Indie Highlight
Nov 16, 2023
The Tenants is your opportunity to build the rental property empire of your dreams! You’re in the driver’s seat of your new career, so you get to decide everything. Test your investment skills in order to earn money. Take risks or play it safe by finding the best bang for your buck. Then, choose who you rent to. Perhaps the aspiring musician will make a good tenant. Or even build a welcoming gaming haven for a group of gamer friends.
Just be prepared to deal with the various situations The Tenants has that will pop up between neighbors! How you react to things will have an affect on your gameplay. Deal with annoyed neighbors, and even problematic neighbors that might require police intervention. There’s more to it than just managing your tenants, of course. Take time to expertly design and renovate each of your rental spaces. Refresh the paint, redo the floors, and outfit the place with lovely furniture. The better the space looks, the more it’s worth!
Available Now
You can find The Tenants on Steam!
Perhaps checkout Dwarrows next!
- Nov 15, 2023
Did you ever watch Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and think to yourself “I’d love to run a bath house for spirits”? What better way to get to interact with the fantastical and wonderful, after all. Well, now’s your chance! Spirittea offers that opportunity. You drank the Spirittea and now can see all of the different spirits that are causing trouble in town. Humans have stopped worshiping and leaving them offerings, so they’ve become lost and purposeless.
Your job in Spirittea is to find those mayhem-causing spirits and help them solve their problems! They’ll only become paying customers of the bathhouse once you’ve helped them. This might involve getting the spirit a bowl of spicy noodles, digging up their long-lost treasure, or some other task. You’re also in charge of running the bathhouse, so you’ll need to keep it running smoothly. Sweep away cobwebs, provide clean towels to customers, collect used towels, and keep things dry and organized. Provide tasty meals for your customers while ensuring their bath water is heated to their preferred temperature. And make sure you plan carefully. Some spirits dislike each other, so sit them apart from each other, while placing friends together for best results!
When you’re not busy running your mountain-side bathhouse, be sure to talk to the townspeople of Spirittea. They each have their own unique personalities and schedules, as well as hobbies. Plus, many run the local shops which will be helpful in decorating your home. The shops can make a variety of furniture to fit your interior decorating tastes. Make your simple house a cozy home fit for you!
Available Now
Spirittea release November 13th, and is now on Steam, Switch, and Xbox!
Japanese Rural Life is another relaxing sim game! Set in the Japanese countryside, you farm, fish, and spend time with your pet.
- Nov 15, 2023
Are you looking for a simple town building game that lets you just craft a city without the pressures of choosing the details for everything? Townscaper is for you, then! The game is described as “more of a toy than a game” and offers a simple, casual experience. Pick colors from a color palette, then place buildings on an irregular grid. Create winding walkways full of tall, colorful apartments, or sprawling seaside shanty towns. Experiment with placing buildings and watch the underlying algorithm spawn arches, stairs, bridges, canals, and more! There are no objectives. There’s no real gameplay. Townscaper is just a relaxing building sim that lets you set your creativity free.
Available Now
You can find Townscaper in Steam, Epic Games, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Switch, and Xbox!
Tiny Glade is another relaxing, free-form building game without any objectives!
- Nov 9, 2023
What happens when you take the classic farming sim, throw in some microbe research, and a dash of romance? You get Little-Known Galaxy! This adorable pixel graphics game has you playing the main character, a new captain-in-training. You work with your crew to solve the mysteries of an ancient relic found on the Grey Planet, and live a life full of exploration, crafting, and of course farming!
Your crew initially starts small, with just 20 people, but will slowly grow as you meet new friends. Little-Known Galaxy has all kinds of different NPCs like full families and single people. You get to build relationships with them though chatting, gifting, and more. There are also 10 single people ready for you to woo them! Win their affection and you can eventually marry one, too. Not everyone is human, though. An alien, an android, and a genetic clone are all possible romance characters!
When not romancing and befriending your crew, Little-Known Galaxy lets you engage in quite a few different activities. Take off to new worlds to explore to gather resources for crafting. Collect alien artifacts and gems while out exploring to fill in your museum. Raise cute little pet creatures called Xeno. You’ll need to give them love, attention, and plenty of food to see them thrive. Complete microbe research, or use the microbes you find for crafting or selling. Even rise through the ranks to become a full-fledged captain by completing missions and keeping crew morale up. And when you want to kick back and relax, spend time decorating your living space!
Coming Soon
Little-Known Galaxy is coming soon to Steam. There is currently no release date listed.
