10 NEW Indie Games in September
Probably the smallest largest video games fair of all times is over: The digital Gamescom. Indie developers now have to prepare for the next big industry meeting to present their titles to publishers and trade visitors.
Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff
This Game is a cooperative open world RPG and is the first game from the American development studio Kindred Games near Seattle. The 3-person development team has already had a successful kickstart campaign with its game, and instead of the required 22,000 dollars, they were able to earn almost 80,000 dollars, thus fulfilling some stretch goals. Among them was the release of the game for the Nintendo Switch. Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff will be launched on Steam on September 8, 2020 in early access and will maintain this status for 1-2 years according to the developers.
Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff transports the player into the fantasy world of Tirawyn, once ruled by the great Owynn. However, King Owynn was attacked by a dark curse and the people of Tyrawyn have been in panic ever since. The powerful paladins who once maintained order in the lands of the kingdom have retreated to seek a cure for the king. Without the protection of the paladins, trouble is spreading in all corners of the kingdom.
Alone or together with friends you should be able to search for dark dungeons, epic adventures and legendary treasures in the world of Tirawynn. Alternatively, you can simply enjoy life as a farmer on a small farm or you can become a merchant who travels the world. There is supposed to be a whole range of other peaceful activities and it remains optional to seek battle and fight against monsters. The developers emphasize that everyone can play the game at their own pace, without any constraints and without holding hands.
Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff is designed to awaken the joy of discovery and become a game for the whole family. Under the pretty low-poly surface, according to the developers, there will already be a pretty well-rounded game when Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff launches in early access on September 8th. However, the development team has bigger things in mind, and they plan to update their game with a major update every month if possible, either with new game mechanics or new content. Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff has already been worked on over the past months in the developers’ Twitch livestream. These livestreams, in which the community can leave feedback of all kinds, will continue to take place regularly during early access.
Ary and the Secret of Seasons
The action adventure Ary and the Secret of Seasons by developer eXiin is one of the most anticipated indie games ever. Many see the debut work of the Belgian studio as an alternative to the AAA series Zelda. At least the graphics and gameplay from the trailer strongly remind of the hero license from Nintendo.
The protagonist Ary can use the power of the seasons in the game. Thus she can form magic bubbles in which spring, summer, autumn or winter are held. This makes it possible to fight enemies or solve puzzles. To what extent the indie game distributed by Modus Games can meet the expectations of the players will be revealed after release.
Cloud Gardens
Video games are often about fighting an apocalypse. Cloud Gardens is about creating one – at least visually. The work of Dutch artist Thomas van den Berg lets you live out your own fantasy in dioramas and create a setting from a post-apocalyptic world.
In a six-part campaign or free sandbox mode, you have to plant the given worlds with the power of nature by sowing seeds and making sure that the germinating plants overgrow everything. Only when the whole level is completely planted will you be victorious. This makes Cloud Gardens one of the most innovative titles of this gaming year.
Star Renegades
We know the struggle of a small rebellion against the seemingly overpowering empire in far away galaxies from somewhere else, don’t we? But don’t let that put you off. In Star Renegades a magically designed Roguelike RPG is waiting for you. But that’s not all, the adventure, which takes place in the detailed pixel world, throws in massive chunks of tactics, strategy and team play. The turn-based combat system is not intended to repeat dusty patterns, but to be easily accessible and yet deeply integrated. Intelligent opponent systems, interruptions and counters work against any attack rituals. A well thought-out, strategic feast for the eyes.
Circadian City
In Circadian City you can also enjoy the wonderful, squeaky-colored life. Growing vegetables, keeping animals, building and furnishing houses, and most importantly, finding a bunch of friends quickly and easily. How beautiful. But this only works until the beautifully stuffed dream bubble bursts and your alarm clock rings. Because then the real world is waiting for you, where you have to do your fucking job, buy crap to feel better and get rejected by other people, because your last sentence didn’t sound as cool as you thought it would.
Nowhere Studios in Istanbul, Turkey give you the life simulation that truly deserves its name. It simulates your crazy life. In Circadian City, you do all the things you do all day long anyway, and that’s exactly what you can do now in a video game. Hooray!
