Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s going on in the indie game sector. As always, we have a whole bunch of new games for you this weekend, as well as announcements and updates for many other games that will be coming soon.
I love how spoiled we are for game showcases these days, and I’m really looking forward to the latest installment of the indie-focused Triple-Eye initiative on April 9 at noon ET because the first two editions were really strong. Liked its trailer Stupa, warhammer survivor (Warhammer-themed escape from vampires spinoff), excellent clover, last sentence And far far west. The organizers are promising to share release dates and gameplay reveals. Expect to see announcements for eight sports here as well.
The summer sports festival is fast approaching. That means a mid-year edition of Day of the Devs, one of the biggest indie game showcases, isn’t too far away. Developers still have a chance to get involved in the show. Submissions are open for the Day of the Daves: Summer Game Fest Digital Showcase, but you’ll need to hurry if you’re ready to shoot your shot at getting included. The submission deadline is this Monday, April 6th.
In the meantime, I would normally write about notable ports in the new releases section of this roundup, but there was no trailer for this one, so I’ll just mention it here. before its success braid Last year, landfall also took a hit Content Warning On PC (making it free for the first 24 hours didn’t hurt!). Now, this Friendslop game is available on PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2 for $10. Landfall also added cross-play to the Steam version.
new releases
The sequel to an all-time indie classic was released this week, and it takes the series’ squishy hero into another dimension. Like his predecessors, super meat boy 3d is a difficult precision platformer. You’ll need to guide the titular Meat Cube past saws, shredders, burning forests, laser-guided rockets, enemies, and other obstacles. Boss fights also happen. A mistake prompts a quick trip to the beginning of the level. However, Meat Boy has an Air Dash this time.
I’ve played in World One and Sluggerfly and Team Meet haven’t changed the base formula much. The extra dimensions and fixed perspective make platforming a bit tricky. For example, when I’m running across a wall across a gap, I might forget to stop applying pressure while crossing the hole, causing Meat Boy to disappear into the void. I found it easier to control the D-pad than the thumbstick, for what it’s worth.
You can try it for yourself now super meat boy 3dFrom publisher HeadUp, is available on Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 for $25. There’s a 10 percent launch discount on PC, and that’s on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass for consoles, and PC Game Pass.
i really enjoyed it Raccoon demo, so I’m disappointed I haven’t had much of a chance to jump into the full game yet. There are a few other things on my plate at the moment (more on some of them next week!). When I have time to sit properly RaccoonHowever, I might lose the rest of the month because of it.
Raccoon is a roguelike deckbuilder in the genre of games like Balatro And clover. Instead of making huge scores in spins on poker or one-armed bandits, the action here takes place in a coin pusher. The goal, as always, is to break the rules and find awesome synergy between special coins and items to earn enough points to move on. I’m excited to experiment with a much larger box of tools throughout the game.
Raccoon, from doracoon and Balatro Publisher Playstack, now available on Steam. It would normally cost $12, but is 18 percent off through April 7.
I’ve only played for about an hour tomb waterBut I’m really digging this game from Moth Atlas and Midwest Games. It is a 2D, eldritch horror western soulslike. it feels like Bloodborne meeting of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (There’s a hookshot too, by the way) red Dead Redemption.
After a brief introduction, you’ll choose a character class and jump straight into the action and discover a former train-robbing partner who has somehow become the sheriff. The enemies are quite diverse, and you’ll use a mix of melee attacks, firearms, and magic to fight them.
Resource management is important. You replenish ammo by taking melee damage. The magic meter also has an interesting twist. Repeatedly using spells can drive your character towards madness, which can cause hallucinations.
There are a lot of hallmarks of the soulslike genre here. When (not if) you die, you’ll leave behind a totem containing all your cash and unused leveling experience. You can destroy it to get your lost loot back, or wait until you dispatch nearby enemies to do so, as the totem can heal you (helpful in tough boss battles). You can level up and restore health flasks at campfires.
It has a wonderful sad tone tomb water. The adorable pixel art and atmospheric music still holds up.
However, I got lost at times – the map didn’t help much – and I don’t like the way targeting works on the controller or Steam Deck. You aim by holding the left trigger and fire with the right. But you can only point your weapon in four cardinal directions, and you have to release the left trigger before you can change your aim. With a mouse this is not a problem, as you can aim freely.
I hope the Moth Atlas controller improves targeting tomb water So far very promising. I’m looking forward to playing more whenever I can.
tomb water Now available on Steam. Normally it would cost you $25, but if you grab it before April 14th, it can be yours for $20.
Corgis in Max. This is the first thing you need to know about animal speciesA cooperative village-building game. You and your friends can play as corgis (or tuxedo cats or raccoons) in mechs. However, before you can actually operate the machine you must first find the parts to assemble your ancient machine. Exploring the open world, gathering resources, crafting and recruiting NPCs are all elements of this attractive looking game.
animal species Available on Steam for $20, with a 10 percent discount until April 6. Developer Uncommon Games expects it to remain in Early Access until 2027. Once again, corgis in mechs.
