作者：Matt Bertz

由于Steam Greenlight开放alpha计划，以及Xbox One及PlayStation 4降低自主发布游戏的门槛，2013年标志着独立开发者打破自身与玩家壁垒的一年。现在是时候让我们盘点一下有望在2014年现身的杰出独立游戏。以下是我们最期待的25款代表作：

Among the Sleep

开发商：Killbrite Studio

平台：PC、Mac、Linux

对于长大成人的你来说，黑暗已经不再那么可怕了，但对于许多孩子而言，它仍是世上最恐怖的事情。《Among the Sleep》要求玩家穿上两岁小孩的连体睡衣，从婴儿床中爬起来，跌跌撞撞地在家中爬行，小心翼翼地警惕着夜间的一切碰撞之物。这间屋子充斥着大量碰撞之物。

The Banner Saga

开发商：Stoic

平台：PS3、360、PC、Mac、Linux

该游戏融合了维京神话和《最终幻想》中的角色扮演元素。玩家像是控制一辆维京拖车，在一个危机四伏的世界中通过管理供给、培养对外关系，以及在必要时出战而艰难求生。

Below

开发商：Capybara Games

平台：Xbox One

这是本列表上的两款Capy游戏之一，将独家发布于Xbox One平台，游戏中具有磅礴大气的世界，华丽的极简主义美术风格，以及奖励耐心玩法和技能的机制。玩家需以富有策略性的方法对抗步步紧逼的威胁，Capy还采用了一种我们都很好奇的非传统多人模式。

Everybody’s Gone the the Rapture

开发商：The Chinese Room

平台：PS4

曾推出《Dear Esther》的开发商The Chines Room将以一款后启示录、故事驱动型的冒险游戏亮相次世代主机平台。游戏故事始于世界末日，玩家的科学家主角必须探索了无生气的世界，以便了解灾难起源。它采用非线性结构，玩家可以随意拼凑自己觉得对应的故事谜题。

Galak-Z: The Dimensional

开发商：17-Bit

平台：PS4，PC

我们喜欢次世代平台将出现的旧式、自上而下射击游戏理念。这款游戏以80年代式的日本漫画美术风格重塑了经典街机太空射击游戏，采用了程序生成的2D世界，以及不同的敌人AI，每艘飞般都有不同的战斗策略。

Helldivers

开发商：Arrowhead Games

平台：PS4、PS3、Vita

这款合作型、自上而下、科幻射击游戏结合了《求生之路》中的快节奏以及创新性的动态难度。人人都在同一个星系中玩游戏，其宇宙地图会因玩家与外星人对战的输赢结果而呈现变化。整个玩家社区一起取得战斗的胜利或失败结果之后，开发者就会根据上一轮战绩推出具有新难度等级的战役。

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

开发商：Dennaton Games

平台：PS4、PC、Mac、Linux、Vita

这款游戏极具暴力风格，其原作在过去2年中虏获了多个平台的大量粉丝。这个续作讲述的是Jacket捣毁俄罗斯黑帮的后果。其行为催生了一部记载其光辉业绩的大制作电影，于是迈阿密充斥着大量冒牌杀手，每个人都在疯狂地追求自己的明星梦。

Incognita

开发商: Klei Entertainment

平台：PC

在涉猎潜行游戏《Mark of the Ninja》以及恐怖求生游戏《Don’t Starve》之后，Klei这家多才多艺的工作室又将目光转向回合制策略间谍游戏。玩家在游戏中会置身于一个程序生成、拥有高科技安保系统的建筑。

玩家的职责就是在限定的时间内，争取在警报系统响起之前，潜入主机有价值的数据，顺手牵羊地拿起自己将来的任务中可以派上用场的武器。

Lifeless Planet

开发商：Stage 2 Studios

平台：PC

该游戏开发已经两年，讲述的是一名宇航员误落在一个神秘星球上的故事，预计在2014年可以完工。玩家在深入探索该星球寻找走失的队员时，将可解开一些环境谜题。这个星球上所留下的发光脚印究竟是谁的？为何会出现苏联殖民地的标志？我们迫不及待想解开谜题。

