The Thinky Direct spotlighted The Mermaid Mask by SFB Games and Echo Weaver by Akupara Games, both showing off new trailers hinting at their complex mysteries. Parallel Experiment from Eleven Puzzles locked in a June 5 launch, while Sunken Stones by Spritewrench is set for July 18. He Who Watches by Danga Games and EMUUROM by borbware are both planned for later in 2025. Also, a new demo for Strange Antiquities, the anticipated sequel to Strange Horticulture, drops on June 5, and 868-BACK by Michael Brough impressed with its latest trailer.

Kiko’s Apple Adventure by Paw Paw Games launched today, along with a surprise release of parts 2 + 3 DLC for Bonfire Peaks by Corey Martin and Draknek & Friends. City of Voices, a detective mystery from a Golden Idol designer at Kini Games, released a demo. Shape Sender Deluxe by Dead Teapot and The Button Effect by Frycandle offered limited-time demos during the Showcase. Plus, Railbound by Afterburn received a level editor update, letting players create their own puzzles, and Pup Champs added free, tougher puzzles for fans.

Other highlights included Isles of Sea and Sky’s Mysterious Update coming in July, packed with new areas and secrets. Birdigo, a roguelike deckbuilder by John August, Corey Martin, and GameTeam 6, debuted a trailer and demo. NONOLITH by JUSTCAMH teased its 2026 escape adventure, and CIPHER ZERO by Zapdot showcased over 300 minimalist puzzles. Draknek’s Spooky Express, a haunted twist on Cosmic Express, rounded out the show with a demo that’s live now, charming players with its creepy train-routing puzzles.

Thinky Direct also kicked off the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase, which runs through June 5. With discounts on games like Blue Prince and Animal Well, plus plenty of demos, it’s a great week for puzzle lovers.

The post Thinky Direct 2025: Everything Announced first appeared on IndieGames.

Fallen Fates

Fallen Fates is an upcoming top-down action RPG developed by Hibernian Workshop, the creators of Astral Ascent. Set in a sprawling, hand-drawn pixel art world, the game emphasizes exploration, intense combat, and epic boss battles. You can expect a rich, immersive experience with a focus on challenging gameplay mechanics, though specific details about the story, characters, or setting remain under wraps.

Cosmic Holidays

Cosmic Holidays is an upcoming 2D platformer adventure game developed by I AM A DOG Studio, set for release in 2026 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. Youguide Cibo, a lovable alien stranded on a mysterious planet after a shuttle crash, as he journeys to reach his vacation resort. The game features a hand-drawn art style with lush, interconnected ecosystems filled with unique flora and fauna. Cibo’s distinctive ability to inflate his head allows him to glide, bounce, roll, propel himself, absorb shocks, or get stuck in tight spaces, enabling creative interactions with the environment.

Death Tower

Death Tower is a 2.5D isometric roguelite tactical RPG developed by Headbang Club, set to release on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. The goal is to ascend through the tower’s forbidden levels, each with unique ecosystems, challenges, and enemies. Gameplay blends stealth, hacking, and combat, utilizing melee weapons, special attacks, and heavy artillery. The game features 6 playable characters, around 30 enemy types, 4 distinct biomes with unique bosses, 10+ mini-bosses, 75 weapons, 75 hacks, and 10 class trees with 75 skills.

ENDLESS Legend 2 – Necrophage Faction Spotlight

Endless Legend 2 is an upcoming turn-based 4X fantasy-strategy game, a sequel to Endless Legend, developed by Amplitude Studios and announced for early access release in 2025. Set on the planet Auriga, the game builds on its predecessor’s legacy with a randomized world map, hexagonal grid-based gameplay, and a focus on empire-building through exploration, conquest, research, and diplomacy. The Necrophages return as a warmongering, insectoid hive faction, designed for aggressive expansion and military dominance. Their playstyle revolves around constant warfare, rapid growth, and consuming enemies to fuel their empire.

Paper Sky

Paper Sky is an upcoming semi-open world action-adventure game developed by solo developer Matthieu Houllier under Brute Force, set for release in late 2025 on PC, Mac, Linux, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. In this hand-crafted, physics-based game, you control a customizable paper plane, inspired by Disney’s Paperman, navigating stylized landscapes with advanced aerial dynamics. The core mechanic involves switching between a gliding paper plane and a rolling paper ball to build momentum, bypass obstacles, and uncover hidden secrets through jumping and gliding.

Cairn

Cairn is an upcoming rock-climbing simulation adventure game developed and published by The Game Bakers, known for Furi and Haven, with a planned release in 2025 for PC and PlayStation 5. Described as a “survival climber,” the game follows Aava, a professional mountaineer aiming to be the first to summit Mount Kami, an unclimbed peak. Played from a third-person perspective, Cairn emphasizes realistic climbing mechanics where players manually position Aava’s limbs to navigate rock faces, carefully planning routes and managing stamina to avoid falls that reset progress to the last checkpoint.

City Tales – Medieval Area

City Tales – Medieval Era is a medieval city-building simulation game developed by Irregular Shapes and published by Firesquid, launched in Early Access on May 22, 2025, for PC. You assume the role of a visionary leader tasked with transforming humble camps into a thriving medieval realm. The game breaks from traditional grid-based city builders by using an organic building system, allowing you to freely draw district outlines, within which villagers autonomously construct homes and paths based on their movement patterns.

Chase Tag – New Trailer

Chase Tag is a fast-paced, competitive multiplayer action game, available on Steam with a planned release in 2025. Drawing inspiration from the classic playground game of tag, it transforms the concept into arena-based PvP experience where players control candy-themed athletes in a colorful, cartoonish 3D world. The objective is to outmaneuver and tag opponents before a timer expires, using dynamic environments filled with platforms, trampolines, and ramps to gain tactical advantages.

