Summary
Game engines are immensely important to the development of a game, acting as frameworks for developers to build on and giving them the necessary tools to do so. With the power of consumer-level game engines only increasing over the years and growing with the popularity of the indie genre, several engines now fight for the attention of indie developers.
One such engine isGodot, an open-source game engine that’s entirely free and easy to use, but aspiring game developers taking a look at Godot might be cautious. Godot isn’t nearly as much of a household name as game engines like Unreal or Unity, but as development continues on Godot, and it grows in strength, more and more hit indie titles are taking advantage of its powerful tools.
Updated on February 24th, 2024, by Harry Ted Sprinks:The Godot game engine is constantly growing, especially since its 4.0 release. With the game development scene’s trust in Unity being tested in recent months, many developers are looking to jump ship and find a new game engine to work in. While Godot may not be as powerful as other engines, such as Unreal, these high-quality commercial releases prove it to be a perfectly capable open-source engine.This is especially the case for 2D games, for which Godot has very few limitations, as is demonstrated by these well-crafted titles. This list has been updated to add some moregames made with Godot.
These games were picked from Godot’s game showcase on their official website, which fans can browse here:https://godotengine.org/showcase/
This rogue-like blend of top-down shooter and base-building tasks players with mining precious resources to build up defenses against waves of nasty creatures. The game also features procedurally generated maps with fully destructible environments.
AlthoughLumencraftfeatures tower defense elements, it can be easy to feel the lack of variety, but the combination of top-down action andbase buildingkeeps things engaging.Lumencraftalso features Steam Workshop support anda map editor, dramatically increasing the game’s replay value.
9Primal Light - A Linear 2D Action-Platformer
Steam User Rating: 82%
This retro-inspired, pixel-art platformer features action-platformer gameplay that takes clear inspiration from old-schoolCastlevaniagames. However,Primal Lightis a linear adventure featuring ten well-crafted levels that each culminates in a climactic boss battle.
Primal Lightfeatures crisp, retro-inspired pixel-art visuals and beautifully designed levels that each manage to feel unique. Although the game’s boss battles can be tedious at times,Primal Lightoffers players a straightforward, streamlined experience that fans of old-school action platformers are sure to love.
8Rings Of Saturn - A Complex Space-Sim Mining Game
Steam User Rating: 94%
This combination of space-sim and mining simulator puts players in control of a mining ship in the midst of a debris field.Rings Of Saturnfeatures simulated physics and an abundance of systems that make it relatively inaccessible, but those who are fans of the space-sim genre are likely to enjoy its complex gameplay.
Rings Of Saturndoes very little to hold the player’s hand, making it easy to bounce off the game. However, those who stick around for its complex asteroid-mining gameplay will find a deep and rewarding gameplay loop.
This charmingly addictive mining rogue-lite features a crunchypixel art visual styleand a clean, easy-to-learn gameplay loop that features a good amount of variety that helps keep the game fun across multiple runs.
Dome Keepertasks players with digging deeper and deeper underground while attempting to make it back to the surface in time to defend their titular dome from endless waves of shadowy aliens. The game features a variety of game modes and different “domes” to play with that change up the gameplay in drastic ways, givingDome Keepera lot of replay value.
This top-down horror game features a minimalist art style and gameplay that revolves around the player dragging their character around with their last remaining limb through intuitive mouse controls, manually equipping weapons, and reloading bullets as a variety of misshapen monsters charge at them.
AlthoughEndoparasiticmay not be the scariest horror game out there, its gameplay hook and the atmosphere created through the work of talented voice actors, good writing, and minimalist artwork make it an intense and often thrilling experience.
This top-down arena-survival shooter features a cartoon visual art style and simplistic gameplay that takes the formula created bythe massively popularVampire Survivorsand adds a handful of unique twists that distinguish it from a genre that is now heavily saturated.
Brotatohas players wielding several weapons at once, choosing from a variety of weapons available in the in-game shop and switching them out on the fly, purchasing upgrades along the way to support their weapons and create powerful builds. The game features a variety of playable characters and mod support, allowing players to keep exploring the game’s addictive loop even after they’ve exhausted the content.
This top-down arena-survival game has players defending themselves from hordes of monsters in an old-schoolDiablovisual style and features the fast-paced horde-slaying action that fans ofVampire Survivors-style games have come to expect.
InHalls Of Torment, players will gather powerful items and upgrade their character through in-game upgrades and meta-progression driven by a simple quest system, butHalls Of Torment’sgreatest strength is by far its enemy and boss variety, which helps to keep players on their toes.
This open-world RPG features tactical and strategic turn-based combat and a well-crafted visual style that combines 2D pixel art with 3D environments. At its heart,Cassette Beastsis a monster-collecting marathonsimilar to games likePokemon, but it adds a unique twist and several quality-of-life improvements that make it an indie gem worth checking out.
InCassette Beasts, players record monsters to videotapes and play them back to transform into the titular “cassette beasts.” This is really only a visual and thematic hook, but it supports the game’s mechanical twist perfectly: monster fusion.Cassette Beastsallows players to combine two different monsters to gain the strengths of both, creating a distinct monster with its own artwork and animations.
This beautifully retro on-rails shooter takes players on a nostalgic journey reminiscent of old arcade shooters such asStarfox 64, journeying through colorful environments and battling low-poly enemies in an equally low-poly vehicle.
Ex-Zodiacfeatures a simple story about taking down a terrorist organization and a variety of main and bonus levels to master, each with its own unique environments and bosses. Furthermore, the game’s excellent 16-bit soundtrack emphasizes the retro atmosphere, completing the game’s nostalgic package. AlthoughEx-Zodiacisin Early Accessat the time of writing, it’s already one of the most promising games made in the Godot game engine.
This immersive-sim first-person shooter features an infamously ugly visual style that doubles as a full-frontal assault on the senses, with horrendous texture work, anxiety-inducing music, and a user interface that is needlessly hard to interact with.
However,Cruelty Squad’s downrightdisgusting graphical style comes across as entirely intentional, emphasizing the game’s themes and even its gameplay, which simply tasks players with killing a target, or targets, within small open levels. For those who can handle its unabashedly ugly (yet strangely coherent) visuals,Cruelty Squadis a tremendously unique FPS that stands out as both a bold statement and an often fun experiment in indie gaming.
