The image of independent games has undergone a makeover in Japan over the past decade.
It was not that long ago that when people thought of indie games, they had visions of low-budget, subpar titles that had been cobbled together and were hard to play. These days, however, there is a light shining on the indie scene and a realization indie titles can be just as polished and fun to play — if not more — as games with bigger budgets and more people working on them.
The creativity of the indie scene is also evident. Indie developers are mostly not beholden to risk-averse studios that strictly adhere to known formulas they know will sell. Developers have the freedom to bring their own visions to light — an allure has even led some famous creators into indie development.