Rock Paper Shotgun Indiescovery Feed

enThu, 09 Jan 2025 13:41:57 +0000Geoguessr-inspired detective game Locator is about puzzles, perspective, and empathy on an alien planethttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/geoguessr-inspired-detective-game-locator-is-about-puzzles-perspective-and-empathy-on-an-alien-planetNic ReubenThu, 09 Jan 2025 13:41:57 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/geoguessr-inspired-detective-game-locator-is-about-puzzles-perspective-and-empathy-on-an-alien-planetMysteryPuzzleLocatorIndiescovery

One for Obra Dinn and Golden Idol fans, this, although also for anyone who just loves a gorgeous map of an alien environment. Locator is a detective puzzler where you play an interstellar cartographer tasked with tracking down a missing archeologist named Abigail Lidari on an alien world. It takes inspiration from browser geography game Geoguessr. You’ll be studying sets of photos and comparing them with notes from Abigail’s journal, then pinpointing her location on a series of lovely maps.

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Gar-Type is a free pixelart shooter based on a cosmic horror meme about a lazy, ravenous housecathttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gar-type-is-a-free-pixelart-shooter-based-on-a-cosmic-horror-meme-about-a-lazy-ravenous-housecatEdwin Evans-ThirlwellThu, 02 Jan 2025 16:02:48 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gar-type-is-a-free-pixelart-shooter-based-on-a-cosmic-horror-meme-about-a-lazy-ravenous-housecatPCArcadeIndieIndiescoveryGarfieldHorror

I think the last time I read an actual, original Garfield comic was in 1998. Since then, my experience of the character has been one long litany of Gar-memes and in particular, Gorefield memes. For those blissfully unaware, Gorefield is a version of Jim Davis’s otiose, lasagna-loving housecat who has broken his comic strip shackles and become a cosmic abomination. Gorefield's manifestations are many: centipede Gorefields, arachnid Gorefields, Gorefields that extend serpentine necks of unfleshed bone towards a cowering Jon Arbuckle, demanding to be fed in a voice that sounds nothing like Bill Murray, a voice as deep and velvety as the eternal Monday before the Big Bang.

In Gar-Type, a free Gorefield fangame from Youtuber and pixel artist LumpyTouch, Garfield has become a planet. The good news is that, unlike many other Gore-variants, this Gorefield is vulnerable to bullets. It falls to ace pilot Jon Starbuckle and his prototype starfighter, Gar-Type D, to save the Earth from lasagnnihilation.

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Enjoy some Ryanair Boeing 737 safety manual ekphrasis in Johnson A Plane Manhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/enjoy-some-ryanair-boeing-737-safety-manual-ekphrasis-in-johnson-a-plane-manNic ReubenThu, 02 Jan 2025 10:16:32 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/enjoy-some-ryanair-boeing-737-safety-manual-ekphrasis-in-johnson-a-plane-manHyphinettBreogan HackettIndiescovery

Ekphrasis is a concept from ancient Greece (who bloody loved a good concept) describing the act of creative writing inspired by a work of art. Is a Ryanair Boeing 737 safety manual art? Well, Johnson A Plane Man has done some ekphrasis with it, so I say yes. It’s a short browser Itch game that chronicles the life and times of a man named Johnson, his love for yellow life vests, his existential feelings of confinement (despite the high number of easily locatable exits), and such emancipatory joys that can only be found in yellow slides.

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Untitled Goose Game and Thank Goodness You’re Here! publishers are doing a thing and I’m not sure what the thing is but it seems like a cool thinghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/untitled-goose-game-and-thank-goodness-youre-here-publishers-are-doing-a-thing-and-im-not-sure-what-the-thing-is-but-it-seems-like-a-cool-thingNic ReubenThu, 12 Dec 2024 09:19:20 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/untitled-goose-game-and-thank-goodness-youre-here-publishers-are-doing-a-thing-and-im-not-sure-what-the-thing-is-but-it-seems-like-a-cool-thingPanicPCIndiescoveryIndieBlippo+

I have to write at least 250 words for a news post. Rock Paper Shotgun’s CMS (content management system) even has a built-in widget that shouts at me if I don’t write at least 250 words. "Page 1 body content is quite short" it says if I go under. How cute is that "quite"? I love being fooled into getting charmed by automated systems via colloquial British understatement. Anyway, I bring this up because I honestly don’t have anything to add about Blippo+. I just wanted to inform you all of its existence. It's a "casual" "FMV" "Cinematic" "Pixel Graphics" "1980s" digital product from developers also named Blippo+, as well as publishers Panic, who've previously unleashed the horrible goose and Thank Goodness You’re Here! on the world. Have a visual orientation:

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Beautiful hand-drawn Cat Tram game arrives at station Steam todayhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beautiful-hand-drawn-cat-tram-game-arrives-at-station-steam-todayEd ThornWed, 11 Dec 2024 11:59:38 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beautiful-hand-drawn-cat-tram-game-arrives-at-station-steam-todayPCAlexander PerrinIndieIndiescovery2pt interactiveShort TripSimulation

First covered by Alice O (RPS in peace) in 2017, Short Trip was a chill hand-drawn game about driving a tram through a mountain populated by cats. Back then, it was only available as a free-to-play browser or itch.io experience. Seven years later, though, and on this very day, it's out on Steam. Not only that, it's arriving with all the tramming of the original, with an added "scheduled mode" that adds more charm to an already lovely game.

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It’s worth downloading the demo for uncanny horror Eclipsium just to stare at your handshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/its-worth-downloading-the-demo-for-uncanny-horror-eclipsium-just-to-stare-at-your-handsNic ReubenMon, 09 Dec 2024 09:43:03 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/its-worth-downloading-the-demo-for-uncanny-horror-eclipsium-just-to-stare-at-your-handsPCIndiescoveryEclipsiumHousefireHorror

The only sound that greets you upon booting up Eclipsium is a loudly throbbing heart. As one must when encountering horror media, the game and I immediately enter a spiritual staring contest, each of us knowing the real game here was it trying to freak me out. "It’s fine", I decided. "It’s just a heart! I’ve got a heart. It’s actually very useful. Nothing to be scared of". Thing is, Eclipsium’s menu heart is actually massive and sits, like The Eye Of Sauron, atop a giant obelisk. “Ah. That’s definitely a horror thing, that” I was forced to admit. "If my heart was on a giant obelisk, I’d be proper shaken up, I reckon."

So starts Eclipsium’s very first bit of aggressive disorientation, and it basically just escalates from there. I obviously can’t describe the vibes without slightly spoiling the vibes, so do pop over to Steam for a demo if you’re curious and, oh, there’s a potted plant, the sound of its rustling mixed in such a way that it sort of sounds like it’s shrieking at me. Well.

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The demo for Oolo offers up a magical metroidvania with hints of classic Zeldahttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-demo-for-oolo-offers-up-a-magical-metroidvania-with-hints-of-classic-zeldaNic ReubenMon, 09 Dec 2024 09:42:50 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-demo-for-oolo-offers-up-a-magical-metroidvania-with-hints-of-classic-zeldaOOLOPCRiddle Master ProductionsMetroidvaniaIndiescovery

“Hang on a sec. Haven’t I seen this exact genre of little guy before?” was my reaction upon encountering the yellow-eyed, hat-shrouded mage of isometric adventure Oolo. Some quick internet sleuthing turned up this lovely bit of art featuring Final Fantasy 9’s Vivi, Journey’s Traveller, and He-Man’s Orko. It’s a great feeling to begin your week identifying an archetype of diminutive magician, and I hope it becomes a regular occurrence. Another pleasant discovery was Oolo itself, which you can discover yourself through the shrouded magic of this link to it’s free demo.

(Do I need to keep writing ‘free demo’, by the way? I tend to alternate. It’s obviously redundant but I feel writing ‘free’ gives it a certain gravitas. Free tax rebate. Free sunrise. Free oxygen. It makes things sound better.)

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FPS Abyssus is allowed to call itself ‘brinepunk’ but you all need to stop this nonsense immediately afterwardhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/fps-abyssus-is-allowed-to-call-itself-brinepunk-but-you-all-need-to-stop-this-nonsense-immediately-afterwardNic ReubenThu, 05 Dec 2024 20:41:31 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/fps-abyssus-is-allowed-to-call-itself-brinepunk-but-you-all-need-to-stop-this-nonsense-immediately-afterwardAbyssusIndiescoveryPCShooter: First Person

Anyone who is not trying to sell your something will tell you that ‘punk’ is a mostly meaningless term, mainly popularised by Malcolm McLaren and Vivian Westwood so they could sell bondage gear to teenagers. It is, of course, very punk of me to recognise this. However, this hasn’t stopped every other videogame released in the last 74 years trying to coin their own punk subgenre. The latest to do so is ‘brinepunk’ FPS Abyssus, which seems to have mostly arrived at the terms by being ‘a bit Steampunk, but underwater’. Abyssus looks cool, and so with the power vested in me by the Greggs vegan sausage roll I had for lunch today, I hereby declare that this is the last game allowed to do this. Let’s see if it’s making the most of it, at least.

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A Difficult Game About Driving is a difficult game about drivinghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-difficult-game-about-driving-is-a-difficult-game-about-drivingEd ThornTue, 03 Dec 2024 11:16:43 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-difficult-game-about-driving-is-a-difficult-game-about-drivingPCA Difficult Game About DrivingIndiescoveryIndieElegant Horse Studios

As Graham pointed out earlier this year, A Difficult Game About Climbing is a difficult game about climbing. A Bennett Foddy's Getting Over It-inspired limb-flailer, where hoisting yourself up a mountain as a bald man is painfully moreish. Well, let me introduce you to A Difficult Game About Driving, a difficult game about driving. Again, you play as a bald man (called Jeff) who sits in a 4x4 bathtub and must ascend a series of difficult roads. There's a demo out now and let me tell you, it's awfully good.

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Hyperdrive Inn is a Lucasarts style adventure game made entirely from scanned fabric sampleshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hyperdrive-inn-is-a-lucasarts-style-adventure-game-made-entirely-from-scanned-fabric-samplesNic ReubenMon, 02 Dec 2024 10:27:59 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hyperdrive-inn-is-a-lucasarts-style-adventure-game-made-entirely-from-scanned-fabric-samplesPCHyperdrive InnPoint and ClickIndiescoveryHorsefly Games

One of the many high concept ludonarrative experiments I’d one day like to bring to fruition is an immersive sim in which the player has access to many guns, but their default arsenal selection is an open packet of crisps which they hold out in front of them, in first person, and offer to NPCs. Some NPCs wouldn’t be swayed by this, but some would lower their weapons at the offer of a prawn cocktail treat, and so you’d be constantly playing chicken with various guards: edging closer toward them, your shaking hands rattling the delicious disks inside the oily packet, mentally weighing up whether it's worth risking them turning hostile at the last second.

Obviously, I’d scan some real crisp packets and just alter the logos for maximum immersion. One game that’s already taken this scanned bricolage concept and run with it to beautiful effect is Hyperdrive Inn. It’s an avant garde point and click adventure from Finnish studio Horsefly, where the entire world is constructed from scanned fabric samples. Have a looksee.

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Beff Jezos Simulator lets you indulge in the fantasy that billionaires actually do any workhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beff-jezos-simulator-lets-you-indulge-in-the-fantasy-that-billionaires-actually-do-any-workNic ReubenThu, 28 Nov 2024 10:02:39 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beff-jezos-simulator-lets-you-indulge-in-the-fantasy-that-billionaires-actually-do-any-workBeff Jezos SimulatorIndiescoveryPCSimulation

Picking things up. Putting the things in boxes. Setting prices. Managing employees. Wiping the sweat from your creased brow and knowing, even if your meagre salary doesn’t get you very far, at least you put in an honest day’s graft to acquire it. All things done by pathetic fools that don’t realise the true CEO grindset actually involves no-wifing Diablo 4 all day and subsisting entirely off the the Lucozade-bottled urine of overworked drivers forced to make the agonising decision between self respect and continued employment. I might be conflating billionaires here.

Also, coincidentally, all things you can do in the demo for Beff Jezos Simulator. Now, work simulation games aren’t my absolute favourite. But, hey, I do love a good fantasy game. And what spellbinding vision of a farflung reality could be more fantastical than a game in which a billionaire actually does some work?

