New Indie Games in 2020: March Digest

TARTAPOLIS

Tartapolis is a mysterious open-world RPG set in a dark futuristic universe full of sketchy characters and ominous secrets. The citizens of a huge metropolis are controlled by the established dystopian technocracy and the government holds people in terror reminding us of George Orwell's Big Brother. You play as Richard Bor, a private detective who once discovers that one of his cases is deeper and more dangerous than he thought. The gripping storyline is complemented by moody black-and-white graphics and traditional RPG mechanics that allow you to customize the character, develop preferred skills and stats, use and upgrade various items, and embark on quests. 

The game is developed by Fusion Studios and planned to be released on July 15, 2020.

THE PROCESSION TO CALVARY

The Procession to Calvary developed by Joe Richardson is a whimsical point-and-click adventure that will take you into the world of sublime Renaissance paintings and nonsensical humor! A ridiculous mix of Classical Art and Music (enjoy Vivaldi, Bach, and other composers) and absurdity (be prepared for gags about butts) promises the players quite an amusing experience, especially if you're a fan of Monty Python's works. In addition to the vivid world and storyline, the game will challenge you with puzzles and an Optional Murder choice just like in Undertale - using your sword might help you to skip some puzzles, but be prepared for the outcome.

HEAVENLY BODIES

Heavenly Bodies is a game focused solely on the beauty and challenge of motions in microgravity. 2pt Interactive have designed a number of physically-simulated situations in space in which you'll feel both the liberation and danger of weightlessness while repairing spaceship equipment, exploring cosmic environment, and travel through the stretch of celestial infinity. You'll be able to play the game alone or with friends through Steam's Remote Play Together.

EASTWARD

Eastward developed by Pixpill is an adventure game with an interesting combination of retro-pixel art style and 3D lighting inspired by Japanese animation of the 90s. Eastward will tell you a story about John, a local miner, and Sam, a little girl who's been found by John in an underground secret facility. Together, they will travel through the apocalyptic world attacked by unknown creatures, meet strange people, fight monsters, and eventually discover the truth about Sam. The gameplay will have a mix of puzzles and fights and provide you with the ability to switch between controlling John and Sam.

The game is coming on Steam and Nintendo Switch. Back in 2016, when the game was deep in development, we organized an interview with the Pixpill team who shared a few details about their title. You can find the article below:

• Eastward: Charming Chinese Pixel Art Adventure

SCOURGEBRINGER

ScourgeBringer is a fast-paced rogue-lite platformer with a classic pixel art style and exciting mechanics. The fans of the genre will get the full package: infinite dungeons, all kinds of monsters and hardcore bosses, wild shooting and slashing, rapid and smooth platformer controls, and adaptive SFX designed by Joonas Turner who worked on such titles as Nuclear Throne, Noita, Downwell, and others. The game is already in Early Access and being actively developed by Flying Oak Games with the help of the community (join the Discord server here).