Notrium

5 Indie Classic
This was one of the games that got me heavily into indie scene. It shows that there are some incredible concepts out there, that no large company will ever tackle, but that can be very successful in hands of dedicated independent developers.

The game descriptions says it all – you are crashed on a distant and hostile planet and your goal is to survive. From that point, it’s all up to you and your ability to come up with quick solutions in MacGuyver’s fashion.

You will set camps, collect food, assemble items and create weapons to defend yourself. You will get caught by the night in the jungle, hoping to get to the safety of your camp before the carnivores start their hunt. You will try to survive a trip to the sun-scorched desert, jumping from shadow to shadow to escape the deadly heat, knowing there’s an abandoned base nearby that might hold valuable resources.

And all that in a pure sand-boxy manner. You always feel like everything depends on your creativity and planning. There’s no set scenario that binds you in any way.

Notrium is also increbibly replayable with multiple endings, partially random map, and with several drastically different ‘races’ you can play. For example – you can be a carnivorous, fast-evolving alien and start your own brood on the planet. You can be a cyborg that requires energy to live but doesn’t need food. Or you can even try playing a mystical psionic creature that can’t use tools, but utilizes magical powers gotten in a way of self-discovery.

On the top of that – the game is very mod friendly and several nice addons were made. Including a popular full rework that makes Notrium even harder and skews it towards an RPG with character development.

Notrium is really great and any indie gamer should at least give it a try. The game does look a bit dated by today’s standard, but it’s still one of the most unique and enjoyable experiences you can have on your PC.

Just don’t expect to survive more than few minutes of your first try :).