New Indie Games: June List

SKY: CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT

Sky: Children of the Light is a child of Thatgamecompany, the creators of Journey that took the world by storm in 2012. The style of this studio is well established: soft stylized graphics, resonating music, dreamlike worlds, and emotion-focused gameplay all working in harmony to bring positive heartwarming experience and relieve the player from stress.

Sky: Children of the Light is no different. Along with other people, you will travel across the magical kingdom of Sky, solve mysteries, save spirits, and discover the secrets of the realms. The game is built around the concept of companionship, so you can expect to find a friend or two. In addition to that, the developers regularly expand the in-game world and release seasonal events making the fun last longer.

This game is not at all new if we look at its first release on iOS in 2019. However, it has been an exclusive for the whole year and not everyone owns an Apple device despite its popularity. This summer, the game is launching on Android and Nintendo Switch; considering how successful it was a year ago (included in the best iOS games of 2019 list), the launch on two more platforms is likely to bring a new huge wave of players.

I AM DEAD

I Am Dead developed by Hollow Ponds and Richard Hogg is a new puzzle adventure coming on Nintendo Switch and Windows this year.

As you might have guessed from the name, the game is based on the afterlife theme and is narrated by Morris Lupton, a museum curator who is, well, dead. The events take place on Shelmerston, a small but rich in history island with its secrets and charm. The simplistic cartoonish art style only strengthens the innocence and loveliness of the place and its folk who'll become dear to your heart before you know it.

With Morris's peculiar power to see the inside of the objects and peek into people's memories, you will be able to learn the intimate stories of other deceased dwellers, explore the hidden corners of this homey place and save the island from the erupting volcano along the way. Oh, and you will have a companion — your dog Sparky, also in the form of a ghost. 

MINUTE OF ISLANDS

Minute of Islands is another adventure game with beautiful stylized graphics developed by Studio Fizbin and planned to be released in 2020. It's not as naive-looking as I Am Dead, however, and has a touch of darkness to it.

The story is intricate: you will find yourself on a mystical archipelago, once the home of unimaginable giant creatures who left strange machines built into the islands and almost gone haywire. Their function is unknown, but something menacing is lingering around and waiting for those cogs to stop moving. That's why Mo, a young but skilled girl, ventures into the heart of the islands to repair the machines and face the unknown.

We don't know if it's just us or the game actually looks like a cartoon from Pendleton Ward, — in any case, Minute of Islands deserves your attention.

RECOMPILE

Recompile is an action-adventure sci-fi game that turns programming into the feast of explosions and gunshots. When working on it, Phigames took inspiration from such games as Axiom Verge, Hollow Knight, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild and combined Metroidvania elements with a fast-paced choice-dependent narrative system. 

Imagine this: you're ones and zeroes, The Program stuck in a surrealistic neural network limbo and threatened to be erased. Equipped with rapid highly-satisfying mechanics, you will explore the coded land and fight "half-sentient subroutines". Note, everything can be hacked and exploited which not only adds an interesting flavor to the game but also makes it possible to entirely skip obstacles and reprogram NPCs. As mentioned at the beginning, the game is decision-based, so your experience will vary depending on the playstyle. The choice is yours, but be aware of the consequences.

CASTLE IN THE DARKNESS 2

CitD fans probably already know that Matt Kap and Simon Parzer are working on Castle In The Darkness 2, a sequel to 2015's Castle In The Darkness. There are not that many details revealed, but the name pretty much speaks for itself. We can expect no less than old-school graphics so dear to those who grew up with early video games like Castlevania, Contra, and The Legend of Zelda, epic battles, fantastic soundtracks, — simply put, a lot of fun.

This is the only game on our list that has no release date yet and we are virtually certain it will come out no earlier than 2021. However, Matt, Simon, and Labs Works regularly post the updates and development details on Twitter, so make sure to follow them to keep an eye on this gem.