The Funskin Project

The Funskin Project is a survival horror game developed by Studio Richoux, which will be available on Steam. Set in a strange, timeless universe, you explore a mysterious island in a non-linear fashion, solving puzzles, managing scarce resources, and fighting to survive deadly encounters. Time is also a precious resource. Be careful, when night falls, you could find yourself facing the most dangerous threats.

Tears of Metal

Tears of Metal is a medieval hack-and-slash co-op roguelike developed and published by Paper Cult, set for release in 2025 on PC via Steam. You lead a Scottish battalion to reclaim your island from invaders influenced by the mysterious Dragon Stone Meteor, which brings both enemies and dangerous powers. The game blends intense third-person combat with strategic elements, allowing you to strike, parry, and command troops in real-time across 45 handcrafted battlefields.

MIO: Memories in Orbit – Teaser Trailer

MIO: Memories in Orbit is an upcoming Metroidvania platformer developed by Douze Dixièmes and published by Focus Entertainment, set for release in 2025 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. You control MIO, a nimble android, exploring the Vessel, a massive, derelict spaceship overgrown with lush vegetation and rogue machines. Gameplay features challenging platforming and combat, with MIO gaining abilities like a grappling hook, air gliding, and wall-clinging to navigate the labyrinthine, interconnected ship.

Tenjutsu

Tenjutsu is an upcoming roguelike action game developed by Deepnight Games, led by Sébastien Benard, the designer of Dead Cells, and published by Devolver Digital, set for release in September 2025 on PC. The goal is to dismantle these syndicates in any order, using martial arts mastery and a diverse arsenal of weapons, including fists, melee weapons, and firearms. The game features fast-paced, fluid melee combat with tactical precision, emphasizing “one vs. many” encounters where players chain attacks, dodge, and use environmental tactics to defeat enemies.

The Lonesome Guild

The Lonesome Guild is an upcoming single-player top-down action RPG developed by Tiny Bull Studios and published by DON’T NOD, set for release in Fall 2025 on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The core narrative revolves around forming bonds with a quirky cast of six misfit companions, each with unique abilities, stories, and struggles, to restore hope and balance. Gameplay emphasizes switching between characters during exploration and dynamic combat, blending action, puzzle-solving, and teamwork-driven mechanics. R

Deadcore Reduxe

DeadCore Redux is a remastered version of the 2014 platformer-FPS DeadCore, being developed by 5 Bits Games and set to release Q3 2025 for PC via Steam. The game blends fast-paced first-person platforming, puzzle-solving, and shooting, using a SwitchGun to activate or deactivate mechanisms and enemies while navigating with jumps, double-jumps, and dashes. The remaster features overhauled graphics with Unity HDRP for PBR lighting and volumetric effects, revamped audio with remastered soundtracks, full gamepad support, a new expansive “Gateway” story level, and a solo ranking system with performance badges.

LavaLoop

LavaLoop is an upcoming music-based 2D shooter/platformer developed by solo French developer Louis Rigaud, set for release in 2026 on PC via Steam. You control three punk musician-fighters battling hordes of beat-bots in a retrofuturistic world. The game features intense, 2-3 minute combat sessions that flow like a concert, with fast-paced arcade-style gameplay blending shooting and platforming. Each enemy moves and attacks to its own musical score, creating a procedural soundtrack that you must sync with to counterattack stylishly.

Sheepherds!

Sheepherds! is an upcoming cozy co-op party game developed by a five-person indie team, set for release in 2025 on PC via Steam, with potential future ports to consoles like Nintendo Switch. You take on the role of sheepdogs, guiding colorful flocks through vibrant, hand-drawn landscapes to dye their wool and craft stylish outfits. Core mechanics involve strategic positioning and barking to herd sheep, which behave realistically by following and influencing each other. The experience is stress-free, with no time limits, mandatory task-sharing, or peer pressure, ensuring a positive, collaborative atmosphere.

Crown Gambit

Crown Gambit is an upcoming narrative-driven tactical RPG with card-based combat, developed by Wild Wits and published by Playdigious, set for release on June 18, 2025, for PC via Steam. Set in the dark fantasy kingdom of Meodred, you guide three paladins – Aliza, a blood-bending swashbuckler; Hael, a mace-wielding cleric; and Rollo, an anchor-waving tanker— – hrough a capital torn by political unrest and a war of succession following the king’s assassination. The game features turn-based card battles where players use ancestral relics to defeat enemies like knights, nobles, and rebel commoners.

Otherskin

Otherskin is an upcoming third-person shooter with Metroidvania elements, developed by Game Atelier and published by FDG Entertainment, set for release in Q3 2025 on PC via Steam, with potential console versions later. Equipped with a high-tech AI-powered suit, Alex gathers intel to combat the Corruption, absorbing alien “morphs” from enemies to gain transformative abilities that enhance combat and movement, such as unique traversal mechanics inspired by earthly creatures. The game blends ranged and melee combat, allowing seamless switching between powerful firearms and fast close-quarters moves.

Elmin

Elmin is an upcoming serene first-person platformer developed by Dejima Games, a small studio led by Julien Ribassin and Gabriel Miller, set for release in 2026 on PC via Steam. You assume the role of the Rider, chosen by Elmin, a mysterious giant bird, to explore interconnected archipelago of islands frozen in time, remnants of an ancient civilization. The gameplay blends exploration, platforming, and flying, with you riding Elmin to soar between islands using wind gusts and unlocking wind routes through ancient technology to control elements.

Fish Stick Protocol

Fish Stick Protocol is an upcoming online multiplayer co-op action-adventure game developed and published by Maracas Studio, set for release in 2025 on PC via Steam. Supporting up to eight players, the game plunges you into chaotic, procedurally generated dimensions to collect artifacts for the mysterious Owner’s peculiar galleries. Expect unpredictable environments with weird gravity, killer plants, and nonsensical anomalies, creating a blend of controlled chaos and cozy fun, inspired by Rick and Morty and Happy Tree Friends.

