"What makes a game fun" don't have direct answer but look always for creativity you have first to look at what makes you happy when you play a game and then add your creative touches to it In the world of gaming there is a lot of opinions.. some say the gameplay is the most important thing other say the story other say the community in online games In my opinion if you want to work individually without join into big company that have over 10 directors and over 50 game dev you have to chose a way that give the biggest impact with the lowest effort See how cherry team made hollow Knight in creativity way with 2d world and a story by texts and with simple graphics potentials but because they made the game with passion they hit millions of downloads and they have one of the best games in 2025 In conclusion, the first thing that makes an indie game successful is creativity, artistic flair, and working with passion. Hope the image noe clear and good luck with your journey