Indie Summer Days
Demos
I love indie games to death. I would just play and write about indie games every day for the rest of my life if I could make a living out of it. That will never happen, and there will be more games coming out by the time I finish writing this sentence. Most of them might be shovelware, or meme games, true enough. Who has time to wade through the deluge of games coming out on Steam every hour?
But there are many cool games that slip through the cracks. Some of these came out briefly on gaming media, but most outlets don’t write much about them. I’m hoping to use this different article format to comment briefly on indie games, mainly short previews of alpha builds and demos. These demos usually don’t have enough to cover a full preview, but enough to feature in a roundup of cool new titles.
Neural Dominion
I received a key to try out the pre-alpha build of Neural Dominion from the publisher Camlann Games, and since the demo included only a tutorial level, I decided to hold off on a full preview. Apart from some odd sound design choices, I found it a cool mix of cyberpunk tropes in a 4X environment and classic Final Fantasy-like turn-based tactics. The single-player campaign is not yet available; I’ll write up a preview when the game is updated.
Neural Dominion is coming to Steam. More information on the publisher’s website.
Tiny Glade
I tried out the Tiny Glade demo after hearing about it for the first time a few days ago. This is probably the cutest city-builder I have ever played. It’s just such a cozy and delightful casual game that lets you build castles like miniature dioramas. The Steam demo includes a day/night cycle to show how the lighting changes the views. This chill sandbox game should be great to turn off your brain after working all day.
Tiny Glade releases Sep. 23 on Steam. More information on the official website.
Esoteric Ebb
The Disco-like is here to stay. Sovereign Syndicate was the first full release in this subgenre. Clam Man 2 is coming soon, according to the Steam page, and so is Esoteric Ebb, which is basically D&D meets Disco Elysium. The demo is a hoot and half. Humorous takes on D&D are probably more likely to be popular after Baldur’s Gate III, building on the legacy of Discworld and comic fantasy in general.
The demo is on Steam. More information on the official website.
Elroy and the Aliens
Elroy and the Aliens looks like every LucasArts game was put into a 2D blender and what came out was this cartoon adventure. The story feels like a direct nod to Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders. The main characters remind me of Guybrush and Elaine from Monkey Island. The hand-drawn art style made me think back to Day of the Tentacle and The Dig. It also features a hologram saying “you’re my only hope,” so it will probably be full of Star Wars references.
The demo is on Steam. More information on the official website.
Lucky Tower Ultimate
This might be the most famous of the bunch right now, rolling out into Early Access next month. The demo is outstanding, the game mechanics are original, the setting is hilarious. The whole point of the game is to see a dude that looks and acts like Donald Trump go through a bunch of horrible ordeals in a medieval dungeon. Slapstick satire with a lot of potential. The roguelite gameplay has a unique design, and the loop is fun from the get-go. I hope to try my luck with Lucky Tower Ultimate soon.
Lucky Tower Ultimate releases on Steam in Early Access on Sep. 13. More information on the official website.