Indie Games – Ms. Bella's World

7–10 minutes

Steam’s Summer Showcase is in full swing, and for the past three days, gamers have been bombarded with livestreams featuring a wide range of offerings in multiple categories.

I’ve spent these past days watching livestreams, pouring over game descriptions, and downloading a couple of demos. Okay, more than a couple of demos. Here are some of them I thought were worth checking out (in alphabetical order):

Asgard’s Fall: Orgins – Soulpotion, No Set Release Date – This little roguelike has you battling through hordes of enemies to unleash your wrath upon the gods. With colorful pixel graphics, fun music, and multiple skill trees, this one has hooked me. Another bullet-hell incoming and a demo worth checking out!
Broken Lens – Team RUN, July 22nd, 2024 – A cozy spot-the-difference game taken straight from our childhoods, where you learn the story of a little robot with a sight problem. Featuring some fun and colorful graphics, relaxing music, and intuitive game controls, this is a game that’s easy to pick up but hard to put down. I look forward to discovering the story behind the robots and what happened to them.
Bubblegum Galaxy – Smarto Club, No Set Release Date – This hexagonal strategy city builder has you playing as a new office worker who must help discover who deleted the galaxy while building it tile by tile. Features colorful graphics, some quirky characters, and surprisingly challenging puzzles, this one is great for people who love the genre but want a little story to go with it.
Constance – btf Games, No Set Release Date – Constance is a metroidvania platformer where you play as Constance, an artist whose must escape from her own inner world. The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is fluid and customizable to individual playstyles, and the premise is interesting, especially to artists. And the theme has me curious as to where the game will lead us in the end.
Crypt Custodian – Kyle Thompson – Q3 2024 – continuing the metroidvania theme, in Crypt Custodian you play as a Pluto, a little cat who has died and is sentenced to be the afterlife’s janitor for being bad! Meet an interesting cast of other doomed spirits as you fight, explore, and clean your way through your new home. I really love the graphics style of this game, the gameplay was smooth, and I’m definitely picking this one up.
Devilated – Trunka – EA, $19.99 On Sale until June 12th for $15.99 – This ultraviolent shooter takes its cues from old-school shooters such as Doom and Quake, giving it the tag of ‘Boomer Shooter’. Fight your way through maps of mods, unlocking new gear and abilities to keep fighting. It features old school graphics, a classic RPG inventory with rotatable items, and 30 levels for 20+ hours of playtime. Highly recommend getting to demo if you’re a fan of old classic FPS games.
Dungeon Clawler – Stray Fawn Studio, Q3 2024 – A unique mix of Roguelike, Claw Machine, and Deckbuilder, build your deck and fight enemies by grabbing items from the claw machine. Battle your way through the levels to reclaim something you lost. This one was surprisingly fun, easy to learn, and has some good graphics and gameplay. But what exactly did we lose? I wonder.
Dystopika – Voids Within, Q2 2024 – A solo developer game, Dystopika is a small cyberpunk themed city builder where you can create a towering city of skyscrapers, neon lights and signs, and traffic. The cyberpunk theme is fantastic and I really enjoyed the little details I already discovered from playing around with this. I look forward to seeing where the developer takes it. If you’re a fan of cyberpunk and want a relaxing citybuilder with a darker theme, then check the demo out.
First Dwarf – Star Drifters, Q2 2024 – DWARVES! First Dwarf is an action RPG survival where you play dwarves in a crumbling fantasy world. Hop into your mech and explore, build a base, and survive the dangers. The game features single player and online co-op, a mixture of survival, base building, and tower defense. I haven’t tried the demo, yet, but expect a full article on this one once I do as it sounds right up my alley. And, did I mention dwarves?
Hell of an Office – 43 Studios, March 14th 2023 – One of the older games in the showcase, Hell of an Office is a first-person precision platformer that’s a mix of parkour and speedrun. You play as a new employee to HellO, an office in the underworld. Using your stapler, you have to rocketjump and dash your way through hellish levels before lava engulfs you. This one is absolutely whacky, hectic, and if you’re not good with precision and speed (like me), quite challenging. However, definitely worth checking the demo out if games like this are up your alley.
Immortal Hunters – Admiral Games, 2024 – A co-op RPG, select from one of four characters to go out and fight the Khemrids, nightmarish creatures that live in the heart of the planet. The only protections against them are the church, using unquestioning obedience and questionable methods to keep the special flame – the Holy fire – burning, and the immortal hunters. Play as one of the Hunters, each with their own set of skills which can be combined to create unique fighting styles. I’m digging the darker tone of the game, the potential to play solo or co-op, and I’m curious about the world and story. I will add a caveot that, despite sounding quite interesting, the demo feedback suggest this one needs more time to cook, so take that into consideration. I’ll have more information once I get a chance to try the demo.
Iron Meat – Retroware, 2024 – Another retro inspired arcade shooter, this singleplayer/shared co-op game has you playing in an apocolyptic future overrun by ‘the Meat’, an iron-ravenous mass consuming and mutating everything. This one features a grim world, old-school pixel graphics, side-scrolling gameplay, and 3 levels of difficulty to choose from. Loving the retro vibes from this one and, judging by the comment section on Steam, so is everyone else who tried it out.
Monterona – Slave Korolev, No Set Release Date – A lighthearted and relaxing sandbox building game with a story, Monterona has you building little neighborhoods based on the stories told you by your Italian grandma. Build your scenes wtih a range of decorations, buildings and people. Explore your scene in first-person mode, allowing you to walk the streets of your build. And once you’ve completed the main story, access community stories and sandbox mode for infinite creativity. The graphics are absolutely adorable, the theme is great, and this one is high on my wishlist, along with Tiny Glade and Dystopika, for creative gameplay and fun diorama building.
Munch – Mac n Cheese Games, Q4 2024 – In Munch, you play the monster. Devour followers of Order and mutate into new and twisted forms to fight your way to their god, Ordo and defeat him. I absolutely suck at this one but thought it was a lot of fun and would definitely recommend trying out the demo.
Slime Heroes – Pancake Games, No Set Release Date – This game is a cute souls-like adventure where you play as a little slime who has to save the world from a mysterious corruption. Gather gems to craft skill sets and discover all the different enemy types to commlete your gem collection. You can play this solo or with a friend in online co-op, dropping into each other’s games at any time. The graphics are beautiful and charming, the gameplay that I tried was fun with a bit of platforming and a lot of fighting and exploring. And your slime is adorable, with the ability to customize the face and colors. Will definitely play when it comes out.
Toxic Crusaders – Retroware, 2024 – Another offering from Retroware, this sidescrolling arcade game is based off of the 90s Toxic Crusaders cartoon that, sadly, only ever had one season. The game picks up where the cartoon left off, continuing the story of the characters in their fight to rid their home of Tromaville of the radioactive mobs invading it. (Fun fact: Toxic Crusaders was loosely based off a trilogy of movies from the 80s – The Toxic Avenger – which followed the protagonist, Melvin Junko, a janitor who is exposed to toxic chemicals and mutated into the deformed superhero Toxie. It was quintessential B-movie material but it was goofy fun and became a cult classic. Watch the first one if you enjoy campy films, the rest of the movies are optional.)
Urban Jungle – Kylyk Games, 2024 – We’re rounding things out with another relaxing indie simulation where you turn your home into a plant oasis. Grow plants, find the best place for each of them in your tiny apartment, and pet the cat. This game has colorful graphics, a wide variety of plants, and a charming setting. I’m a sucker for gardening games and this one reminds me of Garden In!, a game that came out in 2023 that I’ve greatly enjoyed. I look forward to adding this one to my collection and suggest checking out the demo if relaxed, no worries gardening is your thing too.