Poem Ex Machina

Poem Ex Machina is an upcoming anime-style action-adventure RPG developed and published by Amaury Dangréau (under Amaury Hyde), set for release in 2025 on PC via Steam. Set in a futuristic, dystopian city, you engage in fast-paced “Ride X Fight” gameplay, combining stylish combat and high-mobility mechanics like skating or grinding, inspired by titles like Devil May Cry and Jet Set Radio. The game features hack-and-slash and beat ’em up elements, with you battling gangs, soldiers, and abyssal creatures using a mix of melee and ranged attacks.

Guilty as Sock!

Guilty as Sock! is a chaotic online multiplayer party game developed and published by Démon Max, set to release on May 29, 2025, for PC via Steam. Players embody sock puppets acting as lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and other courtroom roles in a hilarious, absurd mock trial setting. The game supports up to nine players in a free-for-all where prosecutors make wild accusations, lawyers use evidence cards to defend or attack, and judges struggle to maintain order, wielding gavels to silence unruly players or toss out ridiculous evidence.

Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets

Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets is an upcoming indie action RPG developed by Deneos, led by Christophe Galati, and published by Deneos, set for release in 2026 on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch. A spiritual successor to Save me Mr Tako, it pays tribute to Game Boy Advance-era classics like Golden Sun and Illusion of Gaia, featuring 2D pixel-art visuals and a soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba (Golden Sun) and Masanori Hikichi (Terranigma). You control six unique heroes, each with distinct abilities and “Symbiosis” powers, to confront a crisis involving disappearing wildlife, shadow voids, and the rise of the mysterious Order.

Bonaparte: A Mechanized Revolution

Bonaparte: A Mechanized Revolution is a turn-based strategy and tactical RPG developed by Studio Imugi, released in Early Access on May 21, 2025, for PC via Steam. Set in an alternate 1789 Paris, you embody Céline or César Bonaparte, reimagined versions of Napoleon, in a steampunk-infused French Revolution where steam-powered mechs called Colossi dominate battles. The game blends grand strategy, political simulation, and tactical combat, allowing you to defend the monarchy, reform it, or lead a radical revolution alongside historical figures like Robespierre and Lafayette.

Species: Unkown

Species: Unknown is an upcoming first-person survival horror co-op shooter developed and published by Wanadev, set for release in Spring 2025 on PC via Steam. Set in a dystopian late 21st-century, you control mercenaries sent to investigate a ravaged spaceship, tasked with high-risk missions like extracting black boxes, capturing or eliminating unknown threats, or destroying the ship to contain a creature. Playable solo or in online co-op with up to four players, the game emphasizes strategic collaboration, combining FPS action, stealth, and puzzle-solving to survive alien creatures, zombies, robots, and mutant monsters.

Pardon my French Toast

Pardon My French Toast is an upcoming 3D platformer developed and published by ReRolled Studio, set for release in 2025 on PC via Steam. You control a charming slice of toast who spreads sweets like honey, chocolate, or jam on its face to gain unique abilities, such as sticking to walls with honey for climbing or using hardened chocolate to break objects. The game features dozens of colorful levels where players explore, collect big candies to fuel the ship, and help friendly toasts with various goals.

Hell is Us

Hell is Us is an upcoming third-person action-adventure game developed by Rogue Factor and published by Nacon, set for release on September 4, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game blends intense melee combat with exploration, using swords, spears, and axes to fight chimeras immune to modern weapons, alongside a drone for distraction and puzzle-solving. Its semi-open world lacks maps, compasses, or quest markers, emphasizing “Player-Plattering”—a design philosophy encouraging intuitive exploration, observation, and NPC interactions to uncover clues.

Lifelong

Lifelong is an upcoming pixel-art adventure game developed by Scoppio Software, with no confirmed release date, though it is slated for PC via Steam. In this dystopian narrative, you control a low-level employee at Scoppio Software, a black company depicted in a monochrome world symbolizing its oppressive environment. Gameplay focuses on stealth and puzzle-solving, as you manipulate cameras and devices to orchestrate an escape with coworkers.

How 2 Escape: Lost Submarine

How 2 Escape: Lost Submarine is a cooperative multiplayer puzzle adventure game developed by Breakfirst Games and published by Maximum Entertainment, releasing on June 24, 2025, for PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. It features an asymmetrical co-op experience where two players work together across separate devices to prevent a global war. One player, controlling either Haurée or Leroy, explores the interior of a lost submarine, interacting with the environment to uncover clues. The other uses a free companion app (available on PC, iOS, Android) to access maps, codes, and additional information, requiring constant communication to solve increasingly complex puzzles.

A Better World

A Better World is an upcoming interactive fiction adventure game developed by Ludogram Games and published by ARTE Interactive, set for release in 2025 on PC via Steam. In this alternate history narrative, you act as a time-traveling recruit for the A Better World Company, using a computer to alter historical events and reshape the future. Gameplay focuses on making impactful choices that change the course of history, navigating a timeline where each decision creates new outcomes, often with unforeseen consequences.

Lost in Prayer

Lost in Prayer is a traditional grid-based roguelike developed and published by Nine Dots Studio, set to launch in Early Access on July 15, 2025, for PC via Steam. The core mechanic allows you to unlock and play as any enemy that kills you, offering diverse playstyles with unique skill trees and abilities, such as a four-armed angel wielding multiple weapons. Gameplay emphasizes turn-based tactical combat, with push-and-pull mechanics, traps, and environmental interactions to outsmart foes. Procedurally generated levels, permadeath, and extensive loot (hundreds of weapons and armor) ensure high replayability.

Sydless

Sydless is an upcoming fast-paced first-person shooter developed by Opia Games, set for release in 2026 on PC via Steam. You control Diego, a fast-food worker at Randy’s Burger in the late 1990s, trapped in a surreal, reality-warping anomaly where the restaurant distorts into increasingly twisted versions of itself. The core mechanic revolves around a deadly bouncing ball as the sole weapon, which gains speed and destructive power with each hit, requiring precise momentum-based movement like wall-jumping, sliding, and dashing to navigate chaotic environments and defeat distorted customers.

