Silksong, smacking sticks and different new indie video games price trying out

Welcome to our newest recap of what is going on on within the indie sport area. Folks, it is right here. You know it is right here. So, we’ll contact on it, however briefly. Some builders and publishers opted to not delay their video games out of this week (others have carried out that to get some respiratory area from you-know-what), so there are a number of different newcomers to focus on.

Before we get there, there is a sale price mentioning on a PC storefront that doesn’t supply Hollow Knight: Silksong. The Epic Games Store’s End of Summer Sale is working till September 18 and there are some fairly strong offers. Cyberpunk 2077 is 65 % off for the bottom sport and 50 % off for the final word version, which incorporates the Phantom Liberty DLC (which can also be 30 % off for individuals who have the bottom sport already).

Other reductions of notice embrace Red Dead Redemption 2 (75 % off), Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced (50 % off), Assassin’s Creed Shadows (33 % off), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition (80 %) and Alan Wake 2 (70 % off). A bunch of PlayStation video games are on sale too, together with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (20 %), The Last of Us Part 1 (50 %), Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (33 %), God of War (60 % off) and God of War Ragnarok (20 %). You’ll get 20 percent back in Epic Rewards in your purchases too.

The Epic Games Store gives completely free video games each week (no have to have a subscription for these!), and the freebies are typically for well-known video games every time there is a main sale on the shop. Right now, you’ll be able to choose up an all-timer in Monument Valley for precisely zero {dollars}. You have till 11AM ET on September 11 to assert the traditional puzzle sport. When that sport cycles out, Epic Games will rotate three extra titles into its lineup: Monument Valley 2, Ghostrunner 2 (which I get pleasure from very a lot however am horrible at) and a technique sport known as The Battle of Polytopia. Again, you may have per week to assert these.

Meanwhile, if in case you have an Amazon Prime subscription, there’s normally a strong choice within the Prime Gaming library. Games you declare listed below are yours to maintain perpetually, even if you happen to do not keep your Prime membership. Amazon provided up a very tasty one this week within the form of Into The Breach, a massively acclaimed technique sport, however there are many others to take a look at. And talking of video games you’ll be able to play proper now…

New releases

Yes, Hollow Knight: Silksong is lastly right here. It’s out on consoles and PC for $20 and it is included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It’s damaged storefronts and possibly some controllers that gamers have hurled on the wall after dying to a tricky boss.

After a seven-year wait, Silksong is by a ways the highest-profile indie sport to reach in 2025 to this point. Perhaps if we begin mentioning one other long-awaited sport — say, Kingdom Hearts 4? Beyond Good and Evil 2? — it might arrive sooner fairly than later. Or in, like, one other 5 years.

I made a couple of makes an attempt to play Hollow Knight, however bounced off rapidly every time. I’ll you’ll want to give Silksong a correct go, although.

It is likely to be the case that Silksong is not fairly your factor. Never concern, there’s numerous different new stuff from this week so that you can dive into.

If a sport pops up that jogs my memory of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (aka one of the best sport of all time) by way of seems to be, I’m obligation sure to say it. Fortunately, Rogue Labyrinth looks like it may very well be enjoyable to play too. This action-narrative roguelite from Tea Witch Games and writer indie.io hit Steam this week. It normally prices $15, however it’s 20 % off with a limited-time launch low cost.

Another factor that is very a lot in Rogue Labyrinth‘s favor is that your weapon is a smacking stick, which you should use to show objects (together with vanquished enemies) into projectiles. The fight is a mix of bullet-hell dodging and hack-and-slash motion. Being a roguelike, there’s randomization with regards to issues just like the arenas, enemies and powers you may encounter on every run. The sport can also be mentioned to characteristic dynamic narrative programs and you may forge alliances with different characters as you attempt to survive a deadly actuality present.

Although so many different indie video games scrambled to get out of the best way of Silksong, Hirogami caught to its September 3 launch date. I needed to chuckle when a press launch with a title of “3D origami platformer Hirogami refuses to fold” hit my inbox final week. An simple pun, however I appreciated it.

Anyway, that is certainly a 3D platformer with an origami focus. You can flatten out your character right into a sheet of paper so {that a} gust of wind can ship you hovering to an elevated platform. You can remodel into an armadillo to roll via enemies, an ape to discover treetops and a frog to leap increased. That looks like an actual bananza of animal transformation choices. Hirogami is offered now on Steam, Epic Games Store and PS5.

