Five of the most interesting upcoming indie games | games

TThese days, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that every new indie game is either a co-op shooter or a card-building roguelike – and thankfully that’s not quite the case. Every February, the week-long Steam Next Fest is a wide and diverse showcase of upcoming titles, all of which have downloadable demos, and only a minority of which stick to those mainstream genres. It’s a great opportunity to rummage through the sometimes amazing Steam store and pick out interesting things – and that’s exactly what I was doing. Here are five of my favorites.

Titanium court

This game has already been nominated for four awards at this year’s Independent Games Festival and is getting a lot of attention for its surreal humor and stylized pixel art visuals. It’s a type of match-three strategy puzzle game, where you need to move tiles to protect your castle from rival armies. Enemy soldiers cannot cross water tiles, while hills slow them down. As you match tiles, you also collect resources such as stone, food, and obtain military units. Once the cutscene is complete, the battle sequence begins as your forces invade any nearby strongholds. It’s a ridiculous but incredibly smart combination that Balatro could become this year.

Shutter story

As a horror fan, I’ve been spoiled for choice this year, but Shutter Story from Frostwood Interactive was a standout. You play as an enthusiastic amateur photographer whose best friend, Eli, is convinced that his family is haunted and the proof is in their photos and home videos. Via a program called SpectralAware, you must study the images, adjust exposure and contrast, and examine the negatives to find any apparitions lurking in the background. It’s a really tense and unsettling film, reminding me of the popular Australian horror film Lake Mungo, which similarly uses tainted family photographs with chilling imagery.

Don’t panic! It’s just confusion

If you remember the great multiplayer bomb disposal game Keep Talking and Nothing Explodes, you’ll enjoy Don’t Panic! It’s Just Turbulence, a cooperative aviation puzzle game where the pilot and air traffic controller must work together to land the plane safely. The problem is that all the controls and cockpit displays need to be decoded before anything will work, no player has a complete set of answers, and there are an awful lot of alarms going off. Featuring a variety of planes, each with different features and challenges, it’s hysterically funny and terrifying as you make your way either to safety or up the side of the mountain.

Outgoing

For a little more chilled-out vehicular fun, I enjoyed a demo of Outbound, a camper van survival adventure set in a post-human utopia. Drive through undulating rural landscapes, collect resources, craft tools, and prepare delicious meals, all while enjoying the wildlife and completing side quests. Unlike most survival games, there’s no danger, just a nice sense of exploration and discovery, as you maintain and improve your electric car and stumble across beautiful scenery. I’m not surprised that this was one of the most downloaded demos during Next Fest – we could all do with some quiet escapism.

Wonderburg

Finally, I decided to give in to the trend and pick one roguelike to recommend. My choice is Wanderburg, which is kind of a cross between Nuclear Throne and Howl’s Moving Castle. Drive a wheeled castle around a procedurally generated battlefield, blast enemies with cannons and mortars, and gradually upgrade your modular castle with new weapons. I love that you’re driving straight over trees and sheep to collect resources, giving everything a cheerful Monty Python sense of humour. Unsurprisingly, this was another favorite at Next Fest.