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I want to remove this horrible demo from my Steam library, but my body won’t let mehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-want-to-remove-this-horrible-demo-from-my-steam-library-but-my-body-wont-let-meNic ReubenTue, 26 Nov 2024 10:18:14 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-want-to-remove-this-horrible-demo-from-my-steam-library-but-my-body-wont-let-meHorrorIndiescoveryNew Life

When and where did the Steam demo for horror game New Life first find its way to me? When did its non-descript, black hooded protagonist first wriggle, with the transgressive delight of an unbidden slug between naked toes embarking on a 2am fridge odyssey, into the as yet uncolonised crevices of my ‘demos’ library? The specifics, I fear, are but the fumes of memories, lingering like armies of mice in trenchcoats at supermarket cheese sample platters, at once painfully obvious and immune to detection in their uncanny shroud of stifling human decorum. "For who is madder?!" I shout, in a normal and cool manner. "The mice - so very mad for cheese - or the madmen who screams ‘Mice! Mice!’ in the middle of the cheese aisle?!"

And if I can’t remember how it got here, how can I make it go away?

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Kura5 is a free spiritual successor to Kojima's sun-loving Boktai vampire-hunting serieshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kura5-is-a-free-spiritual-sequel-to-kojimas-sun-loving-boktai-vampire-hunting-seriesEdwin Evans-ThirlwellFri, 22 Nov 2024 12:25:07 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kura5-is-a-free-spiritual-sequel-to-kojimas-sun-loving-boktai-vampire-hunting-seriesBoktai: The Sun Is In Your HandsFree gamesPCAction AdventureNintendo GBARPGFantasySingle PlayerKura5: Bonds of the UndyingBird view / IsometricIndieIndiescoveryMultiplayer CompetitiveKonami

Long before Hideo Kojima made the first triple-A walking simulator, he was trying to spin sunlight into bullets. The game in question, Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand, is a Game Boy Advance title from 2003, in which you play a vampire-slaying gunslinger. The gun you're slinging is a "solar-powered" pistol, which you could charge up using a cartridge-mounted photometric sensor by physically standing in sunshine. This was 13 years before the launch of Pokemon Go. Sadly, Boktai's debut didn't result in city parks or rooftops being flooded by crowds of GBA-wielding undead killers. But it was a fun gimmick and the game itself is good enough to carry it - an isometric dungeon-crawler in which you have to find a vamp's coffin and drag it to the surface for purgation.

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I no longer care about Grand Theft Auto 6, for I have the open world of Vivat Slovakiahttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-no-longer-care-about-grand-theft-auto-6-for-i-have-the-open-world-of-vivat-slovakiaNic ReubenFri, 22 Nov 2024 12:12:16 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-no-longer-care-about-grand-theft-auto-6-for-i-have-the-open-world-of-vivat-slovakiaOpen WorldPCAction AdventureVivat SlovakiaIndiescovery

Upon some serious soul searching following a little time with the early access build of open world game Vivat Slovakia, I have unfortunately had to admit to myself that it is probably not the GTA 6 killer I was hoping for. This upsets me slightly, because I find Rockstar’s constant self-assured bloviating to be quite irritating, even though I’m sure I’ll play their game for a billion hours. What Vivat Slovakia is, then, is a very ambitious homage to the Grand Theft Auto series that isn’t shy about it, right down to the font choices. I’m not sure if you should play it, but I do feel enriched for learning of its existence. Here’s a trailer.

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You'll never guess what you do in Kill The Man In The Househttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/youll-never-guess-what-you-do-in-kill-the-man-in-the-houseEd ThornFri, 22 Nov 2024 12:11:51 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/youll-never-guess-what-you-do-in-kill-the-man-in-the-housecannibalPCShooter: First PersonIndiescoveryKill The Man In The HouseIndieEric Freeman

Kill The Man In The House is a video game title I can get behind. It tells me exactly what I need to do before I even boot up the game, which is otherwise powerfully weird-looking. The cover art is reminiscent of a children's book, if it were for adults. Or a lost episode of Ed Edd and Eddy, where a fourth older sibling (Eddie) acts on his murderous intent and engages in some slick FPSing. Either way, there's a demo out on Steam and despite being very short and limited, I am excited for its future.

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Play as an assassin so stealthy you can’t see yourself in Assassinvisiblehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/play-as-an-assassin-so-stealthy-you-cant-see-yourself-in-assassinvisibleNic ReubenMon, 18 Nov 2024 09:55:54 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/play-as-an-assassin-so-stealthy-you-cant-see-yourself-in-assassinvisibleStealthPuzzleAssassinvisibleIndiescovery

Joining the rare but always brilliant category of “games that sound like someone scratched the high concept into their arm at pub closing time with the sharp corner of a Frazzles packet” is Assassinvisible - a stealth game about an invisible assassin that’s so invisible the player doesn’t know where they are. True, games like Invisigun have experimented with this interesting concept before, but in Assassinvisible it's framed by another - the whole game exists as doodles in a bored student’s notebook. Here’s the Tres-tray:

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King’s Field with a bird RPG Dungeons of Blood and Dream is out in 1.0 nowhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kings-field-with-a-bird-rpg-dungeons-of-blood-and-dream-is-out-in-10-nowNic ReubenTue, 12 Nov 2024 09:15:25 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kings-field-with-a-bird-rpg-dungeons-of-blood-and-dream-is-out-in-10-nowRoguelikePCAction AdventureLori VornoyIndiescoveryDungeons Of Blood And Dream

Sin enjoyed the roguelike stylings of Dungeons of Blood and Dream when she played it in early access back in July, calling it a “baffling, bizarre thing that lives on the border of janky, retro, and punk”. As of yesterday, it’s now out for realsies, promising psychedelic dungeon crawling, the stabbing of assorted gribblies, and lots of little details that make you go “ooo, that’s nice. I’m glad they put that in there.”

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The Raid homage Acts Of Blood is Sifu’s jankier, snackier cousinhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-raid-homage-acts-of-blood-is-sifus-jankier-snackier-cousinNic ReubenThu, 07 Nov 2024 09:35:13 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-raid-homage-acts-of-blood-is-sifus-jankier-snackier-cousinPCActs Of BloodArcadeIndiescoveryFighting

Calling a game ‘no frills’ or ‘no nonsense’ is always a back-handed compliment, because it sounds like you're saying it's a bit straightforward and simple. And yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying here. Acts Of Blood feels like a spiffy PS2 action brawler; a slightly tighter old Yakuza game, or a stripped-back Sifu. It’s snacky and a bit janky, but it’s also great coffee break fodder, assuming you want to spend your break breaking a selection of heavy objects over the crumbly skulls of ne’er-do-wells. I mean, they might have done some things well, I don’t know them. But they aren’t doing any well to my character in the game, so violence it is.

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Thysiastery is an anime Legend Of Grimrock, and you can attack the dinosaur merchants if you’re a complete monsterhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/thysiastery-is-an-anime-legend-of-grimrock-and-you-can-attack-the-dinosaur-merchants-if-youre-a-complete-monsterNic ReubenMon, 04 Nov 2024 09:14:28 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/thysiastery-is-an-anime-legend-of-grimrock-and-you-can-attack-the-dinosaur-merchants-if-youre-a-complete-monsterRPG: Turn-basedIndiescoveryPCTHYSIASTERY

One of my lesser quality tests for an RPG is whether the shopkeepers complain at you for not buying anything. Grumpy shopkeepers, good RPG. This most specific of litmus tests has served me well, although I must admit that I’d happily upgrade it to ‘shopkeepers you can attack’, would that not disqualify 99% of games. But not turn based dungeon crawler Thysiastery, it turns out. This “dungeon crawler RPG featuring traditional roguelike and turn-based gameplay” apparently trusts you enough to let you recklessly batter its friendly wandering lizard merchants. You’d be a monster for it, of course, but it’s nice to have options.

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Moida Mansion is the new free game from Return Of The Obra Dinn’s Lucas Pope, and it's out nowhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/moida-mansion-is-the-new-free-game-from-return-of-the-obra-dinns-lucas-pope-and-its-out-nowNic ReubenFri, 01 Nov 2024 09:37:13 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/moida-mansion-is-the-new-free-game-from-return-of-the-obra-dinns-lucas-pope-and-its-out-nowMoida MansionFree gamesPuzzleLucas PopeIndiescovery

You remember Lucas Pope, right? He who casually dropped two of the most influential puzzle games ever then got distracted by yellow cranks for six years, occasionally popping up to drop a demake of Papers Please? Well, Pope has ceased hogging that crank, for now at least, and just released Haloween-y adventure game Moida Mansion. It’s on Itch here, and it’s completely free to play in your browser.

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Only toilets will save you from the monsters in Labyrinth of Wild Abysshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/only-toilets-will-save-you-from-the-monsters-in-labyrinth-of-wild-abyssEd ThornThu, 31 Oct 2024 11:23:46 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/only-toilets-will-save-you-from-the-monsters-in-labyrinth-of-wild-abyssLabyrinth Of Wild Abyss: LayeReduxCannibalInteractivePCPuzzleIndiescoveryIndieStrategyHorror

From developers Cannibal Interactive, the creators of Purgatory Dungeoneer, springs forth a new labyrinth game. This one is called Labyrinth of Wild Abyss: LayeRedux and it has labyrinths. Except the labyrinths don't just have single paths to their centres, but tube monsters covered in eyes who'll stalk you slowly and methodically as you meander. Personally, it's not the vibe I'm after when I sit down in the evening and I think, "I would like to play a video game that makes me feel somewhat pleasant". But hey, it might be for you.

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Animal Use Protocol asks: what if we put a happy little rat on Half Life 2’s gravity gun and gave it to a chimpanzee?https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/animal-use-protocol-asks-what-if-we-put-a-happy-little-rat-on-half-life-2s-gravity-gun-and-gave-it-to-a-chimpanzeeNic ReubenWed, 30 Oct 2024 09:10:32 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/animal-use-protocol-asks-what-if-we-put-a-happy-little-rat-on-half-life-2s-gravity-gun-and-gave-it-to-a-chimpanzeePCAnimal Use ProtocolShooter: First PersonIndiescoveryIndieHorrorStory Rich

When they’re not doing environmental art for projects like Wasteland 3, The Brotherhood have a history making enticingly odd games. Sin very nearly liked Stasis: Bone Totem, landing positive despite giving up after several hours. That’s also my experience with Beautiful Desolation - an isometric RPG I got a real kick out of the art for before also stopping one day and just accidentally never playing it again. This might be a coincidence, but whatever else can be said about these projects, one thing is for certain: when compared to upcoming horror FPS Animal Use Protocol, they both featured considerably less monke.

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We already said 10 Dead Doves was great a few years back, but it’s really great so I’m saying it againhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/we-already-said-10-dead-doves-was-great-a-few-years-back-but-its-really-great-so-im-saying-it-againNic ReubenFri, 25 Oct 2024 13:11:51 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/we-already-said-10-dead-doves-was-great-a-few-years-back-but-its-really-great-so-im-saying-it-againPCAction AdventureSingle Player10 Dead DovesIndieIndiescoveryHorror

Rebecca Jones (RPS in peace) really liked 10 Dead Doves when she wrote about it back in 2022, saying it reminded her of why she “loves weird low-budget spooks so much”. Discovering such an interesting project speaks to curiosity and taste on her part, but me? I am simply a pun enjoying buffon who got an email promising that “Dovecraftian horrors await”. The thrust of said electronic mail was that the game now has a release date of this December, but it looked neat, so I doved right in. I coo-dn’t resist. I too love weird low-budget horror. I have been pigeonholed.

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Stardust Demon is an intergalactic metroidvania that looks very snazzy indeed, and it's out nowhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stardust-demon-is-an-intergalactic-metroidvania-that-looks-very-snazzy-indeed-and-its-out-nowEd ThornThu, 24 Oct 2024 09:27:07 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stardust-demon-is-an-intergalactic-metroidvania-that-looks-very-snazzy-indeed-and-its-out-nowPCMetroidvaniaresnijarsIndiescoveryIndieStardust DemonPlatformer

I know there's a lot of good metroidvanias floating around, but I implore you to take a look at Stardust Demon. Developed by two-person queer married team resnijars, it looks like a real charmer. All bright and fuzzy and with plenty of alien weirdness to hop over or battle, with lots of FMV cutscenes to bring those colourful characters closer to your eyeballs. It's also out now, which is good for people like me who crave bizzarovanias.

