Indie video games are vulnerable to crossing over with one another, as fewer creators making smaller video games are normally much less restrictive with their IP, letting different builders do what they need with their creations.
You may usually see indie video games casually getting handled higher than any triple-A crossover can handle in sure titles or video games which might be extra targeted on having a ton of selection with actually cool video games represented.

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Whereas many indies crossover with one or two issues, normally with different video games from the identical writer or developer, I wish to spotlight the distinctive ones that go above and past.
These video games embrace many alternative, very cool indie video games, however Shovel Knight is simply current round 50% of the time, which is decrease than the common indie sport crossover.
10 Deltarune
Temmieโs Misadventures
- Launched
- October 31, 2018
- ESRB
- t
I needed to spotlight not less than one indie that goes for a smaller-scale crossover with one other, and I determine that Deltarune is a reasonably stark instance of that, crossing over with a sport by Temmie, the primary artist.
Toby Fox and Temmie often reference one anotherโs video games, since they work collectively ceaselessly, and the Enjoyable Gang from Deltarune seems in Dwellerโs Empty Path, an superior free sport by Temmie.
Deltarune pays again this crossover by having the primary character of Dwellerโs Empty Path featured as a plushie on the shelf in Seamโs store, which is a neat little nod to anybody whoโs performed each video games.
Deltarune additionally technically crosses over with Undertale, as a sport that is not a sequel and is not essentially associated however makes use of story context and characters from Undertale to convey data to the participant, which could be very cool.
9 Kilaflow
Foolish Indie Fits
Kilaflow is not completed but, but it surelyโs already proven fairly a little bit of promise when it comes to indie illustration, having a neat collection of costumes from established and up-and-coming indie video games.
Notably, Absa from Rivals of Aether is a fancy dress, and he or sheโs featured alongside smaller indie titles like Dotty Sport, Settlemoon, Vocaless, Fech the Ferret, and sure much more down the road.

