Positioned as a competitor to The Sims, it promises a cozy, creative, and highly customizable experience where players craft characters, build homes, and manage their lives in an open-world town. Think of it as a spiritual successor to early Sims games, focusing on detailed building, storytelling, and daily life with a softer, painterly art style.

Unlike The Sims’ expansive DLC model, Paralives commits to no paid DLC, offering free updates post-launch to expand features. However, as the studio stated on their Steam page, it will be priced at 39.99$ for Early Access, with a planned price increase after the initial phase.

Everything we can expect from its features

Paralives Early Access version will have a solid foundation but not all planned features:

• Live Mode: Core systems like relationships, interactions, emotions, and daily needs (hunger, hygiene) for Parafolk. You’ll manage their lives, from work to socializing, in an open-world neighborhood.
• Build Mode: Highly flexible tools for home construction, featuring curved walls, customizable furniture, and precise resizing/coloring options, and allows freeform building.
• Paramaker: Deep character creation with extensive customization for appearance, clothing, and personalities.
• Mod Support: Day-one modding tools, encouraging community creations.
• Content: A variety of furniture, decor, and family types (single parents, large families, platonic groups), with a focus on diversity and queer inclusion.

However, some features will be missing at launch, to be added via free updates:

• Babies and toddlers (though older children are included).
• Pets.
• Advanced relationship mechanics (complex family dynamics).
• Expanded career and world interactions.

Should You Look Forward to it?

After years of The Sims dominating the market, with inZOI just starting to gain traction, Paralives offers a new perspective. It features charming, cozy aesthetics and focuses on fundamental building and storytelling. Its open-world town and tactile build mode feel like a tribute to early Sims fans. Other that, Paralives doesn’t really feel artifical like the Sims.

A major draw is the promise of free updates, a welcome change from The Sims’ costly expansion packs. Paralives’ build mode does offer proper flexibility with curved walls, custom sizing, and detailed decor, outshining many competitors. If you love designing homes, this could be a dream sandbox. The developers have also built trust through six years of transparent updates via Patreon and social media.

However, you should still be wary of the game. As with any Early Access title, Paralives won’t be complete at launch. Missing features like babies, pets, or refined relationships might disappoint some. Unlike The Sims’ massive EA backing or inZOI’s Krafton resources, Paralives Studio is a small indie team. While their passion is evident, content depth and polish may take time to match larger competitors.

Early Access often brings technical issues. If you’re sensitive to glitches, you might prefer waiting for post-launch patches. Paralives isn’t aiming for The Sims’ scope but a more focused, cozy experience. If you crave expansive gameplay (like complex careers or world events), it might feel limited at first. Remember, Early Access means it’s still a work in progress.

The post Paralives Is Releasing in December 2025, Should You Look Forward to It? first appeared on IndieGames.

The mysterious red vine known as Tempest has spread across the world and awakened an ancient race known as the Veti. In the game, you will lead two unique factions in a battle for survival and dominance against this race. Tempest Rising is inspired by classics from the 90s and 2000s and combines elements of city building with management and action combat. Each faction offers unique harvesting systems, armies, and strategies, allowing for different play styles.

Additionally, Tempest Rising will feature two extensive single-player campaigns rich in missions and cinematic scenes, which will follow an intriguing story. Multiplayer fans will be able to enjoy various modes, including skirmish, custom, and ranked. Furthermore, the game's soundtrack includes original music by Frank Klepacki, the cult composer known for his work on the Command & Conquer series.

The post The RTS game Tempest Rising, set in an alternate universe of Earth, will be released in April 2025 first appeared on IndieGames.

In WILD Tactics, crime is a constant threat, and dangers lurk around every corner. You will lead a team composed of former soldiers, police officers, and criminals who join forces to clean up the dangerous streets of the metropolis of Wilderness, a city already known to fans of Chicken Police. The game combines the strategic depth of XCOM with a unique urban environment.

Each team member has specific skills that players must use carefully to outsmart their opponents. For example, Blackjack wields the devastating shotgun "Restless Marie," while Kiorra handles two pistols and can target multiple enemies simultaneously. In addition to dynamic combat, the game offers the ability to upgrade the base, improve equipment, and explore each character's skills.

In the early pre-alpha version showcased in the trailer, a colorful and action-packed world is visible, featuring 12 unique animal characters, each with distinct personalities and abilities. WILD Tactics will be available for PC via Steam.