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Here's a free god sim from the Shotgun King devs in which you Build The Sunhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/heres-a-free-god-sim-from-the-shotgun-king-devs-in-which-you-build-the-sunEdwin Evans-ThirlwellTue, 22 Oct 2024 15:59:01 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/heres-a-free-god-sim-from-the-shotgun-king-devs-in-which-you-build-the-sunPCFree gamesPunkcake DélicieuxBuild The SunIndiescoveryIndieStrategy: Builder

Shotgun King developers Punkcake Délicieux have quietly rolled out another ticklish oddity in the shape of Build The Sun, a work-in-progress 2D god sim. In Build The Sun you preside over a tribe of alarming yet cute inkblot creatures, who sometimes remind me of Pikmin and sometimes, of that awful 'roided-up panther monster from the opening stretch of Another World. Your objective is, indeed, to build the sun, because there isn't one: the game's pastoral pixelart world is engulfed in darkness.

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Dunebound Tactics brings terrain manipulation to a strategy RPG where you can sacrifice companions to power your shiphttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dunebound-tactics-brings-terrain-manipulation-to-a-strategy-rpg-where-you-can-sacrifice-companions-to-power-your-shipNic ReubenFri, 18 Oct 2024 08:46:03 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dunebound-tactics-brings-terrain-manipulation-to-a-strategy-rpg-where-you-can-sacrifice-companions-to-power-your-shipPCDunebound TacticsRPGSingle PlayerTerahardIndiescoveryStrategy

Genre tags are slippery, fickle things at the best of times, but I feel like each one I use to label Dunebound Tactics almost diminishes it, as I’m sacrificing something precious for the sake of powering on through the arid sands of easily comestible, digestible, poop-estible online content. Ah well, circle of life and all that. Plus, at least it’s thematic: you’ll have to make sacrifices yourself if you want to progress across its unforgiving deserts. This one’s got shades of roguelite, RPG, strategy, and turn-based tactics. Nothing too uncommon, but it’s the shades of Red Faction, Frostpunk, and Sunless Sea that have me interested.

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Cop Bastard channels John Woo for some perfectly punchy FPSinghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cop-bastard-channels-john-woo-for-some-perfectly-punchy-fpsingEd ThornTue, 15 Oct 2024 14:15:32 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cop-bastard-channels-john-woo-for-some-perfectly-punchy-fpsingtargim.PCCop BastardSingle PlayerShooterIndieIndiescoveryFirst person

If you've read any of my stuff by now, you'd know that I am a simple man who enjoys violence in his games. No story? Absolutely fine by me - cuts the faff. This is why I like the demo for first-person shooter Cop Bastard a lot. It's set in early 90s Japan, where you'll smoke fools with guns in straightforward homage to 90s action movies. And it has an updated demo - not officially part of the latest Steam Next Fest - out right now.

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Mentari has you heal a petrified world through the power of sick dance moveshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/mentari-has-you-heal-a-petrified-world-through-the-power-of-sick-dance-movesEd ThornFri, 11 Oct 2024 09:30:49 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/mentari-has-you-heal-a-petrified-world-through-the-power-of-sick-dance-movesindie.ioPCAction AdventureMentariIndieIndiescoverystellarNull

Indonesian indie developers stellarNULL have announced action adventure game Mentari, a coming of age story about a magical girl who heals the world and fights baddies with the power of dance. As they attack you, you'll hit them with sick twirls and the 'ol two step, cleansing them of a sickness called the "Stillness". Bonus fun fact: Mentari means "Sunshine" in Indonesian, while Menari means "dancing".

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Traveller's Hymn is a free open-world grid-based RPG, and it's out todayhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/travellers-hymn-is-a-free-open-world-grid-based-rpg-and-its-out-todayEd ThornTue, 08 Oct 2024 10:34:27 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/travellers-hymn-is-a-free-open-world-grid-based-rpg-and-its-out-todayPCRPGFantasyAquatic Ranger StudioIndiescoveryIndieTraveller's Hymn

Traveller's Hymn is a top-down, grid-based, open-world adventure game (and breathe), set in a dark fantasy land. The tileset is lovely, as are the little dialogue boxes and menus and the gentle bob of your backpack-ridden character as they walk. Basically, it looks like it's worth everyone's time, particularly because there's one big twist here - it's entirely free.

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Mask Quest is a deceptively gimmicky platformer where you must press A to breathe while avoiding the copshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/mask-quest-is-a-deceptively-gimmicky-platformer-where-you-must-press-a-to-breathe-while-avoiding-the-copsEdwin Evans-ThirlwellThu, 03 Oct 2024 14:52:46 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/mask-quest-is-a-deceptively-gimmicky-platformer-where-you-must-press-a-to-breathe-while-avoiding-the-copsPCIncrepareIndiescoveryIndieMask QuestPlatformer

Out 17th October on Steam, Mask Quest is a platform game in which you hold and release a button to refill your character's lungs while dodging police batons, bullets, gas grenades and drones. Neglect to do so, and you'll pop your clogs. It's the kind of mechanical tomfoolery you'd associate with Peter Molydeux, but in this case, it's all the fine work of Stephen's Sausage Roll developer increpare and Quadrant developer undef. The developers have somehow gotten 50 levels out of this meme-ish premise, and it looks like quite an elaborate hop-and-bopper with some less-cheerful political overtones. Here's the trailer.

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In horror puzzler Corporeal, you reassemble a cursed photo album from the 1990shttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/in-horror-puzzler-corporeal-you-reassemble-a-cursed-photo-album-from-the-1990sEdwin Evans-ThirlwellThu, 03 Oct 2024 10:33:58 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/in-horror-puzzler-corporeal-you-reassemble-a-cursed-photo-album-from-the-1990sPCMysteryPuzzleCorporealIndieIndiescoveryHorrorHistoricalStory Rich

I don't keep family photo albums to avoid the exact scenario described in Corporeal, a just-announced mystery horror game in which you piece together a haunted family photo album. Navigating "a series of immersive retro analog interfaces", you will complete "tactile, minimalist puzzles" so as to combine eldritch snapshots and reveal new scenes. You know the kind of thing: that isn't a freshly-baked muffin cooling on a second floor window ledge, it's the Slender Man. That isn't a dressing gown, it's your great-uncle Percival, back from the beyond to haunt you for undercooking the fish during the great salmonella outbreak of Xmas 1993.

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Please enjoy Daemonologie’s incredibly normal sheep with mehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/please-enjoy-daemonologies-incredibly-normal-sheep-with-meNic ReubenTue, 01 Oct 2024 11:06:53 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/please-enjoy-daemonologies-incredibly-normal-sheep-with-meHorrorIndiescoveryDaemonologiePC

I do not wish to dwell overly long on the incredible stop motion sheep in the trailer for folk horror game Daemonologie, because it’s got so much else going for it - from the gorgeously haunting vocal and string melodies to the extremely dark character interactions that offer your witch finder the choice between 'talk' and 'torture'. And yet, living in Wales for the last decade must have rubbed off. The sweet sheep, they sing to me. The relative rarity of stop motion and other practical effects in horror media is surely one of the greater tragedies of our age, although not too surprising given the incredible amount of work it takes. Flock toward the trailer below, and I’ll see you on the other side of the pasture, hopefully as deeply altered by the experience as I was.

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If you need a horror game to tide you over till the Silent Hill 2 remake, you can do a lot worse than Becrowned’s demohttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/if-you-need-a-horror-game-to-tide-you-over-till-the-silent-hill-2-remake-you-can-do-a-lot-worse-than-becrowneds-demoNic ReubenMon, 30 Sep 2024 12:39:21 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/if-you-need-a-horror-game-to-tide-you-over-till-the-silent-hill-2-remake-you-can-do-a-lot-worse-than-becrowneds-demoPCAction AdventureBecrownedMacIndieIndiescoveryHorror

While I’m all for building dread through a lingering introduction, it’s always a treat to play a horror game that wastes no time tearing the moorings of familiarity right out from underneath you, as is the case with 13th Street Studios’ Becrowned. In fact, the game’s demo managed to make me go “oooh” then “ah!” in three different ways before I’d even exited the starting elevator. It also made me go “ugh” once, because I opted against tank controls, despite the suggestion to use them with mouse and keyboard. I come to you as disembodied voice, trapped between the worlds of video game inputs, with a dire plea: don’t do that. Just use tank controls. I’d restart but I’m already in too deep.

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Apartment Story is a game about murder, loneliness, and the mental health benefits of straight up jorking ithttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/apartment-story-is-a-game-about-murder-loneliness-and-the-mental-health-benefits-of-straight-up-jorking-itNic ReubenThu, 26 Sep 2024 15:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/apartment-story-is-a-game-about-murder-loneliness-and-the-mental-health-benefits-of-straight-up-jorking-itApartment StoryPCBlue Rider InteractiveIndiescoveryStory RichSimulation

Experimental, feature-length simulation game Apartment Story is not especially brilliant, but it does feature a home invasion that’s stressful in several, systemically tangible ways I’ve never quite felt in such a specific combination from a videogame before. It’s partly a story about mental health, partly about the absolute horror of not just managing a Sim but actually being one, and partly about seeing how many wanks and cheese sandwiches you can fit into a single morning. Yes, I washed my hands afterward. Ah, but after which?

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Disposition is an escape room game that tests whether you've got the memory recall of a goldfishhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/disposition-is-an-escape-room-game-that-tests-whether-youve-got-the-memory-recall-of-a-goldfishEd ThornThu, 26 Sep 2024 09:53:26 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/disposition-is-an-escape-room-game-that-tests-whether-youve-got-the-memory-recall-of-a-goldfishPCMysteryastro houndIndiescoveryIndieWalking SimDisposition

I reckon I've got quite a strong long term memory. For instance, I can recall that time I read Stoner on a backpacking trip through Italy and realising that I particularly like sad books. I can also recall the delicious taste of a Mars Delight chocolate bar. But my short term memory, whew. Yeah it's not so good. And the demo for Disposition, a liminal escape room game where you've got to remember how things are arranged in rooms, has hammered this point home.

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Try the demo for top-down undead slayer Moon Watch, in which time is movement and movement is garlic grenadeshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/try-the-demo-for-top-down-undead-slayer-moon-watch-in-which-time-is-movementEdwin Evans-ThirlwellTue, 24 Sep 2024 17:38:14 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/try-the-demo-for-top-down-undead-slayer-moon-watch-in-which-time-is-movementSide viewPCAction AdventureRPGMacSingle PlayerCard GamesPuzzleFantasyThird personStrategyFightingBackpack HeroShooterAuditoryStrategy: Turn-Based StrategyMoon WatchArcadeIndieIndiescovery

A week ago, while belabouring the nuances of Arco, I expressed a wish to play more bullet hell games with time freeze mechanics, the better to savour the intricacy of their projectile patterning. Now here's Moon Watch, a Vampire Survivors-ish pixelart shooter in which you have a watch that stops time when you stand still. Snug within that frozen instant, you're free to laugh in the gurning faces of the living dead while you idly choose and aim garlic grenades, stake launchers and bouncy ice comets.

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Shogun Showdown review: an exceptional roguelike that hits differenthttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/shogun-showdown-reviewLiam RichardsonTue, 24 Sep 2024 15:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/shogun-showdown-reviewRoguelikeStrategy: Turn-Based StrategyGamera GamesPCRoboatinoIndiescoveryIndieWot I ThinkShogun ShowdownGoblinz PublishingBestest Bests

Like a samurai poised patiently for an opening in their opponent’s defences, Shogun Showdown understands that focus and finesse are the means to delivering an impactful blow. This rare roguelike distils the genre down to its purest components, all in favour of amplifying its dizzying combat that plays gracefully with the concepts of positioning and patience. Highly refined, stylish and complex, Shogun Showdown is a delight.

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Dinoblade has you duke it out as dinos with buster swords clamped between your gnashershttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dinoblade-has-you-duke-it-out-as-dinos-with-buster-swords-clamped-between-your-gnashersEd ThornTue, 24 Sep 2024 10:33:24 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dinoblade-has-you-duke-it-out-as-dinos-with-buster-swords-clamped-between-your-gnashersPCDinobladeJean NguyenArcadeIndieIndiescoveryFighting

The in thing when it comes to dinosaur conversations now is this: "Yeah but did you know that they weren't all like, lizardy, but covered in feathers". You might want to chuck in that chickens are basically dinosaurs, because their feet have a "Triassic Flange", a (made-up) term that will make you sound authoritative. If you really want to showcase your knowledge, though, you may want to mention that dinosaurs may have actually fought with large swords lodged between their teeth. Dinoblade demonstrates this! And no, they haven't discovered swords alongside dinosaur fossils yet because palaeontologists have been unlucky thus far. "Soon", you tell them.

