English
Gamereactor
articles

Indie Seen

We take a look at some of the best indie games on the scene at the moment.

Subscribe to our newsletter here!

* Required field
HQ

From here on in, once a month (or there abouts) we'll tuck into a feast of upcoming or recently released indie games that we think are worth keeping an eye on. These are the games that don't get as much love as they should, and with that in mind we've pulled together a selection of interesting titles that have piqued our interest this month.

Gun Monkeys

This one launched on Friday evening. We've had a quick blast on the game and there's enough going on here to make it worth checking out. It's a 1v1 platform shooter, with monkeys (it's not just a clever title). The levels are procedurally generated, with maps populated by ladders, spinning razor blades and more. You'll never play the same map twice, which ultimately means their layout will be a bit hit and miss, but due to the brevity of individual matches, that shouldn't prove too much of a problem.

HQ
This is an ad:

Gun Monkeys is the latest release from Size Five Games, the studio behind Ben There, Dan That and Time Gentlemen, Please!. Quirky visuals, and short-bursts of violent simian-themed action are the order of the day here. Check it out on Steam if this one tickles your fancy.

Indie Seen

Luftrausers

Vlambeers Luftrausers is a saucy little shooter that's heading to PC, Mac, and Linux, but only when certification for the PSN and PS Vita versions of the game are complete. It'll launch on all these platforms simultaneously, and when it does it's well worth checking out.

This is an ad:

Its beauty lies in its simplicity. You control a teeny-tiny little airplane and dart in and out of aerial dogfights, dodging missiles and shooting down enemy craft as you hunt out high scores and avoid exploding into a ball of flames. The game's got a spartan visual style that lends itself nicely to the simplicity of the controls. It's easy to pick up, and difficult to put down, and when it finally takes off it'll deservedly get a lot of attention.

HQ

The small studio behind the game has begun fighting a legal battle with another studio who look like they've cloned Luftrausers. Our advice, wait for the real deal to take off before parting with any money. More details here.

Indie Seen

Unepic

Here's an role-playing game that'll appeal to old-school RPG fans. Unepic starts with Daniel and his friends sitting around a table partaking in some tabletop gaming. During a mid-game piss break, Daniel is plunged into darkness, and when he flicks his lighter on to get his bearings, he discovers he's actually inside a castle. Thinking he's on psychotropic drugs, he explores the 2D castle and battles with creepy crawlers and monsters, all while chatting with a grumpy demon who has entered his body thinking he'd be able to take it over.

HQ

Unepic is rammed full of in-jokes, acute observations and tons of homage, and all that is accompanied by a lovely pixel art style, and all of the trimmings you'd expect from an RPG. It's out now on Steam early access, and while the game is complete (apparently the campaign weighs in at around 20 hours), polish is still being added to the game's multiplayer. It's not a classic by any means, but if you know your RPGs and are looking for something to absorb a few hours, it's worth checking out.

Indie Seen

Teleglitch

Teleglitch: Die More Edition is coming at some point this summer (details here). It's Teleglitch but with added love from Paradox, so expect a bigger, more comprehensive version of the top-down sci-fi survival horror (new branching bonus levels, new items/weapons, new story content and improved enemy AI).

HQ

It's a roguelike game, so expect to death to have game-ending consequences, and the fear of a restart will hang over everything you do as you scurry around a research station in the far reaches in space. A catastrophe has wiped out your fellow scientists, and it's up to little ol' you to figure out what went wrong on your way to making good your escape. There's crafting, combinable weapons, and procedurally generated levels, all wrapped up in a distinctive visual style. Oh, and did I mention that you'll be pursued by the reanimated corpses of your former colleagues? Space zombies!

Indie Seen

Project Zomboid

Project Zomboid isn't even finished yet, but already there's plenty of people enjoying the act of trying to survive the zombie horde in its huge sandbox environment. NPCs and story elements are yet to be introduced; at the moment its more comparable to DayZ (but viewed from an isometric perch). It's just as challenging as DayZ, and our brief hands-on with the game ended up with us being zombie chow in just a few short minutes. You know exactly what you're getting when the game starts up and tells you "this is the story of how you die" (I'm paraphrasing, but you get the gist).

HQ

My second attempt lasted a little longer, but I still ended up running blind through a dark forest trying to escape from the undead shufflers hot on my tail, and once again I ended up being lunch for the horde. It's tough, but given how much zombie fans like a challenge, that's a good thing. Right?! You can pick up the game in its current state here.

Indie Seen

Tiny Barbarian DX

Tiny Barbarian does exactly what it says on the tin. You play a barbarian, and he's tiny. It's an old school platform adventure with delicious pixelart. It delights as much as it frustrates, and the further you progress into the game the harder the challenge and thus the more restarts you'll have to endure. Consolation for the inevitable restarts comes in the form of charm, and the imagination of the designers. There's a slow evolution to the level design that keeps things moving at a nice pace.

HQ

The first chapter of this episodic campaign is out now, and there's more planned (head here to pick it up - subsequent chapters are included in the price of admission). If you're looking for something with real old school flavour, Tiny Barbarian DX might be just what you're looking for.

Indie Seen

Golden Oldie

Capsized was released by Alientrap Games two years ago, and it's a little treat. It starts as many sci-fi games do; crash landed on a strange and inhospitable planet, crammed full of strange fauna and flora, and overrun with angry aliens with big guns. The aim of the game is escape, and players must rescue stranded team mates as they explore their dangerous surroundings.

HQ

A wonderful art style and enjoyable physics based combat underpin this superbly crafted little indie title. If you're looking for sci-fi themed platform game to invest some time in, this one comes highly recommended. Head to Steam for more details.

Indie Seen


Loading next content