Board 8 > Other than Undertale, what is the strongest indie game of the decade?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I didnt count Minecraft for a variety of reasons (including no longer being indie) but is it even eligible for this contest?

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Minecraft is eligible since the beta was last decade.

I think Celeste is the #2 indie. It's the only one I can remember in a legitimate race for GotY.

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I'm struggling to see what argument there is for Shovel Knight not to be the answer here, at least in lieu of mass rallies.

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Rolycoly posted...

I'm struggling to see what argument there is for Shovel Knight not to be the answer here, at least in lieu of mass rallies.

Its not an argument against Shovel Knight as much as arguments for other games. I am thinking Cuphead, which looked really good in the GOTY polls that year (with Undertale I believe the only indie to win a platform poll) and would have only gotten stronger with the Switch release. The character also overperformed in the last character battle though was really underseeded.

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To be fair, I forgot just how good Cuphead looked in 2017's Xbox One and Indie GotY polls (not so much in the overall poll, though). That being said, the character's CBX result was just okay, whereas Shovel Knight the character looked to have real strength that same contest. I for one am certainly more inclined to trust an actual contest than 2/3 GotY polls, which we've seen fail to translate to the contest scene plenty before.

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Shovel Knight for sure, but Goose Game seems like it has rally potential.

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It's undoubtedly Cuphead

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Shovel Knight is the obvious pick. I'd also see merit for Hollow Knight, Rocket League, Celeste, and maybe A Hat in Time? Stardew Valley has a loyal niche audience that could turn people out and UGG is definitely rally bait.

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how well does hollow knight do on gamefaqs polls?

i'm assuming not well based on the fact that it's not even on the poll, but i would have expected it to be up there

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Hollow Knight or Cuphead

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banananor posted...

how well does hollow knight do on gamefaqs polls?

i'm assuming not well based on the fact that it's not even on the poll, but i would have expected it to be up there

hollow knight had kind of a weird release where the pc version came out in 2017 and quietly did very well and then the switch port came out the next year and the game exploded in popularity

unfortunately for hollow knight in gamefaqs polls, the year it came out on switch was also the year of smash, a notable jrpg and a pokemon game, but hey it beat sonic mania!

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if rallies are being taken into consideration, Rocket League has the largest active communities among those games followed by Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley. Goose game has the memes
idk how that transfers into unrallied gamefaqs contest strength, but id say Hollow Knight.

Hollow Knight got absolutely destroyed by Cuphead in 2017. Now it is true that the game had an odd staged release and was really helped by the Switch version. But 2017 Cuphead did significantly better on Breath of the Wild than 2018 Hollow Knight did on Smash Ultimate. Hollow Knight definitely seems like a game that will build strength over time but that mountain seems too high to climb.

Also Cuphead quadrupling Resident Evil 7 may be the best thing thats happened in any poll.

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I'd love to see Goose Game there.

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That Shovel Knight was released in 2014 and still has buzz about it says wonders for its longevity and actual strength. Most indies are flashes in the pan, while Shovel Knight has gone on to be THE indie game with appearances in basically all the indies and Smash (Undertale obviously excluded). Goose Game's recency is the only thing that'd give it a good shot for me - it's in the same position Cuphead was in 2017, and I have no doubt that Cuphead's fallen down a few rungs on the ladder no longer being the hot new thing.

Stardew would also be in contention, but I can't see its peak being any higher than Animal Crossing, and I dunno who I take in Shovel Knight Vs New Leaf.

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Someone actually picked Disco Elysium?

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Hollow Knight should at least be on that list

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Goose Game has the benefit of being a current meme, but I picked "other" for Recettear. Everything I know about GameFAQs says that a JRPG is almost always a threat to not be complete fodder, and older games are usually safer bets also; Recettear was first released in 200<i>7</i> but is still eligible because it didn't get an international release until 2010. Plus we saw the creator himself start a minor rally to push Recette ahead of Travis Touchdown in CBIX, so we know that the fanbase can mobilize to win a debatable match.

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Shovel Knight, Cuphead, and Stardew Valley seem like the most likely answers. I don't think Goose Game is going to reach as high as those three.

I'm not convinced there's anything even comparable. I've been saddened by how bad really well-loved indie games have done in the past.

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Is PUBG considered an indie game? I don't think it would necessarily be 2nd place but maybe popular?

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I think it's pretty much eclipsed by Fortnite at this point.

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That's true but it's also still averaging 600k peak players on Steam. That's still a pretty big game!

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Other: Hollow Knight

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I feel like Stardew Valley or Cuphead is the answer here.

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