Today is the last day of 2021 and my final article on upcoming indie games. 2021 was a dumpster fire of a year (please let 2022 be better!) but thankfully we had many great games to get us through it. 2022 is shaping up to be another stellar year for indie games and coming up with lists of games to show was incredibly difficult. Unlike previous articles, this one will be a mix of genres I may have missed or games I overlooked when writing my other articles in this series.
Derelicts – Romain
I’m a huge fan of the survival game genre. Something about crafting my way through and building machines that make things easier just captivate me. Derelicts remind me of The Forest but with more emphasis put on the crafting and automation side of the game. It’s being built in Unreal Engine 5 and looks stunning. To find out more about Derelicts head over to their Twitter page for links to videos and devlogs!
Fabular – Spiritus Games
Fabular is such an interesting title. An Action RPG Roguelite that has twin-stick souls-like combat in space. It’s challenging, unique, and has an intriguing story to boot. With beautiful storybook-like retrofuturistic art and crazy ships and fighting mechanics, this is one you don’t want to pass up. Wishlist and try the demo on Steam.
V Rising – Stunlock Studios
V Rising brings my two loves together in one epic-looking game, Vampires and top-down ARPGs. You play in a giant open world fighting humans and beasts. The world has a day and night cycle which forces you to seek shade from the sun too. No glittery Vamps here! Build your own castle to store your loot, grow an army, and show off your Vampire style. Wishlist on Steam.
Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum – nodayshalleraseyou
Yes, the name is a mouthful but I am so excited for this game. Take the contracts from hotline Miami but make yourself not only an assassin but an expert hacker too. Everything in-game is hackable and it’s done by you actually typing out commands into a command prompter. It truly makes for some crazy gameplay. I had a run in the demo that I took over a camera across the map. Used the camera to gain access to a robot nearby. Reprogrammed it to be my friend and kill everyone and he was my bodyguard for the rest of the run. It was fun, crazy, and such a unique indie game.
Wishlist and try the demo on Steam.
Strange Horticulture – Bad Viking
Welcome to your new job as the horticulturist at the plant shop Strange Horticulture. This occult puzzle game has you finding and learning about new plants to sell in your shop. You will be met with a plethora of strange and unnerving patrons as you work here. Some that clearly have nefarious intentions. Get thrown into a mystery 100’s of years old and learn the dark truths of Undermere. Wishlist and play the demo on Steam.
Inkulinati – Yaza Games
Inkulinati is probably one of the most uniquely presented games I’ve ever seen. This strategy game takes place directly in a medieval manuscript. Inspired by real-life medieval marginalia, this game aims to show you the humor of medieval times and give you an epic ever-changing story. This is a game I have been dying to play ever since it was announced. Wishlist on Steam.
Hidden Deep – Cogwheel Software
Prepare to die. Hidden Deep is an atmospheric sci-fi sidescrolling game taking inspiration from Alien, The Thing, and Half-Life. Explore a mining and research facility more than a mile under the ocean floor. You are sent in to see what happened to the research team after communications halted. Find what happened, rescue any survivors, and get out. Hidden Deep Releases into Early Access on January 24, 2022. Wishlist on Steam.
Sail Forth – David Evans Games
Sail Forth brings awesome broadsides ship combat in a beautiful colorful procedurally crafted adventure. Customize your ship and explore the unending ocean in search of the key to the planet’s mysterious past. I have loved every demo I’ve played of this game. It’s adorable and challenging and it has grown so much since its first announcement. Wishlist on Steam.
Laika: Aged Through Blood – Brainwash Gang
Motorcycles and Metroidvanias. An odd combination but I won’t lie, Laika Aged Through Blood definitely has my attention. The art gives this Mad Max feel to the world mixed with a western-inspired story, Laika has no issues standing out in a crowded genre. Wishlist on Steam.
Replaced – Sad Cat Studios
The beautiful, fluid-like combat is what immediately pulled me into Replaced. A stunning world presented in 2.5D helped a ton too. Replaced has you playing as an AI that was placed into a human body against its own will. Look for cinematic platforming, beautiful pixel art, and a dystopian story. Wishlist on Steam.
Lorn’s Lure – Rubeki
Lorn’s Lure is easily one of my most anticipated indie games of 2022. I fell in love with this game when I tried the demo a while back and I have been waiting patiently to get to play more. You’re an android who is being led through a massive structure by a glitch in your visual systems. You can climb just about anything in this structure. The world is unique and full of wonder. The climbing is well done and I can easily see this being at GDQ someday. Wishlist and play the demo on Steam.
Archrebel – Ularis Badler
Archrebel is a strategy game that just looks beautiful. I love the style of the world. It has a minimalist feel but really is quite detailed and it’s pulled off super well. Fans of strategy games are definitely going to want to check this one out. Currently, there is no confirmed release date so follow the dev on Twitter and keep this indie game on your radar.
The Tragic Kingdom – Only by Midnight ltd.
Curved Space devs, Only by Midnight ltd, announced in June their next game. The Tragic Kingdom just looks amazing. Paper-crafted players and enemies in a 3D world are the kinds of interesting mixes I love. The combat in the above trailer looks entertaining too. This game is a way out still but indie games fans should go follow the dev and look for more news!
This has been a hell of a year for the site. We’ve had so much growth and I truly want to thank everyone that supports Indie-Gems. I hope you found some interesting indie games in this series. If you missed the first 3 articles you can find them here (Upcoming Roguelites, Upcoming Roguelikes, and Upcoming Metroidvanias). Let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments below! Have a safe and happy new year everyone. We’ll see you in 2022.