So that’s the short list of demos I found interesting so far this summer. There was a wide mix of genres and styles, leaving us spoiled for choice in the indie game scene. But the fun doesn’t end with the showcase, as following hot on the heels of the Summer Showcase is Steam’s Next Fest, from June 10th – 17th. I wonder what else will arise from that? I look forward to finding out.

Leave a comment and let us know, which of these games was most interesting to you? Did I miss a game that you thought deserved some love?

Until next time, bye for now!

5–8 minutes

Last time we talked, I touched on the topic of indie games, why I enjoy them, and I mentioned a few that I’ve found enjoyable to play. This week we look at a few more titles in the indie space.

Relaxing Games II – More games designed to chill out and unwind.

Coloring Pixels, 2018 – If you loved color by numbers books as a child, then this game by ToastieLabs will be right up your alley. The base game is free, and includes a number of images to color. Some are very simple images that will take only a few minutes to complete, perfect for when you don’t have much time. Others are more intricate and can take up to an hour or more to finish. The art work is fun, the controls are easy, and the accompanying music is peaceful. Or you could mute the music and put on your favorite album. Once you’ve finished the images that come free, they offer a wide range of DLC packs to expand your collection. A few are free, but most are $0.99 each. This a la cart method does add up though, to the tune of $70, if you include the soundtrack! I always wait for the packs to go on sale and save a little money. However, even just a small handful of extra packs will give you hours of fun.
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator, 2022 – While not technically what I would call a game, this little gem by Turbolento Games is one of the most enjoyable things to watch. Essentially an interactive screen, you start off with a pool. To this pool gets added one cute rubber duck. Other ducks follow, each with their own distinct appearances and, sometimes, traits. The graphics are great, the ducks are adorable (and quack when you click them), the music is very chill. On Steam for $1.99 for the base game, and $1.99 for each of the 5 DLC packs, I recommend this one if you just want to put something on the screen while you do other things.
Scream Collector, 2017 – If you enjoy idle clicker games, this free game by PuzzleRoo is well done. Halloween themed, it features pixel graphics, 4 areas to play in – 2 needing to be unlocked by completing previous areas – and tons of little minigames to do. And, while there is a cash shop, it’s completely unnecessary to spend a cent to upgrade everything. So far, I’ve managed to completely upgrade 3 of the 4 areas and am working on the 4^th. I will note however that the game appears to have been abandoned, as the last update from the developer was in 2020. However, it’s mostly complete and has tons to do. Definitely recommend picking this up.

