of the most replayable rogue-lites available.
2Balatro
High Build Variety And Challenges To Complete
Created by a single developer,Balatrois asmall and affordableindie game with a minimalist pixel art style and a simplistic user interface that’s remarkably easy to read.Balatroalso requires a mere 150 MB of available storage space, despite being packed with content.
Balatrois a Poker-themed rogue-like deck-builder in which players create Poker hands in several score-attack-styled rounds. Throughout each run of the game, players upgrade and manipulate their deck of cards to create new strategies and acquire unique Joker cards that offer their own unique powers. With several challenges to complete, an abundance of starting decks, and a variety of systems that facilitate diverse strategies,Balatro’s replay value is astonishing.
Streets Of Rogueis a unique combination ofimmersive sims likeDeus Exand the chaotic action of games likeGrand Theft Auto. The game takes on a rogue-like structure in which players adventure through several biomes, completing objectives in order to proceed.
With its pixel-art aesthetic, small file size, and solo developer,Streets Of Rogueis a shockingly small game for the amount of content within. The game features a ridiculous number of playable characters, each of which can dramatically impact how the player interacts with the game, as well as a suite of new traits to unlock as players progress.
