Five In-Development Indie Games You Can Play Right Now
As the gaming industry moves more towards reboots, remakes, sequels, and remasters, it’s always refreshing to see games with unique ideas and features come out. Thanks to Steam and other online stores, developers can now get these games out early for the public to try through demos and or early releases. If you’re looking to get excited for some upcoming games, here are five in-development indie games that you can play right now!
Hellish Quart
“Hellish Quart” is a historical fighting game developed by Kubold—an animator on “The Witcher III” and a motion-capture actor. The game is a 3D fighter that controls similarly to “Tekken” or “Soul Calibur”. However, unlike traditional fighting games, the goal of “Hellish Quart” is to use precise movements to cripple crucial body parts (such as the hands, face, or neck) as opposed to chipping away at a health bar.
This makes the fights in “Hellish Quart” quick and brutal for beginners, but at a higher skill level, fights can last a long time depending on how well players can defend themselves. Staying true to Kubold’s animation roots, the game features animations and moves motion-captured by real fencers.
“Hellish Quart” is available for early access on Steam and GOG.
Nine Sols
“Nine Sols” is an action-adventure platformer being developed by Taiwanese developer, Red Candle Games. The game is best described as a Chinese-style “Hollow Knight” with heavy sci-fi elements and a focus on combat. Fans of “Nioh” or “Sekiro” will feel right at home with “Nine Sols”’s Asian-inspired setting and fast-paced combat.
So far, the game’s demo only lets you play up to the first boss fight. However, it also contains a challenge mode for those who enjoy the combat. If you’re addicted to ‘metroidvania’ games such as “Hollow Knight”, “Bloodstained”, and “Dead Cells”, “Nine Sols” is definitely a game to keep an eye on.
The demo for “Nine Sols” can be downloaded and played on Steam.
Sniperpunk
“Sniperpunk” is arcade-style dueling game developed by college game development team Enter CTRL Studios. On a surface level, the gameplay is a simple gunfight between two players with bullets ricocheting off of walls. As you experiment with different characters and abilities, duels become more complex and addictive.
Right now, “Sniperpunk” has four unique characters representing different aesthetics: cyberpunk, steampunk, spacepunk, and decopunk. While the game’s developers have expressed interest in adding even more characters, the game’s current roster already provides a ton of variety.
The demo for “Sniperpunk” can be downloaded and played on Steam.
Peripeteia
“Peripeteia” is a bizarre, cyberpunk game that takes inspiration from games such as “Deus Ex” and “Stalker”. The game places you in the shoes of Marie, a cyborg taking on various jobs in a dark, post-Soviet, cyberpunk version of Poland. The game revels in its unique atmosphere, and fans of 90s sci-fi anime such as “Ghost in the Shell” and “Akira” will recognize many of the game’s stylistic influences.
Although primarily a game about shooting and exploration, “Peripeteia” encourages players to try novel, creative methods of solving problems such as dialogue and stealth. Although its primitive art style, janky controls, and overall weirdness might drive some people away, cyberpunk and sci-fi fans have a lot to look forward to in “Peripeteia”.
The demo for “Peripeteia” can be downloaded and played on Steam.
Gloomwood
“Gloomwood” is the newest project developed by New Blood Interactive—the company responsible for hits like “Dusk” and “Ultrakill”. Unlike the studio’s previous action-packed titles, “Gloomwood” is a stealth game taking place in a dark, Victorian setting. Despite its current short length, “Gloomwood” gives players massive levels to explore and navigate including a fishery, cave, and the outskirts of a city.
New Blood Interactive has been very clever in fixing the issues with older stealth games visually and gameplay-wise. “Gloomwood” excels in giving players both visual and audio cues while never breaking the game’s strong sense of immersion. Although currently short in length, “Gloomwood” is definitely worth checking out for fans of stealth games.
“Gloomwood” is available to play in early access on Steam.