Imagine this: you’re a Pathfinder in a world full of magical creatures called Aniimon. Sound familiar? It’s got that Pokémon vibe, where you catch, train, and battle them. But here’s the twist: think Palworld’s survival edge meets Pokémon’s creature-collecting heart. You’re not just battling them; you’re also managing resources, building bases and exploring.

The trailer we saw showed off a bunch of Aniimon, the grass one that looks like Lapras or the one flower-type that reminds me of Forges, each with their own unique look and feel. The art style? It’s a perfect blend of cute and tough, kind of like if Pokémon grew up a bit but kept its charm. It’s free-to-play, coming to mobile too, and features a battle pass with multiple in-game currencies shown in the video. This could definitely lean towards a gacha game model.

You can also sign up for the closed beta test on PC later this summer. Beyond just catching creatures, exploration is key in Aniimo’s huge, open world with many connected islands and biomes. There’s no linear path, so you can dive into battles whenever you want. The trailer even showed that you can transform into creatures to move faster across the land.

Additionally, you can use your own weapons to fight Animon. It’s not clear if you’ll fight other humans. Since it’s likely a gacha game, we can expect many multiplayer options, like PvPvE battles. You can also evolve and merge Animon to make them stronger and the official website does show combat, abilities, and habitats for some creatures, giving us a peek at what’s coming.

The post Free game Aniimo, a blend of Pokémon and Palworld, arrives on PC, Xbox, and mobile first appeared on IndieGames.

Bean Beasts offers versatile mechanics, allowing you to manipulate the environment to your advantage. By strategically placing walls, you can redirect enemies and control the flow of combat, creating opportunities to outsmart your opponents. Additionally, the game unfolds across 40 hand-crafted levels, spread over five diverse biomes, each with its own visual flair and challenges. Eight epic boss encounters test your skills, demanding clever strategies to overcome their formidable power. For those seeking endless replayability, eight endless mode maps provide relentless waves of enemies to conquer.

Honestly, Bean Beasts is a true indie gem, crafted entirely by one developer, highlighting how saturated the market is with games, making it tough to find ones you’ll truly enjoy. You can try the demo on Steam and wishlist it there, though the release date is still unknown. Additionally, you can playtest the latest version of the game yourself by joining its Discord server.

Tell me about yourself and your experience as a developer. What led you to work on Bean Beasts?

My name is Josh and I’m solo developing my first game called Bean Beasts. Development began around January 2023 though it’s hard to pinpoint when the project officially went from an experiment to an actual game. After doing some sound work for a big studio, I wanted to see if I could sidestep from the TV industry into games. I found most jobs required knowledge of an engine which is why I started learning Unity.  Unity became my new game, I was obsessed and found it very fulfilling to make things. It didn’t take long to decide I would try and make a full game.

What is the current demo version offering and will you upgrade it for the Steam Next Fest in June?

The current demo is always being updated with improvements aligning to the ongoing playtesting for the full game. I’ll find something fun to add in the lead up to Nest Fest to encourage players to give it another go – probably access to an extra Endless map.

Can you walk us through the core gameplay loop of Bean Beasts? How do the evolving Bean Beasts and trap upgrades tie into the strategy?

Bean Beasts is a chaotic Tower Defense game where you collect new beasts, traps and upgrades after every level. Bean Beasts are your hero units and get stronger and evolve over time. Each level you choose a selection of Bean Beasts and traps to defend against waves of monsters. As enemies can have multiple resistances/characteristics you’ll have to consider which Beasts and Traps work best. Beasts each have unique abilities you can trigger after a cooldown, Traps also have unique upgrade paths which can completely change their element and attack style. 

What inspired the beasts’ designs? How many of them can we use in one playthrough? 

The inspiration for the Beasts mechanically is a mix of the hero units in Kingdom Rush combined with creature design akin to Pokémon or Tamagotchis. They start off small, weak and also bean shaped, then get exponentially more powerful as you level them up and they change form and gain new attacks.

They’re deliberately quite vague and basic in design and are named accordingly, for example Cactus, Frog or Ghost. There’s no real reasoning behind this other than I find it amusing. Some designs take inspiration from specific real life animals, the Dog is based on my own dog when she lays upside down with her teeth poking out, and the Frog is based on the Black Rain Frog because I find them hilarious.  As you progress you can unlock additional inventory slots and take up to three Beasts with you into the levels.

The game offers a lot of content: endless mode maps, multiple difficulty settings, and diverse enemy types. How did you approach balancing these elements? 

