This Yr, We’re Leveling Up with Indie Video games: Indie Selects for January

Each Wednesday, dive into the Indie Choose Hub — your gateway to a contemporary, curated indie assortment plus 4 themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You may all the time discover this assortment hub within the Xbox Retailer and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects.

Our objective for 2026? Make it the perfect 12 months but for Indie Selects! Late November and early December indie releases typically fly beneath the radar, so this month we’re giving them the highlight they deserve. Our assortment is stacked: a classy ways RPG, a difficult roguelite creature collector, a retro-inspired metroidvania with fashionable twists, a gripping text-based political sim, a mind-bending 47-minute time loop journey, and sure—the psychic-powered child simulator you by no means knew you wanted. Right here’s what we’ve bought for you this month (in no specific order):

Demonschool is a joyride of a tactical RPG that follows the charismatic demon hunter Faye, on an apocalypse-preventing quest crammed with gangsters, quirky lecturers, classmates, and, effectively… demons. Gamers are tasked with exploring a mysterious island and school campus by way of varied missions and minigames, managing relationships and faculty schedules, discovering new expertise, and continually combating waves of enemies. Whereas all of it was enjoyable, I feel the fight captivated me essentially the most! It contains a two-phase turn-based construction that leverages motion sequencing in a method that looks like fixing choreography puzzles. Every character has completely different talents, and if moved to the best house and triggered in the best order, you possibly can maximize injury through the motion part. This carries the same depth and degree of participant expression to that present in its friends, however its distinctive presentation enhances the satisfaction when profitable. Paired with varied enemy varieties, a mission rank system, and a forgiving rewind function, the expertise felt thrilling, difficult, rewarding, and approachable.

Except for fight, I used to be delighted by the element proven by way of interactivity and easter eggs inside every setting. Pet the canine and it’d offer you one thing. Throw a coin in a fountain. Speak to an NPC on the docks and learn the way their great-grandpappy died as a demon-hunting fisherman. I discovered myself interacting with every thing I may to seek out one other mini-game or learn one other hilarious one-liner, like the child who claimed they “marked their seat” throughout orientation. As a gamer who doesn’t usually play RPGs, I sarcastically discovered myself glued to this. The soundtrack is FIRE, the modern-retro aesthetic is superbly designed, and the storytelling by way of its different character personalities and appeal saved issues contemporary and entertaining.

– Deron Mann

My first few runs in Morsels taught me an necessary lesson: getting too hooked up is a quick monitor again to the beginning display. Developed by Furcula and printed by Annapurna Interactive, Morsels is a roguelike motion sport that rewards flexibility, experimentation, and the flexibility to confess when your present plan isn’t working. Somewhat than committing to a single character, gamers accumulate a number of “Morsels,” every with its personal talents and fight type. I shortly realized that success depended much less on selecting the “finest” creature and extra on figuring out when to modify. Stubbornness, it seems, will not be a viable technique.

The sport follows acquainted roguelike conventions, together with procedurally generated rooms, escalating problem, and protracted development between runs. What helps Morsels stand out is its deliberately unusual visible type. Creature designs are unsettling in one of the simplest ways, and the gritty environments really feel like they have been designed to maintain you barely on edge—simply in case the enemies weren’t already doing that. Development is pushed by unlocking new Morsels and card-based modifiers. A few of these techniques took a couple of runs to click on, however experimenting with completely different combos typically led to these satisfying moments the place issues out of the blue begin going your method—proper earlier than they don’t.

Morsels doesn’t reinvent the roguelike style, however its give attention to adaptability provides it a transparent persona. For Xbox gamers who get pleasure from studying by way of trial, error, and the occasional giggle at their very own expense, it’s an attractive and memorable expertise.

– Steven Allen

Let’s be sincere: hauling round a large sword is about as impractical because it will get for an adventurer—particularly when vertical traversal is concerned. I may write a hundred-page thesis on why that’s absurd, however actually, GigaSword says all of it. This action-puzzle Metroidvania from single-developer-led Studio Hybrid, feels prefer it leapt straight out of an NES basic assortment, difficult your fight and technique expertise whereas confronting the tough actuality of our childhood dream: “the largest sword ever.” Spoiler alert: swords are heavy, and also you’re nowhere close to as agile as Cloud Strife led you to imagine.

When you dive in, you’ll shortly understand the GigaSword’s weight is each a blessing and a curse. Fight feels simple but honest—each swing is deliberate, and that further wind-up means you’ll must time assaults rigorously or threat consuming injury mid-swing. Issues escalate whenever you face large bosses that demand sample recognition and precision.

However the sword isn’t simply for combating—it’s central to the sport’s intelligent environmental puzzles. Detaching from it turns into important as you navigate obstacles, utilizing its heft to set off stress plates and even as a makeshift lever to shift platforms. The vibe? Suppose Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest meets the creative puzzle mechanics of Legend of Zelda.

The sport doesn’t pull its punches in relation to its stiff fight, however not like its NES predecessors, you’ve bought save factors to protect your sanity. The sword’s weight continually reminds you that speedrunning isn’t an possibility—however then come these moments whenever you deal with a whole dungeon with out the blade, introducing an entire new layer of problem. Should you’re a fan of intricate puzzle platformers like Animal Properly, this can be a distinctive expertise value including to your assortment.

