AAG's Tyler Chancey writes: "Xbox Live’s Summer of Arcade has come and gone once again. The unsaid rule whenever XBLA has this annual chunk of releases, at least one goes on to be a bona fide hit, examples being titles such as Braid, Limbo, and Bastion. This year’s Summer of Arcade had a shaky turn-out, between an HD touch up of Tony Hawk’s pro-skater and the functional but lackluster Deadlight, finally concludes with the release of an independent action-RPG called Dust: An Elysian Tale. Is this Summer of Arcade the one that doesn’t reveal a homerun smash or does Dust pick up the slack?"
It's right that we recognize the 12 best indie games of the eight generation of gaming. It would be remiss to ignore the impact they've had.
Hollow Knight was a masterpiece. I cared less for the arena combat (Gods, not in the in-game arena) but everything was tight and the exploration was extremely enjoyable. Absolute masters of their craft in level design. I hope Silk Song gives the bees a second chance since their area was only a short subsection.
Mick Doherty has put together a list of indie games that, in his humble opinion, you need to play at least once in your life.
These are games made by a single developer. Serving as proof that you don't need millions of dollars and a team of people to make a amazing game.