Best Indie Games With Immersive Exploration

Summary

• Many indie games, like Deep Rock Galactic, offer immersive exploration despite limited budgets.
• Deep Rock Galactic immerses players with procedural caves and class-specific exploration tools.
• Hollow Knight and Animal Well provide immersive experiences without combat, focusing on rich atmospheres.

Thanks to their lower budgets and smaller teams, many indie games offer tight, focused experiences that center around creative, small-scale ideas. However, that’s not stopped developers from being ambitious, with many recent indie titles even offering their own open worlds.

An open world isn’t necessary for immersive exploration, however, and all kinds of indie games have been able to offer players engaging experiences with plenty to explore. From the procedural caverns of Deep Rock Galactic to the otherworldly land of Animal Well, there’s plenty to discover.

1 Deep Rock Galactic

Exploring Atmospheric, Procedurally-Generated Caves

Mining through rock and stone, collecting valuable resources, and coming home with plenty of cash doesn’t come without its requirements in Deep Rock Galactic. Not only must players contend with the occasional swarm of aggressive alien bugs, but they also need to explore the depths with great attention to detail.

The deep, procedural caves of Deep Rock Galactic are the beating heart of its gameplay, with each unique class not only carrying their own weapons, but tools for exploration. From the Gunner’s tactical zip lines and the Scout’s grappling hook to the Driller’s reinforced power drills, these tools make exploration all the more immersive. However, it’s the expertly implemented procedural generation, dense atmosphere, and unique mining system that makes exploration feel so immersive.

2 Hollow Knight

An Interconnected Map Supported By A Rich Atmosphere

Hollow Knight is a truly elegant and often immersive Metroidvania, packed with stylish artwork and creative character designs, set against the backdrop of an imaginative underground world. The creative use of sound design in both the ambiance and character dialogue, the distinctive environments of its various biomes, and the wonderfully fitting soundtrack make Hallownest an enchanting realm.

The various abilities Hollow Knight offers in true Metroidvania style serve their purpose well, making exploration a rewarding process. However, it’s the game’s whimsy and the constant sense of discovery that it invokes that make it such an immersive experience. There’s no telling what players may find around each corner in Hollow Knight, and that curiosity goes a long way.

3 Dredge

Atmospheric Sound Design, Stylish Visuals, And Intuitive Gameplay

Dredge is a minimalist experience, both in its gameplay design and in its low-poly, flat-color visuals. However, this minimalism is not only accessible but also allows the game to focus on immersing the player in its environment.

Exploration is key in Dredge, a core aspect of its gameplay loop, and players can expect to spend many of their in-game hours sailing to and fro. The weather system and day/night cycle do a great job of grounding the player in the world, and the intuitive controls ensure players are never struggling to direct their boat, allowing them to immerse themselves in the exploration of Dredge‘s isles.

4 Animal Well

A Richly Detailed World With Tactile Gameplay & Unique Sound Design

This Metroidvania is unique for its total lack of combat, instead focusing its efforts on meaningful puzzle solving that balances brain teasing with accessibility. However, what makes Animal Well such an engaging experience is its tactile controls, unique art style, and tremendously immersive atmosphere.

Exploring the world of Animal Well is an immersive experience thanks to the sheer creativity on display with its sound design, visuals, and the many creatures that populate its strange land. The immersion is also improved by a great diversity of environments and a healthy helping of player agency that makes exploration feel like a choice, rather than a rail-road.

5 Pacific Drive

A Supernatural Adventure From Behind The Wheel

The first-person perspective certainly helps immersion in Pacific Drive, but it’s the tremendous atmosphere and sound design that carries the experience. Pacific Drive is a strange mash-up of driving simulators and extraction shooters, with a supernatural theme inspired by the novel, Roadside Picnic. Fans of games such as STALKER will also be familiar with its lingo; anomalies, the “Zone.”

Though not as complicated as heavier simulators, Pacific Drive excels with its accessibility and ability to combine detailed gameplay mechanics with intuitive controls. There’s also a careful balance of coziness and utter intensity, which differs based on the current conditions of any given environment. All of this results in an experience that’s both grounded and otherworldly, allowing players to immerse themselves in a strange and enticing world that begs curiosity.

6 The Long Dark

A Blend Of Hardcore Survival And Open Exploration

Rooted in hardcore survival gameplay and heavy aspects of simulation, The Long Dark is a frequently intense experience interspersed with moments of true, tranquil exploration. In the game’s survival mode, there’s no real goal except for the often difficult task of staying alive. This challenge makes exploration feel meaningful, with each decision the player makes often fulfilling some urgent purpose.

The crunch of snow under heavy boots, the howling of the wind, and the distant sounds of potential threats. The Long Dark crafts an immersive soundscape that fleshes out the atmosphere in great detail, making every step through the landscape feel heard. Combined with the free-form nature of the game and the stylish visuals, exploring the hostile environments of The Long Dark manages to be a thoroughly immersive experience.

7 Gloomwood

Intricately Designed Open Levels In A Richly-Detailed Victorian Setting

Gloomwood is a deeply engaging but beginner-friendly immersive-sim that takes clear inspiration from games such as Thief: The Dark Project and even survival-horror titles such as Resident Evil 4. The horror elements do wonders for the game’s atmosphere, as well as the rich and imaginative Victorian setting, resulting in an immersive experience.

The immersive-sim gameplay, which allows players to freely roam the game’s levels and overcome obstacles in creative ways, helps to elevate the immersion. Adding to this are plenty of little flavorings, such as rambling and superbly voice-acted NPCs/enemies, as well as small pieces of environmental storytelling that add a subtle layer of immersion.

8 Outer Wilds

A Fluid, Warm, Cozy Adventure Through Time And Space

Taking players on a cozy, mysterious adventure across time and space, Outer Wilds is a one-of-a-kind experience that’s best enjoyed with little to no prior knowledge. The game is exploration-heavy, centered around exploring a small but flavorful solar system.

Players can expect to explore both on foot and via a humble spacecraft, both of which are equally atmospheric without being laden down by overly complex mechanics. This results in an experience that’s relatively free of frustration, elevated by a rich atmosphere built from stylish visuals, a truly moving soundtrack, and a warm heart.