The post The Wild Gentleman Studio announced WILD Tactics, a turn-based strategy title inspired by XCOM first appeared on IndieGames.

In Last Moon, you step into the boots of a Lunar Knight and traverse a vast, beautifully ruined world. The game’s narrative is deeply rooted in a world thrown into chaos by human greed, leading to the destruction of the Moon and the emergence of corrupted creatures. As a Lunar Knight, it is your destiny to confront these tainted beings and bring harmony back to the land.

You can choose from 8 weapons, over 30 runes, 10 summoning spells, and up to 70 skills to tailor your playstyle. Whether solo or with a friend in local co-op mode, embark on this grand adventure together. Also, encounter more than 50 unique monsters created by the Lunar Corruption and experience a well designed world with interconnected paths, unique environments, and charming characters.

Last Moon promises a tightly tuned combat system that blends old-school action RPG mechanics with modern controls. You will dodge, block, and slay corrupted creatures, utilizing smooth and responsive controls. As you progress, you will have the opportunity to upgrade your Lunar Knight’s abilities, forge new weapons, and master various skills. By equipping Runes of the Ancients found throughout the world, you can customize your fighting strategy to suit different combat scenarios and monsters.

The game also features a living world with day/night cycles that affect both the environment and the creatures within it. This dynamic system means that different times of day will reveal new secrets, inaccessible areas, and dangerous creatures lurking in the shadows.

Last Moon is set to be released in 2025, but eager players can dive into the demo available on Steam now.

The post Last Moon is a nostalgic action RPG adventure presented during the PC Gaming Show first appeared on IndieGames.

In Ambulance Life, you work in the fictional Pelican City on the west coast of the USA and respond to emergency calls in four different neighborhoods: historic, business, industrial and residential. Each neighborhood unlocks new challenges and citizens with different emergency situations that you solve with advanced tools.

In each scenario, you get behind the wheel of different ambulances, dealing with various emergency situations that may occur during your shift. You will need to quickly examine and classify the injured according to the severity of their injuries in order to save them. Although some incidents can be reduced to minor injuries such as cuts or minor problems, some will require a quick and precise response, especially in serious situations.

Ambulance Life is scheduled for release in September 2024 on PC via Steam.

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Solo developer Jesse Walker said for PC Gamer last year that he wants to make exploring the world a fluid and satisfying experience. Much of the development is devoted to reducing load times and keeping exploration fluid: “I love open-world games, so I'm focusing on using as little loading screens or interruptions during gameplay as possible. Designing sophisticated data streaming methods has been the biggest part of development time so far.”

The results of these efforts are already visible in the gameplay trailers shared by the developer. The quick transitions between the overworld and fixed-camera interiors are obvious, and when a character enters a building, Mortal Crux switches to a perspective reminiscent of classic games like Resident Evil or JRPGs from the PS1 era. The stealth elements won't be solely as preparation for combat, as Mortal Crux's system is almost entirely based on sound and line of sight. It won't be like the Elder Scrolls where enemies can spot you from a long distance away, but you can literally walk past people without them noticing.

In a similar vein, the latest trailer, presented during PC Gaming Show, also shows off the new Mesmerize magic, which can seduce even mountain trolls with its beautiful lights, similar to the Hypnotic Pattern spell from Baldur's Gate 3, but with a special animation. Walker is also working on expanding the alternatives to direct combat in the game, and while a completely pacifist approach to Mortal Crux isn't in the cards, the developer wants to provide players with deeper gameplay tools.

Mortal Crux is due out next year for PC via Steam.

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Each archfiend in Solium Infernum possesses unique powers and resources, including strongholds, legions, and Praetorian champions, to accomplish their tasks on the battlefield. The original title was "a product of pure passion and insanity," game director Ty Carey told PC Gamer. Solium Infernum, although naturally created to depict anarchy and brutal violence, is very much a political game.

The game supports singleplayer and story-based Chronicles gameplay, as well as local and online play in a single session. League of Geeks also brought back asynchronous gameplay from the original game, allowing long campaigns to be played over several days or weeks without the need for marathon sessions: “There's nothing like the challenge and excitement of facing human opponents in long games, especially if they're your friends. Amazing moments and stories come from that—the game becomes a generator of epic stories,” said Carey.