The Long Dark

开发商：Hinterland Games

平台：PC

这是另一家由AAA级开发者组成的独立工作室，该游戏是一款插话式的第一人称模拟游戏，玩家会在一片加拿大荒野中苏醒过来，但却发现所有的电子设备已经受到地磁信号干扰而无法使用。玩家必须勇敢面对极端的气候，恶劣的环境，过会遭遇意外的生还者，并在此存活下来。

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

开发商：Asteroid Base

平台：PC、Mac

这款独特的平台/射击游戏混合体将两名玩家置于一个球形飞船中。由于它向敌人领空倾斜，玩家必须在炮塔、激光、防护盾、推进器控制站之间的的平台跳跃，以便飞船躲开冲突。在你探索新区域时，将可恢复资产，并升级和装饰自己的粉色船。

Mercenary Kings

开发商：Tribute Games

平台：PS4、PC

这是一款充满生气的《合金弹头》克隆游戏，结合了横向卷轴射击动作以及类似《无主之地》中健全的武器定制系统。玩家与多达3人的好友通过铅弹走向世界，并在途中获得可组装具有大规模杀伤力武器的新部件。

Mew-Genics

开发商：Team Meat

平台：PC、iOS、Android

Team Meat团队这次推出了一个与《超级食肉男孩》截然不同的新项目。玩家在游戏中是一名经验丰富的猫女士，其职责就是管理一个随机产出猫仔的屋子。治愈受伤的小动物，防止小猫之间相互抓脸，并哺育新生代小猫。

No Man’s Sky

开发商：Hello Games

平台：TBA

Hello Games这款新的深度太空游戏具有随机生成的星球。玩家可以在地图上追踪到这些新大陆，其中的宇宙地图充满大家都能看到的新信息。向开放空间导航的过程中要小心，避免飞船坠毁。如果飞船失事，你必须收集必要的资源，重新创造一艘新船从那个倒霉之地再度起飞。

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

开发商：YoungHorses

平台：PS4、PC、Mac、Linux

这也许是本列表中最古怪的游戏了。玩家在游戏中要控制一位住在郊区的父亲，而这位父亲却隐藏着一个惊天秘密——他实际上是一只章鱼。游戏的美妙之处就在于它让购物等普遍的日常任务变成了对于这位伪装的章鱼父亲来说的痛苦而欢乐的冒险。

Rime

开发商：Tequila Works

平台：PS4

该游戏拥有华丽的美术风格，广阔的开放世界，并且是PS平台专属游戏，你可能会将《Rime》误认为是Team Ico的新项目。我们仍然不确定你在这款Tequila Works中将会有哪种游戏体验，但其魔法氛围极具吸引力，令我们迫不及待地想揭开它的庐山真面目。

Rountine

开发商：Lunar Software

平台：PC、Mac

故事背景是在一个废弃的月球基地上，这款第一人称恐怖冒险游戏的灵感来自在《异形》以及《2001：A Space Odyssey》等科幻电影。玩家在游戏中拥有能够入侵计算机，点亮昏暗的走廊或狙击杀手机器人哨兵的全套设备，你必须意识到这里发生了什么情况，并想法逃离这个基地。但要慎用这些功能，因为其运行的电池寿命很有限。

Shovel Knight

开发商：Yacht Club Games

平台：Wii U、PC、3DS

这是融合了《Mega Man》以及《Duck Tales》的横向卷轴复古平台游戏，也是列表中的一款最适用于任天堂平台的独立游戏。玩家在游戏中手持一个家得宝草地工具，一路挖掘、弹跳干掉那些坏蛋。

Spy Party

开发者：Chris Hecker

平台：PC

这款游戏采用了新的美术风格，并进行了长期的开放测试，我们希望这款出自知名游戏设计师Chris Hecker之手的狙击手vs间谍的模拟游戏能够在2014年正式完工。

Starbound

开发商：Chucklefish Games

平台：PS4、PC、Mac、Linux、Vita

这款受到《Minecraft》、《Terraria》启发的游戏令玩家置身于一个拥有太空飞船、星际地图的程序生成宇宙中，玩家的任务是探索未知的星系。玩家可以从7个种族中选择一者，自由访问无数的星球，每个星球都有独特的地形，敌人和自然资源。你现在可以在Steam上抢鲜体验这款游戏。