Maseylia : Echoes of the Past

Maseylia: Echoes of the Past is an upcoming 3D Metroidvania platformer developed by Sol Brothers, a French duo, set for release in 2026 on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. You explore a vast, interconnected techno-organic labyrinth, blending classic 2D Metroidvania exploration with modern 3D mechanics. The game features open-ended exploration, allowing players to carve their own paths through diverse biomes filled with secrets, forgotten ruins, and wild creatures.

Dead in Antares

Dead in Antares is a turn-based survival management RPG developed by Ishtar Games and published by Nacon, releasing on November 4, 2025, for PC via Steam. The game focuses on managing interconnected systems like food, water, exhaustion, mental health, and energy, while building a camp from ship wreckage. You assign tasks, repair technology, and navigate relationships, where choices shape friendships, rivalries, or betrayals, leading to one of four endings.

Quantic River

Quantic River is an upcoming 2.5D cyberpunk action game developed by FluidFury Interactive, set for release in 2026 on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. The game blends fast-paced katana-based combat, focusing on parries, counter-attacks, and fluid attack chains, with deep exploration of dual-layered levels designed for both speedrunners and explorers. You can unlock cybernetic upgrades to enhance combat, mobility, or hacking, slice through destructible environments, and manipulate security systems to access alternate routes.

Fireside Feelings

Fireside Feelings is an upcoming narrative-driven life adventure game developed by Team Empreintes, set for release in late 2025 on PC via Steam. You embody a customizable, adorable character who creates a cozy safe space around a campfire to share and listen to stories in varied, hand-drawn settings. The game focuses on empathy and connection, inviting players worldwide to answer diverse questions, ranging from lighthearted to profound to craft a collective tale filled with compassion.

Ytash a Nocturnal Poem

Ytash: A Nocturnal Poem is an upcoming 2D Metroidvania action-adventure game developed and published by Sunnyside Games, set for release in late 2025 on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch. A spinoff of the acclaimed Nocturnal, you control Ardeshir, a master of the Enduring Flame, exploring the dark, forgotten city of Ytash on a compact island. The core mechanic revolves around a unique fire system: striking fire sources ignites Ardeshir’s sword, illuminating the pitch-black environment and enabling stylish combat abilities, but enemies can extinguish the flame, leaving you vulnerable with only one health point.

Follow my Steps

Follow My Steps is an upcoming narrative-driven open-world RPG developed by Midnight Games, set for release in 2026 on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. You control Sova, a mother wolf, and her pup Lou, navigating a dreamlike open world to find a new shelter while evading the dangerous Midnight Pack. The game blends exploration, stealth, and magical combat, with six elemental magics used to fight creatures and epic bosses. Core mechanics include using wolf senses to track scents, mark enemies, or uncover hidden treasures, and making moral choices that shape one of 27 unique endings.

HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon

HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon is an upcoming dark fantasy dungeon crawler RPG developed by Ars Goetia and published by PID Games, slated for release in 2026 on PC via Steam. A sequel to Hellslave (2022), it continues the series’ grim narrative where players make a pact with the Devil to combat a demonic invasion threatening humanity’s extinction. Ypi must stop six demon lords before a divine purge, choosing one to worship, which grants unique demonic powers and shapes character builds through an expanded passive skill tree.

Barda

Barda is an upcoming survival roguelike bag-building game developed by Mudita Games, the creators of Pilo and the Holobook, set for release in late 2025 in Early Access on PC via Steam, with planned versions for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. You control Barda, a young girl navigating dangerous forest to find her uncle. The core mechanic revolves around a “bag-building” system, where you collect items to fill a limited inventory, making strategic choices to balance survival resources and combat tools.

Short Announcements

The post AG French Direct 2025: Everything Announced first appeared on IndieGames.

It’s confirmed that the showcase will feature titles from Hibernian Workshop, Focus Entertainment, NACON, Dear Villagers, Devolver Digital, Amplitude Studios, Nine Dots Studios, Ishtar Games, Playdigious Originals, The Game Bakers, Maximum Entertainment, and Sunnyside Games.

Attention will undoubtedly be drawn to Astral Ascent, an ambitious project from Hibernian Workshop that strongly resembles Final Fantasy XVI, as well as ENDLESS Legend 2 from Amplitude Studios, the turn-based survival game Dead in Antares, and Lost in Prayer from Nine Dots Studios, alongside new trailers for Hell is Us, MIO: Memories in Orbit, and Maseylia: Echoes of the Past.

Following the showcase, numerous games will be available on Steam as part of a special festival, where you can try out 20 demo versions and gain deeper insights through interviews and detailed previews.

The post AG French Direct is happening today, featuring 40 games by French developers first appeared on IndieGames.

Thinky Games, which started as a Discord community back in 2018 by Alan Hazelden of Draknek & Friends, is a place for fans of puzzles, logic, and strategy. Since launching their website in 2022, they’ve been on a mission to spotlight games that prioritize brainpower over quick reflexes, ranging from detective mysteries to Sokoban-style challenges.

The Thinky Direct event will bring together big names like Akupara Games, and Wholesome Games, alongside various indie titles to show off what’s coming next. Last year’s event impressed over 300,000 viewers with reveals like City of Voices, a deduction-driven puzzle mystery, and Parallel Experiment, which actually launched on June 5, 2024. This time around, expect fresh trailers for titles such as Spooky Express or Draknek’s spooky train-routing puzzler.

On the other side, The Cerebral Puzzle Showcase offers discounts on hundreds of games and demos for upcoming titles. Last year it featured games like Blue Prince and Animal Well. The 2025 lineup promises even more, with teasers for games like Kiko’s Apple Adventure, a cozy bear-led quest, and Trails, a sand-ship routing puzzle.

