Moodiest Indie Games

Key Takeaways

• Duskers excels with immersive sound design and atmospheric visuals, enhancing its minimal graphics.
• HROT focuses on atmosphere over gunplay, offering a unique indie shooter experience.
• The Long Dark and other moody games thrive on immersive environments and atmospheric storytelling.

Some games — such as those in the grand strategy, traditional roguelike, and RTS genres — while not always, commonly rely on complex gameplay mechanics to draw players in. Others, like Rainbow Six: Siege or Call Of Duty, attract players with their competitive environments.

There are some games, however, that offer immersive, atmospheric experiences that rely on their ability to build and maintain a moody atmosphere for extended periods of time. The best, of course, tend to meld great gameplay with an immersive ambiance, but games can often succeed off the back of a well-crafted mood.

8 Duskers

Cold And Distant Tactics In A Grimy Future

Immersive, atmospheric sound design, gritty computer-terminal visuals, and a dark, grimy futuristic setting reminiscent of Alien — these qualities dramatically improve the experience of Duskers, making its minimal graphics and slow gameplay much more palatable.

Duskers is a real-time tactics game that tasks players with controlling robotic drones using a command console. While this sounds simple on the surface, the tension soon ramps up when the game’s monsters come into play. There’s no doubt that the game’s moody atmosphere is one of its greatest strengths.

7 HROT

An Old-School FPS With A Focus On Mood And Atmosphere

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: May 16, 2023
• Developer(s): Spytihnev
• Genre: FPS

Fans of classic first-person shooters such as Quake will immediately recognize HROT’s aesthetic and fast-paced gameplay. However, HROT is a unique indie shooter among a growing crowd of 90s-inspired FPS games, with a focus on atmosphere rather than gunplay.

In fact, HROT’s guns, while serviceable, aren’t nearly as satisfying to use as its contemporaries, or many of the games it’s inspired by. Where HROT excels is in its moody, immersive atmosphere, facilitated by buckets of pixelated rain, an oppressive color palette, and surrealist imagery.

6 The Long Dark

A Quiet, Contemplative Survival Game

There’s something strangely tranquil about The Long Dark’sbrutal, unforgiving survival gameplay, and that’s almost entirely down to the game’s tremendous sense of atmosphere. Sporting stylized visuals, simulation-heavy gameplay, and the quiet, contemplative mood of a walking simulator, The Long Dark is a unique, addictive beast.

The Long Dark’s moody atmosphere is assisted by its harsh environments and unforgiving gameplay loop, making the moments of reprieve all the more rewarding. The quiet atmosphere brought about by the sound of a crackling fire and the distant howling of wind and wolf alike, combined with the knowledge that safety is finite, drenches every free moment in a melancholic treacle.

5 Disco Elysium

A Moody RPG Colored With Downtrodden Beauty

The rundown city of Revachol, the hopeless state of the game’s protagonist, and the downtrodden beauty of its world make Disco Elysium a uniquely moody RPG. The distinctive skill system results in gameplay that feels fresh, but Disco Elysium is all about its moody atmosphere and evocative writing.

The narrative of Disco Elysium — and how the player helps to shape it over the course of the game, coloring in the details wherever they can — is what sets this title apart from the rest. The moody atmosphere is certainly helped, however, by the game’s painterly visuals, talented voice acting, and political musings.

4 Night In The Woods

A Melancholic, Small-Town Story

Melancholy is at the root of Night In The Woods — it’s in the game’s bones, baked into its DNA, and the autumnal, small-town setting is the perfect place for it. Night In The Woods is deeply atmospheric and often emotional, but its moody atmosphere is rarely oppressive, and exploring the familiar streets of Possum Springs can be a tremendously serene experience.

Players looking for a mechanical experience beware: Night In The Woods is a narrative-driven game with little to offer outside of its moody atmosphere, well-written characters, and engaging story. That said, the game does feature a handful of mini-games that help to spice up the gameplay, including a rhythm game in the style of Guitar Hero.

3 INSIDE

A Dark Puzzle-Platformer Brought To Life By Subtle Storytelling

INSIDE is a relatively short but truly memorable experience packed with intuitive puzzles and set in an unsettling, dystopian world. This side-scrolling puzzle-platformer features a minimalist art-style and a quiet, eerie atmosphere that provides a great sense of mood and a handful of creepy moments.

The minimalist visuals and stark colors of INSIDE’s world do much of the heavy lifting in creating a moody atmosphere, but the game’s subtle storytelling and atmospheric music do a superb job of supporting it. Overall, INSIDE is perfect for fans of narrative-driven experiences and puzzle-platformers alike.

2 Hollow Knight

A Moody Metroidvania Brimming With Melancholic Loneliness

Channeling the melancholic loneliness and vague storytelling of FromSoftware’s Dark Souls and the mysterious exploration of classic Metroidvanias in equal measure, Hollow Knight is an overtly moody experience from start to finish. A Metroidvania itself, Hollow Knight is a 2D platformer with a focus on exploration and methodical combat.

From the ruined and mysterious nature of Hollow Knight’s underground world of Hallownest and the way it limits the player’s information, to the fresh implementation of traditional game maps, this smash-hit indie title is brimming with mystery and layered with a melancholic atmosphere.

1 Kentucky Route Zero

A Melancholic Adventure That Thrives On Magical Realism

Thriving on a rich setting steeped in magical realism and constantly bombarding the player with surreal imagery and quirky characters, Kentucky Route Zero is a one-of-a-kind experience. The melancholic music, stylized aesthetic, and strange, mysterious narrative make for a consistently moody experience.

Kentucky Route Zero has little-to-no gameplay outside of traveling and interacting with the game’s cast of truly unique characters. As such, its moody atmosphere and emotional story are the biggest reasons to keep playing.