Welcome to GTOGG’s March 2024 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.
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
A metroidvania sequel to 2021’s Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, Ender Magnolia takes place decades after its predecessor in the so-called Land of Fumes, where an ambitious kingdom sought the creation of Homunculi to aid with its plans of conquest. However, things go very wrong during a certain expedition, unleashing toxic fumes that drive everyone exposed to them utterly mad. As the adventure begins, players will take on the role of a young girl called Lilac, who possesses the ability to cure and purify those who had succumbed to the madness brought about by the fumes – during your exploration of the world, you will then use this power to exorcize the corruption from bosses, thus acquiring their unique abilities for yourself.
Goblin Stone
Goblins are probably one of the most common enemies in RPGs and fantasy games in general, and as we all know, adventurers from across the realm tend to slay them by the dozen during their travels. Which is precisely the issue that Goblin Stone, a turn-based roguelike RPG, is trying to point out: the goblins are teetering on the brink of extinction because adventurers simply won’t stop killing them. In this game, it will be your job to help these tiny green creatures thrive again by fighting off pesky adventurers, expanding your lair and breeding new goblins to help you survive.
Godsworn
How about some Warcraft 3, eh? Real-time strategy game Godsworn makes no secret of its inspirations, providing a nostalgic mixture of resource gathering, base building and managing a unique hero with a variety of abilities. This is one of the games I tried during last month’s Steam Next Fest, and can say that I was quite pleased with it; as I mentioned in that article, PvP wasn’t exactly my forte, but I greatly enjoyed a bit of friendly co-op fun with another player as we took on increasingly tougher waves of enemies hell-bent on destroying our respective bases.
Pepper Grinder
When in doubt, start drilling! Pepper Grinder is a gorgeous 2D action-adventure game starring the titular pirate, Pepper, who’s a bit down on her luck – at the start of the adventure, she is shipwrecked and robbed of her treasure, but let it not be said that she’s one to give up easily. She grabs her trusty drill and sets off to get back what’s hers while diving in and out of the earth, not letting anything stand in her way. I mean, aren’t drills amazing? They really are, aren’t they.
Berserk Boy
Get ready to go berserk in Berserk Boy, a fast-paced action game with vibrant pixel art and plenty of style to boot – when Dr. Genos unleashes his evil minions of darkness to enslave all those who stand in his way, it’s up to you to become the titular Berserk Boy and save the world. Using so-called Berserk Orbs, players will be able to harness the powers of fire, ice, earth and air as they chain together deadly combos, fill up their Berserk Meter and become the unstoppable savior they were meant to be.
