What makes a game “indie”? Several years ago it was used to denote a game’s standing in comparison to the big-budget AAA titles that came out of titanic publishers. That being said, with Sony and Microsoft both making strong pushes for indie content on their consoles, the term “indie” has gone on to mean something significantly more important. More and more big-name designers are getting into indie development thanks to the wonders of crowd-funding. However, in general, the freedom and passion to present an original, compelling concept is what makes indie gaming as enthralling this year as any other before it. We’ve struggled with our humanity and that of a monster’s, played football with our cars, philosophized about the nature of identity, experienced new means of story-telling and even pulled off some sweet tricks on our skateboards. Let’s take a look at the nominees for best indie game of 2015.

Nominees:

• Undertale
• Her Story
• Rocket League
• Volume
• SOMA
• Olli Olli 2: Welcome to Olliwood

Winner: Undertale

Toby Fox’s Undertale is a revelation. Take what you know about an RPG or the illusion of choice and then play Undertale. While the set-up may seem unoriginal – a young boy falling into Mount Ebott and reaching the fabled Underground where monsters reside – the plot of the game is simply fascinating. Even with such simplified graphics, Undertale is able to convey a story rife with choices, populated by characters both hilarious and memorable. The gameplay itself is no walk in the park either and it’s amazing to see how your choices determine the kind of game you experience. There’s no easy path at the end of the day but Undertale does a hell of a job in being entertaining. However, it’s the game’s heart which epitomizes everything we love about indie development and even in big-budget titles, it’s hard to find a game put this much thought and consideration into the choices you make.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.