One Lonely Outpost is another space-based farming sim.
- Nov 9, 2023
Have you been looking for something chilled out and relaxing to sit in the background while you complete homework or just take a break? Perhaps a gamified version that you can interact with and still achieve things in? Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is perfect for that!
Start by customizing your character with lovely hairstyles, outfits, and custom colors. Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is an idle game that lets you set the mood with lofi beats, background noises like rain or a fireplace burning, and the overall lighting. Pick the time of day and relish in the comfort of your spacious room. Laze about on the bed, sit on the comfy bean bag chair by the fire, or get studious by sitting at the desk. You can even customize the space with decorations, so it can reflect your mood.
What really makes Spirit City: Lofi Sessions much more than just your run-of-the-mill idle game, is the productivity tools. You can craft your personal to-do list to keep you on track. Use the pomodoro timer to complete work, but also take necessary breaks. All work and no fun, after all! Which, you’ll earn experience as you use the game, and those points can be used to unlock more customization and lore about Spirit City. Plus you can collect a number of different fun spirit friends to accompany you while you work!
This seems like the perfect productivity game!
Coming Soon
You can find Spirit City: Lofi Sessions on Steam, where you can currently Wishlist it. Expected release is Q2 of 2024.
Perhaps check out this list of games from a recent Steam Next Fest while you’re at it!
- Nov 9, 2023
In While the Iron’s Hot, you play as a simple journeyman blacksmith looking to become a master. And it’s your turn to join the legendary artisans who have gathered in Ellian to learn and perfect their craft. Embark on a crafting adventure full of mystery, treasures, puzzling, and, of course, blacksmithing!
While the Iron’s Hot features an exciting combat-free experience. Journey to the mystical lands of Ellian to meet a cast of quirky characters. Explore tunnels full of puzzles and resources. Master every step of the blacksmithing process. Smelt ore, turn metal into ingots, and shape them into useful items. Use your skills to repair machinery to open up new areas to explore. Craft equipment that helps you explore new regions. Even work hard to restore the defunct blacksmithing town of Stal. Revitalizing the village just might prove to Eillian’s artisans that you’re worthy of being a master blacksmith!
Coming Soon
While the Iron’s Hot releases on Steam December 5th!
Wytchwood is another great crafting game.
- Nov 8, 2023
Spells & Secrets is a captivating rogue-lite adventure where you use a number of spells to fight your way through dungeon levels. You’re a first-year student at the esteemed wizard Academy of Greifenstein, eager to learn together with your fellow magic users. However, something odd has happened to the school on your very first day there. It’s now over-run by magical creatures, and of course it’s up to you to defeat those creatures, save your classmates, and save the school.
Start your magical adventure by creating your very own character with Spells & Secret’s comprehensive character creator. Select a body type and height that suits your vision, then craft the perfect eyes with shape, color, and makeup. Choose skin color, mix and match hair colors with different hairstyles, and pick clothing that suits your style. There’s even accessories to complete the look! Once you’ve created your perfect character, set out on a fun, spell-slinging adventure as you explore the castle’s ever-changing layout.
Use your arsenal of spells creatively to defeat enemies and overcome puzzles. Fling tables or use bolts of magic. Stun creatures or sneak past as a cute little mouse. Even find powerful artifacts throughout Spells & Secrets to enhance your abilities. Buy new spells and upgrade old ones by speaking to your professors. Uncover clues and secrets about the magical world as you explore the castle and rescue your classmates. And if you’re tired of playing alone, invite a friend to play with you via local co-op or Steam remote play!
Coming Soon
Coming real soon! This will be available on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch tomorrow!
If you’re more interested in raising magical beings than defeating them, check out Fantastic Haven!
- Nov 8, 2023
Smushi Come Home is a cozy adventure with chill vibes. You play as a tiny little mushroom who’s trying to find their way home. A large bird takes the adorable little Smushi from their comfortable home with their siblings by . Dropped in the middle of the forest, you’re lost and confused, but determined to make it back to your cozy little island.
Journey through different areas of the big forest as you meet new friends, solve puzzles, and find your way home. Run, glide, and climb through Smushi Come Home to overcome obstacles and discover secrets. Speak to other forest creatures along the way, too. Some will be able to help you on your adventure, while others require your help. You can even fill in a mycology journal by coming across different kinds of mushrooms, and collect cute skins to change the color of your cap!
Available Now!
You can find Smushi Come Home on Steam and Nintendo Switch now!
A Tiny Sticker Tale is another cozy adventure game you should take a look at!