Balancing has been an ongoing process with a lot of help from playtesters who volunteer to help improve the game. I have my spreadsheets calculating how the Towers work and interact but with so many variables it’s hard to predict which ones are over or underpowered.  I’ve been testing the game incrementally and adjusting over time so that by the time I release there should hopefully be no need for any major rebalances, unless players find some way to break the game.

Honestly I try to make each tower feel overpowered when used correctly. This leads to an “aha!” moment where players work out the full utility of a particular beast or trap and hopefully will result in people having fun trying out different combinations. 

Were there specific design choices you implemented to maintain fresh, non-repetitive gameplay?

There are a few key ideas I use to try and keep gameplay fresh. I make sure players unlock something new after every level, but on top of that there’s also an in-game shop with additional unlockables that players can revisit and play around with. Note these are unlocked using gems you earn by progressing through the game, it’s an in-game currency and there’s no in-app purchases; everything is included in the game. 

Each level has unique challenges which are completely optional. These award bonus gems and make each level a little different and can get players scratching their heads trying to solve problems beyond just “place towers, shoot enemies”.  In the early levels the challenges also double as indirect lessons, for example an early challenge is to set enemies on fire, which you can do by upgrading the Ballista into it’s first upgrade path or by unlocking the Dragon from the shop. 

The worlds are broken up with boss battles, each with some mechanical twist to keep players on their toes. Small bosses use the environment, large bosses change the environment. There are new enemy types introduced which get more challenging as time goes on. First you deal with stronger enemies, then enemies with shields, then enemies who target your boxes, enemies that can fly, are immune to fire etc.

I deliberately change up the enemy types to encourage players to experiment and diversify tactics. Each world also introduces enemies with new mechanics too, such as turning invisible, stunning your towers or regeneration. All this is to say that with each level there will be some new set of challenges to overcome.

The Steam page mentions 2 damage types, 5 elements, and 7 status effects. Will you be adding more? How do you plan to support the game post launch?

My plan has always been to release a full game, so everything has been calibrated and balanced on that. That means everything is included on release, there’s no in-app purchases, pay to win or paid DLC expansions planned. I will also maintain and update based on player feedback and will hopefully be able to re-invest some of the money into paying for additional translations. I also plan on doing a port to Switch and Mobile after the PC release.

Further down the line, I can add additional endless maps to the game (for free of course). I may try to add additional features like a leaderboard, but this would depend on how viable it is to maintain and whether there is a demand from players. 

How difficult will the bosses be and will there be certain ways to defeat them?

All the bosses have unique counter-attack patterns and the world bosses also manipulate the environment to their advantage, each boss encounter should be memorable and a spectacle. The game doesn’t tell you what the boss will do so players will have to go in and face the surprise head on. I was playing a lot of Elden Ring when I made the first few bosses and I think that may have resulted in them being a bit too difficult.

The bosses difficulty generally comes from the optional challenges, this means players can choose to make it hard for themselves, or pass through to continue the story. Because you’re always unlocking new powerups, abilities and inventory slots it’s always possible to come back to a boss or challenge later. 

What’s been the toughest part of developing Bean Beasts so far?

When I started this game I had never written code before and I was totally reliant on tutorials and google. Debugging would sometimes take days but I always managed to figure it out in the end, which was very satisfying. Also wrangling with input system, UI systems and save systems. I was a complete noob so things kept breaking and I’d have no idea how to fix it. 

I’m glad I went through that because now I have a lot of experience. I can now design a much more effective/efficient save/UI system which will perform better and not take months to create. I recently did a game jam where I essentially recreated the framework and UI for Bean Beasts, but in only a week rather than the many months it took me the first time. 

You’ve mentioned custom music, artwork, and sound effects. Did you create these yourself, or collaborate with someone?

My normal day job is working as a sound engineer and video editor, so creating sound effects and music was probably the easiest part for me. I also did a lot of drawing growing up, I enjoyed going to the art rooms in school and was always doodling silly animals and creatures. I love working with pixel art because it reminds me of the Megadrive and Gameboy. 

I’m very lucky because although I never studied or trained for game design or using a game engine, a lot of skills from my day job transfer over, such as knowledge of frame rates, resolution, file formats, using animators, keyframes and digital interfaces. I also do a lot of QC work which has been beneficial, I’ll record footage of my game then watch it back frame by frame looking for things I can tidy up and fix. 

The post The Dev Behind Bean Beasts Reveals More About the Game and How His Daily Work Supports its Creation first appeared on IndieGames.

