Old-school Platforming, Metroidvania Horror And Other New Indie Games Worth Checking Out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going connected successful nan indie crippled space. As ever, it's been a engaged week of caller games arriving and specifications of upcoming releases emerging. Before we get to immoderate of those though, nan nominees for nan 2nd yearly Indie Game Awards were announced this week.

There's a bully operation of large hitters and smaller, but arsenic worthy titles among nan Game of nan Year contenders. Those are:

• Absolum - Dotemu, Guard Crush Games and Supamonks

• and Roger - TearyHand Studio

• Blue Prince - Dogubomb

• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector - Jump Over nan Age

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Sandfall Interactive

• Consume Me - Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P and Ken "coda" Snyder

• Hades II - Supergiant Games

• Hollow Knight: Silksong - Team Cherry

• Keep Driving - YCJY Games

• Pipistrello and nan Cursed Yoyo - Pocket Trap

Consume Me and and Roger are 2 I've been meaning to cheque retired for a while. I'm besides yet to hop into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is arguably nan frontrunner present — it's looking for illustration nan favourite for apical honors astatine The Game Awards adjacent period arsenic well.

There are a full bunch of worthy contenders successful different categories, from hits for illustration Discounty and nan charmingly bittersweet Time Flies, to solo-developed projects for illustration Spilled! and Vile: Exhumed. The supremely addictive Ball x Pit picked up a nod, but it's going against nan tremendous Öoo (and Absolum, Hades II and Silksong) successful nan gameplay creation category. It's neat to spot Playdate crippled Taria & Como gain nickname too.

The Indie Game Awards ceremonial takes spot connected December 18 astatine 6:30PM ET. You tin watch it connected YouTube and Twitch.

New releases

The caller merchandise I'm astir looking guardant to trying erstwhile I person a chance is Windswept, a precision platformer that's inspired by akin games from nan '90s for illustration Donkey Kong Country. Marbles nan duck and Checkers nan turtle each person unsocial activity abilities, and you'll request to switch betwixt nan brace to champion navigate environments. You'll beryllium trying to thief them get backmost location aft a large wind whisked them away.

There are tons of secrets to observe crossed nan 40-plus levels, animal buddies to thrust and overmuch more. I grew up pinch games for illustration this 1 from WeatherFell and patient Top Hat Studios, which looks wholly up my alley. Windswept is retired now connected Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S for $20.

The Devolver Digital-published Possessor(s) is thing a small different from Hyper Light Drifter studio Heart Machine. This is simply a horror-inflected Metroidvania and nan developers drew inspiration from level fighters for nan combat. Here, precocious schoolhouse student Luca forms an confederation pinch a demon successful request of a big pursuing "an interdimensional catastrophe." They squad up to enactment live and observe what led to nan disaster.

As pinch Heart Machine's different games, it looks very pretty, but reviews for Possessor(s) — which is retired connected PS5 and PC — person been reasonably mixed truthful far. Things haven't precisely been going awesome for Heart Machine overall. The workplace past period laid disconnected staff and ended improvement of Hyper Light Breaker, which remains successful early access.

As pinch its earlier crippled Before Your Eyes, Nice Dream says its latest project, Goodnight Universe, is champion played pinch a camera. There's nan action to interact pinch nan crippled utilizing your oculus activity and facial expressions. That makes a batch of consciousness for Goodnight Universe, which casts you successful nan domiciled of a six-month-old babe pinch psychic powers. Little Isaac conscionable wants familial love, but a shadowy tech corp is looking to return custody of him.

Skybound Games is nan patient of Goodnight Universe, which is disposable connected Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam for $20. A Switch type is coming connected December 18, and an update that will bring camera support to nan Switch 2 version is connected nan way.

Bonaparte - A Mechanized Revolution is a turn-based strategy crippled that affords you nan chance to displacement nan result of nan French Revolution. An opportunity to revolutionize nan revolution, arsenic it were. You tin defend, depose aliases moreover betterment nan monarchy.

As nan title suggests, you'll person mechs astatine your disposal successful conflict — to that end, this reminds maine a spot of nan clockpunk soulslike Steelrising, which was besides group during nan French Revolution. Bonaparte - A Mechanized Revolution, from Studio Imugi and co-publisher 2P Games, near early entree connected Steam this week. It costs $20.

Upcoming

I'm very happy to proceed this small tally of including a canine crippled successful this roundup each week pinch thing caller connected nan beautifully titled Barkour. As portion of Steam Animal Fest (which runs until Monday and includes a waste connected games for illustration Tunic and Hello Kitty Island Adventure), Varsav Game Studios unleashed a caller trailer and an updated Steam demo.

Here, you play arsenic Agent T.H.U.N.D.E.R., a typical supplier pinch gadgets galore and plentifulness of wound to spell pinch nan bark. On missions, you tin play nan stealthy way, conflict your enemies caput connected aliases transportation retired barkour parkour runs. Varsav Game Studios is hoping to merchandise Barkour in 2026.

Next up, we person merchandise dates for a brace of cafe sims, starting pinch Tailside. As a furry cafe owner, you'll beryllium looking to cleanable nan creation of java making truthful you tin service delicious concoctions to your patrons. You tin moreover create foam creation connected lattes for an extra-special touch.

In this crippled from solo developer Coffee Beans Dev, you tin customize your cafe to your liking. There are nary timers to interest about, truthful you tin play astatine your ain pace. Tailside is coming to Steam connected January 21. A demo is disposable now.

As revealed during nan State of Play Japan showcase this week, nan latest introduction successful nan Coffee Talk bid is bound for Steam, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch connected March 5. Chorus Worldwide Games and Toge Productions' Coffee Talk Tokyo places you successful nan domiciled of a barista who hears retired their clientele.

The drinks you make (which you tin heighten pinch sprinkle stencils for latte art) thief style your conversations pinch customers and person a base connected nan branching storylines. Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk Episode 2 composer Andrew “AJ” Jeremy returned to trade different lo-fi soundtrack for nan latest installment.

A merchandise model for InKonbini: One Store. Many Stories was confirmed during nan State of Play Tokyo watercourse arsenic well. It's coming to Steam and consoles, including PS5, successful April. There's a Steam demo disposable now.

From Nagai Industries, this simulator puts you successful nan domiciled of a assemblage student and worker of a small-town Japanese convenience shop (a konbini) successful nan early 1990s. You'll determine which products to sell, and bid and restock goods. More importantly, you'll person to present exceptional customer service. That involves having conversations pinch customers, which will sometimes extremity up having an effect connected their lives. It seems rather lovely.