We are used to seeing very large video games developed by studios made up of hundreds and thousands of people. God of War Ragnarök and Elden Ring are examples of mammoth projects that require many people and hours of work. In general, any current triple-A game falls under this description.
The point is that not all video games require so many people. Some have required only one person, a unit of individual. And you will think: they will not be much. You are wrong, because some of the following games that I present to you are authentic gems.
Minecraft
We start strong. I’ll give you a few minutes to process this new data. Minecraft was developed by Markus ”Notch” Persson and it was released for PC in 2009. This is one of the most successful games in history. It is necessary to clarify that only the first version of the game was developed by one person, the rest of the versions for other platforms, substitutes and expansions have had the participation of many more people.
Minecraft is a game of open world in which the player has to survive by eating, fending off enemies and building a base. Actually, Minecraft can be used for anything. It is even used in schools to teach the little ones!
Stardew Valley
The most wonderful game on the list. Stardew Valley was developed by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone drawing inspiration from Harvest Moon. It launched for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2016. It was later expanded to Nintendo Switch, mobile, and included in Game Pass. ConcernedApe has not stopped upping their game and introducing loads of free content.
We play a character tired of life in the office who inherits his grandfather’s farm. You must reform it and move it forward while you earn a living. You decide how to evolve your farm. Also, you can engage with other characters in the game to build relationships. And if you feel lonely, you can play it on cooperative way to give you a hand in the garden.
Papers, please
Another great game for the list. Papers, please was developed by Lucas Pope, a former Naughty Dog developer who decided to create his own game alone and putting all the money out of his pocket. He says that the idea for the game came to him after numerous customs problems during his travels.
In Papers, Please we put ourselves in the shoes of an employee in a immigration office situated in an area of hostile border conflicts. You must determine who should be accepted, stopped or rejected.
Damn Castile
We stay home for this video game! Maldita Castilla was developed by Locomalito drawing inspiration from the legendary Ghosts’n Goblins from Capcom. There are no words to express how cool this game is and how addictive it can be. If you didn’t know it, give it a try.
Undertale
Classic? Take two cups. Undertale was developed by Toby Fox thanks to the impulse of a Kickstarter. Fox points out that he decided to do it solo so that his creativity would not be influenced by other people. This is a game of exploration, puzzles, decision-making, conversations with secondary characters, and random combat.
The story takes us to a underworld which is populated by monsters banished after being defeated by humans in a conflict. Undertale has much more depth and complexity than I can tell you in writing. Do not be fooled by its graphic section.
Spelunky
Does anyone else like the word Spelunky? As it reads, without pronunciation in English. This game was developed by Derek You, which was inspired by Super Mario, La Mulana and Rick Dangerous. It introduced hints of roguelike. First it came out free-to-play (free) for PC and later it came to other platforms such as Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita and PS4.
Spelunky puts us in the shoes of a speleologist (little pun) that you must find the more treasures the better. It doesn’t have much of a mystery. The gold rush in its purest form. Be careful with your difficulty because he is very given to provoke anger.
Axiom Verge
If we talk about complicated games and developed by one person, then Axiom Verge it is mandatory mention. Thomas Happ He developed this metroidvania taking inspiration from such legendary games as Metroid and Contra.
We take control of Trace, a scientist who has to save the world from a ruthless and crazy alien. You have at your disposal a good number of skills and for offering a different experience every time it is played, giving it a lot of replayability.
Tetris
Tetris. The authentic and inimitable Tetris. No cheating or cardboard. Alexei Pajitnov He created Tetris in 1984 while doing artificial intelligence (AI) research work at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Although the creation is attributed to Pajitnov alone, his friend and partner Vadim Gerasimov helped him adapt it to PC.
Other solo-developed video games
- Five Nights at Freddy’s de Scott Cawthon.
- Song of Iron Joe Winter.
- Iconoclasts the Joakim “Konjak” Sandberg.
- Fez de Phil Fish.
- Braid de Jonathan Blow.
- Banished deLuke Hodorowicz.
- Return of the Work Dinn by Lucas Pope.
- Gorogoa by Jason Roberts.
- Lone Survivor de Jasper Byrne.
- Dust: An Elysian Tale by Dean Dodrill.
- Cave Story by Daisuke Amaya.
- Thomas Was Alone de Mike Bithell.
- Her Story de Sam Barlow.
- Unepic by Francisco Tellez de Meneses.
- Downwell de Ojiro “Moppin” Fumoto.
- RollerCoaster Tycoon by Chris Sawyer (little help from Simon Foster).
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