Building bases, catching Pals, and fighting poachers felt like a wild mix of Pokémon, Minecraft, and a bit of Rust. I spent hours breeding Pals, setting up automated farms, and laughing at the chaos of accidentally attacking a Mammorest in my base. But after a few months, the grind started to feel repetitive. Early on, the huge world felt empty and didn’t quite live up to its potential.

From Sakurajima to Feybreak

Sakurajima Update in June 2024 brought a beautiful new island and PvP, which kept me engaged, but I wanted more depth. Enter the Feybreak Update, and suddenly, Palworld feels like a whole new game. The new Feybreak Island, six times larger than Sakurajima, is a stunning, multi-biome world. From crystal caves to thick forests, every corner is a discovery, and I’ve spent hours exploring its landscapes.

Feybreak Update added way more than just a new map – it’s packed with content. Over 20 new Pals had me eagerly completing my Paldeck again. The new raid boss, Xenolord, is intense, and I’ve had fun moments summoning it at the altar, barely surviving its attacks. Additionally, new Hexolite-based weapons and armor, unlocked at level 60, give new goals, and I love the power of gear that makes my old stuff feel weak.

The March 2025 v0.5.0 patch added crossplay, which only made me play the game more since I could team up with friends now on different platforms. Another great addition is The Global Palbox that allows me to transfer Pals between worlds, perfect for starting fresh without leaving my favorite pal behind. Interestingly enough, I never was the fan of photo mode in games, but the one in Palworld had me snapping cool shots of everything aroud me.

I also tried the Hardcore Mode and thanks to the Pal Permadeath option, I ended up losing my prized Shadowbeak after a risky raid which was truly heartbreaking. The updated Random Pal Mode from February 2025 makes exploration fun by balancing Pal levels to their regions, so I’m no longer ambushed by overleveled Pals. These options let me freely switch between relaxed base-building or intense adventures, depending on my mood.

Palworld’s Future Still Looks Bright

My only complaint is that grinding to level 60 for the new gear can feel tough, especially with my packed schedule. But the customizable world settings, like tweaking XP rates or damage, let me enjoy the new stuff at my own pace. The 2025 roadmap, hinting at a final boss at the World Tree and more Pals, has me excited for what’s coming. I’m already picturing a new cosmic Pal element to fit Feybreak’s vibe, which could totally change up combat.

One thing worth mentioning is that Palworld still has its share of bugs, even if it’s better optimized now. I keep running into issues like Pals getting stuck in my base, enemies on oil rigs not attacking for no apparent reason, and big enemies spawning in the weirdest spots. While raids are a blast, the singleplayer experience still feels a bit underwhelming.

After nearly a year, Palworld is really finding its stride, with more on the way. Pocketpair’s dedication to improving the game, even with the Nintendo legal stuff, makes me optimistic about its future. If you haven’t played since launch, now’s a great time to dive back in. For me, it’s more than a game, it’s a world I keep coming back to with friends, and I’m already hyped for the next update.

The post Nearly a Year After Launch, I’m Still Hooked on Palworld Thanks to Its Latest Update first appeared on IndieGames.

In LumenTale: Memories of Trey, you embark on an journey to collect over 140 unique creatures called Animon through battles, capturing, or trading. The game weaves rich emotional storytelling as you uncover the secrets behind the protagonist Trey’s lost memories. Its fusion of tactical combat and narrative depth aims to honor classic creature collector games while introducing new elements, creating an adventure that feels both nostalgic and innovative.

Paolo Lella, CEO and Lead Developer at Beehive Studios, expressed his thoughts about the collaboration: “LumenTale: Memories of Trey is an ambitious project that strives to deliver something fresh while simultaneously paying homage to the past. It is precisely for this reason that we are thrilled to partner with a publisher like Team17, whose decades of industry expertise and unparalleled knowledge will be instrumental in supporting our vision.”

Rob Elser, Senior Producer at Team17, praised Beehive Studios’ work: “Beehive’s vision is becoming beautifully realised in the story of Trey. It is a pleasure working alongside the team as they expand the world and work to deliver an enchanting game.”

The post LumenTale: Memories of Trey Partners With Team17 Following a Successful Kickstarter Campaign first appeared on IndieGames.

You play as the savior of a city, tasked with assembling teams of loyal Montabi creatures. Each creature possesses a unique set of abilities, and the key to victory lies in discovering the perfect synergy between them. As the game progresses, Montabi evolve into more powerful forms, unlocking new ability cards that expand your tactical options.

