Old-school platforming, Metroidvania horror and other new indie games

2 hours ago7 min read1 comments

Another week, another absolute banger of indie game drops and announcements that's got my Steam library crying for mercy. Let's dive straight into the chaos, starting with the big one—the Indie Game Awards just dropped their nominees, and holy moly, what a lineup.We've got the heavy hitters everyone's been simping for: Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is basically the community's golden child right now, tipped to clean up at The Game Awards next month too. But the real juice? Those deep cuts like Consume Me and and Roger—weird, wonderful titles that prove you don't need a AAA budget to slap hard.I'm still kicking myself for not firing up Clair Obscur yet, but the hype is real, folks. Then there's the gameplay design category, which is straight-up savage—Ball x Pit, that addictive little gem I've sunk way too many hours into, is up against Öoo, Absolum, and the big dogs.It's like watching a chihuahua take on a pack of wolves, but man, does it have heart. Shoutout to Taria & Como snagging a nod too; seeing a Playdate game get love warms my cold, gamer heart.Mark your calendars for December 18, because the ceremony's streaming on YouTube and Twitch, and you know the chat's gonna be pure fire. Now, onto the new releases that actually dropped this week.Windswept is the one I'm itching to play—a precision platformer that's basically a love letter to '90s classics like Donkey Kong Country. You control Marbles the duck and Checkers the turtle, swapping between them to nail those tight jumps and uncover secrets across 40-plus levels.It's got animal buddies to ride, hidden paths everywhere, and that nostalgic vibe that hits like a warm blanket. Developed by WeatherFell and published by Top Hat Studios, it's out now on Steam, GOG, Switch, and consoles for twenty bucks, and if you grew up with this stuff, it's an instant cop.Then there's Possessor(s), the latest from Hyper Light Drifter studio Heart Machine, and wow, what a pivot. This is a horror-tinged Metroidvania with combat inspired by platform fighters, where you play as Luca, a high schooler who teams up with a demon after some interdimensional disaster.The art style is gorgeous, as expected, but reviews have been mixed, which kinda tracks given the studio's rough patch—they just laid off staff and canned Hyper Light Breaker's development while it's still in early access. Tough break.Goodnight Universe from Nice Dream, the folks behind Before Your Eyes, is another wild one. It's best played with a camera, using your eye movements and expressions to control Isaac, a psychic baby fighting a shady tech corp.Skybound Games is publishing this, and it's on Switch 2, PS5, Xbox, and Steam, with a standard Switch version coming December 18. At $20, it's a quirky, emotional ride that's perfect for when you're tired of grinding ranked.And let's not forget Bonaparte - A Mechanized Revolution, a turn-based strategy game where you rewrite the French Revolution with mechs. Yeah, you heard me—mechs in 18th-century France.It's giving major Steelrising vibes, and after leaving early access on Steam, it's a solid pick for strategy nerds. Looking ahead, Barkour stole the show for me—a dog-based stealth/action game where you play as Agent T.H. U.N. D.E. R., doing parkour runs and taking down baddies. A new demo dropped during Steam Animal Fest, and Varsav Game Studios is aiming for a 2026 release.I'm already obsessed. Plus, we got release dates for two cozy cafe sims: Tailside, where you run a furry coffee shop, hits Steam on January 21, and Coffee Talk Tokyo, the next entry in the beloved series, lands on March 5 with a lo-fi soundtrack and branching stories.And InKonbini: One Store. Many Stories, a konbini sim set in '90s Japan, is coming in April.The indie scene is thriving, people—so much creativity, so little time. Grab your controllers and dive in.

#indie games

#game awards

#new releases

#upcoming games

#featured

#Windswept

#Possessor(s)

#Goodnight Universe

#Bonaparte

#Barkour