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Near Mint is Slay The Spire but you’ve accidentally left your cards in the washing machinehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/near-mint-is-slay-the-spire-but-youve-accidentally-left-your-cards-in-the-washing-machineNic ReubenTue, 24 Sep 2024 09:08:42 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/near-mint-is-slay-the-spire-but-youve-accidentally-left-your-cards-in-the-washing-machineRoguelikeCard GamesIndiescovery

This one’s a very simple build at the moment, but neat enough that I wanted to shout it out. Near Mint is a roguelike deckbuilder where you advance through a tower fighting slightly stronger iterations of the exact same skeleton. Ok, nothing too captivating so far. The twist comes from the cards: someone’s left them in their Oodie pouch, spilt BBQ sauce down it, then stuck it in the wash before taking the deck out. Now, all the cards have split apart into three pieces. It’s name-your-own-price on Itch here, and it’ll only take you a couple minutes to get acquainted, but I’ll explain the gist below. Gist is a good word. Satisfying to say. Gist.

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Buddy, if you’re only buying two lousy packs you can leave my TCG Card Shop Simulator store immediatelyhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/buddy-if-youre-only-buying-two-lousy-packs-you-can-leave-my-tcg-card-shop-simulator-store-immediatelyNic ReubenTue, 24 Sep 2024 08:59:34 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/buddy-if-youre-only-buying-two-lousy-packs-you-can-leave-my-tcg-card-shop-simulator-store-immediatelyOPNeon GamesPCIndiescoverySimulationTCG Card Shop Simulator

While I’ve been known to enjoy a few of them in my time, I tend to view a lot of more mundane simulator games in the same way I view sports games: Looks fine, but I could do this stuff in real life, were I inclined and also social and also vaguely limber instead of owning a spine with roughly the flexibility of a rib n’ saucy Nik Nak.

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I didn’t play Shadowgate, but this skeleton reminds me of HeroQuest and that’s good enough for mehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-didnt-play-shadowgate-but-this-skeleton-reminds-me-of-heroquest-and-thats-good-enough-for-meNic ReubenMon, 23 Sep 2024 09:03:52 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-didnt-play-shadowgate-but-this-skeleton-reminds-me-of-heroquest-and-thats-good-enough-for-meZojoiAction AdventurePoint and ClickPuzzleThird personSingle PlayerIndiescoveryBeyond Shadowgate

Raise your thumb if you’ve ever impaled it on a HeroQuest skeleton’s scythe. Country’s gone soft these days, I tell you. I’ve seen those new Heroquest skellies. You couldn’t injure yourself on those scythes if you tried. It’s polearm-ical correctness gone mad! Well, good news if you’re nostalgic for a simpler time, where tiny scythes could maim you for life, and binary digits came in lots of eight and not a binary digit more. RPG Beyond Shadowgate is a vastly-expanded, modernised sequel to the classic NES adventure, created by the original’s designers, and it just released last week.

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Copycat forced me to refuse a dying elderly woman emotional comfort, then steal her chickenhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/copycat-forced-me-to-refuse-a-dying-elderly-woman-emotional-comfort-then-steal-her-chickenNic ReubenThu, 19 Sep 2024 10:44:42 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/copycat-forced-me-to-refuse-a-dying-elderly-woman-emotional-comfort-then-steal-her-chickenCopycatPCSpoonful Of WonderIndiescoveryCatsSimulation

“Guided by your moral compass: reflect on themes of home, loneliness and belonging through a complex, three-act story told effortlessly through three hours of video game narrative,” the press release for cat simulator Copycat told me. Morals? Daddy Karch, it’s happening again!

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The Lethal Company developer's next game is an open world where you can't seehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-lethal-company-developers-next-game-is-an-open-world-where-you-cant-seeEdwin Evans-ThirlwellThu, 19 Sep 2024 09:32:09 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-lethal-company-developers-next-game-is-an-open-world-where-you-cant-seeOpen WorldWelcome To The Dark PlacePCAction AdventureSingle PlayerIndieIndiescoveryHorrorStory Rich

Lethal Company was one of last year's surprise horror hits. It was a brilliant dystopian scavenging sim in which you searched cellars for bolts while avoiding the attentions of creatures that hate being looked at, or which only move when they're not being looked at, or which look like your friends, from a distance. The developer's next game, Welcome To The Dark Place, is more about hearing. It's an "open-world, auditory text-based adventure" which mostly takes place in pitch blackness.

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Metroidvania Marko: Beyond Brave describes itself as "Slavic Silksong", and is out nowhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/metroidvania-marko-beyond-brave-describes-itself-as-slavic-silksong-and-is-out-nowNic ReubenWed, 18 Sep 2024 13:48:54 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/metroidvania-marko-beyond-brave-describes-itself-as-slavic-silksong-and-is-out-nowPCMetroidvaniaMarko: Beyond BraveIndiescoveryStudio Mechka

As I’m sure as is the curse of anyone who’s watched the entirety of Peep Show multiple times, I cannot read the name ‘Marko’ without hearing it in a nasally Australian accent, inquiring about cocaine. This is probably a disservice to the hero of colourful metroidvania Marko: Beyond Brave, who a quick goog tells me may be based on Krali Marko - a popular character in the folklore of Studio Mechka’s native Bulgaria. Folk hero or not, Marko certainly has some heroic facial hair: his moustache floweth so bountifully that it can’t be contained in his character portrait. Extremely powerful of him.

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LYMBUS is hostile to my existence and keeps demanding brain cells I haven’t grown yethttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/lymbus-is-hostile-to-my-existence-and-keeps-demanding-brain-cells-i-havent-grown-yetNic ReubenWed, 18 Sep 2024 08:42:48 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/lymbus-is-hostile-to-my-existence-and-keeps-demanding-brain-cells-i-havent-grown-yetLYMBUSHappy Accident StudiosRoguelikeIndiescovery

What are you LYMBUS? In what vat were you grown? I feel like I’ve sluggishly ambled my way down to the fridge and tried to scoop a gherkin from the jar, only to find a disconcertingly tasty sliver of my own brain - like a creature from Flatland trying to play 4D chess, and all the pieces are just tiny carvings of my face with “lol get a load of this prick” whittled into the forehead. I quite like it.

“We combined your favorite genres into one grotesque piece of software! You're welcome, game journalists,” reads the Steam page for the demo. That is a very polite way to kick me in the head and call me a bitch, LYMBUS.

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People’s heads keep exploding for no good reason in I Am Your Beast and I’m very much onboard with ithttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/peoples-heads-keep-exploding-for-no-good-reason-in-i-am-your-beast-and-im-very-much-onboard-with-itNic ReubenTue, 17 Sep 2024 14:08:37 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/peoples-heads-keep-exploding-for-no-good-reason-in-i-am-your-beast-and-im-very-much-onboard-with-itPCStrange ScaffoldSingle PlayerShooter: First PersonShooterArcadeIndiescoveryI Am Your BeastFirst person

Strange Scaffold’s newly released FPS I Am Your Beast is very fun for quite a few reasons, but chief among them is a deep appreciation for the poetry of good videogame violence. I’m not using the big P word just to throw out an overly worthy comparison to something we might associate with craft or beauty, but as a nod toward the game’s playful application of what I previously called ‘a euphoric splurge of murderous game verbiage’ one morning where I had clearly eaten my wordy Weetabix. The way its hurled knives and curb stomps and inexplicable decapitations flow together have an assonant, almost Suessian quality to them.

But it’s also, well, just a bit like Mad Libs. You play as Harding, a man who’s mythical lethality is established very early on. The showing is there in the moment to moment, but the telling is conveyed through cute tricks like how everyone you meet is so deeply afraid of Harding that they loudly keep track of exactly what weapon he’s holding at all times. The Mad Libs comes in through the fact that you can draw Harding a route between A and B, and it’s a given that multiple heads are going to come unstuck from necks along the way. You’re sort of just casually filling in the verbs that seem the most fun to you in the moment. One of the verbs is ‘hornet’. Hornet is a verb now.

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We Who Are About To Die’s new update has finally given me the excuse I need to cowardly lob some rocks at the heads of seasoned opponentshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/we-who-are-about-to-dies-new-update-has-finally-given-me-the-excuse-i-need-to-cowardly-lob-some-rocks-at-the-heads-of-seasoned-opponentsNic ReubenTue, 17 Sep 2024 08:45:33 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/we-who-are-about-to-dies-new-update-has-finally-given-me-the-excuse-i-need-to-cowardly-lob-some-rocks-at-the-heads-of-seasoned-opponentsRoguelikePCWe Who Are About To DieIndiescoveryHack & Slash

I am sure gladiator roguelike RPG We Who Are About To Die’s latest update is very nice, and its accompanying 30% celebratory discount even nicer. You can find the full patch notes here, and I’d be interested to hear how significant they are from the more fascina-pilled among you. They mean nothing to me, however, because We Who Are About To Die has been taunting me from my wishlist since it launched in early access a few years back. Well, no more. Throw me to the lions! Oh, this one has a Steam demo in its mouth. Great stuff.

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ECHOSTASIS’s curious and thoughtful horror doesn’t overlook the importance of an excellent shotgunhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/echostasiss-curious-and-thoughtful-horror-doesnt-overlook-the-importance-of-an-excellent-shotgunNic ReubenTue, 17 Sep 2024 08:32:10 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/echostasiss-curious-and-thoughtful-horror-doesnt-overlook-the-importance-of-an-excellent-shotgunEchostasisPCAction AdventureSingle PlayerEnigma StudioIndieIndiescoveryHorrorFirst person

ECHOSTASIS is the third entry in Enigma’s Studio’s horror trilogy, and it’s one of the more interesting games I’ve played this year. There’s a demo on Steam, and you should grab it if you're interested, since everything I have to say about it is going to be a spoiler of some kind. I’ll attempt a brief description below, but a lot of the fun here is discovering how all its parts fit together, and how even its more prosaic game conventions are defamiliarised through a spooky, static-drenched ensorcellment.

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Trust is a vampire FPS with immersive sim elements from the Forgive Me Father devshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/trust-is-a-vampire-fps-with-immersive-sim-elements-from-the-forgive-me-father-devsEdwin Evans-ThirlwellMon, 16 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/trust-is-a-vampire-fps-with-immersive-sim-elements-from-the-forgive-me-father-devsStealthPCAction AdventureFantasyShooter: First PersonIndiescoveryTrustHorror

In theory, vampires and immersive sims go together as naturally as bats and caves. Immersive sims tend to involve a balance of stealth, acrobatics, raw strength and crafty manipulation, and vampires are celebrated for all of these things. Despite this, actual vampire-themed immersive sims are rare. My list starts with Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines... and sort of ends there. In a devastating betrayal, Arkane Austin's Redfall wasn't an immersive sim but an open world co-op shooter (a not very good one). The much-delayed Bloodlines 2 was recently downgraded from immersive sim to RPG by new developers The Chinese Room. Arkane Lyon's Blade adaptation seems promising, but it's a ways off.

Here to paper over the immersive vamping gap in the market is Byte Barrel's Trust, "a new first-person shooter with immersive sim elements". It takes place in a world where the vampires are hunted for their blood, which has become an everyday human energy source, used for everything from car batteries to streetlights. The irony! I feel like, in the circumstances, the ideal solution would be for humans to let vampires suck their blood in return for vampires letting humans use their blood for electricity, but that wouldn't make for a very thrilling shooter. Anyway, here's the trailer.

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Neon knight flier Hyperbeat looks like a stylish mash-up of Rez and Osu!https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/neon-knight-flier-hyperbeat-looks-like-a-stylish-mash-up-of-rez-and-osuEd ThornMon, 16 Sep 2024 13:40:58 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/neon-knight-flier-hyperbeat-looks-like-a-stylish-mash-up-of-rez-and-osuAlice BottinoPCChancellor WallinIndiescoveryHyperbeatIndieRhythm

If you're a fan of rhythm games and fun bops, then you might want to bookmark ol' Hyperbeat. Set in a wireframe world, you're to chop, dodge or ride notes as you slam your "hyperknight" through a tunnel at high speed. There's a subtle, dreamy story element to your musical journey, with confusing dialogue and a nice cherry blossom tree. Hmmm, curious. Anyway yeah, it looks rad.