The game also features a variety of trainers, each with their own distinctive combat style. Every defeat comes at a cost, if your trainer falls in battle, they’re lost as well, adding extra weight to your resource management decisions. The final version of the game is expected to include over 60 different Montabi creatures.

The post Akupara Games Announced Montabi, a Roguelike Deckbuilder with Monster Collecting Features first appeared on IndieGames.

Monsterpatch is an RPG farming and creature-collecting simulation with a touch of magic woven in. Incredibly, it was funded in just 16 minutes, far surpassing its modest $15,000 goal. Now, the number of backers is growing exponentially, with the campaign currently sitting at $140,000 and breaking records. We spoke with Sean to learn more about the game, what to expect from it, and his advice for other developers.

If you’d like to support the game on Kickstarter, you can do so via this link. Unfortunately, there’s no Steam page yet, but it’s in the works.

Can you tell us what inspired Monsterpatch and how it builds on or differs from your previous projects like Magicite and Littlewood?

Originally Monsterpatch was going to be a humorous roguelike that made fun of Pokémon. In order to find more things to make fun of, I bought an old copy of Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Emerald to play. As I was playing, I absolutely fell in love with these two games. So much so that I decided to change my entire game’s direction and aesthetic. I had to try an honest attempt at a monster-collecting RPG with my own unique spin on it. So Monsterpatch is very much a monster-collecting RPG at its core, which is very different from my previous projects.

You’ve described the game as a monster-collecting RPG with retro charm. What unique features are you planning to include to make it stand out in the crowded monster-collecting genre?

I’m taking all the best features of Littlewood, improving them even further, and integrating them into a monster-collecting RPG. I believe the monster-collecting genre is a perfect match with the cozy/farming genre. I’m super excited about my unique town-building system, which I really believe will elevate Monsterpatch in the sea of monster-collecting games.

The game clearly draws inspiration from classic Pokémon titles, with its dual Skyfarer and Aurora versions. Could you explain the key differences between them? Is there any benefit to owning both?

When you create a save file in Monsterpatch, you can choose which version of the game you’d like to play. You can also have multiple save files. So players will be able to play both Skyfarer version and Aurora version after purchasing a single copy of Monsterpatch. Each version will have a unique story with different antagonists, along with version-exclusive MoNs and items.

The creatures in the game are called MoNs, where did the idea for the name come from? Approximately how many creatures will be available to collect? Will there be rare “legendary”-tier MoNs with special catching methods?

I just really liked the simplicity of “MoNs”. Since the Kickstarter has been so successful, I’m doubling the amount of MoNs in the game from 108 to 216. Yes, there are a few legendary MoNs that can be battled and caught in the game.

The house sorting system for MoNs feels reminiscent of magical school tropes. Was this inspired by franchises like Harry Potter? What gameplay purposes does the magic system serve beyond creature classification?

While I was working on Monsterpatch, my wife was rewatching the Harry Potter movies in the background. This definitely had a huge influence on a lot of my design decisions. It’s how I decided that instead of “types”, my game would have magical Houses. Instead of “trainers”, my game will feature wizards that catch MoNs by using a spell with their wand. This led me to developing the Spellbook system, which allows the player to unlock a variety of ways to interact with the world.

Your team-based battle system allowing multiple MoNs simultaneously seems innovative. Was this always part of your core vision for combat?

Yes! I’ve played many RPGs over the years and I much prefer combat systems that have multiple party members. Having 4 MoNs in battle at once opens up a lot of exciting possibilities with multi-target moves, position-based moves, and unique MoN synergies.

With over 2,000 backers and surpassed funding goals, has this level of support matched your expectations? How has your existing fanbase contributed to this momentum?

Currently, we’re only on day 6 of the Kickstarter campaign, and yes, the overwhelming amount of support so far has definitely exceeded my expectations. I’d say it was largely due to the community I’ve built across all socials. Kickstarter does a great job too at notifying backers of your past projects.

At just $20 for base support, the campaign seems very accessible. With popular rewards like Design-a-MoN selling quickly, what additional stretch goals are you considering as funding continues to grow?

I’ve got a lot of fun and exciting Stretch Goals planned. These range from unique game mechanics to more familiar ones that can be found in popular monster-collecting games. There might even be a console port in there somewhere!

Looking back at Magicite, your first big PC game, what was the most defining moment for you as a developer, and how did its success shape your future projects?

I think it was when Magicite got featured on the front page of Steam while simultaneously getting covered by Markiplier, a popular Youtuber. That really catapulted Magicite into a level of success that my previous mobile games never achieved. This allowed me to go all in with game development.

