Andre's Indie Game Chosen Ones Issue #4
Issue #4 features Inscryption, Jars, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows, Nuclear Blaze, Defend the Rook, Despot's Game, Silent Santicado, WarTales, Jack Move
Welcome to Issue #4 of Andre’s Indie Game Chosen Ones!
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Indie Game Discovery Roundup #53
Inscryption
(PC)
Inscryption, developed by Daniel Mullins Games, mixes a deckbuilding roguelike experience with escape-room style puzzles and psychological horror. This falls under the category of a game that is probably not at the top of my list, but a game others might like that I can respect. There is a demo on the Steam page that I’ll probably play very soon because I really liked one of Daniel Mullins Games’ previous games, Pony Island. I also really like the visual presentation of this game that is clear in the trailer. Definitely give this one a look.
Release Date: October 19, 2021 (OUT NOW)
Inscryption on Steam
Jars
(PC, Switch)
Jars, developed by Mousetrap Games, is a very visually interesting game that combines strategy, puzzles, and tower defense. Playing as Victor, you explore secrets that are hidden in your family’s house and have to save the world. What stands out about Jars is the very eye-catchy colorful visual style and user interface. I look forward to playing this at some point because of the tower defense elements.
Release Date: October 20, 2021 (OUT NOW)
Jars on Steam
Jars - OUT NOW trailer
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows
(PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows, developed by Monochrome Paris, is a puzzle platformer that I stumbled upon that immediately caught my attention due to its art direction. Playing as Emma, you need to solve the disappearance of a famous magician, Thomas Kane. What makes this game very interesting and unique is the shifting of perspectives from isometric to a 2D side-scrolling platformer. Tandem is certainly a game that I will want to play eventually because of the mixing of puzzle and story elements.
Release Date: October 21, 2021 (OUT NOW)
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows on Steam
Tandem Gameplay Trailer
Nuclear Blaze
(PC)
Nuclear Blaze, developed by Deepnight Games, is a 2D firefighting game where you have to fight fires in a mysterious facility to prevent the blaze from going out of control. What I really like about this is that the gameplay looks more fun than the premise of the game. I’m also very impressed by the pixel water and fire effects that you can see in the trailer. Nuclear Blaze definitely looks like it may be a ‘hidden gem’ of 2021 that needs to be played.
Release Date: October 20, 2021 (OUT NOW)
Nuclear Blaze on Steam
Defend the Rook
(PC, Switch)
Defend the Rook, developed by One Up Plus, is a roguelike tactics game that combines tactics with tower defense. I really like the aesthetic of this game of this because it looks like they are playing on a battlefield that looks like a chess board. Like with other games, the fact that there’s a skill tree and a way to upgrade units makes this game a high priority for me to want to play. Years ago plain tower defense games were really hot and now tactics games are coming out in bunches. There is a demo on the Steam page that I will definitely try.
Release Date: October 26, 2021
Defend the Rook on Steam
Defend the Rook - Official Trailer
Steam Early Access Report:
Despot's Game: Dystopian Army Builder (Launch)
Disclosure; This Despot's Game: Dystopian Army Builder Steam Early Access Report is based off of a review copy provided for free.
Despot's Game: Dystopian Army Builder, developed by Konfa Games, is a tactical rogue-like army builder where you equip and guide them through procedural dungeons using various weapons types and abilities. The biggest tactical element of the game is about unit placement of your humans based on their weapons and abilities because the battles can't be controlled as they happen. Winning battles as you move from one room to another will reward you with currency to buy more humans or weapons from an upgradeable shop. The survival aspect of the game is a food system, as you'll need to also buy food for your army or they can starve to death. Managing your food supply is equally important in this experience, but can also be frustrating.
Given that Despot's Game is random and different every run, you'll need to adapt on the fly to make sure your army is effective. One of the more interesting mechanics in the game is that the weapon abilities are gated by weapon types through thresholds. For example, if you have two different sword weapons on the battlefield it unlocks a new ability for humans using that weapon type. This forces the player to choose weapons that synergize with each other, rather than spread out the army across weapon types. The other reason is the bigger the army, the more food will need to be consumed, so focusing on a few types of weapons will be beneficial. The other major system in the game is the mutation system. Besides buying humans, food, and weapons, you can also buy 'mutations' for your humans to give them passive bonuses or make items cheaper in the shop.
I was generally surprised by my experience because I had largely ignored the game until reading more about it. The pixel graphics aren't amazing, but they make the game work in allowing you to feel like you're managing an army and not having to worry about technical performance. The game has some interesting weapons, including a pretzel weapon that stood out the most out of everything. I'm a real sucker for games with weapon tiers like common, magic, and legendary, and the game has that also.
I haven't played too many runs in this game, but I will over time. Despot's Game has a very casual experience type of feel to it, especially for a game with a decent amount of mechanics all going on at once. I will definitely be playing this more as the game adds more features like multiplayer mode and more mutations.
Despot's Game: Dystopian Army Builder is expected to be in Steam Early Access for as long as a year.
Version 1.0 Wishlist
Scrap the food system for a supply system
Despot’s Game - Dystopian Army Builder on Steam
Kickstarter Spotlight: Silent Santicado
Silent Santicado, developed by Vigilant Addiction Studios, is a 2D Metroidvania with really good beautiful pixel art that immediately caught my attention to get on this spotlight. The main character, Luna, uses a special Moonweft Blade that gains energy when enemies are defeated. Managing the Blade’s energy is a central part of the gameplay, as well using spells in combat and equipping trinkets for passive bonuses. The color palette also looks very nice and I can’t wait to see more of this. Judge for yourself.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vastudios/silent-santicado
As of this writing: $3,338 pledged of $24,000 goal
ENDS Fri, November 19 2021 8:00 AM EST.
Wishlist Silent Santicado on Steam
Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of the Kickstarter, nor am I affiliated with the developers. Pledge at your own risk.
Trailer Impressions
Wartales
Wartales - Announcement Trailer
WarTales is definitely very high on my radar, especially after I played the demo. This trailer shows a glimpse of the open world exploration and tactics battles, but what attracts me most about this is the freedom of building your army by hiring mercenaries. The ability to enter towns and build relationships in towns makes this a very layered experience that has me extremely excited to see where it goes. In the trailer, you can also hear the nice soundtrack that makes the experience even better. WarTales still has a long way to go to reach version 1.0 because it’s entering Steam Early Access first. The demo is available on the Steam page.
Release Date: 2021 (Steam Early Access) (PC)
WarTales on Steam
Jack Move
Jack Move - Gameplay Trailer
Jack Move is a game I played the demo of last year and I can’t wait to play the full version. I want to showcase this trailer because it’s a JRPG that uses a cyberpunk universe as its backdrop and theme. As you can see, the battle screen is a bit different in terms of where every unit is positioned compared to the typical JRPG. There’s a lot of depth to the systems here, and it has its own triangle of elements chart with strengths and weaknesses. How can you also not like the soundtrack in this trailer? I have high hopes for Jack Move, and this trailer is the one that pulled me in to try the demo that is available on the Steam page.
Release Date: 2022 (PC, Switch)
Jack Move on Steam
Upcoming Content
What to Expect in Issue #5:
Indie Game Discovery Roundup (5 Games)
Kickstarter Spotlight
Trailer Impressions
Steam Early Access Report
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