Puzzle Games Featuring Cats – These fun puzzle games all have a common theme – cats!

Sudocats, 2022 – Do you love sudoku games and cats? Then check out this cheerful little game from Devcats, on Steam for $1.99. Featuring bright, papercut style graphics and cute furballs based on real life cats, the game is a traditional sudoku game. The game also introduces you to the cats, giving a little bio for each of them, as well as providing tips for introducing a new cat to your house. While there are only 27 static boards in the game, there is also a daily puzzle to complete, giving the game a lot of replayability. Well worth the small price tag!
Cats Organized Neatly, 2020 – This fun game by DU&I is 2D shape organizing puzzle where you arrange a cats of cute cats into a space to make them all fit. With hand illustrated graphics, relaxing music, and 80 levels, it’s both relaxing and challenging to play. The game, normally on Steam for $2.99, is currently 30% off until February 3^rd, making it $2.09. A purrfect time to buy if you enjoy spatial puzzles.
Purrfectly Hidden Cats: Kittenwood, 2023 – If you’re a sucker for hidden object games, then this little gem by GemcraftGames and Bleeding Moon Studio is a great addition to your collection. It features a hand drawn scene and lots of cats to find, both in plain sight and hidden behind other objects. Once you’ve found all the cats, you unlock a bonus minigame. There are even bits of story about the town of Kittenwood to discover in the scene. With the diminutive price of $1.29, you’ll definitely want to grab this one and watch out for the next 2 games in the series, both coming this year.
Shy Cats Hidden Orchestra, 2023 – Another hidden object game, but with a twist – each of the cats is part of an orchestra and, as you find them, they play music for you. This one has beautiful, dynamic graphics, and a great soundtrack of 10 songs to uncover as you complete each scene. By Enchant Games, and usually $4.99 on Steam, this game is currently 40% for the next day. Grab it for $2.99 while you can! And, for those of you that prefer dogs, they have a game for you too!

Low-Poly Games – These games all feature colorful, low-poly graphics and fun gameplay.

Hammerhelm, 2021- This is a game I featured in my Let’s Play series a while back and I still love the game. A blend of adventuring and town building, you play as a dwarf who has gone to the surface to live your life. Build, recruit townspeople, and don’t forget to craft armor and weapons so you can better defend your town. By SuperSixStudios, this game is on Steam for $14.99 and is worth playing.
Catlateral Damage, 2015 – This adorable game, by Manekoware and Fire Hose Games, has you playing as a small cat with the goal of knocking as much of your owner’s stuff onto the ground as possible. The houses are procedurally generated, leading to a high amount of replayability and even has over 230 photos of real-life cats to find and collect. On Steam for $9.99 for the original version, or you can get the Remeowstered version for $14.99. If you’ve even wondered what it was like to be a item slinging terror, this one is for you.
Deadpoly, 2022 – This is probably one of my favorite little low-poly games out there. A zombie survival and base building game, your goal is to survive and thrive in a zombie post-apocalypse. It’s by TFL Games, a solo developer, and on Steam for $9.99. I will add, however, that he’s in the middle of a complete rework of the game so currently the map is small and some features are missing. New content will be coming in Q1 of 2024 and the developer is very responsive in the forums. I play this solo but there are also co-op and PvP servers. At least, so I’ve heard.

Bonus – A little extra something that’s fun.

Goobies, 2023 – Another game in a long line of roguelikes, Goobies features bright, colorful graphics and … a blob? Don’t let the simplicity fool you, the game is quite challenging and you’ll find yourself saying ‘just one more round’ countless times. The skills are fun, the unlockable characters are unique, and it features a permanent upgrade system. By the developer, Knifes, this game is on Steam for $5.99. If you’re looking for a unique take on the genre, I recommend this one.

The gaming landscape is littered with indie games, many of them worth checking out. I could go on for ages about the various indie games I’ve discovered over the years. If you’re looking to expand your library of titles and find some gold scattered in the hay, I recommend looking up the tag, Indie, on Steam to see what you find.

Let everyone know in the comments, what games have you come across that deserve more love and attention?

Until next time, bye for now.