Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Some gorgeous new games arrived this week, and we've got some demos and reveals from upcoming projects to take a look at.
Later this month, Lorelai and the Laser Eyes studio Simogo is going to celebrate its 15th anniversary with some news and surprises. Perhaps the developer is porting some of its earlier games to more platforms. I'm hoping that we'll learn about Simogo's next game as well.
I'm not holding out hope for a sequel to Sayonara Wild Hearts, which is my favorite game of all time depending on the day you ask me (on other days, it's The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, FYI). However, if Simogo announces a live concert of music from the game, I'm going to do my damndest to be there. I'll be tuning in on October 28 to learn what the studio has for me us in any case.
Speaking of showcases, Entalto Publishing and developer GGTech ran one of their own this week. The Out of Bounds event shone a spotlight on a dozen indie games, spanning a breadth of genres.
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Also, a quick reminder that the latest Steam Next Fest starts at 1PM ET on Monday, October 13. As always, the week-long event will have tons of demos for you to check out. It’s always worth trying a bunch of them. You never know, you might end up being one of the first few folks to play the next Balatro, Manor Lords or Deep Rock Galactic Survivor.
New releases
Absolum is a beat-'em-up from the folks behind Streets of Rage 4. It's the first original IP from Dotemu, which has found success with the likes of the terrific Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. It co-developed this game with Guard Crush Games and Supamonks. The art and animation from the latter looks absolutely divine.
You can play Absolum solo or with a friend. Since it's a roguelite, you'll gain upgrades to bolster your character on each run while earning experience that goes toward permanent progression. There are multiple paths to explore, so the replayability factor seems strong here. Engadget senior reporter Igor Bonifacic spent some time with Absolum this summer and was impressed by it. The game received strong reviews this week too.
Absolum is out now on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5. Dotemu also has another beat-'em-up, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, coming soon.
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