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This action roguelite’s demo has more stuff in it than some full games, plus some very good goblinshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-action-roguelites-demo-has-more-stuff-in-it-than-some-full-games-plus-some-very-good-goblinsNic ReubenMon, 16 Sep 2024 08:12:18 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-action-roguelites-demo-has-more-stuff-in-it-than-some-full-games-plus-some-very-good-goblinsPCSingle PlayerShooterPerfect RandomIndiescoveryIndieSulfurFirst person

For all the nightmarish enshittification modern life throws at us, we can at least feel warm and fulfilled about the resurgence of demos. Bountifully they await on Steam, like a friendly worker offering you toothpick-skewered cheese chunks at your local supermarket. And, oh, would you look at that: this cheese has some guns in it. Deeply customisable guns! SULFUR is a shooty roguelike with some excellent goblins and a deep RPG equipment system. And, if the Steam reviews are to be believed, some players are squeezing out dozens of hours from the demo alone.

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50/50 is a cheerful, deeply heinous free game about cutting things perfectly in halfhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/5050-is-a-cheerful-deeply-heinous-free-game-about-cutting-things-perfectly-in-halfEdwin Evans-ThirlwellFri, 13 Sep 2024 09:34:29 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/5050-is-a-cheerful-deeply-heinous-free-game-about-cutting-things-perfectly-in-halfPCFree games50/50PuzzleIndiescoveryIndie

We're having a bit of an indie freebie morning, it seems. My humble contribution is 50/50, a downloadable or browser-based game which I suspect will fill some of you with the deepest aggravation. As the name suggests, it's about cutting things in half - specifically food items, such as fried eggs (easy enough) and candy canes (WTF). You draw a line down each object with your mouse, then click or hit space bar to perform a slice. Then, the game calculates a percentage. If it's bang-on or very close to 50/50, you'll pass. If not, you'll have to start over. I know: this is how entire days are wasted. Sorry.

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Portal To The Cosmobeat is a brilliant, ridiculous and currently free mix of QWOP and Dance Dance Revolutionhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/portal-to-the-cosmobeat-is-a-brilliant-ridiculous-and-currently-free-mix-of-qwop-and-dance-dance-revolutionNic ReubenFri, 13 Sep 2024 08:46:28 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/portal-to-the-cosmobeat-is-a-brilliant-ridiculous-and-currently-free-mix-of-qwop-and-dance-dance-revolutionPCFree games4bpm studioRhythmIndiescoveryPortal to the Cosmobeat

Haha. Hoho. Yes. Hehe. Yes. This rules. This rules so hard. Portal To The Cosmobeat is a rhythm dance battler where you copy the moves of your opponents by controlling each of your limbs, and your head, with a separate key. If you look down at your keyboard right now, you’ll notice your W, A, D, Z and X form a five pointed star - with the W key a bit off, granted. That’s you, that is. You hold down the limbs you want to wiggle, then control them with your mouse. It’s simple, silly, and very fun. Here’s a tray-tray:

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Hollowbody is almost a great survival horror gamehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hollowbody-is-almost-a-great-survival-horror-gameNic ReubenThu, 12 Sep 2024 15:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hollowbody-is-almost-a-great-survival-horror-gameHorrorIndiescoveryHeadware GamesHollowbody

Hollowbody’s introduction is masterful, and not just for a sallow skyline that captures the life-sapping dreariness of British coastlines. The horror nous required to impart unease in the middle of the day are somewhat eased up on when you’ve got all that serotonin-begone drizzle to work with, sure. But this feels more poignant than that. There’s a soulful drearines and utterly heartbreaking inevitability to the vibe here, as your character and rubber suited activist pals try to get the bottom of a horrific incident. It’s got best British indie horror film of the year written all over it.

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Bramble Royale: A Meteorfall Story pops D&D party mechanics into a roguelike deckbuilder reminiscent of Adventure Timehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/bramble-royale-a-meteorfall-story-pops-dd-party-mechanics-into-a-roguelike-deckbuilder-reminiscent-of-adventure-timeNic ReubenThu, 12 Sep 2024 08:29:05 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/bramble-royale-a-meteorfall-story-pops-dd-party-mechanics-into-a-roguelike-deckbuilder-reminiscent-of-adventure-timeStrategy: Turn-Based StrategyPCBramble Royale: A Meteorfall StoryCard GamesIndiescoverySlothwerks

I am torn between being deeply annoyed at the fact roguelike deckbuilder Bramble Royale: A Meteorfall Story allows me to poison skeletons, and actually finding it very funny. I suppose it would take an unnecessary amount of setup to lampshade that my dexterity brawler, Mischief, actually switches out her regular poison for bone-hurting juice when fighting skeletal undead. So, you get a pass for now, game. Here’s a trailer:

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Devil's Hideout review: scattershot horror through a surreal urban hellhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/devils-hideout-reviewJeremy BlumTue, 10 Sep 2024 16:15:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/devils-hideout-reviewCosmic VoidPoint and ClickDevil's HideoutIndieIndiescoveryWot I ThinkHorror

There's something about mostly empty urban centers in the US that depresses me and disturbs my soul. Whenever I visit family in the States and find myself in a derelict shopping plaza or some other place affected by America's depressing sense of architectural planning and overreliance on cars, I can't help but feel a sense of dread.

Devil's Hideout, a point and click horror game made by indie dev Cosmic Void, takes place in one such abandoned American city, and manages to deliver on this sense of dread even if its eerie hellscape is rough around the edges.

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This fictional CD-ROM about a Knightmare-style game show is secretly this year’s best horror gamehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-fictional-cd-rom-about-a-knightmare-style-game-show-is-secretly-this-years-best-horror-gameNic ReubenTue, 10 Sep 2024 08:09:01 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-fictional-cd-rom-about-a-knightmare-style-game-show-is-secretly-this-years-best-horror-gameHorrorIndiescoveryPCFrontiers Of The Mind

Frontiers Of The Mind is cursed, by which I mean that 7-Zip turned red while I was extracting the file. What unsightly encounter deep within the bowels of my download file caused this temporary anomaly? No time to think about that. After playing this horror game, I’ve now got too many other questions.

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Qanga is an indie Star Citizen in a seamless universe with no loading screenshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/qanga-is-an-indie-star-citizen-in-a-seamless-universe-with-no-loading-screensNic ReubenMon, 09 Sep 2024 08:23:19 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/qanga-is-an-indie-star-citizen-in-a-seamless-universe-with-no-loading-screensSpace CombatPCIndiescoveryQangaiolaCorp Studio

Well, if this isn’t a vastly impressive little gem I’m not sure what is. Qanga is a space exploration game set in a loading screen-less solar system. It features ship travel, combat, trade, and base building, and you can do all of it alone or with space mates. It’s got a demo, but it’s also on the cheaper end if you fancy buying into early access. Considering the pricing, I’d say it’s a real looker, too.

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Parking Garage Rally Circuit is an arcade racer designed like a "lost Sega Saturn" game and from the maker of JellyCarhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/parking-garage-rally-circuit-is-an-arcade-racer-designed-like-a-lost-sega-saturn-game-and-from-the-maker-of-jellycarGraham SmithThu, 05 Sep 2024 18:19:11 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/parking-garage-rally-circuit-is-an-arcade-racer-designed-like-a-lost-sega-saturn-game-and-from-the-maker-of-jellycarPCRacingSingle PlayerParking Garage Rally CircuitIndiescoveryIndieWalaber EntertainmentMultiplayer Competitive

Every week of late I seem to pop up here with another new arcade racer to talk about, and well, I wouldn't want to break the streak. This week's new hotness is Parking Garage Rally Circuit, which is about powersliding around multi-storey car parks and is designed to look like a lost Sega Saturn game. It now has a release date: September 20th.

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Nikhil Murthy's Syphilisation is a ferociously in-depth, empathic reworking of Civilization and other 4X gameshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/nikhil-murthys-syphilisation-is-a-ferociously-in-depth-empathic-reworking-of-civilization-and-other-4x-gamesEdwin Evans-ThirlwellWed, 04 Sep 2024 16:53:42 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/nikhil-murthys-syphilisation-is-a-ferociously-in-depth-empathic-reworking-of-civilization-and-other-4x-gamesStrategy: Grand Strategy/4XPCIndieNikhil Murthy's SyphilizationIndiescoveryHistorical

Nikhil Murthy's Syphilisation is a "postcolonial 4X game", which might sound like a contradiction in terms. While approaches to 4X and grand strategy vary hugely between games, factions and players, the genre as a whole is firmly wedded to imperial conquest, both structurally and at the level of narrative aspects and set-dressing. Many 4X games are triumphal re-enactments of specific periods of colonial settlement and expansion. All of which is to say that Syphilisation is fascinating. It's a reworking of the genre which dismantles and reconstructs concepts such as diplomacy, research and production. It's also just left early access - find more details and a playthrough video below.

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The people behind amazing Brutalist parkour game Babbdi are making a free 1v1 FPS with over 100 mapshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-people-behind-amazing-brutalist-parkour-game-babbdi-are-making-a-free-1v1-fps-with-over-100-mapsEdwin Evans-ThirlwellWed, 04 Sep 2024 10:41:45 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-people-behind-amazing-brutalist-parkour-game-babbdi-are-making-a-free-1v1-fps-with-over-100-mapsPCStraftatShooter: First PersonIndiescoveryIndie

Babbdi was a game of stark and severe Brutalist aesthetics, and also, a game about playing scales with a trumpet, walljumping with a baseball bat and using a leafblower to fly. Snuck out over winter 2022, it was a sombre but delightful freebie with immense though well-hidden imagination, in which your only explicit objective was to find a way out of a small concrete city.

Now, developers Lemaitre Bros are making a gott-dang 1v1 FPS called Straftat, slated for release on 24th October 2024 with over 100 arenas. It's similarly in love with concrete, but it also has blunderbusses, dual-wielding, Gatling guns, corner-peeking, curved swords, cowboy hats and beehive hairdos.

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Witching Stone has you joining up shapes into spells and is massively charming - here's a demohttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/witching-stone-has-you-joining-up-shapes-into-spells-and-is-massively-charming-heres-a-demoEdwin Evans-ThirlwellFri, 30 Aug 2024 17:20:22 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/witching-stone-has-you-joining-up-shapes-into-spells-and-is-massively-charming-heres-a-demoRoguelikePCPuzzleFantasyRPG: Turn-basedIndiescoveryIndieWitching Stone

I took a longer lunch break today, and must now Pay The Reaper by staying after work. Fortunately, I've spent my penance playing the demo for Witching Stone, which applies the magic of shape-matching to the magic of, well, magic. Out on 16th September, it's a pixelart charmer that "combines elements of puzzle games, roguelites and deckbuilders", much as you'd combine a red circle and two golden triangles to spark a lightning bolt.

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Floops Big House Adventure is a Nickelodeon Saturday morning gross-out shooterhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/floops-big-house-adventure-is-a-nickelodeon-saturday-morning-gross-out-shooterNic ReubenFri, 30 Aug 2024 10:29:32 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/floops-big-house-adventure-is-a-nickelodeon-saturday-morning-gross-out-shooterPCFloops Big House AdventureButtery GamesArcadeIndiescovery

I won an awful board game from Nickelodeon once. I say “won”. Actually, I got disconnected phoning into a competition line after I’d gotten through, got upset loudly, my mum called them to complain, they fast tracked me to the next competition thing, I got the quiz answer wrong, and the presenter pretended he’d heard the right answer and pulled a prize out of the big prize bucket. It was a copy of The Game of Life, possibly the least exciting board game a child can win.

The game was dog water, and there’s probably a lesson in there somewhere about how cool and good it is to whine until you get free things, but we don’t have time for that. Instead, I’d like to draw your attention to Floops Big House Adventure. It’s a grungy, slimy, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters meets Ren and Stimpy Saturday morning shooter. Some of you will already hate it from the header screenshot, I imagine. Personally, the art drew me right in.