Super Time Force

开发商：Capybara Games

平台：Xbox One，360

它抓住了我们对80年代卡通与动作片的情感，让一群可穿越时空的人返回原古时代拯救恐龙，让世界摆脱互联网，或者去实现自己任何天马行空的想法。在一次死亡后你可以倒回行动，化身为另一名时间战士，同自己之前的亡灵并肩作战。创造战士们之间的协调是一种很棒的体验，它甚至能够挑战最强硬的反叛者。

Towerfall: Ascension

开发者：Matt Thorson

平台：PS4、PC

在默默无闻的Ouya平台闪亮登场后，这款竞技战斗游戏将于2014年在新平台现身。它可能只有少量的模式，但要以一张弓，少量的箭同多达三人的对手决斗，你的灵敏度就非常关键了。

Transistor

开发商：Supergiant Games

平台：PS4、PC、Mac、Linux

我们迫不及待想看看Supergiant Games继《Bastion》之后所推出的这款游戏。该游戏含有多彩的等距世界，以及一位银发的叙事者，尽管风格看上去与《Bastion》极为相似，但玩法却并不相同。你可以使用传统的战斗方式，但也可以使用类似于《辐射3》的VATS系统这种战略选择来玩游戏。

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

开发商：The Astronauts

平台：PC

在开发《战争机器：审判》，People Can Fly主管Adrian Chmielarz以及其他几位工作室成员决定成立一家独立工作室。他们的首个项目就是这款恐怖冒险游戏，其中有位拥有超自然能力的侦探试图解开一名无助小孩身上的谜团。游戏中不含过场动画或战斗场景，它是一款以环境故事和悬念为主的游戏。

The Witness

开发者：Jonathan Blow

平台：PS4、PC、iOS

独立开发者Jonathon Blow因其益智平台游戏《Braid》声名远扬。《The Witness》采用3维空间，在《Myst》此类游戏题材先锋的基础上创造谜题。许多谜题解决方法并非不证自明，但你环顾这个孤立小岛的四围，突然间就会发现答案。在此过程中，你会与谜题创造者之间展开对话。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

25 Indie Games To Watch In 2014

by Matt Bertz

With the launch of the Steam Greenlight open alpha program and the loosening of self-publishing standards on both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, 2013 will be remembered as a year that indie developers broke down some of the walls standing between them and gamers. Now it’s time for us to enjoy the spoils. The list of promising indie games slated to come out in 2014 is long and impressive. Here are the 25 titles we’re most excited for.

Among the Sleep

Developer: Killbrite Studio

Platform: PC, Mac, Linux

It loses some of its haunting powers as you age, but darkness is the scariest thing in the world to many children. Among the Sleep puts you in the footie pajamas of a two-year old. Rising from your crib, you stumble and crawl your way through your home, wary of everything that goes bump in the night. In this house, there are a lot of bumps.

The Banner Saga

Developer: Stoic

Platform: PS3, 360, PC, Mac, Linux

Conceptualized by former BioWare alumni, The Banner Saga is melds Viking mythology with the brand of tactical role-playing made famous by Final Fantasy Tactics. You assume control of a Viking caravan trying to survive in a hostile world by managing supplies, fostering relationships, and taking to the battlefield when necessary.

Below

Developer: Capybara Games

Platform: Xbox One

The first of two Capy games on the list, the Xbox One exclusive Below has us hooked with its atmospheric world, gorgeous minimalist art style, and the promise of another punishing roguelike that rewards patient gameplay and skill. The looming threat of permadeath places an emphasis on tactical approaches to combat, and Capy has teased a nontraditional multiplayer approach we’re curious to learn more about.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

Developer: The Chinese Room

Platform: PS4

Dear Esther creators The Chinese Room are kicking of the next-generation with a post-apocalyptic, story-driven adventure game. The narrative begins with the end of the world. From here, your scientist protagonist must explore the lifeless world to gain understanding of what happened. Non-linear in nature, you can piece together the narrative puzzle however you see fit.

