Welcome to GTOGG’s July 2021 edition of Promising Indie Game Releases, where we highlight indie and non-mainstream titles that we believe deserve your attention – in other words, “look at all this potentially cool stuff you might’ve missed otherwise”. That would’ve been too long for a title, though.
In any case, let’s get right down to it.
Cris Tales
A wonderful blend of cartoon-like aesthetics, tactical JRPG combat and time-manipulation mechanics, Cris Tales looks like it’s doing just about everything right to become a modern indie classic. We did actually try its demo many moons ago and came away fairly impressed, so if you’re at all a fan of gorgeous, experimental JRPGs, this is one game you probably won’t want to miss.
The Forgotten City
Originally a mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Forgotten City is is now a standalone game – taking place in an ancient Roman city thousands of years into the past, this uniquely intriguing adventure tasks you with untangling a non-linear murder mystery rife with decisions, moral dilemmas and heavy consequences.
Vesper
Inspired by atmospheric platformers from the 90s, Vesper has you take on a big world as a very small robot called Seven. But hey, you’re not alone – you’ve got your Drive Gun, a handy little tool that lets you absorb light and create darkness for stealth purposes. Oh, and it can control minds too, apparently.
Deepest Chamber
Deepest Chamber is a deck building card game with roguelike elements, taking place in a merciless, dark fantasy world – a dome has trapped you within the confines of a medieval city, and if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a deadly plague on the loose. Wielding classless ability cards and various other items and artifacts, it’s your job to explore the dark underbelly of the city to try and find a solution.
Unbound: Worlds Apart
Portals, portals everywhere – Unbound: Worlds Apart is a puzzle-platformer with a focus on, you guessed it, portals. Set in a universe with multiple interconnected worlds, you must overcome all sorts of platforming challenges by summoning portals with varying effects – what could go wrong?
Guild of Darksteel
You’re immortal, but at what cost? Guild of Darksteel is a narrative-driven action-adventure game set in a dark fantasy universe full of danger and treachery – in its story, you’re an immortal sellsword hell-bent on uncovering the terrible secrets that lurk beneath the city of Ravenrock.
Black Skylands
Claiming itself to be the first “skypunk” game, Black Skylands is a top-down action game where you’re a captain of a skyship, and where – as you’d expect – only the sky is the limit. Commandeer and customize your massive flying ship, fight enemies on land or among the clouds and slowly, but surely develop your own sky base into a fortress of awe-inspiring fame.
Eldest Souls
This one’s for the hardcore masochists out there. Eldest Souls stays true to what its title seems to intentionally imply – offering towering bosses and a series of brutal, mind-crushing challenges, it’s certainly shaping up to be a game that only the most hardened of Soulslike veterans will be able to overcome.
The Ascent
A fast-paced shooter with RPG elements, The Ascent takes you to a gritty cyberpunk world run by corporations – when one day, the megacorp that owns you unexpectedly collapses, it’s your job to set off on a dangerous mission – either alone or with co-op buddies at your side – to find out exactly what happened.
