A magical farming sim, cat museum exploration and different new indie video games price testing

Welcome to our newest recap of what is going on on within the indie sport area. This week, Nintendo held its newest Indie World showcase to highlight titles which can be coming to Switch and Switch 2, in addition to some that arrived on the eShop on the day of the presentation.

One of the latter was UFO 50, which featured on many better of 2024 lists after it debuted on PC. Another was Is This Seat Taken?, which is about putting choosy folks in the fitting seats. This chill puzzle sport from Poti Poti Studio and writer Wholesome Games Presents arrived on Steam, iOS and Android as effectively this week. It has a glance that jogs my memory a bit of of final 12 months’s fairly platformer, Schim.

Looking additional forward, the Indie World revealed the October launch date for Ball x Pit, a Breakout-esque roguelite I’m very excited for. In addition, Mina the Hollower, the subsequent sport from Shovel Knight studio Yacht Club Games that we already knew was coming to Steam on Halloween, has been confirmed for a Switch and Switch 2 launch on the identical day.

The showcase additionally revealed that Neverway, a creepy life-sim RPG from a studio based by Pedro Medeiros (the pixel artist of Celeste) and Murder Engine creator Isadora Sophia, is coming to Switch and Steam in 2026. Meanwhile, sci-fi RPG Caves of Qud is coming to Switch as a console unique later this 12 months. This is a turn-based, sci-fi roguelike RPG from Freehold Games and writer Kitfox Games that is rated overwhelmingly constructive on Steam after practically 10,000 participant opinions (a fast scan signifies that those that get into Caves of Qud can sink lots of of hours into it).

Elsewhere, The International Game Developers Association, The International Game Developers Association Foundation and Women in Games International teamed up for an attention-grabbing announcement this week. The organizations are collaborating on a venture known as Port Quest, which is designed to assist profitable builders convey their video games to cell platforms. Studios who participate can obtain help from business veterans, entry to workshops and extra.

Applications are open now and can shut on September 15. Those chosen to take part will likely be featured in a showcase. However, solely video games which have earned not less than $10,000 monthly for the final six months are eligible. The video games cannot have beforehand been made obtainable on cell gadgets both.

New releases

A sport known as Ritual of Raven, from Spellgarden Games and writer Team17, arrived on Steam and Switch this week. It’s billed as a “cozy, story-based farming sim” however you are not going to be making your character until the land, plant seeds and thoroughly nurture crops right here.

Instead, that is extra of a deckbuilder, as you will gather tarot playing cards and make use of their magical powers to do the give you the results you want. It looks as if an attention-grabbing twist on the Stardew Valley system, particularly in case you’re into card-based video games.

Kimchi: A Stars within the Trash Story is a free, brief sport from Valhalla Cats that dropped this week on Steam and Itch.io — simply in time for International Cat Day. As a kitten named Kimchi, you will discover a cat museum and clear up puzzles as you be taught concerning the historical past of cats.

This is a by-product of Stars in the Trash, a hand-drawn platform journey with a stunning aesthetic that got here out late final 12 months. I purchased that sport months in the past however have not gotten round to enjoying it. The arrival of Kimchi is an effective reminder for me to try this.

I discussed this one in a earlier version of this roundup, although I can not assist however spotlight it once more (not least as a result of I really feel the necessity to swap issues up after highlighting a few cozy video games). Turbo Kid is a delightfully gory Metroidvania that acts as a quasi-sequel to a movie of the identical title that I totally adore. It lastly landed on Switch this week, alongside an replace for a PC replace that enhances plenty of the weapons and makes them simpler to amass. Outerminds says the replace additionally brings efficiency enhancements to lower-spec programs.

Upcoming

A foraging journey known as Out and About was alleged to debut this week, however it’s been pushed again by just a few days as Yaldi Games sadly didn’t check the Early Access box in Steam’s publishing instruments. As such, the studio has needed to delay the sport’s arrival till this Monday. That’s a little bit of a pity for a developer that is releasing its first-ever sport, however Yaldi’s transparency right here is sort of endearing.

In any case, Out and About will see you gathering fungi and wild crops that will help you prepare dinner delectable dishes and put collectively natural treatments. You’ll even be serving to to rebuild your group following a robust storm. The sport options real-life crops, so that you would possibly learn to establish flora once you’re out and about in the true world and maybe do some precise foraging of your personal.

Rogue Labyrinth appears to be like completely beautiful, with a glance that jogs my memory of my favourite sport of all time, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. In this story-driven motion title from Tea Witch Games and writer indie.io, you will seemingly be capable of flip something right into a projectile (together with deflected enemy assaults) by whacking it along with your smacking stick.

You’ll play as a nomad named Iris who returns dwelling solely to seek out that the place the place you grew up has been transformed right into a labyrinth that hosts a actuality present. The labyrinth is dwelling to randomized biomes that characteristic monsters and allies alike. Rogue Labyrinth is coming to Steam on September 1. A demo, which I would simply try this weekend, is out there now.

Atari revealed this week that Adventure of Samsara — a non secular successor to Atari 2600 title Adventure from 1980 — is ready to reach on September 4. It’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam and GOG.

In this pixel artwork Metroidvania from developer Ilex Games, you will try to revive steadiness to the multiverse. To do this, you will must discover a sequence of related biomes and take down powerful bosses. Of course, you will achieve skills and upgrades whilst you’re in your journey, as a result of that is how Metroidvanias work.

I feel my favourite factor about Autumn with the Shiba Inu is that it is a sequel to a battle royale thriller visible novel known as A Summer with the Shiba Inu, so I’ve two of those video games to take a look at. This is a thriller visible novel from Quill Game Studios that places you within the paws of Quei-Li, a contract hacker tasked with uncovering data in a corruption case.

There are a number of endings right here, which ought to encourage replayability, and I respect the beautiful doggo illustrations by artist Alicia García Ochoa within the trailer. Autumn with the Shiba Inu is coming to Steam on August 14, and a trailer is out there now.

Dude, Where Is My Beer? A New Hop is a point-and-click journey within the vein of these LucasArts video games from the ’80s and ’90s. In this venture from Arik Games and Edo Brenes, you play as a dude who simply desires to drink a pilsner when all that may be discovered are craft beers and gross IPAs (I can not stand IPAs, sorry). Since a grasp brewer has banned pilsners, you will should make your personal by buying the fitting components and kit, then coming into a brewing contest.

This is a sequel to 2020’s Dude, Where Is My Beer? and I really like the Star Wars pun within the sequel’s title. There’s no launch window for Dude, Where Is My Beer? A New Hop as but, however there is a demo up on Steam now.

Let’s wrap issues up for this week with a sport that is “inspired by analog horror, outsider art and the liminal landscapes of David Lynch and Andrei Tarkovsky.” Concierge is a surrealist, non-linear sport wherein you will use a camcorder to assist uncover clues and clear up puzzles and trials that may require some outside-the-box pondering. This venture from two-person Brazilian duo Kodino Artes and writer Digital Tribe Games appears to be like fairly compelling to me. Concierge is coming to Steam on September 15.