Swallowing the Moon and other new indie games worth checking out
CH
13 hours ago7 min read
Alright, let’s get into it. The last week has been an absolute firehose of indie game news, and honestly, it’s the kind of chaos I live for.Between the big, flashy Game Awards and the more focused, community-driven showcases like Day of the Devs and Wholesome Snack, my Steam wishlist is basically a second job at this point. I’m still trying to process everything, but a few titles have cut through the noise and are demanding attention right now.First up, and I’ve been waiting for this one since I first saw a weird, glitchy trailer back in 2022, is *Skate Story*. This game is exactly as unhinged as its premise suggests: you’re a demon, made of glass and pain, who makes a deal with the Devil to skate to the Moon and swallow it for your freedom.It’s not your standard Tony Hawk fare; it leans hard into a surreal, story-driven experience where pulling off combos is more about surviving boss encounters than scoring points. The vibe is immaculate—a killer, moody soundtrack from Blood Cultures and John Fio that I’ve already added to my playlists, and visuals that feel like a beautiful, painful glitch.It’s out now on Switch 2, Steam, and PS5 for twenty bucks, and PS Plus Extra/Premium members can jump in for free. Do it.Another game that’s been on my radar forever finally dropped: *Unbeatable*. This is a rhythm adventure where you play as Beat, a singer in a world where music is literally illegal.The core loop mixes rhythm minigames with battles against cops, all wrapped in a stylish, rebellious aesthetic that gives off major Jet Set Radio vibes. There’s a separate arcade mode with its own progression, which is perfect for when you just want to zone out to the beats.It’s a love letter to underdog stories and killer tunes, available on Steam and PS5 for $28, with an Xbox version coming soon. Then there’s *Adrift*, a vaporwave-infused driving game I first covered months ago.You’re hauling a volatile energy core across a scorching desert, trying not to blow up. The aesthetic is a perfect 10/10—all neon sunsets and synthwave—but I’ll be real, the early gameplay has been a bit janky for me.I got my vehicle stuck on geometry pretty quickly, and the top-down navigation feels confusing. It’s got potential, but it might need a patch or two to smooth out the ride.It’s on Steam, usually $13, but discounted right now. Now, let’s talk about a game that proves the Steam algorithm has a sense of humor: *Drywall Eating Simulator*.Yes, you read that right. It’s a satirical walking sim about the mundane frustrations of modern life, where your ultimate stress relief is punching through drywall and then… eating it.
#featured
#indie games
#Skate Story
#Unbeatable
#rhythm games
#upcoming releases
#game roundup
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The writing is sharp and painfully funny, with NPCs spouting lines about believing AI after it told them they were wrong. It’s a weird, cathartic little experience about wanting the world to leave you alone so you can consume building materials in peace.
For ten bucks (with a launch discount), it’s a perfect palette cleanser between bigger games. In the ‘you can play this right now on your phone’ category, the gorgeous puzzle-platformer *Planet of Lana* has finally hit iOS and Android.
If you missed it in 2023, it’s a must-play—a beautiful, melancholic journey in the vein of *Inside*, with a stunning score and a sequel already announced for next year. And the indie success story of the year, *A Game About Digging A Hole*, has now dug its way onto Switch, Xbox, and PS5.
It’s a brilliantly simple, addictive loop: dig, sell loot, upgrade, dig deeper. With over 1.
2 million copies sold, it’s the definition of a viral hit, and it’s also on Game Pass. Looking ahead, the future is just as packed.
The team behind *Vampire Therapist* announced *Better Than Us*, a narrative sci-fi game about infiltrating ultra-rich parties to steal back wealth in a dystopian 2060s. No guns here—just lies, charm, and trying to remember your own fake backstory.
It looks incredibly stylish and is due in 2026. Okomotive, the studio behind *FAR: Changing Tides*, revealed *PinKeep*, a wild mashup of roguelike deckbuilding and… pinball.
You place structures to defend against enemies, but you gather resources by literally playing pinball on the game field. As a fan of weird physics games, this has my full attention.
A demo hits Steam in January. Then there’s *AudioMech*, a new rhythm-action game from the creator of *Audiosurf*.
The hook is that it dynamically generates weapons and enemies based on whatever music you’re playing on your PC—bass-heavy tracks might give you a massive sword. A free demo is up now.
Finally, to wind down, the utterly charming hidden-object game *Lost and Found Co. * got a release date.
With over 170,000 wishlists, it’s easy to see why: it’s a hand-drawn, cozy puzzle adventure about a duck-turned-human intern finding lost items, and it looks like the perfect game to play with a hot drink. It arrives on February 11th, with a demo available now.
So yeah, my backlog is officially screaming, but in the best way possible. The indie scene is just relentlessly creative right now, throwing out ideas that big studios would never greenlight. It’s a great time to be a player.
