Trendy beat-’em-ups, platformers and RPGs, and different new indie video games price testing

Welcome to our newest roundup of what is going on on within the indie sport area. Some beautiful new video games arrived this week, and we have some demos and divulges from upcoming initiatives to check out. 

Later this month, Lorelai and the Laser Eyes studio Simogo goes to rejoice its fifteenth anniversary with some news and surprises. Maybe the developer is porting a few of its earlier video games to extra platforms. I am hoping that we’ll find out about Simogo’s subsequent sport as effectively.

I am not holding out hope for a sequel to Sayonara Wild Hearts, which is my favourite sport of all time relying on the day you ask me (on different days, it is The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink to the Previous, FYI). Nonetheless, if Simogo publicizes a stay live performance of music from the game, I will do my damndest to be there. I will be tuning in on October 28 to be taught what the studio has for me us in any case.

Talking of showcases, Entalto Publishing and developer GGTech ran one among their very own this week. The Out of Bounds occasion shone a highlight on a dozen indie video games, spanning a breadth of genres. 

Additionally, a fast reminder that the newest Steam Subsequent Fest begins at 1PM ET on Monday, October 13. As at all times, the week-long occasion could have tons of demos so that you can try. It’s at all times price attempting a bunch of them. You by no means know, you may find yourself being one of many first few of us to play the following Balatro, Manor Lords or Deep Rock Galactic Survivor.

New releases

Absolum is a beat-’em-up from the oldsters behind Streets of Rage 4. It is the primary unique IP from Dotemu, which has discovered success with the likes of the terrific Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. It co-developed this sport with Guard Crush Video games and Supamonks. The artwork and animation from the latter appears completely divine.

You’ll be able to play Absolum solo or with a good friend. Since it is a roguelite, you will acquire upgrades to bolster your character on every run whereas incomes expertise that goes towards everlasting development. There are a number of paths to discover, so the replayability issue appears robust right here. Engadget senior reporter Igor Bonifacic spent a while with Absolum this summer time and was impressed by it. The sport acquired robust opinions this week too.

Absolum is out now on Steam, Nintendo Change, PS4 and PS5. Dotemu additionally has one other beat-’em-up, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, coming quickly.

A couple of opinions I’ve learn for Bye Candy Carole (that are pretty blended) dinged it for having clunky controls and another quality-of-life issues, reminiscent of getting softlocked whereas attempting to finish puzzles. I hope Little Stitching Machine can iron out these points because the presentation of this sport is sort of one thing. It appears like an early-’90s animated film, with hand-drawn animations and, seemingly, a soundtrack to match. 

Bye Candy Carole is a 2D horror-platformer from writer Most Leisure wherein you play as a younger woman looking for her finest good friend, who disappeared from an orphanage. It is out now on PC, PS5, Nintendo Change and Xbox Collection X/S.

Need to see one other new sport with a singular look that makes it stand out from the gang? In fact you do. 

Exploration motion sport Goals of One other — which landed on PS5, PS VR2 and Steam this week — sees you creating the setting in a dream-like world by capturing at it. Director Baiyon (PixelJunk Eden) and the group at Q-Video games used level cloud rendering expertise to create the weird, however charming visuals. Dunno why they felt the necessity to put a clown on this sport although. Clowns are rotten issues.

Goals of One other arrived on the identical day that Q-Video games’ PixelJunk Eden 2 hit PS4, PS5 and Steam (it is coming to Epic Games Store as effectively). That sport debuted on Nintendo Change in 2020.

Here is one more lovely-looking undertaking, and this time it is a pixel-art sport from Teenage Astronauts and writer No Extra Robots. In Little Rocket Lab, you play as aspiring engineer Morgan, who units out to construct factories with the intention of attaining her household’s dream of creating a rocket ship. It’s extra construct a rocket, woman, than Build A Rocket Boy.

This can be a mix of a manufacturing unit builder and life sim, and it appears moderately charming. Little Rocket Lab has touched down on Steam and Xbox. It is on Recreation Move Final and PC Recreation Move.

With regards to pixel-art video games, I could not not embrace one which got here out this week from a developer based mostly in my hometown. Cairn: Mathair’s Curse is a turn-based RPG. It is set within the early 2000s within the Scottish Highlands and it sees a younger lad and his mates coping with the aftermath of a cult casting an historic curse on their residence. 

Solo developer Ross McRitchie spent 5 years making Cairn: Mathair’s Curse and his companion, Christine, composed the Celtic soundtrack. It is mentioned to have loads of Scottish humor, which speaks to me. The sport, which Steam opinions have likened to EarthBound, is out on Steam now.

Upcoming 

I am trying ahead to testing Blackwood, which is slated to hit Steam within the second half of 2026. It has a fairly nice pitch:

By day, you run a DVD retailer in 2012 New York. By evening, you’re a ruthless murderer. Blackwood is a cinematic third-person shooter with grounded melee fight, brutal takedowns, responsive gunplay and a double life to handle.

The facial animations look somewhat tough within the reveal trailer, nevertheless it’s alpha footage and there is loads of time to shine it. I am hoping the group at Bangladesh-based AttritoM7 Productions manages to try this, as a result of in any other case this sport is trying fairly nifty with its John Wick-style fight.

I do love a sport with a fantastic title, and I’ve acquired a pair to inform you about. Motion RPG Bittersweet Birthday has hand-drawn pixel artwork and nothing however boss battles in the case of fight. 

Bittersweet Birthday — from World Eater Video games and writer Dangen Leisure — is ready to land on Steam, GOG, Humble and Itch on November 11. It is coming to consoles later.

Right here’s a pinball-themed precision platformer within the mildew of video games like Baby Steps and Getting Over It. Fittingly, it is referred to as A Pinball Recreation That Makes You Mad and you’ll management it with a single button.

There’s no launch date as but for this undertaking from Azimuth Studios. Nonetheless, a demo is offered on Steam now. Like an excellent teenage cousin, it is enjoyable and annoying in equal measure.

One other pre-Subsequent Fest demo I’ve had an opportunity to take a look at is for Don’t Stop, Girlypop!, a fast-paced area shooter with an anti-capitalist bent. I have been trying ahead to this one since I found out about it late final 12 months. The demo, with its Y2K girly-pop aesthetics and Doom Everlasting/Ultrakill-style gameplay, doesn’t disappoint. 

I am glad the group trimmed the primary phrase from the unique title — Incolatus: Do not Cease, Girlypop! — because the shorter model is way punchier and extra memorable. Humorous Fintan Softworks and writer Kwalee have not revealed a launch date as but, however I will be checking my T9 flip telephone impatiently within the meantime.