Welcome to GTOGG’s May 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.
INDIKA
A strange, historical narrative game taking place in a bizarre, alternate version of 19th century Russia that presents its dramatic story with a healthy dose of absurd comedy, developer Odd Meter’s odd little project is something that I can only describe as... a genuine breath of fresh air. 8-bit music, hilariously Monty Python-esque scenes and a macabre tale that dives head-first into questions of faith? That... is quite the gaming cocktail, but it’s exactly what INDIKA conjures up for its audience. Interested in what we thought about it ? Read our full review here.
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication
A promising first-person horror adventure taking place at the Taiwanese Wen Hua University, The Bridge Curse 2 will have you investigate a paranormal mystery while following the stories of four playable characters – which, as you might imagine, will involve plenty of puzzle solving, exploration and... being chased around by angry, vengeful ghosts.
Nine Sols
Described as a lore-rich soulslike with “Sekiro-lite” deflection-based combat, Nine Sols will chronicle the journey of the vengeful hero Yi across the land of an ancient alien race as he attempts to slay the nine powerful rulers of this realm. Offering challenging gameplay focused on the art of well-timed deflections, the game will also introduce players to a “Taopunk” universe that mixes cyberpunk aesthetics with elements of Taoism and eastern mythology.
Crow Country
Very clearly inspired by some of the earlier entries in the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises, Crow Country will follow the investigation of protagonist Mara Forest as she looks into the mysterious disappearance of Edward Crow – the owner of a now-closed theme park – in the year 1990. Answers won’t come easy, though: Mara will have to dig deep into the hidden history of the park, eventually uncovering a horrifying truth about greed and the destructive power of human hubris.
Venture to the Vile
In Venture to the Vile, players will explore the seaside town of Rainybrook, overtaken by the mysterious corrupting force known as the Vile, as they search for clues that could lead them to finding their missing friend. Which is all well and good, but there is a bit of a problem: unfortunately, the Vile has corrupted our unlucky hero as well, granting him amazing powers while also gradually robbing him of his humanity.
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder
Sporting tight controls and some of the most eye-poppingly detailed pixel art to have ever graced your monitor, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder is certainly a project to keep an eye on. The game puts you in the shoes of protagonist Aletheia, an experienced bounty hunter wielding both a gun and a sword, and for good reason. The game’s fast-paced battle system is built around enemies having two bars: a red HP bar (this one is self-explanatory) and a green break bar that, once depleted, causes said enemy to be temporarily stunned – as you might imagine, firing at enemies from a distance in order to deplete their break bars, then rushing in for the kill once they’re stunned is a solid strategy, but ammo is not infinite and your gun does need to be reloaded very often, so caution and precision is very much recommended. While I do hope the game will expand on these mechanics and introduce a wide variety of enemies requiring different strategies, what I saw of Gestalt: Steam & Cinder during its demo version shows an immense amount of promise.
Animal Well
Having been in development for seven years as developer Billy Basso’s passion project, Animal Well looks like it’s going to be filled to the brim with wonderfully puzzling mysteries in a huge, interconnected puzzle box of a world. Players will explore the dark depths of the titular well as they use candles to light their way and gradually fill out the map, all the while meeting a multitude of peculiar creatures – some helpful, others less so.