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“Spell words with over 25 different letters” as you travel through “Yorkshire-sounding” places in puzzle RPG Sternly Worded Adventureshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/spell-words-with-over-25-different-letters-as-you-travel-through-yorkshire-sounding-places-in-puzzle-rpg-sternly-worded-adventuresNic ReubenWed, 28 Aug 2024 08:31:26 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/spell-words-with-over-25-different-letters-as-you-travel-through-yorkshire-sounding-places-in-puzzle-rpg-sternly-worded-adventuresSternly Worded AdventuresPuzzleIndiescoveryPC

There’s nowt more magical than the lambent inscriptions of tangled sigils required to spell places like Ainderby Quernhow, Weedley Copse, or Upper Poppleton. A shiny whippet to the first of you to correctly identify which of these are real, and which were invented for “roguelite word puzzle RPGSternly Worded Adventures. Actually, scratch that. I’m not made of whippets, and you can just as easily find out yourself via the Steam demo. I think you should, if only because “I killed a slime by spelling out the word Toblerone” is easily in my top ten gaming moments of the year.

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Amazingly grim retro sci-fi android spelunker Lorn’s Lure finally has a release datehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/amazingly-grim-retro-sci-fi-android-spelunker-lorns-lure-finally-has-a-release-dateEdwin Evans-ThirlwellFri, 23 Aug 2024 17:07:25 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/amazingly-grim-retro-sci-fi-android-spelunker-lorns-lure-finally-has-a-release-dateAction AdventureSingle PlayerIndieIndiescoveryLorn's LurePlatformerFirst person

If you like jumping on enveloping pixelly architecture while basking in an atmosphere of pathological sadness, set aside some time on 20th September, because that’s when Rubeki's first-person spelunker Lorn’s Lure launches on Steam. Ah, I've been waiting a while for this one. Catch a new trailer below.

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New theme park manager Mars Attracts is the oddest bit of IP necromancy I’ve seen in quite some timehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/new-theme-park-manager-mars-attracts-is-the-oddest-bit-of-ip-necromancy-ive-seen-in-quite-some-timeNic ReubenThu, 22 Aug 2024 13:46:03 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/new-theme-park-manager-mars-attracts-is-the-oddest-bit-of-ip-necromancy-ive-seen-in-quite-some-timePCOutlierIndiescoveryStrategy: BuilderMars AttractsSimulation

I shouldn’t be too surprised really. If a park sim based on Tim Burton’s 1996 B-Movie homage Mars Attacks wasn’t on my bingo card, it’s because I’ve recently binned it and replaced it with a bobble head that simply nods in amused acceptance at whatever videogames decide to do next. And conceptually, Jurassic World Evolution with captive humans instead of dinos isn’t not a potential winner, is it? Still, I was mildly bemused to learn that Mars Attracts, coming sometime next year, is the film’s first licensed game. But then I realised that I’d never thought to check before, which might go some way to explaining the lack of them. Do you reckon they did the pun then worked backwards from there? Respectable, honestly.

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Cupiclaw wants to do for claw machines what Balatro did for pokerhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cupiclaw-wants-to-do-for-claw-machines-what-balatro-did-for-pokerEdwin Evans-ThirlwellWed, 21 Aug 2024 15:40:15 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cupiclaw-wants-to-do-for-claw-machines-what-balatro-did-for-pokerRoguelikePCCupiclawArcadeIndiescovery

Gamescom is exploding all around us, but there is still time to lower a pincer into the pile of Steam indie game announcements and reel up the occasional treasure. In this case, it's the demo for Cupiclaw, which is possibly the first ever "roguelike deckbuilding claw machine game". You know how Balatro made you feel about Joker cards? Well, this game wants to make you feel the same about claw machines. It's a terrible turn of events, frankly. I'm sorry for inflicting yet another potential bingeplay upon you. Here's a trailer.

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You can’t fool me with your “poorly drawn” rhino barbarians, Heroes Of The Seven Islands - the classic RPG enthusiasm is palpablehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/you-cant-fool-me-with-your-poorly-drawn-rhino-barbarians-heroes-of-the-seven-islands-the-classic-rpg-enthusiasm-is-palpableNic ReubenTue, 20 Aug 2024 14:43:57 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/you-cant-fool-me-with-your-poorly-drawn-rhino-barbarians-heroes-of-the-seven-islands-the-classic-rpg-enthusiasm-is-palpablePCHeroes of the Seven IslandsRPGIndiescoveryRap2h

As much as I’m a sucker for the grimmest and darkest of grimdark fantasy settings, the try-hardness of it all can get a bit grating at times. You could make the same argument at the opposite end of spectrum, of course. Cosy games seem locked in a perpetual arms-race to twee each other into the dirt, chopping their rival’s dog-petting hands off and taking a sparkly tinkle on their pastel corpses. But hand-drawn RPG Heroes Of The Seven Islands feels more authentic than all that. It’s bedroom antifolk by way of chill dungeon synth, by way of an antelope sorcerer named Jean-Pierre.

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A lovely, not-at-all culty seaside day out awaits in “Story generator” sim Marry a Deep One: Innsmouth Simulatorhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-lovely-not-at-all-culty-seaside-day-out-awaits-in-story-generator-sim-marry-a-deep-one-innsmouth-simulatorNic ReubenMon, 19 Aug 2024 11:15:33 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-lovely-not-at-all-culty-seaside-day-out-awaits-in-story-generator-sim-marry-a-deep-one-innsmouth-simulatorMarry a Deep One: Innsmouth SimulatorsimulinatiPCIndiescoveryStrategySimulation

I’ve likely mentioned hitting Lovecraft fatigue so often that it’s now evolved into a second phase of Lovecraft-fatigue fatigue. This is not the same as Lovecraft refreshment, no matter how much I might want to return to the days before old one plushies and Cthulhu children’s books terrorised the internet en masse. There’s not quite enough information about “story generator” sim Marry a Deep One: Innsmouth Simulator for me to confidently say it’ll cut through my exhaustion with all things tentacular and horrifically be-gilled. But it is beguiling, isn’t it? There’s all sorts of little widgets and details shown off that remind me of everything from Sid Meier’s Pirates to classic adventure games, and maybe even a little Rimworld? It’s a heady soup, although one I’d recommend against quaffing, given where the water comes from.

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JDM: Rise Of The Scorpion offers a free prologue of drift racing around rural Japanhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/jdm-rise-of-the-scorpion-offers-a-free-prologue-of-drift-racing-around-rural-japanGraham SmithSat, 17 Aug 2024 21:41:14 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/jdm-rise-of-the-scorpion-offers-a-free-prologue-of-drift-racing-around-rural-japanDemosRacingIndiescoveryGaming FactoryJDM: Japanese Drift Master

JDM: Rise Of The Scorpion is a free prologue for JDM: Japanese Drift Master, a racing game about - who could guess - drift racing in Japan. It's got an open world set in rural towns to burn rubber around as well as several story missions to play. You can download it from Steam now.

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In retro gorefest The Lacerator there are as many solutions as you have limbs to losehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/in-retro-gorefest-the-lacerator-there-are-as-many-solutions-as-you-have-limbs-to-loseEdwin Evans-ThirlwellThu, 15 Aug 2024 14:11:55 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/in-retro-gorefest-the-lacerator-there-are-as-many-solutions-as-you-have-limbs-to-loseThe LaceratorPCDreadXPAction AdventurePuzzleThird personSingle PlayerIndieIndiescoveryHorror

Earlier this week there was some minor Discourse about the removal of the Erotica photography tag from the Dead Rising remaster. Some readers characterised this as a familiar species of cultural hypocrisy regarding video games - emphasising violence is A-OK, but for the love of god, don't mention sex. Good news, those people: Dread XP's latest horror signing The Lacerator has both. It casts you as hirsute 1980s porn star Max - surname not given in press release, but presumably something like Jackin' or Girth - who has been abducted by a large scary individual called the Lacerator.

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I'll serve my Blood Bar Tycoon customers when I'm through dumping exsanguinated bodies down the sewerhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/ill-serve-my-blood-bar-tycoon-customers-when-im-through-dumping-exsanguinated-bodies-down-the-sewerNic ReubenThu, 15 Aug 2024 10:41:42 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/ill-serve-my-blood-bar-tycoon-customers-when-im-through-dumping-exsanguinated-bodies-down-the-sewerIndiescoveryManagementBlood Bar TycoonClever Trickster Studio

It’s an oddly Halloweeny summer week for games, this one. Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s October 31st release date leaked earlier, Steam have put together a Summer Fright Night bundle featuring RPS fave Hauntii, and I’ve got a strange urge to gorge on Haribo and mini Double Deckers until blood comes out of my eyeballs. What a perfect time, then, to dive into the alpha demo for vampire management game Blood Bar Tycoon, especially since Two Point seem to be resting on their laurels a bit too comfortably for my liking.

The idea here is you build a swanky bar serving claret cosmopolitans, ichor-ish coffees and uh, viscera vampiros to your undead clientele. But (with the sorta exception of the crimson-sapped Dracaena cinnabari) blood doesn’t grow on trees, so you’ll also be moonlighting as a human-nabber. You’ll research a slew of “whacky contraptions” to extract their blood, which I greatly enjoy, because “zany exsanguination” is a real winner of a feature. You can’t frivolously phlebotomise with impunity, however - you’ll also want to be on the lookout for vampire hunters aka the fun police.

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KIBORG: Arena is a free slice of Arkham-style combat starring a John Protagonist-ass punchy cyborghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kiborg-arena-is-a-free-slice-of-arkham-style-combat-starring-a-john-protaganist-ass-punchy-cyborgNic ReubenWed, 14 Aug 2024 11:48:31 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kiborg-arena-is-a-free-slice-of-arkham-style-combat-starring-a-john-protaganist-ass-punchy-cyborgFree gamesPCAction AdventureThird personSobakaSingle PlayerShooterIndieIndiescoveryKiborgHack & Slash

KIBORG: Arena feels like a throwback in several ways that I quite enjoy. It’s a free prologue to the upcoming cyberpunk puncher KIBORG. The titular arena is a large room in which you, a large man, bash a large amount of enemies. You have to punch a gong between waves to trigger the next, and this struck me as a nice pre-emptive nudge that every problem you face in Kiborg can be solved by rapidly moving your fist towards offending objects, which turned out not to be too far off the mark.

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The Curious Expedition studio’s next game Mother Machine lets you co-op as emotional support chaos gremlins created by a lonely supercomputerhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-curious-expedition-studios-next-game-mother-machine-lets-you-co-op-as-emotional-support-chaos-gremlins-created-by-a-lonely-supercomputerNic ReubenTue, 13 Aug 2024 15:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-curious-expedition-studios-next-game-mother-machine-lets-you-co-op-as-emotional-support-chaos-gremlins-created-by-a-lonely-supercomputerMother MachineIndiescoveryRPG: ActionPlatformerMaschinen-Mensch

As long-time readers will know, I'm a piteous mark for weird little game guys. I’m currently trying to puzzle out what the titular Mother Machine in The Curious Expedition studio Maschinen-Mensch’s upcoming co-op platformer refers to. But, if it’s a reference to forming a parental bond with what the game has saw-me-comingishly named “chaos gremlins”, I'm way ahead of you.

Ah, the press release speaketh! Probably should have read some more before I began exclaiming “Chaos Gremlins!” over and over. Have an announcement trailer.

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Become an aging court jester trapped in a cyclical hell at the whims of a fickle audience in Conan Throwbrienhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/become-an-aging-court-jester-trapped-in-a-cyclical-hell-at-the-whims-of-a-fickle-audience-in-conan-throwbrienNic ReubenMon, 12 Aug 2024 11:56:44 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/become-an-aging-court-jester-trapped-in-a-cyclical-hell-at-the-whims-of-a-fickle-audience-in-conan-throwbrienHorrorIndiescoveryConan Throwbrien

Conan Throwbrien welcomes its host to the stage with discordant jazz and uncanny colour bars glitches. It feels eerie. Desperate. A crushing inevitability. Four joke topics appear at the bottom of the screen. Ridiculous celebrity kids names. Action figures for news anchors. Diet water sales boom. You cautiously slide that last one over to the microphone. Throwbrien emits a string of chirps, like a flame-crested lyre bird with a wounded voicebox trying to mimic human language. “Have you folks heard about this one…”

There is an implied terror in this seemingly friendly opener. What if they have heard this one? What will Throwbrien do then?

