We talk a lot about the big indie hits. Celeste, Hades, Hollow Knight — these are household names now. And they deserve every bit of praise they get.
But I want to talk about the ones that didn't break through. The games sitting at 3,000 Steam reviews when they should have 300,000. The ones I mention to people and get blank stares.
My list:
NORCO — A Southern Gothic point-and-click set in Louisiana. The writing is some of the best I have read in any medium in the last decade. Sold practically nothing commercially.
Disco Elysium — okay this one did eventually find its audience but it launched to silence and almost killed ZA/UM before word of mouth saved it. If you haven't played it you owe it to yourself.
Caves of Qud — I know this has a devoted cult following but it deserves ten times the playerbase it has. A procedurally generated post-apocalyptic RPG where you can evolve beak mutations and drink water with your hands. Nothing like it.
Pentiment — from Obsidian. A medieval mystery illustrated in the style of an illuminated manuscript. Possibly the most distinctive art direction in games. Completely ignored by the mainstream.
What are yours? What games are you evangelical about that nobody around you has heard of? What did you play that made you wonder why it wasn't everywhere?