You’ve worked on a variety of genres, from the multiplayer survival of Magicite to the cozy town-building of Littlewood and even art for Kindergarten. How do you decide which ideas to pursue next?

It always comes from me wanting to play a certain type of game. I was really into Terraria, Minecraft, and roguelikes when I created Magicite and Roguelands. A few years later I was fascinated by Animal Crossing, so I had to try making a cozy peaceful RPG, which became Littlewood. Kindergarten is a crazy, wacky game and I don’t know why we made that one. But it sure was popular.  

You’ve been in the indie gaming scene for over a decade now. How do you think the industry has changed since you launched Magicite in 2014, especially for solo developers?

Steam wasn’t so crowded back then. As long as you got greenlit, it was super easy to get noticed without too much competition. Nowadays there are dozens of games being launched every day on Steam. But not just the quantity, the quality of indie games has certainly gone up, so I’d say the competition is very stiff now. If you’re a solo developer you better pick your genre carefully and start building a social media following as soon as possible.

Crowdfunding has been a big part of your career. Do you think Kickstarter is still a viable path for indie devs today, or are there new challenges that make it tougher than it was back then?

Kickstarter is great! I think it is very viable for indie devs today, as long as you run a campaign of your own BEFORE the Kickstarter campaign. Marketing is the least fun part of being an indie developer, but it’s so important. Get in the twitter/instagram/reddit trenches and build a following for your game, THEN consider launching a Kickstarter to help you get across that finish line.

As someone who’s worn every hat in game development, what advice would you give to new indie devs trying to break into the industry in 2025?

Start small. Release bad games. Be comfortable with failing. Anyone can start a project, but 99% of those that do will never click that launch button. Give yourself strict deadlines, and stick with them. Build your unique brand as an indie game developer. Authenticity goes a long way.

How do you balance the pressures of solo development with your personal life, especially with a new project like Monsterpatch on the horizon?

I’ve always struggled to maintain a healthy work-life balance. I’m trying my best to be diligent with only working during work hours, and to not work when it’s time for friends and family. Seeing the insane support for Monsterpatch is making this quite difficult, though. Despite the crushing pressure to deliver a fun game, I find comfort knowing that I have the best job in the world. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

The post Sean Young on Monsterpatch: Unique monster-collecting game with RPG and farming elements first appeared on IndieGames.

The original Monster Crown game came out as a physical copy for Nintendo Switch and Steam in 2021. Players and streamers loved its unique Crossbreeding System that lets you combine monsters in countless ways. We got to talk with Walsh (the game’s creator) and Ahab (director of Sin Eater) about what to expect in the sequel. They also told us about the Kickstarter campaign that offiically launched.

Can you give us an overview of what Monster Crown: Sin Eater is about and how it builds on the foundation of the original Monster Crown?

Ahab: Monster Crown: Sin Eater follows Asur, a young man who has always dreamed of becoming a Monster Tamer. He looks up to his older brother, Dyeus, the most famous and respected Tamer of their time. But after a tragic turn of events, Asur is forced to leave home and begin his journey. Along the way, he clashes with the Beastman Corps (grotesque hybrids of man and monster) and the Four Heavenly Kings, superhuman rulers who govern the Crown Nation in place of Taishakuten, the mysterious Lord Regent. Taishakuten resides atop the impossibly tall Meru Spire at the heart of the nation.

In both narrative and gameplay, Sin Eater boils down on the first game’s essence and expands it into something bigger and better. The narrative is approachable to both returning fans and new players. I truly believe its themes, and the eccentric, larger-than-life characters, will resonate with all kinds of players. I would venture to say that it’s biblical in its scale and poses some fundamental questions about the genre it belongs to at the same time.

We held nothing back in refining Monster Crown, defining it, perfecting it, and then pushing it to its absolute limit. I can confidently say that what we’re doing here is unlike anything else out there.

How has your experience of developing the first Monster Crown influenced the direction of this sequel?

Jason: Monster Crown was my first game. We were also lucky enough to have a lot of people take interest early on. The game’s quick popularity and growing fanbase was not something I was prepared for, and the project I imagined would be considered beyond the scope of a single developer by most anyone. Creating unique hybrids for every monster was an immense undertaking, so was the sprawling world and various secrets were a significant workload (including a whole secret second continent). I became quite ill during Monster Crown’s development and now have a disability.