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Here's a free miniature town-builder with trams from the creator of Viewfinderhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/heres-a-free-miniature-town-builder-with-trams-from-the-creator-of-viewfinderEdwin Evans-ThirlwellFri, 09 Aug 2024 18:16:39 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/heres-a-free-miniature-town-builder-with-trams-from-the-creator-of-viewfinderThunderfulFree gamesPCAction AdventureSad Owl StudiosPuzzleSingle PlayerIndieIndiescoveryPlatformerFirst personViewfinder

Sometimes I want to play a video game, and sometimes I just want to assemble a quiet little Dutch town with iron bridges, fountains and dinky trams bustling about like bumble bees. The project in question is Tramstertram. Aside from being a terrifying feat of punmanship, it's a browser-based building toy from Matt Stark, creator of the really rather lovely Viewfinder.

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Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers review: a fickle but fun roguelike that stretches Blackjack to the moon and backhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dungeons-and-degenerate-gamblers-reviewNic ReubenThu, 08 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dungeons-and-degenerate-gamblers-reviewRoguelikeDungeons & Degenerate GamblersPurple Moss CollectorsRPGFantasySingle PlayerCard GamesIndiescoveryWot I ThinkStrategy

Hm. Hmmmm. Right. So, what have we got here? There’s my Blood Donor card, which reduces the value of the hearts I play, but also heals me. That’s fine, actually. Reduced score means I can squeeze in another card for more healing. If I can pull my Tarot card, I'll deal damage with each heal, and I’ve already pulled two scratch cards for yet more quick damage. Now, if I can just pull a Jack, I can plonk down the King Of Space And Time for a brutal finisher. That’ll transfer everything on my side over to my opponent’s, forcing a bust for a nice final chunk of hurt and…

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Sliding Hero turns a contentious puzzle type into an otherworldly jaunt through a cursed Venetian carnivalhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/sliding-hero-turns-a-contentious-puzzle-type-into-an-otherworldly-jaunt-through-a-cursed-venetian-carnivalNic ReubenThu, 08 Aug 2024 11:22:32 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/sliding-hero-turns-a-contentious-puzzle-type-into-an-otherworldly-jaunt-through-a-cursed-venetian-carnivalPuzzleSilent ChickenIndiescoverySliding Hero

I’d initially assumed that puzzle game Sliding Hero counts was a Sokoban-like, until I realised that it’s actually you, not endless boxes, that do the sliding here. Still, I wasn’t entirely convinced. The only thing that’s fun to slide back-and-forth indefinitely is a lounging cat on a smooth kitchen worktop. Still, after messing around with Sliding Hero’s Steam demo, I think this one might have much longer legs than its restrictive-sounding concept suggests. All the better to endlessly slide with.

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Chrono Trigger meets Guitar Hero was not on my bingo card, but I’ll take it regardlesshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/chrono-trigger-meets-guitar-hero-was-not-on-my-bingo-card-but-ill-take-it-regardlessNic ReubenTue, 06 Aug 2024 11:57:49 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/chrono-trigger-meets-guitar-hero-was-not-on-my-bingo-card-but-ill-take-it-regardlessPCNocturneAction AdventureRPGTerminal RealityThird personSingle PlayerShooterIndiescoveryTake-Two InteractivePracy Studios

You’re dead at the start of rhythm-combat RPG Nocturne, just arrived in some sort of afterlife waiting room after the apparent extinction of humanity. You get your bearings, and you soon meet up with another, only slightly irritating, small child. His name is Kimothy, which sounds like something you’d only say as a joke to annoy friends named Kim, and then only once because it would be stupid to say it again. It’s fine! Leaves flutter, rays of sun cavort through trees, and the music is utterly gorgeous. The game opens on twinkly piano and mournful strings, infused with a good dose of stirring JRPG whimsy, and soon transforms into whatever the genre of music is called that makes you want to immediately go on a massive adventure. Potion-punk. Slime-swing. Limit breakcore etc.

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Cinematic platformer Bionic Bay is incredibly impressive even beyond its 250,000 pixel treeshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cinematic-platformer-bionic-bay-is-incredibly-impressive-even-beyond-its-250000-pixel-treesNic ReubenTue, 06 Aug 2024 10:50:26 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cinematic-platformer-bionic-bay-is-incredibly-impressive-even-beyond-its-250000-pixel-treesKepler InteractivePCAction AdventureSingle PlayerBionic BayIndieIndiescoveryPlatformerFirst person

Cinematic platformer Bionic Bay opens on a scene of a very large egg doing very bad things - easily my third favourite genre of speculative fiction. You awake to a world of tree trunks that twist like viscera and corroded contraptions powered by luminous goop that’s stored in the balls, uh, big glass orbs. A beam of light soon fills your character with newfound vigour, which is a nice moment of triumph in what otherwise feels like a deeply oppressive rust pit, all unsteady platforms and jagged pipes.

It doesn’t take long before you start spotting examples of the reason Bionic Bay went viral earlier this week. Above your head hangs a painstakingly detailed mass of vents and cables, looming lifelike with dust and shadow and history. I stood and stared because I’d seen how the sausage was made, but I like to think I would have lingered longer than usual anyway. It really is just that impressive.

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In cute throwback RPG Super Dungeon Muncher the dungeon is being eaten by a monsterhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/in-cute-throwback-rpg-super-dungeon-muncher-the-dungeon-is-being-eaten-by-a-monsterEdwin Evans-ThirlwellMon, 05 Aug 2024 15:38:42 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/in-cute-throwback-rpg-super-dungeon-muncher-the-dungeon-is-being-eaten-by-a-monsterSuper Dungeon MuncherPCRPGFantasyRPG: Turn-basedIndiescoveryIndie

What is it with monstrous eating mechanics in games of late? Last week it was carnivorous post-Soviet elevators, now it’s retro fantasy RPGs that devour themselves. In Super Dungeon Muncher, you are a teeny-tiny hero navigating a corridor-shaped map full of fireball traps and crumbling platforms, spinning coins and patrolling critters. That’s the “Super Dungeon” part. The “Muncher” part refers to the corpulent red monster guzzling the whole level in your wake.

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Toonsouls is the Dark Souls of Cuphead, in case you’ve got one of two solid gold games journalism jokes raring to gohttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/toonsouls-is-the-dark-souls-of-cuphead-in-case-youve-got-one-of-two-solid-gold-games-journalism-jokes-raring-to-goNic ReubenFri, 02 Aug 2024 11:10:54 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/toonsouls-is-the-dark-souls-of-cuphead-in-case-youve-got-one-of-two-solid-gold-games-journalism-jokes-raring-to-goToonsoulsIndiescoveryPlatformerToon Crafter

Toonsouls, which you can find on Steam here, doesn’t appear to screenshot especially well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of those perpetually disgruntled ghosts and charming goofskulls, but I might not be writing about the platform game at all if I hadn’t seen it in motion, where the vision comes together a lot more. The Cuphead influence runneth so overly that it feels trite to even point it out, and I do think maybe opting for different music would have served it far better in this case, but you can’t deny that Ghosts n’ Goblins lance throw. Get stuck in.

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Kitsune Tails is a wonderfully queer Super Mario 3-inspired platformer that's out todayhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kitsune-tails-is-a-wonderfully-queer-super-mario-3-inspired-platformer-thats-out-todayEd ThornThu, 01 Aug 2024 15:06:52 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/kitsune-tails-is-a-wonderfully-queer-super-mario-3-inspired-platformer-thats-out-todayPCMidBossNintendo SwitchKitsune GamesXbox Series X/SArcadeIndiescoveryPS4Kitsune TailsPS5Platformer

Hey, remember that 2017 roguelike called Midboss? Or that 2020 platformer called Super Bernie World, where you attempt to transform the US as a retro-fied Bernie Sanders? Yes or no, Kitsune Games have put out some good stuff in the past, and now they're back with a Super Bernie World followup: Kitsune Tails. Again, it's a Super Mario-inspired platformer, but this time it's a wonderfully queer rescue mission inspired by Japanese mythology in a way that's cutesy and colourful. And it's out today!

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This free Steam tycoon prologue isn’t quite Dungeon Keeper, but I’m not complaininghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-free-steam-tycoon-prologue-isnt-quite-dungeon-keeper-but-im-not-complainingNic ReubenThu, 01 Aug 2024 08:12:56 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-free-steam-tycoon-prologue-isnt-quite-dungeon-keeper-but-im-not-complainingIndiescoveryManagementDungeon TycoonGoblinz Studios

Well, would you look at that! I just got done pining for the merest whiff of Dungeon Keeper when what should appear on Steam but a free prologue for delightful voxel-arty management sim Dungeon Tycoon. I’m using the word ‘appear’ because, following yet more industry layoffs yesterday, I’m choosing to adopt the brain of an idiot as to shield myself from the crushing reality of material conditions. So, anyway, the magical game goblins whacked the demo on Steam, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. Thanks, adequately compensated and unionised gobbos!

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Post-Soviet horror trinket Kletka is an endless descent in an elevator that wants to eat youhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/post-soviet-horror-trinket-kletka-is-an-endless-descent-in-an-elevator-that-wants-to-eat-youEdwin Evans-ThirlwellWed, 31 Jul 2024 13:48:56 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/post-soviet-horror-trinket-kletka-is-an-endless-descent-in-an-elevator-that-wants-to-eat-youSurvival & CraftingPCFantasyIndiescoveryKletkaIndieHorror

Every time I step out of an elevator, I accelerate wildly in case the elevator falls without warning and chops me in half, leaving the frontal and, all things considered, inferior portion of my body swaying in place for a second before collapsing in a cloud of bisected bone and organ. Don't laugh: I know you do this too. Kletka isn't helping: created by in404, it's a horror scavenging game reminiscent of Lethal Company and Golden Light, in which you ponderously plummet through the layers of an "endless" post-Soviet Gigastructure, scrounging fuel, parts and provender for an elevator that wants to eat you.

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The Great Fluctus is No Man’s Sky with beans, slug milk, alien volleyball, egg arguments, and a massive flying froghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-great-fluctus-is-no-mans-sky-with-beans-slug-milk-alien-volleyball-egg-arguments-and-a-massive-flying-frogNic ReubenWed, 31 Jul 2024 09:47:59 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-great-fluctus-is-no-mans-sky-with-beans-slug-milk-alien-volleyball-egg-arguments-and-a-massive-flying-frogAction AdventureThe Great FluctusIndiescovery

In case you skipped the headline, I’ll repeat myself. Among the wonderful sights contained in space-poking adventure game The Great Fluctus are: beans, slug milk, alien volleyball, egg arguments, and massive frog. Additional screenshots suggest this frog later acquires wings. Like a captive Generation Game host, I am helpless but to shout out more incredible sights as they flutter past on the conveyor belt of pure flippin' videogame before me. It’s got dance parties with horrible gorilla aliens. It’s got building, namely the Statue Of Liberty out of goop, just as George Washington’s goop clone intended. It’s also got just sitting on a bench, enjoying some lovely serene space scenery. Feast your famished face on the trailer.

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Smash your to-do list while watching the world roll by in free train window productivity tool On Trackhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/smash-your-to-do-list-while-watching-the-world-roll-by-in-free-train-window-productivity-tool-on-trackEdwin Evans-ThirlwellWed, 31 Jul 2024 09:44:23 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/smash-your-to-do-list-while-watching-the-world-roll-by-in-free-train-window-productivity-tool-on-trackPCOn TrackIndiescoveryIndieSimulation

Once upon a time, my favourite place to write was on trains. Specifically, laidback intercity services with nobody else in the quiet car and certainly, none of those screeching smaller bipeds, or "children" as they are scientifically known. That idyll is now lost to me thanks to Covid: I have vulnerable family members and continue to be careful about social distancing. As such I spend most train journeys these days lurking between carriages, trolling the door sensors and scowling furiously at anybody who visits the loo. But now, thanks to the obscene magic of video games, I can get my fill of authorial locomotivation once again.

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Krypta FM review: a delightfully spooky taste of cryptid huntinghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/krypta-fm-reviewChristian DonlanMon, 29 Jul 2024 15:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/krypta-fm-reviewPCExplorationUnder The Sink StudioIndieIndiescoveryWalking SimWot I ThinkHorrorKrypta FM

At ten past nine every evening he sends you out into the darkening world. He's the presenter of Krypta FM - pronounced with the chopped staccato of every good radio announcer as Kryp! Ta! FM! - and you are his eager listener and hopeful protege. Sniff the evening air. Breathe deep! The small town world that lies sleeping all around you is just teeming with cryptids, surely. Anyone seen a mothman lately? A werewolf? Grab a camera and get out there - but be safe, okay?

