Indie Highlight
Mar 6, 2024
Embark on an exciting journey in Brocula by developer Destroyer Doggo where you play as Brocula, a vampire who has just woken from a 500-year slumber. This world is bizarre and unrecognizable to him, plus his wealth has been stripped from him. Even his ancestral castle has been ravaged by time and is in ruins. Not everything is so simple and mundane as surviving in this new society, though. Can you figure out the times, settle in, and thrive?
You’ll need to navigate the unfamiliar capitalistic society in Brocula in order to be successful. Take on a series of part-time jobs at the coffee shop, garage, and restaurant to earn a little pocket money. Not only will you need this money to repair your castle, but you’ll need to wrestle ownership of it from the local mayor. You can also earn money by starting a farm next to the castle and selling your crops. Catch a variety of fish which you can turn into a bunch of tasty meals, too. And when you’re not busy with the mundane tasks of everyday life, you need to revive your cult. Restore the forgotten church and start giving sermons in order to attract members again. Or, go explore the everchanging forest to fight enemies and collect treasures!
Release Date
Brocula is set to Release on Steam March 27th. It is also listed on Xbox, and the developer’s website lists PlayStation, so hopefully that will come soon too!
Check out Voltaire: the Vegan Vampire for more vampire fun!
- Feb 29, 2024
Your farm in Peppermint Falls by JellyFrog Games is like no other farm you’ve encountered. You’ll grow blueberry muffins, harvest gummy bears from bushes, and nurture ice cream in the winter seasons. Raise farm animals like cows that produce strawberry milk and collect chocolate eggs from your chickens. The town is small, but cozy, and offers much more to do than just farming, too. Cook delicious meals, experiment with alchemy, go mining for resources, or even fish for some fun aquatic creatures. You can even battle monsters or work in the town’s cafe! Don’t forget to forge relationships with the townspeople, too. Learn their backgrounds and earn some great friendships, or even start a family with someone.
When you tire of the small town, set out on an adventure to explore the wide world of Peppermint Falls. Your house, which is made of pancakes, can walk, and will ferry you around the different biomes of the world! It’ll accompany you to the furthest corners of the world and patiently wait for you to complete your adventures. It’ll even sprout new rooms from time to time. While exploring, perhaps you can uncover what happened to the original inhabitants. The world used to be ordinary and not covered in confectionary creatures, after all.
Release Date
Peppermint Falls is coming to Steam sometime soon. Add it to your Wishlist now!
- Feb 28, 2024
I previously mentioned the adorable upcoming farm sim with a dark and gloomy twist called Grimshire. That’s actually the second game for indie developers Acute Owl Studio. Their first was a lovely little cafe management game called Bone’s Cafe! In this game, you play as Bones, a necromancer who runs their very own cafe. You’ll learn a variety of recipes, decorate and upgrade the cafe, and engage in some unsavory activities all in the name of success!
Bone’s Cafe appears to be an average cafe management game on the surface. There are 97 different recipes for you to learn. Design your menu each day to satisfy the different types of customers that come in. Arrange the seating area and kitchen to suit your needs, as well as decorate with different themes. However, this game has a grim twist to it. Some of your recipes need meat, and the only way to get that is to lure a customer to the corner and harvest them! Do it stealthily so you don’t scare off the rest of your customers or you’ll lose money. And if you need help cooking and serving food, use your necromantic powers to summon minions. They can be assigned to different cooking stations, as well as set to serve customers their orders.
Play this slightly bloody, yet charming cafe game solo or with up to 4 players!
Release Date
Bone’s Cafe is available now on Steam and Switch!
- Feb 28, 2024
Lightyear Frontier by developers FRAME BREAK and Amplifier Studios is a peaceful open-world farming sim set on a planet at the edge of the galaxy. Live a quiet life on this breathtaking planet as you settle into farming and exploring. So, hop into your customizable mech and see what this alien planet has to offer.
Lightyear Frontier combines modern technology with classic farming. Customize your mech with fun paint choices and use a variety of tools to accomplish tasks. Need to plow some land and water seeds? There’s tools for that! You can also unlock new things through upgrades, making your mech more powerful. Raise a variety of fun crops and trade them for credits or materials to be used on building up your homestead. Explore the gorgeous planet to discover the planet’s past and gain lost knowledge. While out exploring, take time to nurture your relationship with nature by cleaning up the environment, removing invasive weeds, and replanting trees you harvested.