The post Thinky Direct 2025 To Showcase Puzzle Games Next Week first appeared on IndieGames.

Truth Scrapper

Truth Scrapper is a romance/mystery visual novel developed by INSERTDISC5 INC. Set in the fictional world of Gravail, it follows Sosotte, a senior member of the Truth Scrappers guild, as she investigates mysterious attacks near a massive sinkhole called the Dwell. Accompanied by two guides, Amour and Betz, Sosotte navigates a narrative-driven experience filled with romance, intrigue, and research-themed adventures.

Shadows of Chroma Tower

Shadows of Chroma Tower is a first-person dungeon crawler RPG with roguelite elements, developed by Double Dash Studios. Set in the mystical Chroma Tower, players choose from five classes and align with one of two factions to battle the Archmage’s minions and uncover the tower’s secrets. Featuring solo or co-op gameplay (up to 10 players), it blends action, crafting, and asynchronous PvP. Players level up, master professions like fishing or weapon forging, and tackle hordes, bosses, and raids to break the Maldichroma curse. It has a planned release on September 29, 2025.

Artis Impact

Artis Impact, is a true labor of love with each piece of pixel art hand-drawn from scratch solely by Malaysian developer Mas. Built over four years in RPG Maker MV, the game offers a heartfelt, often humorous take on post-apocalypse life – without the grind. As announced in this year’s Six One Indie Showcase Artis Impact is set to launch August 7, 2025 on Steam.

1000 Deaths (Thousand Deaths)

1000 Deaths (Thousand Deaths) is a gravity-bending 3D platformer by Pariah Interactive, where player choices shape the levels, mechanics, and story. You control one of four characters, navigating surreal worlds like Nowherestown and Jollywood Hills as a retro TV. Run, jump, and dash through dynamic platforming hubs with shifting gravity, solving puzzles and facing action-packed challenges. Your decisions impact the narrative: build friendships, become a rockstar, or mess up your love life, offering multiple endings in a cartoon-inspired adventure. A demo is available on Steam, with the full release planned for 2025.

Bobo Bay

Bobo Bay is an indie pet simulation game by NewFutureKids, inspired by Sonic Adventure’s Chao Garden. Players collect, breed, customize, and train adorable creatures called Bobos in a cozy, tropical world. Feed Bobos to boost stats, accessorize them, and compete in races and challenges across their life stages. With nostalgic vibes and strategic depth, the alpha demo is available on Steam, with a full release planned for 2025.

Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime

Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is a RPG by Bonte Avond Studios, set in a frog-obsessed island world. Players control Bonnie Bear, who struggles with low self-worth until friends gift them a toadbag for their birthday, sparking a quest to save the archipelago. Collect, trade, and battle over 40 frog species in the strategic turn-based game of Frogtime, where you maneuver frogs to outscore opponents. With various characters, silly voice acting, and heartfelt music, the game blends humor, exploration, and self-discovery. A free demo is available on Steam, with a full release planned for 2025.

Oscuro Blossom’s Glow

Oscuro Blossom’s Glow is a charming 2D puzzle-platformer by Hongoneon. Players guide Selene, a young girl who absorbs and emits light from mystical flowers to solve puzzles, activate mechanisms, and navigate dynamic environments. Set in a vibrant, hand-drawn world of interconnected planets, Selene battles the Dark One to restore stolen light, facing choices that shape the fate of the planetary system. With a relaxing soundtrack and multiple endings, the game offers an emotional, immersive adventure. A demo is available on Steam, with a full release planned for 2025.

Future Vibe Check

Future Vibe Check is a musical automation game by Unwise and Akupara Games, set for PC release in 2025. Players build factories that produce music, not goods, blending automation with rhythm-based gameplay. Engage in rhythm and pitch minigames to gather resources, automate musical production with conveyor belts and nodes, and defend against Vibe Stealers. A demo is available on Steam.

Cast n Chill

Cast n Chill is a cozy idle fishing game by Wombat Brawler, set for a June 2025 PC and macOS release. Players explore serene lakes, rivers, and oceans, catching over 100 fish species with a loyal pup by their side. Fish, sell for profit, and upgrade gear in active or passive modes, with offline progression. Featuring gorgeous pixel art and relaxing vibes, it supports solo or couch co-op play. A demo is available on Steam.

Fretless

Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson is a turn-based RPG by Ritual Studios, set in a music-themed world inspired by musician Rob Scallon. Players control Rob, a musician fighting to restore harmony against Rick Riffson, an evil record boss using the Battle of the Bands to trap musicians with soul-binding contracts. Explore whimsical biomes, collect riffs for deck-building, and engage in musical turn-based combat with powerful crescendo attacks. Featuring pixel-art visuals, a star-studded soundtrack, and various characters, it’s set for a Summer 2025 PC release. A demo is available on Steam.

Away From Home

Away From Home is a 2D platformer with RPG and rhythm game elements, developed by Squishy and Cameron Smith-Randick. Players control Abby, a girl navigating a quirky, emotional adventure with her brother Michael through vibrant lands and dark forests. The game features fast-paced, gravity-free platforming, simple move-and-dash controls, and rhythm-based missions, drawing inspiration from Earthbound and Celeste. A free demo is available on Steam with release date set for Q4 2025.

Anatine

Anatine is a pixel-art metroidvania game developed by Pixel Trash, where players control a character using a unique flute-playing mechanic to cast spells and interact with the environment. Set in a mysterious world, it features exploration, organic musical elements, and a spell system inspired by Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Players navigate interconnected areas, uncovering secrets and battling enemies.

Scratch the Cat

Grab your headphones and step up to the turntable in Scratch The Cat, a vibrant action-adventure 3D platformer. Play as DJ Scratch, explore a sprawling musical world, fight bosses, and reclaim your stolen records. Scratch isn’t just any cat – he’s quick, nimble, and packed with style. Run, jump, slide, climb, swim, and dive through different levels plus chain together moves to reach hidden areas or traverse obstacles with flair.

