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It’s a late night shift and things are quiet. That nosy journalist who always says she’s working on a book took her espresso and sat down in the corner. A dapper looking elf wanders in with his literal succubus of a girlfriend. It’s gonna be a slow night in Coffee Talk, but that’s fine. Coffee…
Heaven Will Be Mine is a visual novel about giant robots, political intrigue, and maybe even smooching the enemy. It combines evocative writing with a multi-perspective story that’s as engrossing as any anime. In Heaven Will Be Mine, a strange extraterrestrial threat has driven mankind to the stars by the year 1980. In this alternate…
Clever game design can take advantage of even the most limited resources. Celestial Hacker Girl Jessica is a marble-rolling game set in abstract space, which is made using mostly Unity assets. For some people, that might be infuriating, but sitting down to play it shows off what smart level design can do for a game. Created…
No explosions, no crimes, just the pleasures of helping people get to where they need to go
Shape of the World is an exploration game that weaves colors into breathtaking landscapes. The shifting pastel horizons create one of the best game worlds I’ve ever explored, capturing both the thrill of hiking and the colors of a solid psilocybin trip Shape of the World invites comparison to 2013’s exploration game Proteus, but while…
OK/NORMAL is an experimental arcade game by Toni Kortelahti that embraces the visuals of early PlayStation games. The game, which captures the strange and abstract worlds of mid-90s 3D, is one of several new indie titles that embrace a new form of “retro” aesthetics. It’s an oppressive, bizarre, and overwhelming game whose glitch spaces are…
Settling a bet with Rock, Paper, Scissors is nice but it’s even better when you can read the future. In Fortune 499, you use fortune-telling cards to predict your opponent’s move and win battles against the demons attacking the human resources department. Fun combat and a unique twist on magical bureaucracy make it a perfect…
This was supposed to be the last Kazuma Kiryu adventure
In Quarantine Circular, a plague is ravaging humanity, destroying cities and pushing our existence to the brink. As extinction looms, a mysterious creature from the stars appears, their motives unclear. It’s up to you to navigate the situation and hopefully save humanity. Quarantine Circular is created by Thomas Was Alone developer Mike Bithell as a…
Spartan Fistis a first person brawler where you have to punch your way through randomly generated maps. Along the way, there’s tons of special attacks and silly upgrades that turn each new playthrough into a hilarious beatdown of hapless enemies. Developed by Seattle based developer Glass Bottom Games, Spartan Fist’s origins spring from personal tragedy.…
The Wisdom and/or Madness of Crowds is an interactive game by Nicky Case all about how ideas and trends spread. Short puzzles teach the player how popular perception changes as groups grow smaller or larger. It’s an important lesson wedged between devious brain teasers and a perfect Indie Pick. We’ve featured Case’s work before, which…
Sometimes, you just want to hit the road. Photon Highway takes cues from games like Audiosurf and Temple Run to create a randomized highway through the stars. It’s great for those times you want to sit back and cruise away from life’s problems. Created by Sirnic, Photon Highway is a moody racing game with a…
Lucah looks like it leapt right off a chalkboard, with a distinct hand drawn style somewhere between wild scribblings and hallucinations. It mixes tense combat and exploration into a wild action-RPG. Created by melessthanthree, Lucah takes place in a dream world full of monsters. The player takes the role of Lucah, a young adventurer seeking…
Beat the Art Breaker is a game about dashing around and punching folks. It’s not done yet, but a new playable demo gives a glimpse at an indie game that has a fast and exciting take on hand to hand combat. Beat the Art Breaker is designed by Jesse Burnett, whose work I’ve shared before.…
Duck Jam mixes WarioWare style mini-games with a touch of absurdist comedy to tell the story of a bunch of ducks trying to make money. Bills, you could say. The fast-paced change from one game mode to another means you need to always be on your toes if you want to avoid begging for bread…
Danmaku Unlimited 3 is a bullet hell arcade game that came out for PC last year but was recently released for the Nintendo Switch. The laser-filled shoot ‘em up is exciting, with tight dodges and massive beam blasts that make for a good time. Danmaku Unlimited 3 chases after other bullet hell games like Ikaruga…
Bleed 2 initially released last year for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One, but was ported to the Switch this month. It’s a relentless action game full of air dashes, bullet deflecting, and tons of bosses that feels freshly sprung from the mind of an eight-year-old on a sugar high. Developed by Ian Campbell, Bleed…
Paratopic is a horror game about cursed video tapes and horrible monsters lurking in the woods. Following an assassin, a smuggler, and a photographer, it’s a slow-burning tale of violence that uses film editing techniques to ramp up the tension. It’s a perfect, moody Indie Pick. Paratopic, available now for Windows PC, tells the story…
Uurnog Uurnlimited feels like a knock-off Super Mario Bro 2. It’s a blocky platform puzzler where you pick up and throw everything, from enemies to bombs. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but its freeform approach to puzzle design means that you’re able to come up with your own solutions. It’s a sneaky little…
Capturing the feeling of early AOL chats can be difficult, while crafting an engrossing LGBT narrative can be ever harder. Secret Little Haven nails both, transporting players to the earlier days of the internet and telling a story that is both empathetic and believable. It’s intriguing and a great choice for this week’s indie pick.…
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