Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s going on in the indie game sector. As always, we have some new games for you this weekend and a sneak peek at some upcoming titles. But, first, take a look at indie studio Albatross Interactive’s rendition of the multiplayer mode from the much-loved blockbuster.
terminal war is a 4v4 third-person shooter and it feels like the small team of developers is trying to keep things on a grassroots level. Gunpowder and supplies are scarce, and the emphasis is on hand-to-hand combat with promises of “brutal executions”. The action takes place in the late ’90s, a few years after a global war, in which three factions are struggling for control and survival in a collapsed version of the United States.
Albatross Interactive isn’t shy about the inspiration behind it Terminal War. “they canceled the last of us faction 2,” the team wrote on X. “So we’re building this [sic] Our version.”
In September 2019, nine months before the game’s final release, Naughty Dog confirmed the last of us part 2 There will be no multiplayer mode. At the time, it told players, “You will finally experience the fruits of our team’s online ambition.”
He still isn’t really done. Studio formally announced the last of us online It was canceled after another 18 months in June 2022. Like, faction mode in 2014 The Last of Us Remastered The franchise’s only remaining multiplayer mode remains for PS4.
Albatross Interactive, which says it is building terminal war From the beginning, there are plans to reveal more gameplay soon. The game is expected to go into early access on Steam as soon as this summer.
the team hopes terminal war It was expected to remain in Early Access for approximately 12–18 months, although it was noted that “We’re a small studio and we’d rather take the time to get it right rather than rush to the finish line. The timeline will ultimately be determined by community feedback, the scope of content we provide, and the standard of quality to which we hold ourselves.” The studio plans to bring the game to consoles as well.
new releases
I’m into the current iteration of Acclaim as an indie publisher (though it has plans to revive its own historic franchises). Its latest title, gridbeat From Ridiculous Games, is a rhythm-based dungeon crawler that has you trying to escape a corporate network after stealing a bunch of valuable data. Malware and security protocols are under your control. Navigating the maze, interacting with objects and boss battles are all synced to a beat.
gridbeat Available on Steam and Nintendo Switch. It normally costs $20, but it’s 10 percent off on the Switch until April 2. There is a 15 percent discount on Steam until April 9th.
Considering how much time I spent playing football manager 26 last year, nutmeg Right up my street. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to feature veteran commentator Jim Rosenthal in the launch trailer to introduce a soccer management sim.
This is a card-battler presentation on soccer management and is based on the 80’s and 90’s. You can start in the lower divisions and work your way up to the top of the English soccer system. You’ll hire and fire staff, and choose your team and formation before facing off against an opponent. Completing challenges and performing well in training will earn you more card packs.
The trailer reminds me of collecting Panini stickers as a kid as well as the smell of my friends’ Subbuteo figures. I would say my favorite thing about it is that everything takes place at an era-appropriate desk that has a TV that shows results and status in the style of teletext and an old computer that has some retro mini-games you can play. However, Sumo Sheffield and publisher Secret Mode are each donating a small portion of sales nutmeg For charity, which is a good sign.
nutmeg Now available on Steam. It would normally cost you $25, but it’s a massive 40 percent off until April 2nd.
devil jam Roguelite is a metal-themed spin on the formula escape from vampires became popular in one fell swoop Hades-esque characterization is mixed. It’s been on Steam since November and arrived on consoles this week. It costs $8 on PS5 and Switch, and $7.59 on Xbox Series X/S.
You’ll pick up a cursed guitar while battling demonic enemies and bosses. As always in these types of games, it’s all about finding fun, powerful builds through synergy of abilities. You can put these together in a 12-slot gear system. I also get the art style and animations in this game from Rogueside. I especially like the way one character powerslides onto his knees and runs.
A few months after its launch on Steam, Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator Landed on Xbox Series X/S this week for $20. The latest game from prolific studio Strange Scaffold is a stock market simulator in which you speculate on the “simulated lives of children” and how successful (or not) the alien sprogs will be in the future. Its goal is to create real-life prediction markets where people can gamble on everything Time Person of the Year for Nuclear Testing.
upcoming
Here’s another game you can actually check out this weekend, as there’s a playtest happening on Steam until March 31st. salvation denied Firevolt is a co-op construction sim/tower defense game from publisher Digital Vortex Entertainment.
You can get together with up to three friends to build experimental structures on the orders of a foreman who looks like he just came out of team Fortress 2. You’ll have tools like gravity guns, foam guns, and jetpacks to help build these structures, as well as heavy machinery that can move or recycle construction parts. Coordinating with proximity voice chat can be vital as you and your companions deal with natural disasters like acid rain and meteor showers.
I almost always get into games that are completely full of chaos, so I’m interested in checking it out salvation denied. It’s set to hit Steam this fall before landing on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2027.
Someone has stolen the sun. your goal is to reclaim it Prakash YaarWhich is from solo developer Remi of Durgham Games. This is an action game in which the lights go out as you move forward, so you have to figure out your approach and how to avoid the dangers in each level before moving forward. There’s also a first-person mode.
Prakash Yaar It’s expected to hit Steam sometime this spring. A demo is available now.
Solo developer Mateo Covic (aka ZoroArts) is looking to follow its success paddle paddle paddle With another friendslop game. Kovic said it took only four weeks to make cool story bro. Up to four players have five minutes to write a short story consisting of four words. These are chosen at random or taken from a pool of player suggestions.
Special items appear each round, such as a revolver that can knock another player out of the game for 10 seconds, and one that changes everyone’s storylines. If you are the first player to type the name of an item, you can use it.
When everyone has finished writing their story, players take turns reading their story to the rest of the group. The rest vote on whether they liked the story or not. If you really hate someone else’s shorts, you can blow them up with a rocket launcher. I wish I had that option at some of the poetry readings I attended.
It sounds fun and silly, and the kind of thing that could easily spread on Twitch (there’s an integration that allows viewers to suggest words). cool story bro Expected to arrive on Steam sometime in April.
Sure enough, it’s been a long time since Third Shift announced their first project, forever ago. Six years actually. The game was resurfaced this week during the Xbox Partner Preview Showcase. Publisher Annapurna Interactive is bringing it to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox on PC, Steam, and the Epic Games Store this fall. It will be available on Xbox Game Pass (and Xbox Cloud) on day one.
It’s an adventurous road trip in which you play the role of Alfred. After a personal tragedy, he heads north in his minivan to find salvation. With instant camera in hand, Alfred will meet new people and explore forests, deserts, and mountains. This is another narrative-heavy game from Annapurna, which seems to be leaning heavily towards nostalgia this year. mixtape Just a few weeks away.
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