Jump the Track

Jump the Track is an indie adventure game by Seed by Seed, blending visual novel storytelling with pachinko-style mechanics. Players guide Sam, a young dreamer trapped in the gig economy, through a chaotic, comedic journey to overthrow an oppressive system. Choices shape the narrative, with pachinko boards adding randomness to outcomes, leading to multiple endings. A demo is available on Steam, with a full release planned for May 28th.

Scaravan 66

Scaravan 66 is a high-octane car combat roguelike by Lithic Entertainment, set for a July PC release. Players control Lucky, a greaser-style Road Reaper, racing down a hellish Route 66 to escape the Devil’s grasp. Engage in fast-paced vehicular combat, blasting demons and undead with shotguns or ramming them off the road. Strategic pit stops with allies offer perks and upgrades, while a psychobilly aesthetic and dynamic encounters ensure no two runs are the same.

Rogue Eclipse

Rogue Eclipse is a spaceflight action roguelike by HUSKRAFTS and published by Outersloth. Inspired by Starfox and Armored Core, it features intense arcade-style combat in an Arabesque Futurism sci-fi setting. Players pilot a starfighter, battling swarms, armadas, and colossal behemoths in destructible environments, upgrading their ship to face a cosmic evil. Its roguelike structure ensures replayability with procedurally generated challenges.

GlitchSPANKR

GlitchSPANKR is a comedic, narrative-driven exploration game by Mahelyk, set for a Q2 2025 PC release. As a 90s kid, you dive into the glitchy world of Big Booty Slapper 6 to battle or befriend a rogue virus named Spunk using the GlitchSPANKR Antivirus. Engage in physics-based “spanking” and destruction, tackle minigames, uncover secrets, and unlock customizations in voxel-based levels. Your choices shape multiple endings in this bizarre, humor-filled adventure.

Guilty As Sock!

Guilty as Sock! is a chaotic online party game by Demon Max, set for release in 2025. Players take on roles as sock lawyers, prosecutors, or judges in a hilarious courtroom where absurd evidence and wild arguments reign. Improvise, strategize, and disrupt with paper balls or emotes to sway verdicts in a free-for-all with friends. Featuring cartoony visuals and unpredictable gameplay, a demo is available on Steam.

Grandma, No!

Grandma, No! is a physics-based comedy adventure game by Wallride Games and published by Super Rare Originals which is releasing on May 23rd 2025. Players control a hapless grandma tasked with babysitting her grandkid and completing household chores, like cooking and gardening, in three chaotic locations: garden, kitchen, and living room. Simple tasks spiral into absurd, destructive mayhem due to intentionally clumsy controls and slapstick humor, with minigames and unlockable outfits adding variety.

Building Relationships!

Building Relationships is a quirky adventure and dating sim by Tan Ant Games, set for a 2025 PC release. You play as a house exploring a cozy island, romancing eccentric structures like a flirty windmill or a himbo tent, with dialogue-driven choices shaping a bizarre yet heartfelt story. Roll, jump, and wave-dash through diverse biomes, fish for cars (not fish), and uncover secrets in a low-poly, nostalgic world. Described as “A Short Hike, but stupid,” it blends comedy, romance, and exploration. A demo is available on Steam.

Hotel Barcelona

Hotel Barcelona is a 2.5D slasher-action roguelike by White Owls Inc., led by Swery65 and Suda51, set for a 2025 release on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Players control Justine, a federal marshal possessed by the serial killer Dr. Carnival, battling twisted killers in a cursed hotel near Pittsburgh. Featuring a time-loop mechanic with “Slasher Phantoms” (past selves aiding combat), blood-fueled abilities, and a “Carnival Awakening” super attack, the game blends fast-paced combat with horror movie-inspired settings, including parodies of classics like The Shining and Friday the 13th.

Rue Valley

Rue Valley is a narrative-driven isometric RPG by Emotion Spark Studio, published by Owlcat Games, set for a 2025 PC release. Players control Eugene, a man trapped in a 47-minute time loop in a desolate motel, grappling with mental health challenges. Shape Eugene’s personality through choices that affect dialogue and outcomes, explore a vibrant comic-book-style world inspired by Disco Elysium and Groundhog Day, and unravel the town’s mysteries.

Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs

Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs is a spooky, narrative-driven indie game by Bastinus Rex, set to release on Steam in summer 2025. Players embody the Carimara, tasked with exorcising a ghost in a dark, thatched cottage by answering its questions using a card-based dialogue system. Set in a retro-styled, low-horror world inspired by Normandy folklore, the game features point-and-click exploration, photorealistic pixelated textures, and stop-motion animations. Collect cards from objects like acorns or creepy characters to unravel mysteries in this 30-60 minute fairytale adventure.

A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe

A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe is a comedic point-and-click stealth adventure by Quail Button, set for a 2025 PC release. You play as Giraffe, a socially anxious giraffe in Friendly City, where his head will literally explode if anyone talks to him. Navigate a week of chores like laundromat visits, grocery shopping, gym workouts—using puzzles and stealth to avoid chatty residents. Featuring hand-drawn art, lo-fi music, and relatable humor, a demo is available on Steam.

Inkshade

Inkshade is a turn-based tactics roguelite by Studio Vezelle, set for a 2025 PC release. Players act as a captain playing a creepy wooden board game against a shadowy game master, aiming to reach a mysterious realm called the Abyss. Command a crew of upgradable wooden pieces on hex-grid maps, engage in strategic combat, and explore locked rooms to unlock new classes and solve puzzles. With a dark, Lovecraftian atmosphere and roguelite replayability, a demo is available on Steam.

Kejora

Kejora is a hand-drawn 2D puzzle platformer by Berangin Creative, set for a 4th September 2025 PC release. Players control Kejora, a girl in a peaceful village trapped in a mysterious time loop, pursued by monstrous creatures after uncovering a dark secret. Accompanied by two friends with unique abilities, she solves environmental puzzles, sets traps, and sneaks past enemies in stunning, Ghibli-inspired landscapes. The game features traditional frame-by-frame animation and a thrilling narrative. A demo is available on Steam.

