AAA video game get put in the spotlight during this time of year. We all clamor to see what PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo has coming, or what major project is coming out of studios like EA or Ubisoft. However, while those major companies take up a lot of the oxygen, there are usually tons of indie showcases for fans to check out.
On Saturday, Guerilla Collective and Wholesome Games both put on showcases of indie games that will come out in the near future. We saw way too many games to possibly highlight all of them, so here are 10 that stuck out.
Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms
Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms has the look of a game that is going to put the player on a grand adventure. Every detail of the environments shown is similar to how someone might view their personal DnD campaign. It’s an action RPG with an overhead view. It feels similar to something like Diablo or the recentl- released Lost Ark. It’s going to appeal to a certain kind of player so be sure to check out some gameplay footage before getting it for yourself. We’ve seen this game at a handful of summer games showcases so far, but this latest trailer gave us a release date for the end of the month so we won’t have to wait too much longer to finally play it.
Boundary
What if you gave astronauts guns and had them fight in space? That is the entire premise of Boundary and it honestly sounds really fun. We’ve had plenty of games take place in space stations, but what about actually happening in space? That is what Boundary is offering us and that small hook is all we need to be intrigued. Most of the trailer showed us multiplayer gameplay, so this might be a PvP only experience. That’s fine, because the premise feels unique enough to justify not having a single-player option of some kind.
The Last Worker
The Last Worker is going to be one of those games that makes people think about the world. The player takes on the role of the lone human in a packaging plant. You have never once made a mistake, and that’s why you’re the only one who has kept their job, and this has led to a lot of pride. However, as a resistance group contacts you for assistance in figuring out a deep mystery involving the plant, you’re forced to dive deeper into areas you’re not supposed to be in. The game has promised commentary on capitalism, horror elements, and some comedy thrown in for good measure. It has a strong voice cast to support it, which adds to the game’s potential.
Slope Crashers
Remember how fun Snowboard Kids was? Okay so take that, make all the characters animals instead, and we have Slope Crashers. Everything that an arcade snowboarding game needs to be successful is present throughout this trailer, like cartoonish characters, fun power-ups, and over-the-top level design. It even has split-screen multiplayer to invoke that classic feeling of playing on a Nintendo 64. There’s a demo available for anyone who wants to give it a try, and we can’t wait to see more from this game in the future.
Alterium Shift
If there were any JRPG fans not already paying attention to Alterium Shift, they definitely are now. This game takes direct inspiration from classic JRPG’s like Final Fantasy but adds some of its own twists to the formula. The big hook of Alterium Shift is how the player can choose three different characters, each with a unique class, and all of them will go on their own separate adventure. Of course, since this is a JRPG, we’re sure there will be a lengthy story full of twists and turns along the way.
A Frog’s Tale
A Frog’s Tale is another turn-based RPG, but instead, it stars a frog battling against enemies like flies, snakes, and owls. It feels like the kind of adventure that is much more down-to-earth and meant to tell a more personal story. Since the trailer was shown during the Wholesome Direct, we’re assuming the stakes never get too big, and that’s okay! A nice easy RPG is exactly what you want sometimes. As long as it plays well and has a good hook, we’re gonna put the time in.
Kitori Academy
Kitori Academy! is a wholesome game where the player is able to go on a magical adventure in a school for magic. It has a really cute art style and looks like an all-around good time. A lot of us have been wanting to experience what it’s like to be a witch or wizard, and this is going to give us that opportunity. We’re excited to play this one.
The Spirit and the Mouse
The Spirit and the Mouse lets players take on the role of a mouse exploring a city, finding collectibles, and completing quests. However, the trailer shows that the player is no ordinary mouse. They have electrical powers that will help the mouse complete these quests and all of that just sounds delightful. What was maybe the most impressive about the trailer was how everything looked. There’s a beautiful shade to everything that really makes colors pop in a way that other games don’t try to do sometimes. This is going to be a great world to explore and get into the tiny details through the eyes of a random electrical mouse.
SCHiM
SCHiM is a game where the player takes on a little shadow creature and gets them from place to place. What’s really unique about this game is the art style and how the game incorporates that into its gameplay. Everything has a hand-drawn style and the shadows are created through shading and movement. Part puzzle game, part platformer, SCHiM looks like a really fun time. We’re interested to see how deep this game goes. Is it going to just be a bunch of individual puzzles or is this an adventure with a heartfelt story behind it? We can’t wait to learn more.
Lonesome Village
Lonesome Village is a puzzle game but also a social simulation game — think Stardew Valley but with more puzzles. The game stars a fox and has a really adorable art style to it. We’re really excited to see what this game looks like when it launches, but for now, we can be enraptured by how cute it looks. Of course, as with any social sim you need a good hook to keep players invested and we assume that’s where the puzzles come in. A strong set of puzzles and some cute villagers to talk to in our downtime sounds really relaxing.