Galak-Z: The Dimensional

Developer: 17-Bit

Platform: PS4, PC

We love the concept of an old-school, top-down shooter going next gen. The minds that gave us Skulls of the Shogun are reimagining the classic arcade space shooter with an ’80s style Japanese anime art style, an open 2D world that’s procedurally generated, and varied enemy AI that gives each ship a different tactical approach to combat.

Helldivers

Developer: Arrowhead Game

Platform: PS4, PS3, Vita

This cooperative, top-down, sci-fi shooter combines the frantic pace of Left 4 Dead with an innovative approach to dynamic difficulty. With everyone playing in the same galaxy, the universe map changes as players win or lose battles to aliens. The campaign is won or lost by the entire community, after which Arrowhead will relaunch the campaign with a new difficulty level based on the past round.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Developer: Dennaton Games

Platform: PS4, PC, Mac, Linux, Vita

Dripping with style and ultraviolence, Hotline Miami developed an impressive following as it spread across multiple platforms over the past two years. The sequel picks up in the aftermath of Jacket laying waste to the Russian mob. His handiwork has spawned a big-budget film chronicling his exploits, and Miami is now filled with a legion of copycat killers, each of whom is desperate for their own cult of celebrity.

Incognita

Developer: Klei Entertainment

Platform: PC

Klei is nothing if not versatile. After dabbling in the stealth genre with Mark of the Ninja and survival horror with Don’t Starve, the studios turns its gaze to turn-based, tactical espionage. Incognita places you in procedurally generated buildings armed with high-tech security systems. Your job? Hack into mainframes to steal valuable data and grab whatever gear you come across for use in future missions before the timer goes off and the security alarms start ringing.

Lifeless Planet

Developer: Stage 2 Studios

Platform: PC

In development for two years now, David Board’s space drama about an astronaut who crash lands on a mysterious planet light years away from Earth should be completed in 2014. As players journey deeper into the planet solving environmental puzzles while trying to find lost crew members, things start to get weird. Who is leaving these glowing footprints in the sand, and why are there signs of a Soviet settlement? We can’t wait to find the answers.

The Long Dark

Developer: Hinterland Games

Platform: PC

Another indie studio comprised of triple-A developers gone rogue, the Long Dark is an episodic first-person simulation that drops you in the ruthless Canadian wilderness in the wake of a massive geomagnetic disruption that knocks out all electrical devices. You must brave extreme weather patterns, the unforgiving environment, and encounters with unpredictable survivors to stay alive.

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

Developer: Asteroid Base

Platform: PC, Mac

This unique platformer/shooter hybrid places two players inside a spherical ship. As it careens through enemy space, players need to platform between the turret, laser, shield, and thruster control stations as needed to make it out of skirmishes alive. As you explore new territory, you can recover assets to upgrade and customize your fabulous pink ship.

Mercenary Kings

Developer: Tribute Games

Platform: PS4, PC

Available on Steam early access as we speak, Mercenary Kings is a vibrant Metal Slug clone that combines side-scrolling shoot ‘em up action with a robust weapon customization system not unlike Borderlands. As you pave a path of lead bullets through the world with up to three other friends, you can scrounge for new parts to build your perfect weapon of mass destruction.

Mew-Genics

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Developer: Team Meat

Platform: PC, iOS, Android

The twisted minds at Team Meat are back with a new project that couldn’t be more different than the meatball torture simulator known as Super Meat Boy. Like a seasoned cat lady, your job is to manage a house of randomly generated kittens. Healing wounded animals, keeping warring cats from clawing each other’s eyes out, and breeding a new generation of feline friends is the name of this game.

No Man’s Sky

Developer: Hello Games

Platform: TBA

The star of the Spike VGX trailers, Hello Games’ new deep space title holds the promise of randomly generated planets ripe for exploration. As players chart these new territories, the universe map populates with new information for everyone to see. Be careful when navigating open space, however, because if you run into trouble and crash land your ship, you will have to cultivate the resources necessary and build a new one to get off that godforsaken rock.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Developer: Young Horses

Platform: PS4, PC, Mac, Linux

Perhaps the quirkiest game on a list containing many peculiar projects, Octodad places players in control of a suburbanite father of two who is keeping a crazy secret – he’s actually a squid. The beauty of the game is how it makes ordinary tasks like grocery shopping a harrowing and hilarious adventure as this octopus in disguise.