One Way Home

One Way Home is a psychological horror puzzle platformer by CYBERHEAD, set for a 2026 release on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck. Players guide Jimmy Taylor, a 12-year-old boy trapped in a mysterious, nightmarish world after a car accident. Navigate eerie, deserted streets, solve environmental puzzles, and face terrifying creatures. Choices shape Jimmy’s skills, story progression, and one of four endings, with paths like The Sage or The Innocent. Featuring a haunting crayon-drawn art style, the game offers 8-14 hours of gameplay. A demo is available on Steam.

Mouse P.I: For Hire

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a noir-fueled first-person shooter by Fumi Games and PlaySide Studios, set for a 2025 release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and other consoles. Players control Jack Pepper, a mouse detective in a 1930s-inspired, black-and-white rubber hose cartoon world, navigating the corrupt city of Mouseburg. Combining fast-paced FPS combat with metroidvania elements, players use weapons like tommy guns and a unique Turpentine Gun, alongside power-ups like Spike-D Spinach and a grappling hook tail, to battle cartoonish enemies and unravel a gritty story of murder and corruption.

Kabuto Park

Kabuto Park is a cozy, bug-collecting game by Doot Tiny Games, released on Steam on May 28, 2025. Players control Hana, a girl on summer vacation, catching over 44 bug species like beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies using timed net swings. Train and level up bugs with candies, build card-based teams, and compete in sumo-style battles to become the Summer Beetle Battles champion. With charming hand-drawn art, a relaxing vibe, and 2-4 hours of gameplay, it’s a short, family-friendly adventure. A demo is available on Steam.

Forbidden Solitaire 

Forbidden Solitaire is a card-slashing horror game by Grey Alien Games and Night Signal Entertainment, set for a Q2 2025 release on Steam. Set in 2019, you uncover a cryptic 1995 CD-ROM that unleashes a 90s FMV-inspired digital hellscape of dungeons and death. Survive bloodletting solitaire gameplay, purchase upgrades from a mysterious “friendly eye”, and unlock game-changing Jokers, some helpful, some malignant.

The Wide Open Sky is Running out of Catfish

The Wide Open Sky is Running out of Catfish is a story-driven photography game by Cloud Creature, set for a 2025 PC release. Players ride a giant, flying catfish, using a magic flute to transform clouds into sea creatures to restore a depleted sky. Explore a vibrant world, catalog unique creatures, and share discoveries via in-game platforms like Dolphin Chat and PhotoPond. With themes of friendship, the game blends casual exploration, creature collection, and emotional storytelling. A demo is available on Steam.

Quite a Ride

Quite a Ride is a first-person survival horror game by Goodwin Games, set for a 2025 PC release. Players pedal a bicycle through a foggy, rural landscape filled with eerie secrets and Lovecraftian monsters, inspired by Stephen King and ’80s/’90s horror films. Keep your phone charged by cycling to decode cryptic messages and survive the ever-present threat chasing you. Explore shifting environments, uncover hidden labs, and manage limited battery life in this atmospheric, unsettling adventure.

Benny Bash

Benny Bash is a horror-puzzle adventure game by Eduardo Scarpato, set for a 2025 PC release. Players, as Mike Carter, are trapped in a cabin playing a cursed 1980s video game, blending Super Mario Bros. 3 and Pac-Man-style gameplay. Solve escape room-style puzzles and navigate eerie labyrinths while a malevolent entity, Benny, hunts you. Your in-game actions impact the real world, creating a chilling narrative with retro aesthetics and psychological horror. A demo is available on Steam and itch.io.

Blue Ridge Hunting

Blue Ridge Hunting is an online co-op horror game by Jade Meadows. Players join the Appalachian Investigation Group to investigate, document, and hunt cryptids in the Appalachian Mountains, inspired by real sightings and folklore. With up to four friends, explore open levels, use tools to collect evidence, and battle creatures in a retro PSX-style atmosphere. Features include a story-rich campaign, freeplay mode, and proximity voice chat.

Petal Runner

Petal Runner is a slice-of-life RPG by Nano Park Studios, set for a 2025 PC release. Players control Cali and her HanaPet companion Kira, training to become motorcycle couriers called Petal Runners in the cyberpunk-inspired city of Sapphire Valley. Deliver Leap Cell-powered virtual pets, explore a vibrant open world, play minigames, and meet quirky characters in a Game Boy Color-style pixel-art adventure. The story focuses on coming-of-age themes, friendship, and uncovering a hidden mystery.

Oddbat

Oddbat is a challenging 2D platformer by Marcos Vendrell and SummerHouse Games. Players control a vampire bat with infinite jumps, navigating an open-world map with over 700 levels to drain the blood of 7 bosses for an immortality ritual. Inspired by Celeste and VVVVVV, it blends intense platforming, comedic encounters, and retro aesthetics with diverse environments, 5 dungeons, and over 100 brutal challenges. Collect 60+ pets and suck blood from 300+ NPCs to unlock secrets.

Kidbash: Super Legend Trailer

Kidbash: Super Legend is a roguelike action-platformer by Authentic Remixes, Fat Raccoon and Niji Games. Players control Kidbash, an amnesiac hero in the O.D.D., a world of forgotten video game characters, striving to save the village of Mandala. Featuring a Mega Man-inspired weapon fusion system (with a nod to Kirby 64), randomized mods, and vibrant 2D visuals, players navigate challenging Mountain and cozy Village phases, blending fast-paced platforming, combat, and village-building.

Dinoblade

Dinoblade is an action RPG by Team Spino LLC, developed by Jean Nguyen. Players control a young Spinosaurus wielding a Great Sword, fighting weapon-wielding dinosaurs like T-Rex and Ankylosaurus to prevent extinction after a mysterious event. Explore diverse biomes, battle Alpha Giants, and unlock skills and weapons in fast-paced, Souls-like combat with dodge, roll, and parry mechanics.