Even our harshest critiques seemed to agree that Monster Crown had something special bubbling beneath the surface, it just had to be refined and made more accessible. Looking back on that whole saga of my life, it was clear how to address the lacking aspects of the first project. Thanks to the success of the first game, we had the funds to hire a dedicated team, each with an expertise in programming, art, music, or story-writing. All of these wonderful new team members just “get” Monster Crown at its core.

The top (and really only) priority for us this time around is to make the best Monster Crown game, make it as polished as possible, and leave nothing up to chance for fans. Ensuring we had a demo that will prove to fans that this is a serious upgrade removes the need for anyone to just blindly trust us. Give Sin Eater’s demo a spin on the 25th and you’ll be hooked; no one breeds just one monster, after you see one crossbreed creation you’re going to make 20 more immediately after!

The Kickstarter for Sin Eater launched on March 25, what can backers expect from the campaign in terms of rewards, stretch goals, or exclusive content?

Jason: At the heart of Monster Crown lies “responsive depth”, the more you experiment and unleash your creativity, the more the game rewards you with content, challenges, and discoveries. This core philosophy remains stronger than ever in Sin Eater.

Our Kickstarter stretch goals include:

• Free expansions for all players
• Exciting new challenges for veterans and newcomers
• Custom playthrough options (including special codes to begin your adventure with a monster of your choice)
• Unique “Design an Attack” and “Design a Tamer” tiers that let fans directly shape the game

Imagine players worldwide facing your custom creations, complete with your name attached! Monster Crown’s unparalleled depth comes from true individuality: you control every aspect of your team’s appearance, colors, abilities, and moves. These aren’t just static species templates.

After completely revamping the battle system (our beta testers are already breeding incredibly powerful new monsters), we’re excited to include ranked online multiplayer as a stretch goal. This is particularly meaningful because while Monster Crown 1’s combat didn’t meet our standards, Ahab has transformed it into a brilliantly strategic system. Combined with our crossbreeding mechanics, you’ll never know what terrifying combinations your opponents might throw out mid-battle!

The original Kickstarter raised $45,000, which you described as feeling like “winning $1 million” What are your funding goals this time, and how will the funds be used to elevate Sin Eater?

Jason: I’m glad you mentioned that. The campaign in 2018 for the first Monster Crown was beyond measure in excitement for me. The feeling of people believing in my dream project, the chance to really make it real blew me out of the water. As a first time dev, our goal was 10% of what we ended up raising and I really didn’t have perspective on completing a game and the amount of art and design upgrades we’d use those funds for; it was also just me working on the game, so I didn’t need to pay myself anything.

The first game ended up doing quite well, enough to fund a dedicated team for two years, some of them doing this full-time. While I’m really proud to have invested the profits back into Monster Crown, we now need a bit of help to complete the last 5-7 months of development.

This incredible team is definitely doing this for a great rate because we all believe in the project, and we are all friends and just love working together. Our meetings each week are a blast and we’re always having fun shaping this new pinnacle for Monster Crown. If we secure the funding for this final chapter of development, we’re aiming to continue to create new Monster Crown games for our fans, each exceeding their expectations from the last.

What’s one thing you’d say to convince someone hesitant about backing Sin Eater to join the Kickstarter?

Ahab: Give the demo a try. It’s free, a few hundred megabytes and it runs great on low-spec machines. If you’re just breezing through to see what’s what, you’ll get a few hours of awesome, free monster-taming content, but if you’re a hardcore player – you’ll get a lot more.

Jason: We’re at a point where we’re ready to let the results speak for themselves. I know what we’ve got cooking is something truly special, so if someone asked why to join, ideally, I’d just step aside and let them sit at my PC. I know they’ll love what they see.

The original Monster Crown was praised for its robust crossbreeding system. How is this mechanic evolving in Sin Eater?

Ahab: In the original game, interacting with the Crossbreeding System was basically entirely optional, and you could only do it at one location. In Sin Eater, it’s a key part of how you’ll play. Monsters are balanced such that, generally speaking, you’ll encounter monsters that have good moves but not so great stats, or good stats but not so great moves.

You’re meant to put these creatures together like building blocks, think about what you’re doing and construct a team that’ll take you to the top. Every major city in Sin Eater features a Breeding Barn, where you can breed monsters and even fuse monsters (which has its own mechanical implications now), so you’re never too far away from the facilities. If you’re good at the game, you can even build your own facilities at your home to have even more direct access.

In addition to the standard carryovers from the first game, we’ve implemented our own take on “Abilities” – Positive Traits and Negative Traits for every species, which are inherited by the offspring. This means Players will have to think tactically about how they’re going to breed Monsters to mitigate the negative trait while taking full advantage of their favorite positive traits. Our playtesters have already gotten many hours out of trying to break the system!

