Games of the Year

RPGFan Games of the Year 2021: Best Indie Game

GOTY 2021 Indie Game Eastward

Winner: Eastward

Eastward weaves a collage of homages so large that it forms its own beautiful image. Some see the spirit of Quintet in its combat and world-trekking scope, so call it a Zelda killer. Others take note of the in-game Earth Born arcade game that links disparate folks, even in the post-apocalypse, which plays and looks more like Dragon Quest than EarthBound, further complicating things. Main characters John and Sam form a dynamic reminiscent of Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us, down to their grim gun-toting and pan-thwacking. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but zoom out far enough, you will see it is more than the sum of its parts. Eastward stands alone in the richness of its towns, characters, and in the sheer brazen scope of its storytelling. It’s our indie RPG of the year for selling us a journey in screenshots and following through.

by Anthony Fowler


Runner-Up: Impostor Factory

Few properties out there can boast an excellent trilogy. Even the most laud-worthy series have a shaky second or third movie or book. Not so with Impostor Factory! While To the Moon is hard to top, each entry in developer Kan Gao’s trilogy has earned legendary status in storytelling and music. Impostor Factory once again sticks the landing with a tale that continues to make us question what’s actually important in life, if regrets and mistakes deserve as much attention as our heart gives them, and how silly “what if’s” can be. Plus, it has Ricebot.

by Bob Richardson


Readers’ Choice: Best Indie Game

Winner: Eastward

Runner-Up: Loop Hero

Wrapping up with 40% of your votes, Eastward was as much of a favorite of yours as it was ours!

Anthony Fowler

Anthony Fowler

Anthony plays RPGs and writes about them, straight from the heart of Texas. He went to grad school for international relations so can tell you where it all went wrong for Boletaria.