Day and night are enormously interdependent. If your dream world is too intense, too exhausting, it will also affect your everyday life. You sleep badly, wake up tired, grumpy and stressed and you will certainly not make any more friends. What you have to find is the perfect Life-Work Balance or in this case dream-Real-Life Balance.
There should be enough distraction in Circadian City, the city with more than three million inhabitants. Concerts, art exhibitions, Sunday farmers’ markets, and much more activities will be provided for you by the developers. Including the possibility to enter into and manage truly diverse relationships.
Great friendships and fruitful partnerships will give you a boost of wellbeing and the possibility of rare items. Sharing interests, creative activities or watching evening cooking, games or sports events will not only have a positive effect in real life.
So the Life-Sim has really arrived in reality. In which intensive dreams influence your daily rhythm and experiences during the day are transferred into the dream world. Circadian City works like a real satire in video game form. The very last consequence to which the trend of life simulation had to lead by force. Stardew Valley and The Sims become one and catapult you back into life.
Omno: Prologue
One of the most promising video games from Germany is Omno. The Journey adventure by Bielefeld solo developer Jonas Manke has been postponed many times, but is now finally scheduled for release in spring 2021. Nevertheless, the founder of Studio Inkyfox offers a foretaste for his game: a standalone mini-adventure with the simple name Omno: Prologue.
The prologue of the soon to be released main game offers you an introduction to the world of Omno. So you can get an impression of the controls, the game world and its creatures. In the Kickstarter-funded game, you will walk through abandoned forests, surf on desert sand and fly through the air with your magic wand. To do so, you’ll have to use your powers to solve puzzles that will ensure your progress in the story.
Projection: First Light
A journey through the history of shadow play, told in wonderfully staged, high-contrast images. In the style of a puzzle platformer you wander around the world in Projection: First Light. Through China, Indonesia, Turkey and England. Always on the trail of the shadow game and in search of the legendary heroes of every culture. The combination of several studios plays light-footedly with its scenery and lets its protagonist manipulate the light source in cleverly integrated puzzles. The result is a flowing symbiosis of story and game, dealing with topics such as worldliness, respect and understanding.
Art of Rally
“To do something dangerous with style is art”. This is the motto of Art is Rally, a somewhat different racing game with a rally focus. In the Indie Game from the Canadian studio Funselektor Labs you race with more than 50 iconic rally cars from the 60s to 80s through sixty stages in Finland, Italy, Norway, Japan and Germany. The creators have already released Absolute Drift in 2015, an intellectual predecessor to the title.
In doing so, they focus on the art of rally driving in their title, which is named after them. The inspiration for this came from the Colin McRae rally games. In contrast to their role models, the new indie game takes a top-down perspective of the track. Art of Rally was presented as a world premiere at The Escapist Indie Showcase in June 2020.
Unrailed!
One year after the early access start Unrailed! leaves it on Steam. It is the first project of the two Zurich students Lukas Rahman and Hendrik Baatz. In their block-look multiplayer title, you as the player have to try to prevent a train from derailing. While the locomotive is slowly but inexorably moving, you have to cut down trees or dig through a mountain with the help of tools on the procedurally generated track. With the resulting resources, new track sections can be built for the irrigated track, so that the train continues to chug towards the highscore.
They let go of the track before it is even built. You have to get the idea first. Who would do something like that? Now you can quickly get your friends together or pick up strangers online to lay the tracks to the next station as fast as possible and adapt them to the landscape. If the railroad would notice that. Riding on tracks that weren’t even built? Deal! Unrailed gives you the Lego building feeling back, while the train derailment pressure provides plenty of multiplayer action. Now it’s time to get out of the early access construction hall and into the everyday life of a railroad worker.
As Far As The Eye
As Far As The Eye creates extraordinary worlds with concise coloring, which accompany you on your journey to the eye of the world. A turn-based resource management system supports the procedurally generated situations. Suddenly appearing events, a broad skill tree and moral decisions make your journey in this strategic building simulation your very own.
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