Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. This week saw the arrival of some fairly high-profile ports, a relaxing garden creation game and much more. I've even managed to tear myself away from Football Manager 26 for long enough to tell you about some of them.
Barely a week goes by without a fun theme event taking place on Steam and one that runs until November 10 is also going down on the Nintendo eShop. The Metroidvania Fusion Festival is a celebration of — what else? — the broad spectrum of Metroidvania games. It features 245 projects, including upcoming games and demos, and a sale with discounts of up to 90 percent.
I've grabbed a few demos to check out this weekend, including Key Fairy (a pacifist bullet-hell game that sees you grappling and dancing your way around enemies), Echo Weaver (a time-loop puzzler that I've mentioned before) and 2D platformer Little Ghost, in which you explore a mixed media world as a cute specter.
Advertisement Advertisement
In terms of deals, Blasphemous is 75 percent off, Blasphemous II is half off, 2D action game Gunbrella (which I've had on my wishlist for years) is 65 percent off and body horror delight Carrion is 22 percent off. I can wholeheartedly recommend Turbo Kid, a quasi-sequel to one of my favorite films of the same name. That's 35 percent off in this sale.
Elsewhere this week, I read a solid profile of developer Lente Cuenen in the The New York Times. Cuenen is the developer of Spilled!, a relaxing waterway cleanup game I've been meaning to check out for a while. The piece is an intriguing look into the life of Cuenen, who makes games about boats while living on her boat in the Netherlands.
New releases
A couple of notable indies made the leap onto Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 this week, including 1000xResist. This narrative-driven sci-fi adventure from Sunset Visitor and publisher Fellow Traveller Games earned widespread acclaim when it debuted on Steam and Nintendo Switch last year, particularly for its storytelling, visuals and how it explores various themes. It won a Peabody Award too.
I have yet to dive into 1000xResist, even though it's been on my PC and Steam Deck for months. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players now have the chance to jump in as well. What's more, 1000xResist is on Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
A little over a year after releasing the full version of the Satisfactory on PC, Coffee Stain Studios and Coffee Stain Publishing have brought the multi-million-selling factory builder to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. You can play solo or with friends as you construct factories on an alien planet. You'll explore the planet to find resources and maybe even engage in a little combat.
... continue reading