Indie Gaming News Roundup

Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s happening in the indie game space. As we approach the Gamescom event next week, there are still plenty of new games to explore and discover.

Source: engadget.com

Before we dive into the latest releases, let’s take a look at some recent news. Ternox Games has announced that PlayStation is blocking a PS5 version of its stock market game, STONKS-9800, which debuted on Steam in early access in 2023. The developer claims Sony is also delisting games it previously released on the company’s consoles, including titles from other indie developers that it published. According to Ternox, Sony scrapped its developer and publisher agreement without explanation. The developer still plans to bring STONKS-9800 to Xbox and Switch, with the goal of releasing physical editions.

One of the most fascinating stories from the indie game space is that of Sraëka Lillian, a developer who is creating an experimental RPG every week. To date, Lillian has released 31 of these ‘sketches’ on Itch, and players can access them in their browser. These games are, by nature, unpolished, but there’s a lot to be said for trying out many ideas quickly, making them public, and gathering feedback from players.

I previously mentioned a co-op cult survival RPG called Join Us, and I was interested to learn more about the game’s background. It’s worth noting that the game is being developed by just 12 people, some of whom have a background in Hollywood. Thankfully, they’re not relying on generative AI to create the game. After learning that Join Us features a gun that fires snakes, I’m even more excited to play it when it arrives in March.

New Indie Game Releases

Darkest Dungeon: The Fire’s Edge

Red Hook Studios has released new DLC for Darkest Dungeon, titled The Fire’s Edge. This expansion brings The Runaway and The Duelist, two heroes from Darkest Dungeon II, to the original game. Each of these heroes expands your roster of characters by one slot, so you won’t have to worry about making space for them. The Runaway has a unique burn ability, while the DLC adds new trinkets, districts, and town events, as well as damage boosts for your heroes.

If you’re new to the Darkest Dungeon series, you can pick up the base game for just $3.74 on Steam until September 1 and PS4 until August 27. Alternatively, if you snagged Darkest Dungeon as an Epic Games Store freebie ages ago and forgot all about it, now’s the perfect time to revisit the game.

Twisted Tower

Atmos Games has released a horror first-person shooter called Twisted Tower, which is available on Steam. In this game, you’ll battle hellish versions of mascots with an array of upgradable toy-based weapons. These include a mallet, rubber-band pistol, a chain gun that fires bubblegum, and a ‘fartin’ shotgun.’

Twisted Tower appears to be heavily influenced by the BioShock series, with a similar atmosphere and setting. With no new BioShock game on the horizon, fans of the series might find Twisted Tower to be a satisfying alternative. I’m personally excited to blast through a bunch of hellish clowns, despite my aversion to these terrifying characters.

The Lantern of the Laughless Saint

NerveLabs has released an open-world RPG called The Lantern of the Laughless Saint, which is available on Steam in early access. This game is inspired by Morrowind and is set on an island with a tower at its center. As you explore the island, you’ll learn more about its inhabitants and encounter strange creatures. One of the unique features of this game is the amphitheater, which fills with ‘phantoms’ linked to island dwellers that you help or hinder.

The developers admit that the game is not yet fully polished, but they expect to remain in early access for less than a year and to deploy updates every week or two. As it stands, The Lantern of the Laughless Saint has a main campaign with over 50 quests, 60-plus distinct enemies, more than 100 items to equip, and ‘fully featured spell crafting and alchemy systems.’

Sensory Overload

Pancake Studios has released a precision-based dropper game called Sensory Overload, which is available on Steam. In this game, every effect is designed to overwhelm your brain, and you’ll find your depth perception thrown off as you navigate through tunnels and avoid obstacles. The levels are named after what they’ll do to you, such as Vertigo, Nausea, Peristalsis, and Apocalypse.

I must admit that I couldn’t make it through the trailer without feeling my eyes glaze over and my head pound. This game is definitely not for people who are prone to motion sickness, but for those who are brave enough to try it, Sensory Overload might be a unique and thrilling experience.

Rebind

SteleDev has released a pixel art platformer called Rebind, which is available on Steam with a demo. In this game, the keys that you use to control a little frog are reassigned at random at the start of every level. This seems like a challenging concept, especially for players who rely on muscle memory.

Rebind has echoes of Celeste and Super Meat Boy, with walljumps and instant respawns. You can unlock harder levels by collecting fruits, and dying leaves a blood splatter. I played the demo and enjoyed the challenge of trying to remember which button does what while avoiding deadly obstacles.