– Raymond Estrada

Oh child! What a sport!  Not sufficient persons are speaking about this one.  Goodnight Universe will not be a child sim… it’s a supernaturally gifted child sim. You tackle the function and perspective of Isaac who’s a wise, keenly conscious, and succesful toddler, in a position to deal with surprisingly complicated issues.  That and the telekinesis capacity, of which an evil company could be very conscious and need to use for their very own functions.

Earlier than we even contact gameplay, the voice performing and writing are very good and fascinating.  The narrator connects with the participant as we each witness so many performances between absolutely fleshed out characters highlighting their household dynamics, their struggles, and their successes. The writing is heartwarming and enjoyable, exploring themes of the messiness of home life and what it means to be human.  The general narrative is, for me, the spotlight of the sport.

Gameplay begins out easy, seen by way of the infant’s eyes in first individual. You click on on objects for narration or interplay, however as soon as powers kick in, that’s when issues get attention-grabbing.  It is possible for you to to maneuver objects with your thoughts and even dive into somebody’s ideas. As the sport progresses, you unlock new powers and deal with sequences the place it’s essential to use your powers on the proper time. 

The console model lacks the eye-tracking function Good Dream launched in Earlier than Your Eyes. I examined it on Steam, and whereas the mechanic provides an intimate twist to the first-person expertise, albeit with occasional awkwardness, it isn’t important right here. Not like Earlier than Your Eyes, skipping it doesn’t compromise the core gameplay. The sport took me about 4-5 hours to finish and I can’t suggest this sufficient, particularly for anybody that loves distinctive, narrative-driven video games… and infants.  Gamer dad permitted.

– Raymond Estrada

Suzerain is a critically acclaimed, narrative-driven authorities simulator that’s much more addictive than its area of interest style suggests. At 11 p.m., I reminded myself that I used to be solely speculated to play for a couple of hours. Consider it as a choose-your-own-adventure the place you’re the newly elected president of a fictional nation, tasked with shaping its future. Will you lead with integrity and construct a brighter tomorrow or plunge into corruption, spark wars, and line your personal pockets? The selection is yours.

This is a text-based journey, so count on loads of studying as occasions unfold and characters communicate, adopted by dialogue decisions that form your path. Nevertheless it’s not all dry coverage.  Past signing payments or reviewing financial reviews, you’ll navigate scandals, shady offers, and ethical dilemmas. The intro alone lays out 50 years of wealthy lore for your homeland, and as soon as I bought into it, it felt like studying a really nice novel. Fortunately, the writing, presentation, and UI are top-notch.  In any other case, I actually haven’t learn this a lot since my deep dive into Blue Prince.

Suzerain’s best power is its replayability. The depth of the characters round me and detailed lore make each selection impactful, with every resolution reshaping the course of my presidency. My first run centered on financial and social reforms that aligned with my precise ideology, however on this new run I’m at present going full corrupt chief, bribing my method by way of scandals and taking each unsavory side-deal that comes my method. With a 6-to-7-hour marketing campaign, a number of playthroughs can simply triple your time. Should you love strategic decision-making with out twitch reflexes, that is for you—board avid gamers, I’m speaking to you!

– Raymond Estrada

Rue Valley is a comfy, narrative pushed thriller journey with a splash of life sim taste—suppose mild exploration, quirky character encounters, and environmental puzzles tucked into each nook. It’s a type of small-town thriller sitting someplace between Evening within the Woods and Oxenfree, however carrying its personal soft-spoken appeal. You arrive because the city’s latest resident, slowly studying the rhythms, secrets and techniques, and oddball personalities that make you are feeling welcome… and it’s simply uncanny sufficient to maintain you leaning in. Oh, and naturally you’re trapped in a wierd time loop that causes you to relive precisely 47 minutes in perpetuity.

I’ve spent numerous hours wandering Rue Valley’s winding streets—half exploring, half getting delightfully sidetracked by a neighbor who simply had another story to share. Someplace between chatting up townsfolk and stitching collectively the city’s quiet mysteries, the sport actually pulls you into its world. The characters don’t behave like NPCs ready to dispense quests; they really feel just like the acquainted faces you all the time appear to stumble upon at your favourite café, every with quirks that make the city really feel genuinely lived in.

And sure, there’s a studying curve—particularly whenever you’re juggling exploration with dialogue decisions—nevertheless it’s the sort that looks like easing into a brand new neighborhood. Somewhat complicated at first, then unexpectedly rewarding as soon as every thing clicks into place.

What saved me hooked most was the environment. Rue Valley is the type of place the place you sit down for “simply ten minutes” and search for hours later. It’s cozy, a contact mysterious, and all the time prepared with a mild shock whenever you least count on it. Should you get pleasure from narrative adventures, small-town tales, or slow-burn video games the place the enjoyment comes from noticing the little issues—a flickering streetlight, a half-finished sentence, a lingering query—Rue Valley suits superbly. It’s a world that invitations you to decelerate and let it reveal itself at its personal unhurried tempo.

– Jessica Ronnell

STAY TUNED: Indie Selects Anniversary is coming quickly!

Mark your calendars for January 28 and prepare for our massive Indie Selects Anniversary Celebration, packed with giveaways, reductions, and loads of surprises!