Necrobarista Windows, Mac, PS4, Switch game

Welcome to the Editor's Choice awards for the 2020 Indie of the Year Awards, where we show recognition to the indie games from the past year that we've found to be personally deserving of attention. Ranging from best singleplayer, to best multiplayer and several other specific categories, these games have gone above and beyond to create a unique and engaging experience for players this year.

Hades is a god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler that combines the best aspects of Supergiant's critically acclaimed titles, including the fast-paced action of Bastion, the rich atmosphere and depth of Transistor, and the character-driven storytelling of Pyre.

Holdfast: Nations At War is an online multiplayer first and third person shooter focusing on a combination of teamwork and individual skill. Take part in historic clashes on land and at sea waged by the most powerful nations during the great Napoleonic Era.

The Pedestrian is a 2.5D puzzle platformer that takes “puzzle platforming” literally. You play as The Pedestrian (aka the male bathroom symbol) who works at the restroom sign along with his beloved (the female symbol). When she disappears, you must escape your day job and embark on a perilous journey where you piece the “sign world” back together to make it through.

This is a story about death and coffee. Inspired equally by film and anime, Necrobarista is a unique take on the visual novel medium. Follow a dynamic and diverse cast of characters as they navigate Melbourne's hipstery coffee culture, the questionable ethics of necromancy, and the process of letting go.

Play with 4-10 player online or via local WiFi as you attempt to prepare your spaceship for departure, but beware as one or more random players among the Crew are Impostors bent on killing everyone!

Into the Radius is a single-player survival shooter, developed exclusively for premium Virtual Reality headsets. Stalk through the surreal post-apocalyptic Pechorsk Radius Zone where physics-based interaction, realistic weapon handling, and moody atmosphere will get your adrenaline pumping as you struggle to survive in an unforgiving dystopian environment.

HyperCharge: Unboxed is a 4 player local and online cooperative First-Person Shooter in which you play as a team of Action Figures, building defenses to protect the Hypercore against waves of AI toys. Or fight against other players in PvP!

The year is 2089 and a giant disc has appeared in orbit of Jupiter. Explore the expansive orbiting disc ship, moving room to room surviving and completing increasingly complex goals set forth. Use unlocked abilities to outmaneuver dozens of different disc types while solving mysterious puzzles.

Coffee Talk is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator about listening to fantasy-inspired modern peoples’ problems, and helping them by serving up a warm drink or two. It is a game that depicts lives as humanly as possible, while having a cast that is more than just humans.

Backbone is a noir roleplaying detective adventure. Step into the shoes of anthropomorphic raccoon and private eye, Howard Lotor, and explore the beautifully rendered 2.5D pixel art environments of dystopian Vancouver.

The 2020 awards are proudly supported by Manticore Games, creators of Core. Core is an endless universe of games to play and worlds to explore designed by a global community of creators. It's a radically accessible game construction kit and game-playing platform, all in one. Whether you're interested in playing unexpected takes on shooters, RPGs, and party games, exploring massive and spectacular words with friends, or unleashing your own insane game designs on the world, Core is your portal to the multiverse. Learn more about Core, and download it here.

Which games would you have picked? Let us know in the comments and get ready for the next announcement in a few days, the most anticipated Indies and then the big one soon after that, the Top 10 Indies of 2020.