5 Indie Games To Look Forward To

Indie developers have been a major force in the field of narrative-driven games.

So many new development teams are popping up what feels like every other day, it’s far too easy to get lost in the amount of new games that get announced on the constant, so I’m going to make it a tad easier by listing five indie games to look forward to for 2022 and (hopefully) 2023:

• Beacon Pines – This charming adventure game is in the shape of a storybook. Players will control Luka and discover strange happenings around Beacon Pines. With the help of his friends Luka sets out to uncover the truth, along the way players will uncover the ability to return to previous section of the story anytime they like to change keywords and change the game’s narrative. Beacon Pines will be released on September 22nd, 2022 on Xbox, Switch, and Steam.

• Minds Beneath Us is a Sci-Fi thriller set in an unspecified future Asian capital. Minds Beneath Us allows players to make interesting choices by having all their dialogue choices technically right and wrong. The game’s story places players into a body that doesn’t belong to them, instead, the player is a ‘data ghost’ that takes over the mind and body of Jason Dai. A mysterious plot begins, and Jason is put in danger. Each choice has an impact. The game is currently scheduled for release on PC, but no release date has been set.

• The Wreck: Life is complicated and one single moment can change everything. Players will witness Junon, a failed screenwriter, make a difficult decision about her life that will impact the lives of her family. After being called to a hospital and told that her estranged mother is possibly dying, Junon experiences a near death moment when she crashes her vehicle, players will learn more about Junon and why her relationship with her mother has been a struggle and, depending on the key moments, learn of Junon’s fate. The game is scheduled for release in spring 2022 on PC via Steam.

• She Dreams Elsewhere – A surreal adventure game where players will explore a dreamscape, face inner nightmares and escape from a never ending coma. Thalia, an anxious and comatose girl, will be the player’s character. The game takes inspirations from the cult classic JRPG ‘Mother’ and wears it proudly on its sleeves, the game doesn’t have a release date as of yet.

• Game Director Story: A Canadian studio, Double Blit Games developed Game Director Story. It is a humorous look behind the scenes at AAA games that are large-budget. Players will be able to experience the emotional rollercoaster of leading a team through the difficult decisions and compromises required to ship a game. This is based on the first-hand accounts of industry veterans. As Game Directors, players will have to balance their relationships with their team, their publisher, press, influencers, fans, and the media. Players will need to make tough decisions about how they handle real-world situations, such as technical debt, crunch, inclusion, microtransactions, sexism and exclusives. All of these will have an effect on the game and your team. The release date for the game has not been set yet, so gamers will need to be patient.