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It is also received loads of skins that reference video games like Nights into Goals, and skins referencing the creatorโs different characters, that are all nice in their very own proper, and make customization very enjoyable.
It is extremely cool to see a ton of lesser-known indie titles get their time to shine on this sport, particularly since Kilaflow is a banger title when youโre a fan of high-speed platformers.
8 Rivals of Aether
Sure, It Has Shovel Knight
- Launched
- March 28, 2017
- ESRB
- e
- Developer
- Aether Studios
Rivals of Aether is a wierd case, as youโll be able to technically say it is solely crossed over with Shovel Knight when it comes to fighters, however that may be just a little disrespectful to the huge quantity of workshop content material.
This sport has very well-integrated and accessible modding help, with each character below the solar playable, like Kris from Deltarune, Peppino from Pizza Tower, and, in fact, Amongst Us are particularly widespread.
A few of these workshop characters are so well-made that they have been made official, which is a crossover between Rivals of Aether and these unique fanmade creations, and that is very cool to see.
It is received a number of non-character crossovers too, like a pores and skin referencing Brawlhalla, a buddy from Settlemoon, and a stage from Tower of Heaven, regardless of the sport being extra targeted on its unique forged than Smash.
7 Balatro
Jimboโs Buddies
Technique
Digital Card Sport
Roguelike
- Launched
- February 20, 2024
- ESRB
- E For Everybody
- Developer(s)
- LocalThunk
Regardless of its unbelievable success, Balatro solely will get up to date for one in all two causes, steadiness adjustments or including extra card variants with references to totally different video games rather than the usual face playing cards.
By way of indies, we have gotten playing cards with characters from Shovel Knight, Do not Starve, Amongst Us, The Binding of Isaac, Cult of the Lamb, Vampire Survivors, Slay the Spire, Potion Craft, Stardew Valley, Enter the Gungeon, and 1000xRESIST.
These playing cards serve no particular function and are simply texture swaps youโll be able to swap between everytime you need, but it surelyโs nonetheless very good seeing Mayor Lewis get the King standing he deserves.
It is particularly cool seeing these indie titles be given their spot amongst huge video games like The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077, with Stardew Valleyโs playing cards being designed by the primary developer of the sport himself.
6 Friday Evening Funkinโ
A Flashy Loveletter
- Launched
- October 5, 2020
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- The Funkinโ Crew Inc.
When youโre like me, you in all probability grew up reasonably accustomed to the Flash Video games hosted on websites like Newgrounds, and Friday Evening Funkinโ is a large tribute to that period of indie video games, with virtually each character being a crossover.
The checklist of references on this sport is simply too huge to state right here, but it surely contains Pico, Henry Stickmin, Tremendous Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, and naturally, Tankman, the icon of Newgrounds itself.
Whereas a majority of those references are background characters within the mall, fairly a number of of them function as a rap battle, and Pico options as a singular playable character with a ton of latest content material.
It looks like a correct celebration of the whole lot that made Newgrounds video games what they have been, whether or not that be the overly edgy writing, barely crude visuals, and irresistible humble attraction.
5 Amongst Us
Cavalcade of Costumes
Amongst Us was a reasonably humble sport made by three folks earlier than ballooning in reputation into one of many largest indie video games ever, however the builders by no means forgot their indie roots, and pay tribute to that fairly a bit.
It has costumes based mostly on Henry Stickmin, which the crew labored on beforehand, in addition to A Hat in Time, Alien Hominid, BattleBlock Theater, Citadel Crashers, Celeste, Crypt of the NecroDancer, and Untitled Goose Sport.
The sport has quite a few different oblique references to different video games outdoors simply the costumes, and it has been thrown in each different sport that asks, together with this very area of interest, a little-known title referred to as Fortnite.
The crewmateโs design is so malleable which you can throw any design on prime of them, and it will work effectively, so it is no shock what number of crossovers it nabbed. Within the phrases of Toby Fox, โNow you can costume as Sans in Amongst Us.โ
4 Tremendous Meat Boy
Nostalgic Oldies
- Launched
- October 20, 2010
- ESRB
- T For Teen attributable to Animated Blood, Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, Language
Tremendous Meat Boy determined it might have a large variety of playable characters and round half of them you may acknowledge when youโre accustomed to indie titles that have been widespread within the early 2010s and late 2000s.
It has characters based mostly on VVVVVV, Bit Journey Runner, Citadel Crashers, World of Goo, Spelunky, Minecraft, I Wanna Be The Man, Aquaria, and Alien Hominid, with a number of being unique to the console variations.
Essentially the most attention-grabbing half about these appearances is that not like most entries on the checklist until now, theyโre all functionally totally different from one another, normally taking mechanics from the supply sport and adapting them.
I really like how Steve performs, form of like a precursor to his sadly top-tier Smash Final look, the place he can navigate every degree by mining the bottom and constructing round the whole lot. A+, no notes.
3 Fraymakers
Supersized Smashing
Talking of Smash Bros., Fraymakers comes from the passionate fangame builders behind Tremendous Smash Flash 2, and it is a love letter to indie video games and platform fighters and a large crossover in itself.
There are method too many video games represented to checklist all of them, however chief amongst them are Bit Journey Runner, Downwell, Octodad, Rivals of Aether, Slap Metropolis, Slay the Spire, Amongst Us, OneShot, Pizza Tower, and lots of extra.
It sadly solely has a handful of playable fighters, with most different sequence solely getting represented by assists youโll be able to summon everytime you need, although, like Rivals of Aether, it has a large modding scene.
It is also nonetheless in energetic growth, with the builders ceaselessly dropping new assists, and drip-feeding us a brand new character as soon as in a blue moon. If they provide us Spark the Electrical Jester, I might be glad eternally.
2 Terraria
Mishmash of IP
- Launched
- Might 16, 2011
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Cartoon Violence, Gentle Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Sequence S, Xbox Sequence X, Vita, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, 3DS, Stadia, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Swap
When you do not depend the one Microsoft owns, then Terraria is the best-selling indie sport ever, and with that degree of fame in a sport that is already a mishmash of content material, you are certain to have some superior crossovers.
There have been smaller crossovers with Fringe of House, Minecraft, Core Keeper, Stardew Valley, Worms 3, and Pixel Piracy, however nothing beats the crossovers with Do not Starve and Dungeon Defenders.

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Do not Starve has an entire non-compulsory boss with a bunch of distinctive weapons and equipment in Terraria, and Dungeon Defenders has a ton of summon weapons, an NPC, and probably the most boring occasion in your complete sport.
Weโre on monitor to obtain some superior vainness and weapons from Lifeless Cells, and a few form of reciprocal crossover content material with Palworld, although we do not know what thatโs simply but.
1 Lifeless Cells
Everyone seems to be Right here
- Launched
- August 7, 2018
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
Talking of Lifeless Cells, it was on a mission to cross over with each indie sport below the solar, in two separate updates that have been virtually totally targeted on including some cool content material from different small builders.
It ended up getting content material from Skul: The Hero Slayer, Hole Knight, Hyper Mild Drifter, Guacamelee, Curse of the Lifeless Gods, Blasphemous, Soul Knight, Slay the Spire, Shovel Knight, Terraria, Hotline Miami, Katana Zero, and at last, Danger of Rain.
Each single one in all these video games will get the total therapy of an arrogance armor set, a singular merchandise that takes mechanics from the supply sport, and a singular room within the beginning space full of references to the supply sport.
These vainness armor units even have distinctive unlock circumstances, equivalent to Commandoโs set from Danger of Rain making you defeat an Imp Statue from the primary sport to unlock it, which pleases my soul as one of many few folks that also take pleasure in Danger of Rain Returns.

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