10 Best Indie Video Games Of 2016

With video game sales fast catching up with the movie industry year on year, it's no wonder budgets are growing for the big titles.

Every year, WWE's roster gets a little bigger, FIFA gets a little smarter, and Call Of Duty gets that little bit more bat-poop-crazy. Yet, as the heavy hitters buy up smaller publishers and invest more and more money into new studios around the world, it can be hard for smaller developers to make their mark.

And yet, with the advent of self-publishing through platforms like Steam and Kickstarter, and more accessible tools that enable artists and writers to create their own games with minimal coding experience, the indie market is thriving.

Not only are passionate games being published faster than ever before, but crowdfunding and internet exposure is helping give those with potential a fighting chance at getting attention from amidst the heavyweights of gaming.

Whether they utilise state of the art virtual reality or keep it simple with 2D, 8-bit graphics, what makes an indie classic is the amount of passion and enjoyment a growing developer can squeeze out of their often modest budgets.

Fortunately for us gamers, 2016 saw the release of numerous games that fit just that description. Without further ado, here are some of the best from this year.

Lets kick off the summary of 2016 by going back in time to the 1980s.

Netflix rekindled our love of 80s paranormal thrillers with Stranger Things, Black Mirror reminded us why the era was one of the greatest for music in the superb San Junipero episode, and in the gaming world, we were delivered the story and musically rich, Oxenfree.

This 2.5D point-and-click adventure harks back to the glory days of LucasArts and Revolution Software, combining an elegant but eerie art style, simple but intuitive gameplay, and an original, 80s-inspired soundtrack.

As Alex, the player travels to an abandoned island for night of teenage partying. Cue adolescent angst, young love and the inevitable disturbance of buried secrets and ghostly apparitions. As the group travel deeper into the island, they open a rift that exposes them to the mysterious secrets of the past.

Oxenfree's core strength is the move away from the traditional point-and-click method of combining items to realistic, reactionary dialogue to forward the plot, alongside using one hell of a paranormal-communication device in the form of a trusty radio.

If you like a nostalgia driven sci-fi ghost story with a Twilight Zone-esque feel, Oxenfree will certainly lift your spirits.