Are there new monster types, regions, or gameplay systems that fans can look forward to in this sequel?

Ahab: Monster Crown: Sin Eater takes place in The Crown Nation, a brand new region that has similarities to the first game’s Crown Island but has a geography, history and culture all its own (along with many new monsters to encounter).  A big part of the game’s mystery for returning players will be things like, “Huh, I wonder why that thing from the first game is back here?” and so on, for new players, its an entirely novel experience. 

The core five types remain intact as a simple interaction chain so we focused instead on making elements clearer for players and building systems around the types as a simple gameplay core with a tremendous amount of depth if you get tricky with it! With the new level of depth to the battle system we also have more push and pull with debuffs and status conditions, so battles are layered, multi-faceted and extremely fast paced.

The first Monster Crown faced delays due to underestimating the polish needed. How are you approaching development timelines and quality assurance for Sin Eater?

Jason: There were some surprise issues that popped up during the first game’s development. First off, the project began as something quite humble, a very simple project that was more of a “tech demo” for a breeding system I came up with. After the Kickstarter’s success, things changed. I realized this game had the potential to be a large, expansive and high quality indie game.

The Kickstarter funding allowed me to hire professional artists to improve visual elements that I had previously created alone, this naturally expanded the game’s scope. We also committed to greatly expanding the open world, which further increased our ambitions. On a personal note, during the first game’s development I developed a serious illness that left me with ongoing physical challenges I still manage daily.

For Sin Eater, everything changed from day one:

• We started with a full dedicated team
• Established clear quality standards immediately
• Applied hard-won lessons about organization and production

The demo represents a true vertical slice, the Kickstarter funds will simply let us maintain this quality through completion. Regardless of campaign results, our development timeline and quality standards won’t be compromised.

We’ve also significantly improved our testing process:

• 5x more internal testers than before
• Ran a private beta weeks before the demo launch
• Conducted a 50-person stress test (including lucky fans, creators, and our inner circle) to push the game to its limits

This time, we’re operating as a proper studio, every decision reflects our serious commitment to delivering Monster Crown: Sin Eater as a polished, complete experience.

Beyond the Kickstarter, what’s your vision for Monster Crown: Sin Eater in terms of release platforms and post-launch support?

Jason: Monster Crown: Sin Eater is our most focused project yet. We’ve made strategic cuts to our platform targets and localization plans to concentrate solely on Steam and Nintendo Switch. If the game succeeds, we’ll explore partners for additional ports or translations. With the first game, we overextended ourselves – underestimating how complex porting and localization really are. While many companies can handle those tasks, only we can create Monster Crown, so we’re playing to our strengths!

Our Kickstarter stretch goals include free expansions, ideas we’re already excited about and have clear visions for. But our priority is delivering an incredibly strong core game first: something truly fun and polished. Like any passionate indie devs, we’re bursting with ideas for extra content, but we’re keeping ourselves disciplined until we nail the main experience. After that… well, we might just go crazy with creativity!

As a studio, our mantra is “Focus.” That single word is guiding every decision, and I know it’s the path to success.

The post What’s New in Monster Crown: Sin Eater? We spoke with founder Jason Walsh and game director Ahab to find out first appeared on IndieGames.

Welcome to Thera, a magical land filled with fifty fantastic creatures that you can train and battle alongside in epic tactical combat. You set off on an adventure to restore balance and stop a mysterious disease threatening the world. However, you won’t be able to save Thera alone—you’ll need to assemble a team of unique creatures to help you on your journey.

To fight back against corruption, you’ll need to upgrade your team, unlock new skills and buffs, and learn everything about the creatures you command in battle. Choosing the right creatures is crucial to overcoming the game’s challenges. Creature customization is enhanced through gameplay-altering skill gems, perks, weapons, and even stylish hats for your creatures.

Unlike Pokémon, Creature Keeper allows you to fight alongside your creatures in real-time battles, coordinating attacks to strategically defeat enemies.

The post Monster-Taming RPG Creature Keeper Launches on Steam in May, New Trailer Revealed first appeared on IndieGames.

In Light of Motiram, players find themselves in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by massive mechanical beasts known as "Mechanimals." Starting from a primitive era, you will explore diverse biomes, struggle to survive harsh conditions, and utilize advanced technology to build a new civilization. With powerful Mechanimals as allies, you’ll battle formidable bosses, uncover ancient secrets, and shape the future.

