I'm Duncs and I ruddy love indies. I started (Duncan Voice's) Indie Choices to dig out and share the hidden gems that I think look Pretty Spesh.I firmly believe - with my whole (big) bum - that the gaming is tipping towards indies. As the world idiotically marches towards planet-ruining data centers and gaming becomes more expensive as a result we'll see AAA shareholders push identikit games that play it safe and ads forced on us mid sesh. It's all going a bit shit.Indies are where the actual creativity, risk-taking and soul is in gaming. Would EA or Activision greenlight a game where the protagonist is a creepy long arm? A game where the team spend years hand-crafting every asset out of clay? Not on your bollocks.So that's why I started Indie Choices, to highlight and celebrate the indie games that I think offer something special.I previously hosted and produced a comedy gaming podcast, which is where Duncan Voice's Indie Choices first came to life. I was a marketing & brand manager in a previous life and do a bit of consultancy stuff also.Every game I feature is hand-picked. I'm open to partnerships (I have bills innit) but it'll only be featured on the site and my channels if I think it deserves a spot.Cheers!

Abelina has incredible pedigree behind it. Everything is hand-crafted by solo dev Gabe Raskew, an industry veteran who previously worked on Valorant, League of Legends and the celebrated Netflix anthology, Love, Death + Robots.It's scored by Ryan Holladay, the composer of the movies Weapons & Zach Cregger's Resident Evil and is published by Indieformer - indie game curators turned publishers.Abelina is combat free with minimal UI elements so the bizarre, beautiful environments drive the gameplay - like falling stars helping you to navigate. This diegetic focus slows the game to a more contemplative experience as you explore the afterlife.The minimalist approach and the way the environment has been crafted means you could take a screenshot at any point, stick it in a frame and it wouldn't look out of place in the Tate.It looks really, really special.

Key info

The Estate is being solo-developed by Manchester based, and is ostensibly a mash-up of GTA3, Bully and The Warriors - all PS2 era, Rockstar classics - but set on a northern council estate during the late 90s / early 00s.It's an as yet unexplored setting in gaming, with most UK open-worlds being set in London, and there's so far been no gaming exploration of life on a council estate. There's a really interesting opportunity to explore the difficulties of that environment, outside of the open-world fun.Packed with lots of era appropriate nostalgia that will tickle those who grew up during that time period and it's proving especially popular on social media. Since Indie Choices initially featured it, it's been shared by multi-million follower content aggregators.It's going to be massive.

Key info

Beneath the Rolling Hills is a slice of life, walking sim set in the Cotswold-inspired countryside. Solo developed by Tiny Talisman, it is effectively "Sunday Afternoon Stroll: The Game", a title given with absolute affection.Before your walks you must prepare sensibly, like dressing for the weather and keeping yourself well fed before exploring the town of Lynbury and its surroundings. The setting itself promises to be worth spending time getting lost in, with ancient oaks, tangled paths to explore, along with pubs and local shops.There's something quite romantic about Beneath the Rolling Hills. Go for a walk and end the day in a cozy cottage. You could replace the setting with The Shire and it would be lauded as a Lord of the Rings game.There was a game released in 2021 called The Good Life, based in a similar setting that unfortunately had its problems - whereas Beneath the Rolling Hills looks to be tracking as the definitive, cozy, English countryside game.

Key info

Deaths of Peck is the latest evolution of the very challenging but incredibly fun to play genre of 2D platformers. Like Super Meat Boy or Celeste, Deaths of Peck will have you dying over and over again - although that's the point.In order to progress, you must sacrifice Peck to gain new abilities such as chopping him in half to double jump. The reason why this works so well is due to the quality of animation, it's always fun to see and hear the visceral squishing.It is being developed by JuanPe Arroyo, a lead animator and former studio director at The Line - an animation studio who have previously worked with The Gorillaz. You could easily be watching an animation.Deaths of Peck is currently at a protoype stage with a playtest on Steam, and is progressing to full development soon.

Key info

The Secret of Weepstone is a completely hand-drawn RPG, inspired by pen and paper, classic D&D adventures of the 80s.It is so unapologetic in it's style, with the black and white art perfectly complementing the gloomy, oppressive atmosphere. There will be no respite as you venture deeper into the titular Weepstone. It is incredible to look at.Whereas you'll naturally be inclined to try your level best to keep your party alive, in The Secret of Weepstone the best path forward might be to embrace death. Letting a party member perish - like throwing them down a latrine - can benefit the rest of your party in the form of Boon's.The short, 45-minute ish demo is a fantastic slice comes highly recommended even if CRPGs might not necessarily be your taste.Really very excited for the full release.

Key info

Sketchy Fables is a fully hand-drawn, open world, first person adventure by artist and solo developer, Alle Jong.The open world is a full sandbox, with no hand holding and you are free to discover the world at will.The world is a surreal, psychedelic place that is designed to play out almost like a living comic strip, where there's always something else interesting to go and discover.It is an inherently personal game about the childlike wonder of exploring as well as a celebration of creativity.

Key info

My Arms Are Longer Now combines the chaotic nuisance making of Untitled Goose Game with the humour of Thank Goodness You're Here.Developed by Australian studio Toot Games, you play as a thief with a creepy long arm to perform heists, snaking your arm through vents and around corners.It's complete slapstick. The animation and dry Australian humour hits that rare comedy sweet spot where the premise is instrinsically hilarious.

Key info