- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: After many years and many delays, Freedom Planet 2 will finally be launching on September 13th, 2022.
Freedom Planet 2 was originally supposed to release at some point in 2018, but as you might imagine things didn't go exactly according to plan and so Freedom Planet 2 was repeatedly delayed. Quite a few years have gone by since then, but I'm pleased to say that Freedom Planet 2's long journey will soon be coming to a (hopefully glorious) end.
According to the newest update over at Twitter, GalaxyTrail have announced that Freedom Planet 2 will be unleashed in spring 2022. As far as launch platforms are concerned, only PC has been confirmed so far. That said, GalaxyTrail have already mentioned that they're interested in porting Freedom Planet 2 to consoles, so expect to see those versions at some point down the line as well.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Kena: Bridge of Spirits has now landed onto Steam alongside very positive player reviews.
Besides being incredibly charming, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a story-focused action-adventure about a young spirit guide that has to restore the balance of nature, all the while trying to figure out what exactly caused the demise of her village. In order to do this you'll have to fight off hordes of corrupted monsters, ally with an assortment of adorable spirits, and naturally, explore the wide world in search of secrets and ways to restore its long-lost beauty.
Given that the visuals and atmosphere play such a key role in Kena, allow me to share with you the recently posted launch trailer. It should give you a pretty good idea of just what Kena is going for. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're in the mood for something a little bit out of the ordinary, you might want to check out the newly released physics platformer I Am Fish. To put it simply, I Am Fish will have you take control of four unique fish as they attempt to fly, roll, slide, and occasionally even swim towards the freedom of the ocean. A simple enough premise, but things get very crazy, very quickly!
You can get a pretty good idea of just what all of this nonsense is all about through the recently posted launch trailer. Have a peek, it's a pretty fun one:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Deep Rock Galactic's Season 1 patch has added a hefty amount of free new content!
Deep Rock Galactic's big modding overhaul was supposed to arrive as a part of the April update, though since the whole thing grew far past its initial scope the developers chose to delay it for a while longer in order to ensure it launches as polished as possible. A fair few months have gone by since then, but I'm happy to say that the mod support update has now arrived, and that it's a pretty good one!
The biggest change is that all mods have now been separated into three different categories in order to make it easier to understand what kind of experience you're getting yourself into. Here's a brief rundown of the three categories:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Darkest Dungeon 2 will be leaving Early Access and launching onto Steam and Epic on May 8, 2023.
If you're in the mood for watching scores of noble heroes slowly get reduced to gibbering madmen, rejoice as Darkest Dungeon 2 is nearly upon us! Well, sort of. According to the latest announcement, the unfinished version of Darkest Dungeon 2 will be heading into Early Access on October 26, 2021 via the Epic Games Store.
The exact details are still few and far between, but you can expect to see a variety of improvements to the first game's themes and ideas, as well as a completely different progression system. Perhaps most interestingly of all, Darkest Dungeon 2 will be ditching the stylish 2D visuals that made the original so popular, and instead try its hand at recreating that same sort of magic in 3D!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: The Isle of Bigsnax expansion has now arrived, and with it Bugsnax has officially made its way to Steam as well!
Bugsnax is one of those games that defies all expectations, and I mean that in a good way. While Bugsnax starts off lighthearted and looking downright adorable, things eventually devolve into pure madness, and it only ends up getting weirder from there. Combine that with some surprisingly compelling characters and you've got yourself an indie action-adventure that's well worth experiencing.
With that in mind, it's also worth mentioning that you'll soon have another choice when it comes to which platforms you can play Bugsnax on. The exact release date hasn't been posted just yet, but Bugsnax will be finally making its way to Steam in 2022, most likely very early on.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: After a year of exclusivity, Axiom Verge 2 will be coming to Steam on August 11, 2022.
Much like the original, the newly launched Axiom Verge 2 is a 2D metroidvania action-adventure. What this means in gameplay terms is that you will spend most of your time exploring a massive world, collecting an assortment of powerups and weaponry, and then using said items to carve a path through hordes of enemies or simply unlock previously inaccessible pathways.
Naturally, there are some new ideas here as well, with the most intriguing one being hacking. The ability allows you to take control of just about anything, with each unique object having a different reaction. Some can be used as makeshift platforms, others can be swayed to fight for you, while a few will simply explode into colorful fireworks!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
While I greatly enjoyed my time with Frostpunk, it's one of those games that I find really difficult to return to. This is mostly because each challenge Frostpunk presents you with is so daunting that by the time you solve it you've become an expert in your field, which as you might imagine kind of takes the edge off any subsequent playthroughs.
With all of that in mind, I am delighted to say that 11 bit studios have just announced a solution to my little problem - a fancy new sequel! Frostpunk 2 will take place 30 years after the apocalyptic blizzard and will have you tackle the problems of an increasingly divided society, all the while trying to keep everyone from freezing to death through the newly introduced oil extraction industry.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
While this might not come as a massive surprise given that it was accidentally leaked a while ago, the time-bending exploration game Outer Wilds is finally getting an expansion - Echoes of the Eye! You can expect to see it arrive on September 28, 2021 for PC and consoles, and judging by the brief synopsis it also looks like it'll be Outer Wilds' first and only expansion.
The exact details on what Echoes of the Eye will bring to the table are still few and far between, but the developers are planning to weave the expansion into the existing world and its story. As such I think we can expect to see a couple of new environments to explore, updates to some of the original ones, as well as a whole new set of mysteries to uncover!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: Kena: Bridge of Spirits has now also landed onto Steam alongside very positive player reviews.
[Update]: After multiple delays, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is now fully ready to launch.
The remarkably charming action-adventure Kena: Bridge of Spirits was supposed to release this August, but according to the newly posted announcement that is sadly no longer going to be the case. Instead you can expect Kena: Bridge of Spirits to arrive on September 21, 2021 for PC and PlayStation.
As for the reason behind the delay, it's thankfully nothing too concerning. The Ember Lab team has simply reevaluated the whole project and figured they could use an extra month in order to get everything polished up and ready to go.