This week I am breaking character by including some bigger games. Bigger as in team size and budget. I do this for two reasons. Oh, there are reasons, I hear you say? Why can he not just add good games to the list and call it a day no matter their budget or team size? Well, there is a simple explanation for that. See, this outlet is called Indie-Gems, not AA or AAA-Gems. Now that I think about it, it might not be such a bad idea if Yuri set up an outlet for those kinds of games as well. But I digress.
A sense of personality
I said I had reasons, right? The first reason for me mixing things up is that I had a game on the list that is selling itself as having a single-player mode when that isn’t the case. So I obviously had to remove it out of principle. The second reason is that I had a game on the list that is so niche it would be like me sending you to the Cannes film festival to watch an experimental indie film about abstract art.
That reminds me. There is a game on this list that I think would do very well as a movie, and that game is SEASON: A letter to the future by Scavengers Studio. It might not have my preferred type of gameplay. But it sure has a stunning art direction and an untold story arc with a sense of personality that is few and far between in games today. But enough with my fleeting movie references. Let us take a look at the highlights of week 5!
SEASON: A letter to the future by Scavengers Studio
Details
- Game: SEASON: A letter to the future
- Genre: Exploration, Adventure
- Developer: Scavengers Studio
- Publisher: Scavengers Studio
- Release type: Full release
- Release date: January 31, 2023
- Platform: Steam, EPIC, PlayStation
Inkulinati by Yaza Games
Details
- Game: Inkulinati
- Genre: Strategy
- Developer: Yaza Games
- Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
- Release type: Early access
- Release date: February XX, 2023
- Platform: Steam, GOG
Adventure Light by Red Beans
Details
- Game: Adventure Light
- Genre: Puzzle, Platformer
- Developer: Red Beans
- Publisher: Red Beans
- Release type: Full release
- Release date: February 1, 2023
- Platform: Steam
Tails: The Backbone Preludes by Eggnut
Details
- Game: Tails: The Backbone Preludes
- Genre: Adventure, Mystery
- Developer: Eggnut
- Publisher: Raw Fury
- Release type: Full release
- Release date: February 1, 2023
- Platform: Steam, EPIC
The Trasamire Campaigns by Gemcutter Games
Details
- Game: The Trasamire Campaigns
- Genre: Strategy
- Developer: Gemcutter Games
- Publisher: Gemcutter Games
- Release type: Full release
- Release date: February 3, 2023
- Platform: Steam, GOG
I come bearing future gifts
I do not know if you know, but Steam Next Fest starts on Monday. The event will run from February 6th to February 13th, 2023. That means there will be fewer new releases than usual. But it does not mean there will be fewer games to play. The fact is, these events have hundreds of time-limited demos for us to try. At one point, they had more than 1500 demos available!
Now, I do not think this event will have as many demos available, but even if it did, I would not have the time to play them all and much less have room for them all on next week’s list. But rest assured, there will be a list next week. The million-dollar question, however, is what I will put on it. Will there be a mix of released games and demos for upcoming games? Or will there just be demos for upcoming games? I guess we will have to see. Until then, take care, and keep rocking the Konami code!
Inkulinati is definitively my personal highlight in this selection. I still have to play the predecessor of Tails, so I haven’t checked that out yet.