It’s always great when we come across a new indie game, and Nintendo’s latest Indie World Showcase last week gave us a real feast. As our lists are a bit larger, we hope to add to yours as well. This week we have another diverse selection of indie video games from the upcoming releases of Goat Simulator 3 and Dysterrauntil the expected market launches in 2023 Old Heaven, cocoonand Miasma Chronicles.
Indie games coming soon
Goat Simulator 3
PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S – November 17, 2022
Out of just die already to Octodad to Untitled goose game (and a positive abundance beyond that) meme games have exploded in recent years, however Goat Simulator was one of the OGs. Now, eight years later, Coffee Stain Studios is preparing to see if lightning can strike again with the misleading title Goat Simulator 3.
This time, the developers are increasing the Hircine Chaos potential to 11, starting with a massive open world. With that comes all the bells and whistles of the format. The map is littered with collectibles, power-ups, mini-games, and side activities – all tailored to push the boundaries of goofiness. The ability to team up with four other people in local or online play only enhances this further.
For those of us who like a little more than chaos to sink your teeth into, Goat Simulator 3 introduces something called a story mode. There’s something about the goat illuminati and TARDIS-like turrets scattered around the map that makes you forget about the seriousness. At the same time, you can play as a rhino with a jetpack that uses its tongue to stick to things… you know what you’re getting into.
Dysterra
PC – November 23, 2022 (Early Access)
Dysterra tries to break into the crowded survival genre, and it could get a little better thanks to the inclusion of slick FPS combat. The team at Reality MagiQ mixes together a wide range of influences for a game that might just end up being a sleeper hit.
You will manage hunger, thirst and temperature in typical survival game fashion. You can also collect resources and build bases of operations with a group of co-op partners or significantly increase the heat against other players on PvP servers. A big problem, however, is a looming apocalyptic menace that you can only fend off by capturing and closing down facilities scattered around the map.
Not sure how present the lore and world building is, but it takes place in a future version of Earth that humanity has meddled with. So if you like a bit of high-concept sci-fi that also mixes in the interesting bits of other games, Dysterra might be worth a look. Reality MagiQ has regularly involved gamers since its launch early last year. Hopefully this has helped ensure the project’s bones are as solid as they seem.
Indie games come later
Old Heaven
PC-TBA
Wadjet Eye Games has set itself the goal over the last few years to establish itself as a leading developer and publisher of point-and-click games. The team’s previous efforts, like Not admittedhave attracted much applause, and Old Heaven seems more ambitious in all major areas. The Escapist’s Jesse Galena dove into a demo earlier this year and came out with a largely positive impression.
You play as time-travelling tour guide Fia Quinn as she accompanies seven members of the ultra-rich on forays into the past. Their main challenge is to ensure that tourists behave in a way that doesn’t jeopardize the schedule, as each of them has a personal reason for their trip. It will be a sprawling adventure exploring different eras of New York City history from 1800 to September 11, 2001.
While story quality is always important in point-and-click games, they can live or die depending on how well the simple mechanics are used. Old Heaven leans into the time-travel conceit for this. Players will have to use time loops to solve the puzzles faced by Fia, which sounds like it should lead to some complicated problems. So if you like Return to Monkey Island If it struck a few months ago, be sure to make a note of it Old Heaven.
cocoon
PC, Switch, Xbox – TBA 2023
Playdead has certainly had some creative team members over the years. Linking to the Somerville Highlight last week, this time cocoon may shine. The playdead connection for this game is this indoors Audio Designer and Lead Gameplay Designer are both on board and have come up with a truly colorful, inventive puzzle adventure.
Do you remember the MacGuffin in men in black where a galaxy is contained in a marble? The central idea of cocoon reminds me of that Worlds are contained here in spheres that you can carry on your back. So far, so easy, right? What makes the game so intriguing is that you can dive into these worlds to explore at your leisure while also making use of the orbs as you explore. Each one seems to interact with the puzzles of other worlds in different ways, from opening new paths to activating strange mechanisms.
In addition, there seems to be a huge cosmic mystery looming in the background that you need to unravel. I suspect it’s somehow related to that nightmarish bug that pops up at the end of the trailer above, but don’t quote me on that.
Miasma Chronicles
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | S—TBA 2023
Comes from The Bearded Ladies, Miasma Chronicles is billed as the spiritual successor to the development studio’s previous game, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. As such, it’s another post-apocalyptic tactical RPG, and the team takes the opportunity of a new IP to make a few tweaks to the formula.
The end of the world has come this time through the intrusion of something called miasma. Our hero Elvis has an odd relationship with miasma thanks to a glove left behind by his mother, which has the power to control him – albeit to a certain degree. The game lets you set out from the town of Sedentary to uncover the how and why of the miasma and learn exactly what Elvis had to do with it.
They do so with the same combination of real-time exploration and turn-based combat that’s executed so well Road to Eden. However, the development team has overhauled the stealth system to make it more useful and expand the RPG elements to give you more control over your playstyle and a deeper, more involved storytelling experience. It sounds like the team did some research into why people loved their previous game and are using it to make it Miasma Chronicles a real crowd puller.
Let us know what you think of this week’s selection of indie games and what interests you the most Goat Simulator 3, Dysterra, Old Heaven, cocoonand Miasma Chronicles.