With each Summer Game Fest 2025 and Steam Next Fest wrapping up, every member of the GamesIndustry.biz staff all of a sudden has many extra video games clogging up their wishlists than ever.
Whereas the blockbuster picks of SGF have been pretty self-evident – 007: First Mild, Pragmata, Onimusha: Manner of the Sword, and Resident Evil: Requiem all impressed – the indie game pool was a lot deeper, with new reveals throughout a wide range of showcases. A lot of these video games had accompanying demos for the general public to check out, too.
Under, we chosen some highlights from the 2 occasions.
Samuel Roberts, Editorial Director
Out at SGF’s Play Days occasion in LA – which was splendidly quiet and tasteful as video games trade occasions go, by the way in which, and pleasantly far from the overcrowded hell of the later public years of E3 – I had a spare day to catch video games, which was sufficient to see loads of highlights.
The winner of the indie game bunch for me was Mixtape, the subsequent game by The Suave Escape studio Beethoven & Dinosaur. Developer Johnny Galvatron talked about Dazed and Confused and Ferris Bueller as two reference factors following my hands-on demo, which roughly matches what I performed.
Set throughout three younger pals’ ultimate night time collectively earlier than they half methods, it is set to a pricey-seeming licensed soundtrack, with songs by The Treatment, Pleasure Division, The Smashing Pumpkins and extra bringing every chapter to life.
Mixtape combines journey game-style narrative sections with set piece-y minigames: skateboarding and controlling a runaway purchasing trolley have been a part of the demo, with every part set to a special music monitor. The mechanics behind these sections aren’t significantly deep, however they’re nice enjoyable to watch. The shutter-y, cease motion-style animation fashion is gorgeous, too, making it a visible standout of SGF.
Annapurna Interactive additionally had the hack-and-slash game Bounty Star at Play Days. Suppose Armored Core with extra Satan Could Cry-style fight, together with taking pictures and dodging. Mixing gig financial system commentary, mechs, and westerns, it is received a specific flavour that ought to please followers of video games with a Capcom lineage.
I additionally had a variety of love for Thick as Thieves from Warren Spector’s Otherside Leisure, a PvPvE game the place 4 gamers are dispatched right into a map in pursuit of a (randomised) large rating. The aggressive ingredient means you may feasibly wait for one more participant to keep away from all of the guards, disarm the traps, and take the loot, earlier than ambushing them on the way in which out. However that is only one means to play.
It is a contemporary reframing of the participant choice-centric immersive sim style from pioneers Spector (Deus Ex) and govt producer Paul Neurath (the primary two Thief video games). This style nearly by no means performs nicely commercially, regardless of a comparatively excessive proportion of them being among the many greatest video games ever made.
It is my hope that the particular multiplayer spin catches on past its standard crowd, as a result of I like seeing this era of PC game design grasp succeed within the fashionable age. It regarded like a variety of enjoyable, and fairly snackable as immersive sim experiences go.
One of many items of loot you’ll be able to steal in Thick as Thieves is a wheel of cheese – I am in.
Now for my Steam Next Fest demo picks, which I will admit are all apparent shouts. There’s Cleared Hot, a helicopter game impressed by Desert Strike and related classics, solely with a winch that lets gamers choose up and throw automobiles, enemies, and different objects for a physics-y twist.
There’s additionally a ‘dodge’ button – I assume all army helicopters have a kind of put in – that provides fight a bit extra of a up to date motion game flavour, as missiles fly previous in fast succession. The voice performing is fairly ’90s (intentionally so), however I had a good time with the demo. On the wishlist it goes.
Mina the Hollower is the long-awaited new game from Shovel Knight builders Yacht Membership Video games. Followers of the magnificent Game Boy Colour Zelda video games will probably be in heaven: the artwork and sound design riff closely on these masterpieces, to dazzling impact. Mina is maybe 10% more durable as a fight game than I might like, but it surely remixes the outdated Zelda mechanics in methods that may delight veteran gamers. That game launches on October 31.
Next up, a shout out to a game that in all probability does not want extra consideration: I am completely satisfied Devolver Digital and Kenny Solar’s game Ball x Pit goes to be the indie game to beat in 2025’s GOTY lists (nicely, aside from Blue Prince).
A cross between Vampire Survivors, Breakout, and Bubble Bobble, it is a game of managing huge waves of enemies marching in direction of you by firing ball-shaped projectiles into the group. These projectiles can then be levelled up and even mixed into new powers, giving the game enormous potential when it comes to offensive prospects.
This stole two hours of my Saturday, no drawback. I can see this mirroring Vampire Survivors’ success – it is precisely as addictive.
Lastly, the return of a PlayStation Transportable puzzle basic in Improve’s Lumines Arise was certainly one of my most enjoyable hands-on experiences at SGF. For followers of Tetris Impact, this provides the Lumines match-four formulation an analogous injection of astonishing audiovisual splendour. I am solely gutted I can not play it in VR on Meta Quest 3, however I will undoubtedly test it out on both PS5 or PC when it launches in late 2025.
