10 Best Indie Video Games Of 2016
5. Starbound
Procedurally generated, explorable universe? Check. Opportunity to meet new lifeforms and interact with them? Check. Ability to team up with other human players to explore? Double-check!
No, it's not No Man's Sky, 2016's favourite broken promise. It's Starbound.
This choose-your-own-adventure sandbox allows your crash-landed avatar to decide their own fate. Do you seek revenge on the menace that annihilated your home, wander the galaxy and explore undiscovered species and forgotten tombs, or simply live the life of a self-sustained farmer as you colonise the planet of your choice. Starbound has all the atmosphere, character and scale we thought we were getting in No Man's Sky, just in a more mod-friendly, 2D-side scrolling package.
And don't let the retro style fool you. The game is immersive and addictive, with character customisation, Minecraft-inspired sandbox building and difficulty settings that range from casual "meh, just let me explore", to "oh, I should eat from time to time to stop from dying", to the increasingly common permadeath.
With many gamers easily clocking up over 200 hours of gameplay and modders expanding available races and quests, expect Starbound to explore the boundaries of the universe for a long time to come.