Fling to the Finish has been out on PC for a while, and now this co-op platform racing sport from SplitSide Games and writer Daedalic Entertainment has swung over to consoles. You and a good friend are tethered by an elastic rope that can inevitably snag on components of the surroundings. But you’ll be able to really use this to your benefit to swing your teammate onto a ledge or ship you each hurling via the air.

The obstacle-filled programs recall to mind Fall Guys, whereas the gadgets that gamers can deploy to decelerate race leaders remind me a little bit of the Mario Kart video games. Fling to the Finish does help solo play, in addition to native and on-line multiplayer, the place communication might be key (cross-play is offered too). As was the case with Overcooked, you and your pal can play the sport by sharing a single controller, which can make it simpler to play the sport in splitscreen if you happen to’re with a bunch of pals.

Jetrunner is an motion platformer within the vein of Ghostrunner and Neon White from Riddlebit Software and writer Curveball Games. The people behind it say it has “a gameplay loop that can be best described as Trackmania meets Titanfall.” So, there are many comparisons to make right here. Ultimately, you may be parkouring your means via numerous programs whereas capturing targets, hooking onto grapple factors and on the lookout for shortcuts.

Finding the optimum route — and, in fact, really finishing it with as few errors as doable — is the trail to climbing the worldwide leaderboards. You can race in opposition to ghost replays of your earlier runs for a transparent visible comparability. In addition, there is a story mode that sees your character Nina (voiced by Sara Secora) attempting to turn into a legendary jetrunner, with commentator Mick Acaster (Matthew Mercer) charting her progress. I’m digging the visuals right here too.

Jetrunner is out now on Steam and the Epic Games Store for $20 (there is a 10 % launch low cost on Steam). There’s a speedrun contest that is happening till September 11 with a $2,000 prize pool. You can snag a share if you happen to can full the entire marketing campaign ranges in a row rapidly sufficient within the marathon mode and stick to the rules. It additionally appears that the exodus of different video games this week resulting from Silksong helped Jetrunner gain extra visibility on Steam.

Upcoming

A rhythm RPG through which you should use your individual music and manually modify the BPM is fascinating sufficient. But add big, repurposed mechs to the combo, and now we’re actually cookin’. In Steel Century Groove, you may compete in robotic dance battles as you attempt to declare a championship. These mechanical beasts had been utilized in warfare lengthy, way back. Now they’re simply literal groove machines.

Steel Century Groove, which is from Sloth Gloss Games, is coming to Steam on January 28. A demo is available now, and your progress will carry over to the complete sport.

When I used to be assembling the checklist of video games to incorporate on this week’s roundup, I left myself a single, two-word notice about The Legend of Baboo: “big floof.” The floof in query is the big, titular canine that accompanies human hero Sepehr on this third-person motion journey from Permanent Way and writer Midwest Games.

You’ll play as each characters as you tackle enemies, resolve puzzles and navigate treacherous lands. When you conquer bosses, you may study highly effective magical assaults. Most importantly, you’ll be able to zhush up Baboo with outfits and ornaments that you simply uncover in your journey. He’s one of the best boy and he deserves to appear and feel good. It’s additionally essential to notice that, as Sepehr, you’ll be able to pet, experience and high-five Baboo.

A launch date (or perhaps a launch window) has but to be introduced for The Legend of Baboo. It’s coming to Steam, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Dreams of Another seems to be fairly in contrast to any sport I’ve seen earlier than. It makes use of level cloud rendering tech for its remarkably fairly visuals. This fantasy exploration sport from Q-Games (below the management of Baiyon, the director of PixelJunk Eden) is ready in a dream-like world the place you create the world by capturing at it.

Dreams of Another is coming to PS5, PS VR2 and Steam on October 9, and it’d simply immediate me to arrange my VR headset once more. A demo dropped this week on Steam, however it’s solely obtainable till September 16.

Tombwater seems to be kinda rad. It’s a 2D pixel-art Soulslike Western from Moth Atlas and writer Midwest Games. The builders took (one other?) leaf out of FromSoftware’s playbook by pitting you in opposition to creepy eldritch horrors. This one is coming to Steam on November 12.

I all the time recognize when a labor of affection involves fruition. Former Uber, MapQuest and Microsoft engineer John Lansing said that, 9 years in the past, “I built a Final Fantasy Tactics inspired football prototype, and 691 commits later I am proud to present the Fantasy Football Tactics Demo!” This is a turn-based RPG through which the purpose is to outscore your opponents fairly than taking them out in fight.

The demo hit Steam this week. There’s no launch date as but for the full game.