Sophie McEvoy, Employees Author
Whereas I am nonetheless eagerly awaiting certainly one of my picks from final 12 months (that being Mixtape), there have been a lot of indie video games to add to my ongoing summer season wishlist.
For me, the most effective indie video games are those that present a dose of nostalgia. Watching a tiny gecko traverse the grassy panorama of a forgotten smash took me proper again to exploring the realms of Spyro the Dragon on PS1.
Clearly, Inserin’s Gecko Gods is nothing just like the basic platformer, however there’s one thing concerning the chill vibes and the detailed motion of the titular reptile that hits the spot for me. That and the little tippy faucets of the geckos’ toes because it explores forgotten ruins, solves puzzles, and finds bugs to eat.
One other puzzle game that caught my eye was Poti Poti Studios’ Is This Seat Taken? I is usually a little indecisive at occasions, and this game takes that to an entire different stage.
Basically you are tasked with sorting folks into teams in accordance to their preferences in sure conditions. Whether or not that is what seats folks want on a prepare, cinema, restaurant, or perhaps a marriage ceremony. The artwork fashion appears to be like completely cute, and the situations that unfold as you seat sure folks collectively appears to be like hilarious.
Shifting away from puzzle-solving, Staff Empereintes’ Fireside Feelings caught my consideration from its cosy environment and distinctive premise. The premise of this game, which is described as a “psychological well being expertise” is sitting by a fireplace and sharing your ideas.
As somebody who struggles with maintaining a psychological wellness routine, this looks like a contemporary tackle mindfulness that my mind will profit from. Perhaps I will study a bit extra about myself within the course of, too.
Lewis Packwood, Options Editor
In contrast to Samuel, I wasn’t ready to swan about in Los Angeles having fun with all the stunning new video games ‘within the flesh’ (silicon?), however there have been a good few that caught my eye on the varied indie showcases.
As Samuel and Sophie have already talked about, Mixtape appears to be like like an absolute gem, with a trailer that delivers a intestine punch of summer season nostalgia. Given the developer’s pedigree, that is certain to be a winner – and that artwork fashion is simply mesmerising. How would you describe it? A type of painterly cease movement, maybe? Nevertheless they’ve executed it, it appears to be like beautiful.
Talking of gorgeous artwork kinds, At Fate’s End from Thunder Lotus retains the studio’s signature hand-painted animation look, in an analogous vein to their earlier game, Spiritfarer. This one is much more fighty although, extra akin to their underrated hack and slash Metroidvania Sundered. It additionally incorporates a protagonist who produces a sword from her throat, which is one thing you undoubtedly don’t see daily. Until you reside in a circus.
Garbage Country from Noio one way or the other mixes components of Thomas van den Berg’s earlier titles: the chilled-out post-apocalyptic plant-growing game Cloud Gardens and the tower defence behemoth that’s the Kingdom sequence. Think about Cloud Gardens, however the place you’re barrelling round in a customisable truck and stopping often to do a little bit of tower defence. Intriguing.
I like the premise of Relooted, the place the goal is to reclaim African artefacts from Western museums: the museums are fictional, however the artefacts are actual. The trailer makes it look splendidly fluid and enjoyable, with the goal being to sprint in and out as shortly as doable whereas swinging off mild fittings and ducking lasers.
Lastly, I’ve to give a shout out to Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth, Hyper Video games’ follow-up to Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. We solely received the tiniest of teaser trailers for this one, but it surely was sufficient. The primary game was like a hug in video game kind, and little question this sequel will supply extra of the identical. And gosh darn, don’t all of us want a hug proper now?
Vikki Blake, Reporter
I am going to begin on the finish: End of Abyss, to be exact. We barely noticed a minute of it, however I am already in love. I’ve a pure inclination for darker vibes, and Finish of Abyss has that in spades. The melancholy, the weirdness, the bonkers enemy design – I am in.
For that very same purpose, Fractured Blooms additionally received an omg-sure from me, too. Whereas possibly not fairly as fourth-wall-breaking as Doki Doki Literature Membership (the “Plus” model of which developer Serenity Forge publishes), the thought of leaping right into a homestead life sim that slowly dissolves into one thing else if you’re not trying is Oh-So My Type Of Factor. “Examine the cupboards,” instructs your cheery on-screen HUD. “Examine the freezer.” “Harvest 5 strawberries.” “Run.” “Do not look.” “Obey her mouth.” I should know extra.
After which there’s ILL. Sure, the one with the child issues. I imply, I used to be in even earlier than they used the phrase “dismemberment.”
Yikes. That is very totally different from everybody else’s checklist. For what it is value, loads of colourful, non-murdery video games caught my eye, too! Out of Words‘ stop-motion conceit is great – there is no such thing as a such factor as too many co-op platformers, and this one appears to be like divine – and congrats, Felt That: Boxing; you might be the world’s first sports activities game to ever pique my curiosity. And like Lewis, I, too, am bewitched by the thought of Relooted; I’ve loved losing many an hour in Payday, so I can not deny the draw of a heist game with a coronary heart. Perhaps we’ll study a bit one thing, too, eh?