The post Everything Announced at Six One Indie Showcase 2025 first appeared on IndieGames.

Unlike your typical gaming conventions, Endix builds an immersive online world where gamers, developers, and brands can hang out in a lively digital expo hall. Imagine custom-made booths, live game demos, and even mini-games, all available to anyone, anywhere, whether you’re in Tokyo or in Toronto. This year, the showcase is really focusing on being easy to access and creative, shining a spotlight on a diverse mix of indie gems and projects backed by bigger publishers.

Selecta Play is showing off Bubble Ghost Remake. They’ll also have Morkull Ragast’s Rage, a 2D Metroidvania and ANTRO, a rhythm-based 2.5D platformer where the music actually powers your rebellion. Then there’s Raw Fury. They’re bringing quite the lineup: Star Trucker, which sounds like a cosmic trucking simulator for space enthusiasts; Esoteric Ebb, a narrative-driven mystery; Ballionaire, a arcade game; Post Trauma, a horror trip that feels like it’s from the PS2 era; and Craftlings, a cozy crafting adventure.

Coming all the way from the Netherlands, Twirlbound are revealing The Knightling, an open-world action-adventure that mixes old-school charm with a modern, polished feel. Hypetrain Digital is bringing Tinkerlands, which drops you onto a mysterious island for a survival crafting adventure. It sounds perfect for playing by yourself or with friends, as you build towns and fight off dangers. And for anyone who loves explosive action, Wargaming’s World of Tanks Blitz will be rolling its tactical tank battles onto the Endix stage.

Nikos Perifanis, Endix’s Product Manager, share his own thoughts about the showcase: “We’re excited to really show off what makes each game special. Endix is all about giving game studios a platform to be noticed and giving players a rich, interactive way to dive into the future of games.”

The post Endix Indie Showcase 2025 Starts This Weekend first appeared on IndieGames.

The broadcast will showcase over 40 exclusive game trailers, featuring a diverse lineup of indie JRPGs, ranging from nostalgic pixel-art tactical games to innovative turn-based adventures. A key highlight is a “must-see world premiere” from a critically acclaimed studio. Popular YouTube creators will introduce each title, sharing personal insights and connecting viewers with the stories behind the games.

Here’s a list of games that may be featured at the showcase:

• Disc Creatures WORLD
• Blightstone
• Legends of Awen: Rise of the Fianna
• Forge of the Fae
• Lord of Ogre
• Aether & Iron
• Lost Hellden
• Bloomtown: A Different Story
• Chained Echoes (Sequel / DLC)
• Alzara
• Runa
• Aikode
• Horizons of Elderglen
• Pixel Saga: Echoes of Time

The post Indie Quest 2025 Will Showcase Indie JRPGs Next Week first appeared on IndieGames.

Audiences can expect a lineup packed with world premieres, exclusive demos, developer deep-dives, and never-before-seen trailers. Among the confirmed highlights are a fresh look at Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game, an interview with the team at Hangar 13, the studio behind Mafia: The Old Country, and a new trailer for horror adventure Crisol: Theater of Idols.

Following the main show, Future Games Show Live from Los Angeles will make its return for a third consecutive year. Broadcast directly from a studio in L.A., this post-show segment will offer even more exclusive game trailers and insights tied to the season’s hottest announcements. Last year’s broadcast attracted more than 10 million live viewers, according to Future Media.

Here’s a quick breakdown on streaming time:

The post Future Games Show: Summer Showcase 2025 Set for Early June first appeared on IndieGames.

This year’s official selection of 21 unreleased titles collectively gained over 200,000 wishlists during the event, averaging 10,000 per game, more than doubling the wishlist numbers from 2024. With over 1.8 million visitors to the LudoNarraCon 2025 Steam fest page, a 50% jump from 2024, the event underscored the popularity of narrative gaming.

Besides the Steam fest, LudoNarraCon 2025 also had a main show with talks and interviews. These were made with help from Remap Radio, Noclip, The Besties, and Lucy James from Friends Per Second. You can watch these discussions about game stories and how games are made on a YouTube playlist, so you can see them again or if you missed them. The event also had more than 50 game companies showing their games. Demos for games like Wanderstop and Afterlove EP were very popular.

Since it started in 2019, LudoNarraCon has become a big worldwide event for games with great stories. It helps developers by letting them join for free and promoting their games directly. The 2025 event was even more successful, with 30% more demo downloads than last year. This shows that people really like indie games that have touching stories.

The post LudoNarraCon 2025 wraps up as biggest year yet for narrative gaming first appeared on IndieGames.

The event begins with the Petey’s Play Now Pre-Show, highlighting seven underappreciated indie gems released earlier in 2025. The main Showcase will present 41 upcoming games, including the world premiere of Truth Scrapper from the creator of In Stars and Time, glimpses into Mouse: P.I. For Hire and Hotel Barcelona, and a deep dive into Akupara Games’ Future Vibe Check. The show will conclude with a surprise “one more thing” from the Six One Indie team.

After the stream, fans can visit the official showcase homepage for over 20 hands-on previews and 40 developer interviews crafted by the Six One Indie editorial team, offering deeper insights into the featured games. A concurrent Six One Indie Showcase Steam event, running through May 26, 2025, will feature over 150 wishlist-worthy indie titles, complete with exclusive demos and special discounts, making it easy for players to discover and support new favorites.

Curated from over 1,300 submissions, this season’s lineup reflects Six One Indie’s commitment to showcasing boundary-pushing creativity. Since its inception in 2022, the Showcase has highlighted more than 150 indie games, prioritizing accessibility by offering free participation and direct marketing support for developers, especially those without access to traditional industry platforms.

The post Six One Indie Showcase returns next week with 48 innovative indie games first appeared on IndieGames.