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Grit And Valor 1949 is a real-time Into The Breach, or at least vaguely similar enough that I can squeeze a more popular game in this headlinehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/grit-and-valor-1949-is-a-real-time-into-the-breach-or-at-least-vaguely-similar-enough-that-i-can-squeeze-a-more-popular-game-in-this-headlineNic ReubenThu, 25 Jul 2024 08:34:35 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/grit-and-valor-1949-is-a-real-time-into-the-breach-or-at-least-vaguely-similar-enough-that-i-can-squeeze-a-more-popular-game-in-this-headlineRoguelikeGrit and Valor 1949IndiescoveryMilky TeaStrategy: Real-Time Strategy

Grit And Valor 1949 certainly evokes the tactics of Into The Breach, with its stompy machinery and floating tile battlegrounds. But, despite all appearances, this one isn’t actually turn-based at all. A tiley, tiny real time strategy then? Aye, and one that’s actually pretty frantic as it happens. Missions are snappy, intense skirmishes. You’ll fight off waves while trying to protect your useless, freeloading command vehicle. This threat, combined with on-the-fly tactical consider-me-do's like utilising cover and keeping rock-paper-scissors matchups in your favour ends up spawning something quite distinct. Please, do stomp on, preferably with less hypens for all our sakes.

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Metal motocross shooter Motördoom is Rollerdrome’s dirtbag unclehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/metal-motocross-shooter-motordoom-is-rollerdromes-dirtbag-uncleNic ReubenWed, 24 Jul 2024 08:29:44 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/metal-motocross-shooter-motordoom-is-rollerdromes-dirtbag-unclePCSportsMacHobo Cat GamesSingle PlayerArcadeIndiescoveryIndieMotordoomRacing Arcade

"Do you fancy playing as a couple of skellies named 'The Boner Brothers' riding a bike and sidecar while chunky bastard-metal blasts out, also they’ve got a gun, also they can do tricks?" asked Motördoom, to which I became so instantly hyperactive I somehow worked out how to headbutt my own face. Of course I want to put a chainsaw on the front of my bike, Motördoom. Obviously I want a rougelike-able upgrade that perchance may set my demonic enemies on fire. Yes, I’d like to combine a sick manual with an action game killstreak for a very large combo, Motördoom. Is this what overly concerned parents thought PS1 games were actually like? If I got a disc with this demo on as a kid, I’d be significantly radder than I am today. Gnarly, even. Made of gnarls.

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Critter Crops is a witchy Stardew Valley with pet squashes and forbidden grimoireshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/critter-crops-is-a-witchy-stardew-valley-with-pet-squashes-and-forbidden-grimoiresNic ReubenTue, 23 Jul 2024 09:03:58 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/critter-crops-is-a-witchy-stardew-valley-with-pet-squashes-and-forbidden-grimoiresCritter CropsRPGSkyreach StudioIndiescoverySimulation

Readers, something actually magical has happened! I’ve spent a non-zero amount of time this week compiling a wishlist for potential Stardew Valley-likes that also let me keep pets. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to play, but I knew I was burnt out on both stabbing and shooting, and wanted something light and colourful with a solid loop that I could veg out (pun intended) with at the end of the day. I even went to so far as to create a chap named Karrot King in Stardew before quitting in disgust because I couldn’t easily access carrot seeds.

I cannot in good conscious claim that I manifested such a videogame - that was the work of Skyreach Studio. However, this is the internet, so I will both take credit for it and offer you an exclusive discount on my course. While I’m waiting for your membership fee to arrive, I’ll be playing Critter Crops. It’s a witchy farming sim in which you grow odd pets and cast spells from flesh-bound grimoires. One of the verbs it offers on its Steam page is 'noodle'. Apologies to all the other games on my wishlist.

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Solve an Outer Wilds-style time loop, grow tea on the Moon, and fish on Neptune in this indie game anthologyhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/solve-an-outer-wilds-style-time-loop-grow-tea-on-the-moon-and-fish-on-neptune-in-this-indie-game-anthologyNic ReubenMon, 22 Jul 2024 08:49:29 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/solve-an-outer-wilds-style-time-loop-grow-tea-on-the-moon-and-fish-on-neptune-in-this-indie-game-anthologyIndiescoveryIndie

Fish! Tea! Time! Space! An ‘immersive horror sim’! Stopping the sun from not burning anymore but also not getting burnt in the process! Locally Sourced Anthology I: A Space Atlas does not, somewhat disappointingly, offer the infinite possible game concepts that space allows for. It’s got eight though, which I must say is a good start. Eight experimental indies from different developers, each equally taking part in space as the last.

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Please go away I live in pet sim indie Bobo Bay nowhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/please-go-away-i-live-in-pet-sim-indie-bobo-bay-nowNic ReubenFri, 19 Jul 2024 08:17:04 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/please-go-away-i-live-in-pet-sim-indie-bobo-bay-nowManagementNewFutureKidsIndiescoveryBobo BaySimulation

Over the past few weeks, my review schedule has involved kicking dudes, shooting dudes, war, eldritch busses, and diseased rats. I did not know how utterly burnt out I was on violence and misery until I held one of pet simulation Bobo Bay’s sentient blob critters in my arms and lavished snacks upon it. When I close my eyes, I can still hear Conscript’s shells falling in the distance. But here and now, there are only Bobos, the races they take part in, and the idyllic bay in which they reside.

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Corpus Edax is a Deus Ex-style immersive sim with a frankly irresponsible number of violence-based verbshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/corpus-edax-is-a-deus-ex-style-immersive-sim-with-a-frankly-irresponsible-number-of-violence-based-verbsNic ReubenThu, 18 Jul 2024 13:17:45 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/corpus-edax-is-a-deus-ex-style-immersive-sim-with-a-frankly-irresponsible-number-of-violence-based-verbsimmersive-simCorpus EdaxStealthPCAction AdventureRPGShooter: First PersonShooterIndieIndiescoverySimulation

A good immersive sim, by its very nature, offers myriad varied approaches to solving problems. And yet, I find myself wanting to get hyper-specific when writing about the action of Corpus Edax, because it has an incredibly gratifying metal pipe sound, whether you’re stealthy wrapping it around the back of a blissfully unaware fool’s noggin, or lobbing it directly at their knee caps. In fact - although the game does have a delightful array of classic verbs, along with a few surprises - many of them are simply conducive to a stirring round of fisticuffs, to write my most British sentence of the week.

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Conscript review: sturdily crafted and gruelling WW1 survival horrorhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/conscript-reviewNic ReubenThu, 18 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/conscript-reviewCatchweight StudioSurvival & CraftingAction AdventureConscriptPuzzleSingle PlayerThird personTeam17IndieIndiescoveryWot I ThinkHorror

Take me back to the soft blue light, Conscript. It’s safe there, in the save room. No body-armoured heavies with trench raiding clubs. No tunnels choked with sickly, mushy-pea green gas. No rats feasting on my ankles, occasionally inflicting a disease that halves my health bar. “Christ, they’re sending runners now?” the rifleman asks as I hoof south from Fort Souville after a gruelling trench defence whittles down my resources to a busted fightin’ spade and a handful of pistol bullets.

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If we just went an entire year where every game was as short, cheap, and existentially harrowing as Clickolding that’d be great, thankshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/if-we-just-went-an-entire-year-where-every-game-was-as-short-cheap-and-existentially-harrowing-as-clickolding-thatd-be-great-thanksNic ReubenWed, 17 Jul 2024 08:04:11 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/if-we-just-went-an-entire-year-where-every-game-was-as-short-cheap-and-existentially-harrowing-as-clickolding-thatd-be-great-thanksStrange ScaffoldIndiescoveryIndieClickoldingOuterslothSimulation

When Clickolding - a vaguely Inscryption-y sub-hour dread droplet - opens, you’re sitting on a bed across from a man wearing a mask that looks like someone gave up halfway through carving an Easter Island statue of Joe Camel, stuck a pair of googly eyes on it, then went to cry in the corner at what they’d created.

In your hand is a clicker counter. Moose-face stares. What do those eyes convey? Patience? Intent? Longing? If nothing else, they betray a deep certainty that whatever else happens, you’re going to click. If you stop clicking for a moment, a prompt appears in the corner telling you the controls. At least, I think it's a prompt, because it might actually be a threat.

Left click to click. He'd like you to click 10,000 times, please.

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You're a better pilot than I if you can get this Mechwarrior meets HighFleet indie’s mech to do literally anythinghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/youre-a-better-pilot-than-i-if-you-can-get-this-mechwarrior-meets-highfleet-indies-mech-to-do-literally-anythingNic ReubenTue, 16 Jul 2024 08:24:52 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/youre-a-better-pilot-than-i-if-you-can-get-this-mechwarrior-meets-highfleet-indies-mech-to-do-literally-anythingIndiescoveryArmored Shell NightjarSimulation

We do love a good diegetic interface here at the treehouse, whether that’s the analogue radar twisties of HighFleet, or the myriad hefty flickables of PVKK (Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant. Duh.) The fifth mech jam is currently happening over at Itch.io, and the clear standout for me thus far is Armored Shell Nightjar. It’s a first person pilot-em-up that puts you in the cockpit of a grasshoppery rust-bucket carrying out a critical mission on an industrial desert planet. The more the intro text stresses the importance of this mission, the more guiltily useless I feel, because I cannot get this beautifully run-down mech to do anything of note, unless you count violently hopping into walls to be notable.

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Here's a demo for Tako no Himitsu, a Game Boy Advance-style JRPG with music from Golden Sun's composerhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/heres-a-demo-for-tako-no-himitsu-a-game-boy-advance-style-jrpg-with-music-from-golden-suns-composerEdwin Evans-ThirlwellThu, 11 Jul 2024 11:23:59 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/heres-a-demo-for-tako-no-himitsu-a-game-boy-advance-style-jrpg-with-music-from-golden-suns-composerPCPuzzleFantasyTako No Himitsu: Ocean of SecretsIndiescoveryIndieRPG: ActionStory Rich

New indie action JRPG Tako No Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets - customary disclaimer: "JRPG" is a contentious term which some feel fetishises Japan culture, while others define it more neutrally as a specific style of role-playing game - is set in a world shadowed by a long-ago war between Human and Octopus. This in itself would be borderline post-worthy, but it's also heavily inspired by Game Boy Advance RPGs such as Golden Sun, and features music created by Golden Sun composer Motoi Sakuraba alongside Terranigma composer Masanori Hikichi.

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The King Is Watching’s free demo turns city building into a brilliant balancing act of feudal surveillancehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-king-is-watchings-free-demo-turns-city-building-into-a-brilliant-balancing-act-of-feudal-surveillanceNic ReubenWed, 10 Jul 2024 08:24:22 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-king-is-watchings-free-demo-turns-city-building-into-a-brilliant-balancing-act-of-feudal-surveillanceThe King Is WatchingTinyBuildHypnoheadIndiescoveryStrategy: Builder

A watched pot never boils, so they say - ‘they’ presumably all being dead now after having their minds physically melted after hearing the first kettle click in readiness while stubbornly staring in the opposite direction. Yes, yes, it’s a metaphor, but we don’t have time for all that. Your kingdom is under attack by goblins, and the only way to get your useless underlings to chop the wood, till the fields, and train the guards needed to defend it is to provide constant surveillance. The King Is Watching is a minimalist resource-chain-em-up and wave defense goblin-knocker with a brilliant twist. I'm now a little bit obsessed with it, I think, and what is RPS if not a vehicle for chronicling my many fleeting obsessions?

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Tomoe is back in the free demo for Sekiro-like indie Bloodlesshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tomoe-is-back-in-the-free-demo-for-sekiro-like-indie-bloodlessNic ReubenTue, 09 Jul 2024 14:11:59 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tomoe-is-back-in-the-free-demo-for-sekiro-like-indie-bloodless3D RealmsAction AdventureBloodlessIndiescovery

That was…slightly cheeky of me. The Tomoe you play in parry-ful action adventure Bloodless is not the same Tomoe that was conspicuously absent from undeniable influence Sekiro. They might be based on the same historical figure, but that’s simply Sek-ulation. However! You can make your mind up yourself for zero money, since Bloodless has a free demo on Steam. Trazzer below.

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