6 Incredible Free Indie Games On Steam

Indie games, especially story-based games can often be life changing, but they can also often cost a lot of money. In fact, sometimes the free games are better than a lot of Triple A games in the industry! In this article, I’ll be sharing my top picks for free indie games on steam.

6. Martial Law.

‘Martial Law’ is a game by FIXER about the difficulties of communism in Poland, depicting a man that has been left because of his poor social status. You make choices to advance your mission of visiting your daughter for christmas - and the choices impact every part of the game. The story is so amazing, a tear-jerking tale of a man who wants nothing more than to give his daughter a christmas present. The visuals are also stunning, using pixelated graphics to make the game beautiful to play. This game is enthralling, beautiful and definitely worth a play. 

5. Grimm’s Hollow

‘Grimm’s Hollow is a game by ghosthunter about searching for your brother in the afterlife. The story of this game is adorable, with lovable and fun characters and a genuinely interesting plot. The gameplay is exciting: using typical turn-based RPG gameplay to venture through puzzle filled caves. Atmospherically, the game excels in creating an enthralling universe for the characters you will quickly grow to love. It only takes around 2 hours to play, with a plot twist and ending that will wrench your heart. Definitely play ‘Grimm’s Hollow’ if you enjoy cute, cosy, and slightly spooky games!

4. The Archipelago

‘The Archipelago’, developed by Never Done Games is a beautiful visual novel where you play as the owner of a coffee shop. My favourite part of this game is the incredible world building, you understand the incredible atmosphere from the first 5 minutes of playing the game. The mechanics are also fun, you choose your actions that day by brewing a coffee with specific ingredients. With lots of different combinations you can choose, you are guaranteed to get a different experience each time you play. The story is interesting, the characters are very well developed, and this game is incredibly worth your time.

3. Memories

‘Memories’ by guiyyu is another absolutely devastating story about memories and nostalgia. Each day, you pick an outfit and reminisce on the memories of the last time that you wore that outfit. The story will destroy every part of your body, and crush your entire heart. The design of the game is also incredible, and overall adds to the soul-crushing story. The game also features a sapphic relationship, and a very cute bunny. If you want a heartbreaking sapphic love story, I couldn’t recommend ‘Memories’ more!

2. Marie’s Room

‘Marie’s Room’ by the developer like Charlie is another game that is about reminiscing on old relationships. It’s a very short game where you explore the room of an old friend who has passed, called Marie. As you discover more objects in her room, you unlock memories and parts of her journal, finding out what happened to her. The game really shocks you with the ending, and the realistic situation that she is put in is so incredible. The atmosphere is like no other game, managing to balance such a perfect mix of mystery and comfortability. The game leaves you feeling as if you have experienced the events in the game for yourself, and because of that, is one of my favourite games ever. 

1. How We Know We’re Alive

In the making of this list, this was the obvious choice for my favourite game. The game is short, only having an hour of gameplay, but manages to achieve so much in its captivating narrative. We play as Sara, who has returned to her small town to investigate the murder of her friend. She discovers a lot of harrowing information about her friend, and finds that her murder might not have been what it seemed. This story of an unreliable narrator has an ending that shocked me for several days after, and still makes my head reel from thinking about it. The visuals of this game are also so amazing, with the atmospheric lighting truly setting this game apart from so many others visually. This is a walking simulator and an adventure game that will truly change your life when you play it.