Rime

Developer: Tequila Work

Platform: PS4

With a gorgeous art style, expansive open world, and PlayStation exclusivity, you could be forgiven for mistaking Rime as the next Team Ico project. We’re still not sure who you play or what you’re doing in this Tequila Works game, but the magical atmosphere beckons, and we’re excited to learn more.

Routine

Developer: Lunar Software

Platform: PC, Mac

Set on an abandoned moon base, this first-person horror adventure draws inspiration from sci-fi films like Aliens and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Armed with a jack-of-all-trades device that can hack computers, light dim hallways, or shoot killer sentry robots, you must try to figure out what happened and escape this derelict base. Use these functions sparingly, however, because the AA batteries it runs on are in short supply.

Shovel Knight

Developer: Yacht Club Games

Platform: Wii U, PC, 3DS

A side-scrolling retro platformer built in the vein of Mega Man and Duck Tales, Shovel Knight is the one Nintendo-friendly indie game on our list. Armed with a trusty Home Depot lawn tool, you must dig, pogo, and fight your way to an epic showdown with each vicious member of “The Order of No Quarter.”

Spy Party

Developer: Chris Hecker

Platform: PC

This game has to come out some time, right? With a new art-style in place and a long-running open beta, we’re hoping this sniper vs. spy simulation from notable game designer/pot stirrer Chris Hecker finally reaches completion in 2014.

Starbound

Developer: Chucklefish Games

Platform: PS4, PC, Mac, Linux, Vita

The Minecraft/Terraria-inspired Starbound drops you into a procedurally generated universe with a spaceship, star map, and the promise of exploring the uncharted expanse of the galaxy. After choosing one of seven playable races, you’re free to visit the limitless number of planets, each of which has unique terrain, enemies, and natural resources. You can check out an early build on Steam early access as we speak.

Super Time Force

Developer: Capybara Games

Platform: Xbox One, 360

Channeling our love of ’80s cartoons and action films, Super Time Force stars a squad of time-traveling badasses who journey into the past to save dinosaurs, rid the world of Internet plug-ins, and whatever else pops into their whimsical minds. After an untimely death you can rewind the action and drop in as another time soldier, after which you fight alongside the ghost of the previous attempt. Creating a symphony of soldiers is an empowering experience that should challenge even the most hardened of Contra experts.

Towerfall: Ascension

Developer: Matt Thorson

Platform: PS4, PC

After its stellar debut on the largely ignored Ouya platform, this arena brawler is getting a second life on new platforms in 2014. It may only have a handful of modes, but dueling with up to three other friends armed only with a bow, a limited supply of arrows, and your thumbstick dexterity is a blast.

Transistor

Developer: Supergiant Games

Platform: PS4, PC, Mac, Linux

We can’t wait to see what Supergiant Games has in store for its follow-up to Bastion. With a colorful, isometric world and a grizzled narrator, Transistor could be mistaken as being closely related to its predecessor, but the gameplay tells a different story. You can use conventional combat, but the game also has a tactical option similar to Fallout 3′s VATS system.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Developer: The Astronauts

Platform: PC

In the middle of developing Gears of War: Judgment, People Can Fly head Adrian Chmielarz and a few other studio members decided to jump ship to form an indie studio. Their first project is this horror adventure game, where a detective with supernatural abilities tries to solve the mystery of who took a helpless child and what they did with him. With no cutscenes or combat, this game is heavy on environmental storytelling and suspense.

The Witness

Developer: Jonathan Blow

Platform: PS4, PC, iOS

Indie darling Jonathon Blow wowed the world with his time-bending puzzle platformer Braid. The Witness instead embraces three dimensions, building off the traditions of genre pioneers like Myst. Many of the puzzle solutions are not self evident, but as you examine your surroundings on this isolated island, suddenly answers are revealed. Along the way, a meta-conversation develops between you, the puzzle solver, and the puzzle creator. （source：gameinformer）