Hoji Another lovely looking game – perhaps the title is a combination of “home” and “cozy”. The idea behind this home renovation title is that you will restore a neighborhood of abandoned residences. There are nine places for you to clean and decorate.
There are a lot of nice touches in the trailer, from robots cleaning floors to pulling out a new table from a box full of packing peanuts (on that note, shell Hits Apple Arcade this week). The animations for things like laying floorboards, changing chair height and unfolding a roll of wallpaper are all a delight. The lighting also looks very good.
HojiCome On, from studio and publisher TinyBuild, is now available on Steam for PC and Mac. It would normally cost you $15, but if you buy it by April 6, you can save 10 percent.
“May you rest in the warmth of your friends,” a narrative subtitle states as three characters stand on a rooftop, looking out over a city view and a multicolored sky. In itself, that shot from the launch trailer was enough to impress me fish bowl, A new adventure from the two-person team of imissmyfriends.studio and co-publisher Wholesome Games Presents.
Then I watched the previous trailer, which featured the prompt “Hydrate?” With options of “Yes, hydrate and live” and “No, dehydrate and die.” After some time, fish bowl Became the latest addition to my Steam library. Strange how this happens.
You will play as Alo, taking care of her and her home and trying to give her a full life even if she is isolated. You’ll meet with Elo’s loved ones and coworkers on video calls, edit videos at her work-from-home job, and rearrange items in boxes to discover her childhood memories. Learning about Alo’s past (with the help of a magical talking fish from his youth) can help you shape Alo’s future through narrative choices. There is also a surreal aspect to this game.
fish bowl Now available on Steam for PC and Mac as well as PS5. It costs $10, although there is a 10 percent discount on Steam until April 16. A demo is available on both platforms.
upcoming
Here’s an in-depth look at the gameplay knightholmeA survival extraction game from Studio Ellipsis, led by Assassin’s Creed Revelations And assassin creed unity Creative director Alexandre Amancio. It’s coming to Steam and consoles with a closed beta this summer.
There will be 12 monster hunters in each match. You can race alone or team up with other players. At the beginning of each match, you’re dropped into a camp on the edge of a city full of horrors. Here, you’ll drink a potion that transforms your character into a monster – three archetypes will be available at the beginning.
There are a number of things you can choose to do in each match, such as completing faction-related quests, carrying out quests, defeating enemies, and taking out other players and intercepting their loot. There is also a boss in each match who guards a high-value item.
The horror aspect of it keeps me more interested in it than many other survival extraction games. I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out.
We’ve seen a lot of interesting climbing games over the years. You can add one more to the list. Ascending: beyond the summit is a turn-based roguelite in which you will explore with a team of climbers. It looks like you’ll have to face Lovecraftian horrors on these mountains, along with dangers like avalanches, blizzards, and rock falls.
You’ll have nine character classes to choose from and you can level up your climbers and their gear and skills between runs. Although the levels are short, you have to be careful as there is a permadeath element in this game. You may even have to sacrifice a party member to save the others. Cruel.
Ascending: beyond the summit, From Ludogram Games and publisher Twin Sails Interactive, coming to PC and consoles. It will be available in Early Access on Steam later this year for $20.
surprising places PlayStation and Meta Virtual Reality has been a hit on the platform, as it has amassed 400,000 players. The 3D Jigsaw game will soon be playable without a VR headset for the first time, as it’s coming to Steam on April 9th – it’ll also run on Steam Deck and SteamVR. Steam demo available now.
There is a wide range of puzzles for you to solve, ranging from quick 25-piece hits to massive 1,000-piece endeavors. Each includes animations, including figures narrating their lives. It feels very comfortable!
It’s only 86 seconds long, but I felt a lump in my throat when I saw this trailer the day i became a bird. The visuals, the music, and the rhythm of the story captured me in my emotions. It is an adventure tale about first love. You play as a young boy named Frank who tries to capture the attention of a classmate, the bird-loving Sylvia. Designing and wearing a bird costume can help her do this.
The developer Hyper Luminal Games is based in my hometown, which is another reason for me to get on board. I’m not familiar with the children’s book – by Ingrid Chabert and illustrator Guridi – on which the game is based. I want to buy this for my partner’s child… and maybe for myself too.
the day i became a bird Coming to Steam, PS5, and Nintendo Switch on April 16th. The base game costs $20. On Steam and PS5, that version includes a short animated film from Passion Games, who researched the book and teamed up with Hyper Luminal and publisher Numbskull to create the game. The $25 Winged Adventurer Edition includes the film, a digital artbook, and the soundtrack.
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