Best Indie Games Made With GameMaker

Summary

• GameMaker produces some of the best indie games, like Hotline Miami and Undertale.
• Hotline Miami is a fast-paced, gory game requiring players to learn levels through multiple deaths.
• Undertale promotes compassionate gameplay, with a hidden Genocide run for a challenge.

GameMaker is one of the most popular video game engines that’s easy to get into and lets players create amazing 2D games. It’s easy to see why many indie developers prefer using this engine for their games, letting them make the most of its robust and accessible tools.

Some of the best indie games players can get their hands on are made in GameMaker, showing just how malleable this tool is. It’s highly likely that people who’ve played their fair share of indie games may have enjoyed a title made with the GameMaker engine.

8 Hotline Miami

A Fast-Paced Top-Down Shooter That’s Violent And Entertaining

Hotline Miami is one of the biggest indie successes of all time, featuring fast-paced gameplay as players shoot up everything in their way. A single mistake could lead to their death, forcing players to understand how a level works over multiple deaths before eventually clearing a stage.

Turning into a whirlwind of death and tearing enemies apart is a huge part of what makes Hotline Miami so special. For a 2D game, the gore is surprisingly grisly and brings the fast-paced action of this title to life.

7 Undertale

A Revolutionary RPG That’s Full Of Charm

Undertale‘s success is something that fans are familiar with. Toby Fox has become a household name after his charming anti-RPG turned into an indie darling that fans can’t stop raving about to this day.

Players love interacting with memorable characters in beautiful settings where one is encouraged to be compassionate and talk enemies down instead of killing them outright. If one ignores the game’s message and obliterates everything in their path, they’ll unlock a Genocide run that features some of the game’s most challenging encounters.

6 Katana Zero

A Hardcore Side-Scrolling Action Title Where Repetition Is Somehow Engaging

Players who love fast-paced action games with engaging gameplay will love what Katana Zero brings to the table. The player character uses drugs that let them visualize a combat encounter first before figuring out the best way to kill everyone and survive, which serves as a convenient excuse to let players replay a tough combat challenge over and over again before they finally clear the level.

Katana Zero is perfect for players who want a challenge, with its story being surprisingly engaging as it ties the levels together in a neat little bow. Players who complete things in a certain order will be treated to a secret final boss who’s easily the toughest encounter in Katana Zero by a country mile.

5 OTXO

Combines Fast-Paced Shooting Gameplay With Roguelike Elements

OTXO is the perfect game for players who loved Hotline Miami‘s gameplay loop but wanted it to be more fleshed out. The top-down shooting is as cathartic as ever, with the roguelike design ensuring that players will create satisfying builds in no time as they power their way through challenging levels and tough bosses.

It’s the perfect game for players who want to enjoy a simple, violent time as they use an array of weapons to tear their enemies apart. As builds become crazier, the player can turn into a dealer of death who can mow through bosses that seemed impossible at one point.

4 Downwell

A Unique Roguelike Title That’s Perfect For Phones

A game that is tailor-made for mobile devices, Downwell features such a simple yet impressive gameplay loop that it eventually got ported to other major consoles in no time. It’s a vertical-scrolling shooter where players descend down a well and use their gunboots to shoot enemies.

This makes it important for players to be mobile at all times and jump around to damage enemies. Levels become increasingly chaotic as players go deeper into this infinite chasm, encountering tougher enemies and challenges along the way.

3 Deltarune

The Much-Awaited Sequel To Undertale That’s Just As Engaging

Undertale‘s sequel has thoroughly impressed players with two chapters that are poised to be a massive improvement over the first game. The game’s expansion of the first title’s combat coupled with memorable characters makes it clear why Deltarune has become popular in no time.

Players can’t wait to get their hands on the full package, which will comfortably turn this title into a worthy sequel to one of the greatest indie games ever made. As one would expect, this sequel is also being developed on the GameMaker engine to ensure that its 2D gameplay is as engaging as possible.

2 Faith: The Unholy Trinity

An Underrated Horror Game That Feels Nostalgic Yet Oppresive At The Same Time

A masterpiece of horror design that uses a player’s nostalgia to scare them, Faith: The Unholy Trinity is a clever video game with a unique art style that makes it a must-play for fans of the horror genre. The nostalgic visuals lull players into a false sense of security before terrifying them with effective jump scares that don’t feel cheap or unearned.

Controlling a priest as he uses his crucifix to protect him is a simple yet tantalizing gameplay loop, with the atmosphere of this game driving players to experience all three chapters and see why indie horror fans can’t get enough of this title.

1 Barkley, Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden

One Of The Most Bizarre Yet Entertaining RPGs Players Can Get Their Hands On

Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden is one of the most ridiculous video games players can get their hands on. The game is an over-the-top sequel to Space Jam where the world has been forever changed in the aftermath of a Chaos Dunk that led to basketball being outlawed.

It’s a ridiculous premise, but what makes Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden such a captivating title is how it takes this setting seriously and manages to get players invested in the story too. It’s an amazing RPG that must be experienced at least once by fans of the genre who want to check out the very definition of a bizarre video game.