Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s going on in the indie game sector. As always, it’s been a busy week with new games arriving and details of upcoming releases emerging. Before we get to some of those, the nominees for the second annual Indie Game Awards were announced this week.
There’s a good mix of big hitters and smaller, but equally worthy titles among the Game of the Year contenders. they are:
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Absolum – Dotemu, Guard Crush Games and Supamonks
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and roger – Tearhand Studio
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Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – move forward by age
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Claire Obscure: Campaign 33 – sandfall interactive
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consume me – Jenny Xiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Ji Ann Lee, Violet WP and Ken “Coda” Snyder
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Hades II – Supergiant Games
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Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry
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keep driving – YCJY Games
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Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – pocket trap
consume me And and roger These are two I’ve been wanting to check out for a while. I too have yet to join in Claire Obscure: Campaign 33, Which is arguably the frontrunner here – it’s also looking like a favorite for top honors at The Game Awards next month.
There’s a whole host of worthy contenders in other categories, from hit movies like Discount and charmingly bittersweet time passesFor single-developed projects such as Spilled! And Neech: dug outhighly addictive ball x pit nodded, but it’s going against the grain ooo (And Absolum, Hades II And silksong) in the Gameplay Design category. It’s nice to watch a playdate game Taria and Como Earn recognition too.
The Indie Game Awards ceremony will take place on December 18 at 6:30 pm ET. You can watch it on YouTube and Twitch.
new releases
I look forward to trying new releases when I get the chance gust of windA perfect platformer inspired by similar games from the 90s donkey kong countryMarbles the Duck and Checkers the Turtle each have unique movement abilities, and you’ll need to swap between the pair to better navigate the environment, You may be trying to help them get back home because of the storm,
There are plenty of secrets to discover over 40 levels, animal friends to ride and much more. I grew up with games like this from Weatherfall and publisher Top Hat Studios, which totally caught my eye. gust of wind Available now for $20 on Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series
Devolver Digitally-Published owner something different from hyper light drifter Studio Heart Machine. It is a horror-influenced Metroidvania and the developers took inspiration from platform fighters for the combat. Here, high school student Luca forms an alliance with a demon in need of a host after an “interdimensional disaster”. They team up to survive and find out what caused the disaster.
Like Heart Machine’s other games, it looks very beautiful, but reviews for owner – which is available on PS5 and PC – has been quite a mixed bag so far. Overall, things are not going well for Heart Machine at all. The studio laid off staff last month and halted development of its hyper light breakerWhich remains in early access.
As in its first game before your eyesNice Dream says it’s latest project, goodnight universeBest played with a camera. There is an option to interact with the game using your eye movements and facial expressions. it means a lot goodnight universeWhich casts you in the role of a six-month-old baby with psychic powers. All little Isaac wants is family love, but a shady tech corporation wants to take him over.
Skybound is the publisher of the games. goodnight universeWhich is available on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam for $20. A Switch version is coming on December 18th, and there’s an update coming that will bring camera support to the Switch 2 version.
Bonaparte – a mechanized revolution is a turn-based strategy game that gives you the chance to change the outcome of the French Revolution. An opportunity to revolutionize a revolution, as it were. You can protect the monarchy, depose it, or even reform it.
As the title suggests, in battle you will have mechs at your disposal – after all, it reminds me somewhat of Clockpunk Souls steelrisingWhich was also established during the French Revolution. Bonaparte – a mechanized revolution, Studio Imuggi and co-publisher 2P Games dropped early access on Steam this week. Its price is $20.
upcoming
I’m very happy to continue this little roundup of featuring a dog game every week, featuring something new on the beautiful title. barkaurAs part of Steam’s Animal Fest (which runs through Monday and also includes sales on games like tunic And hello kitty island adventure), Versace Game Studios released a new trailer and an updated Steam demo.
Here, you play as Agent Thunder, a special agent with gadgets galore and a lot of bite with a bark. On missions, you can play stealth, fight your enemies directly or execute them barkaur Parkour moves. Versace Game Studios is looking forward to releasing barkaur In 2026.
Ahead, we have release dates for a pair of Cafe Sims games we’re looking forward to tailsideAs a lovely café owner, you would like to master the art of coffee making so that you can serve delicious dishes to your customers, You can even create foam art on the lats for an extra special touch,
In this game from solo developer Coffee Beans Dev, you can customize your café to your liking. There’s no timer to worry about, so you can play at your own pace. tailside Coming to Steam on January 21st. A demo is available now.
As revealed during the State of Play Japan showcase this week, the latest entry in the Coffee Talk series is coming to Steam, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on March 5. Corus Worldwide Games and Toge Productions’ coffee talk tokyo Puts you in the role of a barista who listens to his customers.
The drinks you create (which you can enhance with sprinkle stencils for latte art) help shape your interactions with customers and impact the story of the branches. coffee talk And Coffee Talk Episode 2 Composer Andrew “AJ” Jeremy returned to compose another lo-fi soundtrack for the latest installment.
A release window for Inkonbini: A store. many stories This was also confirmed during the State of Play Tokyo stream. It’s coming to Steam and consoles, including PS5, in April. Steam demo available now.
This simulator from Nagai Industries puts you in the role of a college student and employee of a small-town Japanese convenience store (a konbini) in the early 1990s. You’ll decide which products to sell, and place orders to restock. More importantly, you must provide exceptional customer service. It involves interacting with customers, which sometimes has an impact on their lives. It looks quite cute.