An interesting aspect of this title is the ability to construct fortresses and shelters using a physics-based building system. Each structure must withstand natural threats, blending creativity with practicality in the base-building process—hopefully offering mechanics distinct from ICARUS. The combat system relies on skill, emphasizing precise timing and strategy, with dodging, blocking, and parrying attacks being crucial for gaining a tactical edge.

You can tame and customize over a hundred Mechanimals, each possessing unique abilities and development paths. These mechanical beasts assist in combat, enhance production, and evolve into powerful allies tailored to your needs—reminiscent of Palworld. Additionally, you can team up with up to 10 players to tackle challenges, hunt Mechanimals, and build bases together.

The post Najavljena je nova “Horizon” igra Light of Motiram, a donosi survival i crafting igranje sa mehaničkim zvjerima first appeared on IndieGames.

NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters offers a fresh twist on the inventory management, auto-battler, and monster-collecting genres. While it bears similarities to Backpack Battles, NeoDuel introduces unique mechanics, such as using Essence and Cosmions to power up your creatures and create complex synergies. It’s a multiplayer game with daily, weekly, and global leaderboards, which adds a competitive edge.

Core Gameplay

At the heart of NeoDuel is managing and upgrading Cosmions (creatures) in your backpack-like inventory. You use Essence to evolve these creatures, and managing the limited space in your bag while creating synergies between your creatures is key to success. This mechanic is engaging and allows plenty of room for experimenting with different strategies and builds.

The game is built around PvP tournaments where you face off against opponents over several rounds. Each round gives you a set amount of money to spend on items in the shop, which offers a random selection of Cosmions, energies, and inventory spaces. You can reroll the shop for a small fee or lock items you want to keep for the next round. However, I never quite felt like I was really playing against another player, as the matchmaking system wasn’t clear, and I didn’t understand how my opponents were being selected.

As an auto-battler, once you set up your team, the battles play out automatically. You can hover over your Cosmions to see their abilities, but you don’t have much control during the fight, so your success relies heavily on pre-battle strategy. You get five lives per tournament, allowing for a few mistakes, but do keep in mind you’ll be losing a lot until you eventually find a strategy that works for you.

Game Balance and Mechanics

The Cosmions you collect fall into various elemental categories like fire, water, and electricity. Rarer Cosmions tend to be stronger and have more powerful abilities. Many Cosmions come with attack stats and abilities like burn or poison, or even healing and shielding. You also need to consider how Essences and status effects play into your strategy. For example, deciding whether to focus on healing or inflicting burn damage can make a big difference in battle.

Unfortunately, the game’s balance still needs work. The link system, which is crucial for activating buffs and bonuses, is unclear, and it’s hard to tell if you’re getting the most out of your Cosmions. Even after many hours of play, I found myself wondering whether it was better to focus on creatures of the same element or mix and match for broader bonuses. The game allows you to choose up to three special perks as you progress, but it never fully explains how to optimize these for the best results.

Some parts of the game feel underdeveloped. For example, switching bags is frustrating — you have to remove all the items first, which makes adjusting your setup during matches unnecessarily tedious. Picking up and rotating items in the limited storage space also feels clunky, often requiring multiple attempts to place things where you want.

One of NeoDuel’s strengths is its fast-paced gameplay. Each tournament run feels fresh because of the randomized shop and different strategies you can employ. The game doesn’t carry over anything from run to run, so each time you start, it’s a clean slate, encouraging you to experiment and refine your tactics.

The art style is another highlight. The creatures are well-designed, and the game’s colorful aesthetic is charming, appealing even to players who might not normally be drawn to cute designs. However, the game sorely lacks animations during battles. Watching the action unfold feels static, and adding more visual effects, like attacks or spells, would make the experience far more engaging.

Final Verdict

There are so many fascinating things you can do in this game. What really hooked me was the incredible amount of experimentation it offers. I challenged myself to boost my character’s shield to 500 and kept stacking it higher. I also aimed to achieve 100 healing every two seconds. It’s exciting how the game lets you use multiple same creatures, and right now, my goal is to fill the entire board with only legendary ones.

That said, NeoDuel is a promising game with plenty of potential. The developers are actively working on free updates, including new synergies and creatures, which shows they’re committed to improving the experience. If you enjoyed Backpack Battles and are looking for more in the same style, NeoDuel is worth trying. But if you’re expecting a polished experience right from the start, you may want to wait until the game receives further updates and refinements.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.2

The post NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters first appeared on IndieGames.