Play this lovely farming sim solo, or with up to three of your friends. Create your perfect homestead, and uncover everything your new home has to offer!
Release Date
Lightyear Frontier is coming to Steam and Xbox March 19th!
Check out Sugardew Island, another upcoming farming sim!
- Feb 28, 2024
Micro Macro Farm by developer Diego Schram is a small farming game and idler wrapped up into one. Kick back and relax with this low-stakes game. Plow the land by hand. Then, plant seeds from over 25 different varieties of crops. Water each plant, and go about your other daily tasks. The plants will grow while you’re busy with work, homework, or even playing other games!
Use the produce and crops you grow in Micro Macro Farm to cook some tasty meals, too. Cook up over 30 different recipes using several different machines like a stove. Take your leftover crops and delectable delights and sell them to earn some money. You’ll even earn experience and gain levels as you progress through this fun little idler.
Release Date
You can find this cute idler game on Steam now!
- Feb 22, 2024
Garage Sale by developer Bug Burrow welcomes you to the curious little hamlet of Lettuce Village! You play as Juniper, a young girl who’s shy but eager to make friends. You’ll do that by exploring the town during the town’s communal garage sale, picking up some fun trinkets along the way.
This peaceful town is in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by beautiful forest lands. Therefore, the townspeople of Garage Sale are a bit… weird. Get to know your neighbors by completing quests for them, and they will reward you with bits of history about the town. Lettuce Village might be tiny, but it harbors a very interesting past. If you play your cards right, you might just uncover its secrets. While you’re hunting down town secrets, search every nook and cranny for treasures and coins. Then, use that money to purchase fun knick knacks from the different garage sale tables you come across!
What can you discover from your neighbor’s old trinkets?
Release Date
Garage Sale is coming to Steam in Q1 of this year, so hopefully very soon!
Bug & Seek has you catching bugs for the museum like in ACNH, but has the same toned-down visual style this game has!
- Feb 22, 2024
Set out on a vibrant interplanetary adventure as the very first robot reporter for the Times & Galaxy. You’re just a simple intern for the solar system’s most trusted holopaper. You might be able to keep your job if you do it well, though! Take this unpaid opportunity to get the scoop on exciting situations like shuttle crashes, intersolar cat shows, even space ghost funerals. Write great stories and impress your coworkers, and you just prove you’re worthy of the newsroom.
Your job in Times & Galaxy is to get the necessary interviews (there’s over 100 characters!), find clues, and investigate the scene. There’s always more to a story than what appears on the surface, too. So whip your conversational and investigative skills into shape to get all the answers. Then, piece together your story with the Build-a-Story tool. Your choices impact the quality and tone of your story, plus how your editor and readers interpret the article. The reputation of the paper is at stake, too. When you’re not busy with assignments, get to know a unique cast of humans and aliens that serve as your crewmates and coworkers. Or spend some time in the Garden where you can plant seeds to restore its beauty and take a relaxing break.
Do you have what it takes to become more than just an intern?
Release Date
Times & Galaxy is listed on Steam and set to release some time this year! There is currently a demo available.
Little-Known Galaxy is another interstellar game coming soon to Steam.
- Feb 22, 2024
Welcome to Minami Lane! This lovely little life sim by indie developers Doot and Blibloop is a short, but wholesome play. It lets you build your very own street where you can decorate and manage shops. Build cozy homes to attract villagers to your street. Choose from a number of different colors for the roof and walls to create the perfect look. Your villagers need more than just a comfortable place to live, though!
Keep the villagers of Minami Lane happy by meeting several of their needs. Beautify the neighborhood with decorations, shops, and attractions. Parks add a beautiful pop of natural color and provide the perfect spot to relax. Ramen shops serve up delicious steaming bowls of food. Boba shops give villagers tasty treats to boost their mood. There are other shops your villagers may want, too. Plus, each shop has its own inventory and effects on the neighborhood. Play missions for a challenge or sandbox mode to focus on the creative side of building.
Release Date
Minami Lane releases in just 5 short days on Steam! Grab the demo now to prepare for the release on February 28th.
If you prefer a free-form building game with no objectives, try Tiny Glade!
