IT’S unbelievably already the end of January, and for some this means just a few more weeks until some of the most anticipated Triple A releases of this year drop – but for little old me, it’s giving some time to reflect on incredible list of Indie games that have already released over the period.
If you’re at all unaware of some of the amazing Indies that have released between December and January, fear not, as the team at Game on Aus are here to fill you in on all things Indie.
Pizza Tower
In its simplest form, Pizza Tower is a nod to retro style score-attack type games, with a clear influence from the Wario Land. It’s got a heavy emphasis on movement and exploration, which is exactly the type of game I love, which is heightened even further by its highly stylised pixel at that makes it look like it’s coming straight out of a 90s cartoon.
Speaking of 90s: the soundtrack takes me right back to my glory days of excitingly watching my older brothers try to progress through rented Video Ezy platformers we’d never heard of, all which had 90s art styles and a highly energetic soundtrack. It’s a welcomed trip down memory lane that I didn’t expect.
Playing as Peppino Spaghetti (you really couldn’t get much more of a cliche name), you’ll rampage your way through the endless floors of Pizza Tower in an attempt to save your small restaurant from annihilation. It has been topping the steam grossing charts over the past few weeks for very good reason, and if you’re into this genre and style of game, or are even just a tiny bit curious – I urge you to try it out!
Garden In!
Now onto something that I’ve quickly become associated with when it comes to indie games – a new cozy game! Garden In! is a simplistic, aesthetically pleasing, garden management game. You’ll plant, grow and arrange your own miniature garden in diorama-like platforms, while ignoring your actual garden outside (this might just be me).
I’ll be the first to admit it, there’s not all that much depth to the game, but my god is it relaxing. It’s the perfect ‘just got home from a long work day and need to decompress my brain’ type game, and that’s all it needs to be. Chuck on some Lo-Fi, plant some seeds in the soil and give them some love and you’ll have a flourishing garden in no time. It’s probably time to wrap up writing on this one, as I’ve got some miserable hedges outside of my window that are beginning to get jealous.
Die in the Dungeon: PROLOGUE
Die in the Dungeon is a deck-building, turn-based rogue-lite with where instead of cards, your decks consist of dice. It’s essentially Slay the Spire with dice, with a cutesy pixel art-stylr and coming from someone who has played a few hundred hours of Slay the Spire, I’m perfectly okay with this.
The full release of Die in the Dungeon isn’t slated for another few weeks, but if the prologue is anything to go by – it’s going to be a hell of a game. Each turn you’ll play dice for different actions in different arrangements to achieve your ideal strategy (that is, once you figure out how to strategise). It takes a tiny bit of experimentation to figure out, but once you do – you’ll be absolutely hooked.
In the prologue alone you’ll get access to 20+ floors with incremental difficulty, countless dice to collect which vary your deck type and the ability to replay/re-attempt your runs as many times as you like – and it’s free right now.
Death in the Water 2
Death in the Waters 2 is dark, unsettling and coming from someone who has an immense fear of the ocean, utterly terrifying. It’s an underwater horror survival game, with a unique take on wave-based combat that hasn’t been seen before (and had me cowering behind my monitor at every turn).
At its core, Death in the Water 2 is a wave-based shooter that combines elements of first-person shooters, horror and survival games in an action packed, and heart-pounding package.
Each wave starts off relatively slow paced with some exploration elements, giving you a bit of time to familiarise yourself with your surroundings, as you explore ruins and reefs, finding some non-hostile sea-life in their natural habitat. At this point, the games almost beautiful in a way, and then before you know it, it’s all snatched away from you and you’re crying in the corner.
For example, at any stage during your wave a literal Kraken will launch a mind-control attack on all creatures around you, resulting in a horrifying feeding frenzy. All that exploration you undertook and routes you were meant to remember will be taken away from you, as fear consumes your every movement and thought as you desperately try and finish your objective to survive the wave. I had a great time, and I think you might too.
Chained Echoes
Chained Echoes is a return to the classic story-driven JRPG formula with 16-bit SNES styled visuals and an incredible soundtrack to tie it all together. You’ll control a group of heroes as they travel around the vast continent of ‘Valandis’ to bring an end to the war between its three kingdoms. It admittedly might not sound like anything groundbreaking, but there is A LOT to love under the surface.
As a small list of some of the things you’ll get to experience in your near 40-hour play time: you’ll loot, craft or steal items, you’ll engage in fast-paced combat with enemies that you can visually see in the wild, you’ll customize your own airship, possess and fight in a mech and level up your party skills in one of the most well-thought out skill systems out there (just to name a few).
I’ll say this in an attempt to try not sound too over the top: if Chained Echoes had launched earlier in the year of 2022, it absolutely would have been my game of the year. Every aspect of the game I absolutely adore, and with the amount of time I’ve already sunk into it, alongside the amount of additional time I can already foresee in my future. I haven’t played a JRPG that I have enjoyed this much, possibly ever. Please, for the love of everything – give this game a chance.
Melatonin
Melatonin is absolutely beautiful, and for it’s art style alone I’d say it’s a game worth of your time and attention, but combined with the incredibly satisfying, rhythm-based gameplay built around these gorgeous visuals, it’s an indie gem you need to check out.
The setting revolves around dreams and reality merging together in bright, intricate, hand-drawn visuals. It uses animations and sound cues to keep you on beat without any intimidating overlays or interfaces, which is something I wish other games took some inspiration from.
The music present throughout the entirety of the game is vibrant and upbeat, and flows seamlessly with the visuals presented. It’s just a really satisfying and well presented package, that I can’t accurately describe without feeling like I’m doing it a disservice. It perfectly encapsulates the what I love about indie games, and you need to try it out to truly experience it.
Be sure to look out for our Indie games round-up for February, as there are already a multitude of inedible Indies dropping in the next few week that are worthy of some love and attention.
