Best Indie Games With Hand-Crafted Environments

Environments are not only necessities in most games, but an important part of their identity. An environment says a lot about what a game is trying to achieve; does it take place in a warzone or a cave? Is it bright and colorful, or is this a dark and grungy title? Should the player expect whimsy or true grit? This is perhaps even more important in narrative-driven experiences and, naturally, exploration-heavy games.

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Some indie titles, such as Fallen Aces and Gloomwood, use immersive hand-crafted environments to facilitate emergent gameplay. On the other hand, titles such as Hollow Knight use interconnected environments to produce Metroidvania labyrinths, evoking a sense of mystery and discovery in their players that’s not quite possible with procedural generation.

1

Fallen Aces

Immersive, Interconnected, & Interactable

This immersive-sim/action-FPS sends players on a 90s-inspired adventure across a variety of urban environments slick with noir-themed imagery and atmosphere. The world of Fallen Aces is realized in a heavily stylized hand-drawn fashion, resulting in a comic-book look that’s tremendously memorable.

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Each level in Fallen Aces is built to be explored, interacted with, and even exploited. Players will find themselves ducking down every alley, crawling through secret passages, and running over rooftops to reach hidden vantage points. These hand-crafted environments and the stylish visuals help to create an immersive experience, backed up by rock-solid gameplay mechanics.

2

Animal Well

A Truly Alien, Tactile World

Animal Well‘s pixel art style, despite being somewhat minimalist, manages to be distinctive thanks to a sure hand. This immediately obvious sense of style is backed up by an imaginative mind, offering players a dense and deeply mysterious world created with thorough attention to detail.

Animal Well is a puzzle-focused Metroidvania that’s focused almost entirely on meaningful exploration, with a variety of imaginative items to assist players along their journey. The vibrant, neon colors, labyrinthine design of the world, and abundance of landmarks help to make the environments both immersive and mysterious. This is backed by a fitting soundtrack, excellent character/creature designs, and fluid animations.

3

Hi-Fi Rush

Stylish, Colorful, & Musical Environments

Systems

Released

January 25, 2023

From the start, it’s apparent that Hi-Fi Rush will be a stylish, memorable experience. The vibrant environments are packed with bright colors and bold visual effects, with each level taking on its own unique look and feel.

These locations are supported by an excellent soundtrack and elevated by hand-crafted environments that move to the beat. Not only does this somewhat assist players with the rhythm-based combat, but it also helps to ground the player in the game’s heightened reality.

4

Outer Wilds

Memorable Minimalism & A Unique Style

Systems

Released

May 28, 2019

Developer(s)

Mobius Digital

Though its distinctive art style is somewhat minimalist with its broad strokes and cartoon textures, Outer Wilds is a decidedly sincere and even grounded experience. Furthermore, the game’s melancholic atmosphere and warm, cozy charm emanate throughout each of its unique environments.

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The attention to detail of the hand-crafted planets is facilitated by a true display of creative restraint, allowing for each environment to shine in its unique way. The game’s lack of combat and focus on methodical exploration also ensures players can stop and appreciate the breadth of these locales.

5

Gloomwood

An Intricate & Interconnected String Of Locations

Taking inspiration from old-school classics such as Thief: The Dark Project and Resident Evil, Gloomwood is an immersive sim with a focus on stealth and emergent gameplay. However, while its underlying mechanics are rock-solid, Gloomwood‘s greatest strength is arguably its dynamic locations, which enable the immersive-sim systems to truly shine.

The dark, Gothic, and heavily Victorian setting is dripping with style and atmosphere, supported by immersive lighting. More importantly, these hand-crafted locations are strung together in interconnected ways, helping the flow of the game to feel fluid rather than being truly segmented.

6

Kentucky Route Zero

Quiet, Unsettling, & Wholly Surreal

Kentucky Route Zero is a quiet, slow-burning, and narrative-driven experience that certainly won’t be for everybody. It’s a title that’s driven by evocative, poetic writing, pure emotion, and a melancholic soundtrack. However, it’s also a tremendously stylish game, littered with memorable locations and stunning landmarks.

From impossibly tall forests and shambling, foreboding homes, to underground cave systems and utterly strange museums, there’s a surprise around every corner. The magical realism and surrealist imagery present throughout each act offer a unique adventure that’s full of mystery, whimsy, and even comfort. The picturesque vignettes, the surrealism, the fantasy – the environments of Kentucky Route Zero push and pull in equal measure, tugging at heartstrings and working with the writing to produce genuine emotion.

7

Hollow Knight

Deeply Melancholic & Memorable Locations

This deeply atmospheric side-scrolling Metroidvania is a revered indie darling for many reasons, but its detailed and utterly unique underground world is arguably its greatest strength. The characters, music, and evocative writing all help to paint a vivid picture, but it’s the interconnected regions of Hallownest and the environmental storytelling within that facilitates Hollow Knight‘s winning sense of atmosphere.

From the lush greenery of the aptly named Greenpath to the quiet melancholy of the City of Tears, Hollow Knight‘s interconnected environments are diverse. Combined with a wonderful art style and a plethora of memorable landmarks, Hollow Knight’s world is unforgettable.

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Hollow Knight: All Locations, Ranked

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