A spooky NES platformer, more N++ and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to the latest report on what’s happening in the indie gaming space. I reluctantly stopped Ball x hole Long enough to share some great new releases and more details about upcoming games – some of which will be arriving very soon. We have a notable update to the classic game as well.

Steam Next Fest is happening right now, and you still have until Monday to join in by checking out some of the many live-streamed demos of the event. Thanks partly (well, almost entirely) for not being able to escape Ball x holeI’ve only tried a few Next Fest demos so far.

I’m a fan Aerial_Knight never gives up And after last year’s sequel, it’s great to see solo developer Neil Jones (aka Aerial_Knight) trying something completely different. Aerial_Knight drop shot It is a first-person skydiving game using finger guns and dragons. It is a single player game where the goal is to eliminate your opponents and reach the ground first. Like previous Jones games, it is elegant and fast-paced. I plan to check out the full game when it gets down the line.

It sure pays to be a fast and accurate writer when you’re putting words together for a living, but I wasn’t fast or accurate enough to win any rounds in Final sentence experimental. It’s a battle royale for up to 100 players where you’re in front of a typewriter and have to type sentences (or other strings of letters, numbers, and symbols) in a race to the finish. If you run out of time, make too many mistakes or don’t win, the lights will go out, thanks to the masked figure with a gun standing in front of you.

There are some nice touches here. Having to write out the rules for the first few rounds is a smart idea on developer Button Mash’s part. I haven’t won a round myself yet (I’ve come in second place a few times), but I’ve watched some of the streamers play. It’s very funny when the winning player flips the bird on the guy holding a gun in front of him.

Final sentence It’s coming to Steam later this year. Maybe I’ll learn how to spell “sphinx” by then.

There are some other Next Fest demos I’d like to try out this weekend:

• Plane crash crew (Overcooked-Co-op mayhem style with forklifts)

• New animal (Collaborative horror from the back team Little nightmares and Little nightmares 2)

• Slots and daggers (As if I needed another slot machine-based roguelite in my life right now)

• The last guard (sci-fi survival)

• Good night universe (We’ll get to that)

I’ve been looking forward to it Ski story Forever, but I think I’ll skip this demo. I’m already sold and I’m okay with waiting a few more months before I play everything.

There are some shows coming up next week that might be worth keeping an eye on. The third annual edition of DreadXP’s indie horror show is set for 1pm ET on October 23. You can watch it on the publisher’s YouTube channel.

After two hours, you’ll be able to listen to the Galaxies fall show. This will contain over 50 games, including world premieres, gameplay trailers and other announcements. Games that will be shown include: Power Wash Simulator 2, Mouse: PI for hire and Dinshatech attackall of which are firmly on my playlist.

New releases

Mr. Scary is a strange little man. I love when you play a game as a strange little man. The game of the same name is a creepy NES homebrew platformer from Calgames.

Mr. Scary can stomp on his enemies, freeze them or burn them after a snack. When Mr. Scary retreats, he becomes immune to damage because he takes a nap. I appreciate that. Nothing scary can happen during your nap.

Mr. Scary It’s $10 for the itch. You’ll need to connect the ROM to an NES emulator to become Mister Scary.

The only reason I keep Flash Player installed on my computer is so I can open it nlocated on my desktop, from time to time. I’ve been playing this classic free-to-play platformer for a long time, and now there’s good reason for many people to revisit the third entry in the series.

As thanks for n++ Combined, Metanet Software is releasing a free update to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the game’s debut on PS4. TEN++ is said to include “the developer’s most challenging levels to date.” Given how difficult these games actually are, that’s saying something. The update is available now on Steam and will come to console versions n++ almost.

Cabin factory It is an anomaly hunting (i.e. spot the difference) style game Exit 8. You’ll examine horror-themed cabins that were designed for use in movies and theme parks to make sure they’re not actually haunted. If you notice an anomaly, you’ll want to get out of the cabin in a hurry.

This $3 horror-walking game from International Cat Studios and publisher Future Friends Games debuted on Steam last year, and it’s just arrived on consoles in time for Halloween. It’s available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series

Coming

after CloverPit and Ball x holeI was planning to take a break from roguelikes/roguelites before diving in Abyss 2. Sadly, the latest game from the legendary Ron Gilbert now has a release date, and it’s very soon!

in Death by scrollThe goal is to collect enough gold to pay the ferry man so you can escape purgatory. However, there is a wall of fire following you all the time, so you will have to keep moving to try to stay alive. You’ll also need to avoid or stun the unkillable Grim Reaper while you collect gold and gems that unlock upgrades.

Death by scroll From Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox and MicroProse. It’s coming to Steam on October 28.

There’s a lot going on Silly monster Polly. It’s safe to say that this game is a shooter, but the release date trailer quickly jumps between viewpoints and genres. There is an emphasis on survival horror, along with puzzles and stealth segments. Polly occasionally removes the board strapped to her back for some skating sequences.

This is said to be a story that shifts and evolves as much as the gameplay evolves. After escaping from the hellish orphanage, Polly lands in the underworld and must fight her way out of that world as well.

Developer Andrei Chernyshov and publisher Top Hat Studios are at the back Silly monster Polly. It will be available on Steam, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series

Also coming to Steam on October 28 is a project from Autoscopia Interactive designed to be played in one sitting. As long as you are here It is a first-person game that puts you in the role of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. Her memories of the past, including her late brother, blend with the present as Annie settles into living with her family.

As long as you are here It began as a student project by Marlene Delerive, who was trying to better understand what her grandmother was experiencing in her final years. “The goal is to create a mature and nuanced experience that shows the difficult ramifications of not only losing your memory, but also losing your ability and sense of time and place,” the developers said.

Let’s wrap things up with a new trailer for Good night universe. This is a cinematic adventure in which you play the role of a six-month-old baby. This particular infant is incredibly intelligent and has psychic powers. Isaac simply wants love and familial acceptance, but (shock horror!) a tech company wants to get rid of everything.

As is the case with the recent game Nice Dreams (the phenomenal game Before your eyes), you are in control Good night universe With peepers through your device’s camera. It looks great, I have to check out the Next Fest demo. Publisher Skybound Games will bring it to Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2 on November 11.