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

Welcome to our newest roundup of what is going on on within the indie sport house. Some beautiful new video games arrived this week, and we have got 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. Perhaps the developer is porting a few of its earlier video games to extra platforms. I’m hoping that we’ll study Simogo’s subsequent sport as properly.

I’m 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 Link to the Past, FYI). However, if Simogo declares a reside live performance of music from the game, I’m going to do my damndest to be there. I’ll be tuning in on October 28 to study what the studio has for me us in any case.

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

Also, a fast reminder that the most recent Steam Next Fest begins at 1PM ET on Monday, October 13. As at all times, the week-long occasion can 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 would possibly find yourself being one of many first few people to play the subsequent 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’s the primary authentic 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 Games and Supamonks. The artwork and animation from the latter appears completely divine.

You can play Absolum solo or with a good friend. Since it is a roguelite, you will achieve 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 sturdy right here. Engadget senior reporter Igor Bonifacic spent a while with Absolum this summer time and was impressed by it. The sport acquired sturdy opinions this week too.

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

A number of opinions I’ve learn for Bye Sweet 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 Sewing 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 Sweet Carole is a 2D horror-platformer from writer Maximum Entertainment wherein you play as a younger woman looking for her finest good friend, who disappeared from an orphanage. It’s out now on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S.

Want to see one other new sport with a singular look that makes it stand out from the group? Of course you do. 

Exploration motion sport Dreams of Another — which landed on PS5, PS VR2 and Steam this week — sees you creating the setting in a dream-like world by taking pictures at it. Director Baiyon (PixelJunk Eden) and the crew at Q-Games used level cloud rendering know-how to create the weird, however fascinating visuals. Dunno why they felt the necessity to put a clown on this sport although. Clowns are rotten issues.

Dreams of Another arrived on the identical day that Q-Games’ PixelJunk Eden 2 hit PS4, PS5 and Steam (it is coming to Epic Games Store as properly). That sport debuted on Nintendo Switch in 2020.

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

This is a mix of a manufacturing facility builder and life sim, and it appears slightly charming. Little Rocket Lab has touched down on Steam and Xbox. It’s on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

On the topic of pixel-art video games, I could not not embody 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’s 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’s stated 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’m wanting ahead to trying out 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 night time, 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 just a little tough within the reveal trailer, however it’s alpha footage and there is loads of time to shine it. I’m hoping the crew at Bangladesh-based AttritoM7 Productions manages to try this, as a result of in any other case this sport is wanting fairly nifty with its John Wick-style fight.

I do love a sport with an important title, and I’ve received a pair to inform you about. Action RPG Bittersweet Birthday has hand-drawn pixel artwork and nothing however boss battles with regards to fight. 

Bittersweet Birthday — from World Eater Games and writer Dangen Entertainment — is ready to land on Steam, GOG, Humble and Itch on November 11. It’s coming to consoles later.

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

There’s no launch date as but for this venture from Azimuth Studios. However, a demo is on the market on Steam now. Like a very good teenage cousin, it is enjoyable and annoying in equal measure.

Another pre-Next Fest demo I’ve had an opportunity to take a look at is for Don’t Stop, Girlypop!, a fast-paced enviornment shooter with an anti-capitalist bent. I’ve been wanting ahead to this one since I came upon about it late final yr. The demo, with its Y2K girly-pop aesthetics and Doom Eternal/Ultrakill-style gameplay, doesn’t disappoint. 

I’m glad the crew trimmed the primary phrase from the unique title — Incolatus: Don’t Stop, Girlypop! — because the shorter model is way punchier and extra memorable. Funny Fintan Softworks and writer Kwalee have not revealed a launch date as but, however I’ll be checking my T9 flip cellphone impatiently within the meantime.