Every command you issue will have lasting consequences, and Solium Infernum's simultaneous move structure will force you to dive into the minds of your opponents, carefully scrutinizing their moves and yours. Use events, rituals, diplomacy, and intrigue wisely as you shape and refine your playstyle with power trees that unlock dark abilities.

Solium Infernum is expected to be released in early 2024, and you can play a demo version of this game at to Steam.

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Thrown into an incomplete dungeon with a boss marked on the other side of a mostly empty map, your mission is to gradually create a path forward, and by going through a series of semi-procedurally generated rooms, you'll earn currency to buy new rooms to place until you reach your destination.

You could make it straight to the boss quickly, but you risk missing out on looting scattered around the rooms that contain various items. These are typical bonuses that increase damage, healing chances, and provide bonus stats for collecting a certain amount of gold, i.e. reward you for exploring.

All of this has the purpose of reducing the randomness of each playthrough, and seems like a significant departure from the kind of procedural generation that roguelites often use to freshen up playthroughs. However, certain elements are still present: the dungeon map changes every time, as does the arrangement of enemies and items.

The game is decorated with 2D side-scrolling graphics and a dynamic character that can dodge, run and attack very quickly. Although developer Old Skull Games has not announced a release date, you can play the demo of this game at Steam.

The post Roguelite Cryptical Path has you wandering through dungeon corridors and building them yourself first appeared on IndieGames.

At first glance, Crashlands 2 looks similar to its predecessor, enriched with sharper and brighter graphics. But Sam Coster of Butterscotch Shenanigans points out that there are significant changes that are not immediately apparent. The biggest innovation lies in the fact that the entire game world of Crashlands 2 is "hand-built", as opposed to relying on procedural systems. Coster claims that this change allows the studio to provide a "richer experience with more exploration, deeper character relationships, and plenty of surprises."

Character interactions in Crashlands 2 are expanded compared to the previous game. Instead of playing the role of just quest givers or passive figures, certain NPCs in Crashlands 2 also seek friendship. Now you can make connections, socialize with them, invite them to stay with you and collect useful tips from them. Of course, crafting remains central to the game, and for those who don't prefer creating friendships, combat options are also available.

"The first two years of this game's production we spent in building tools, testing systemic designs, experimenting with art styles and pipelines, and basically overhauling our studio's entire gamedev approach so that we could actually make this game. A hand-built world with ecology (creatures attack each other, plants react to things, etc) that was actually explorable was core to the whole thing, so it wasn't really an option to not [change the studio's approach]—even if it meant rebuilding our whole operation from the ground-up to be able to achieve it."

Sam Coster for PC Gamer

Crashlands 2 is due out in 2024 on Steam and mobile devices via Netflix.

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Chantal Ryan, designer and co-founder of indie studio We Have Always Lived In The Forest, described the game like this to PC Gamer: “Your viewers won't be impressed if you just say, here's a doll! Here is the same doll every day..." The game motivates us to dive deeper into the dark web in search of new cursed objects and rituals. This games dark web is made up of old guestbook sites, rants, and bird conspiracy theories.

The internet in darkwebSTREAMER is also procedurally generated. An endless internet space of strange people to befriend, occult secrets to discover, different websites, items, recipes to craft and dodgy things to buy. As already mentioned, the game contains RPG management and simulation elements where you will be able to manage your skills, social statistics, money, viewers, subscribers, relationships, etc.

Additionally, this game is shaped by completely random encounters; events, characters, histories, and outcomes deliver a story that is created in response to your actions, whether those in the world or around you. Also, co-founder Ryan promises superior artificial intelligence that will also be reflected in NPCs. Each inhabitant of the dark web has its own uniquely generated vocabularies, speaking styles, opinions, backstories, web pages, statistics and more, using AI technology based on anthropology and linguistic theory.

Viewers won't just be observers, as darkwebSTREAMER will include Twitch integration that encourages the audience to act as if everything is real: “With this Twitch integration, we want to create the impression that everyone is a participant in this game. Viewers can take on roles in the chat or become NPCs in the game,” says Ryan. Whether you play darkwebSTREAMER as a streamer, spectator, or on your own, the idea is that it will give you enough interconnected events and characters to weave together into a personal story.

DarkwebSTREAMER will be available on Steam and itch.io.

The post The horror game darkwebSTREAMER features an infinite procedurally generated internet first appeared on IndieGames.