A magical farming sim, cat museum exploration and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest recap of what's going on in the indie game space. This week, Nintendo held its latest Indie World showcase to spotlight titles that are coming to Switch and Switch 2, as well as some that arrived on the eShop on the day of the presentation.

One of the latter was UFO 50, which featured on many best of 2024 lists after it debuted on PC. Another was Is This Seat Taken?, which is about placing picky people in the right seats. This chill puzzle game from Poti Poti Studio and publisher Wholesome Games Presents arrived on Steam, iOS and Android as well this week. It has a look that reminds me a little of last year’s pretty platformer, Schim.

Looking further ahead, the Indie World revealed the October release date for Ball x Pit, a Breakout-esque roguelite I'm very excited for. In addition, Mina the Hollower, the next game from Shovel Knight studio Yacht Club Games that we already knew was coming to Steam on Halloween, has been confirmed for a Switch and Switch 2 release on the same day.

The showcase also revealed that Neverway, a creepy life-sim RPG from a studio founded by Pedro Medeiros (the pixel artist of Celeste) and Murder Engine creator Isadora Sophia, is coming to Switch and Steam in 2026. Meanwhile, sci-fi RPG Caves of Qud is coming to Switch as a console exclusive later this year. This is a turn-based, sci-fi roguelike RPG from Freehold Games and publisher Kitfox Games that's rated overwhelmingly positive on Steam after nearly 10,000 player reviews (a quick scan indicates that those who get into Caves of Qud can sink hundreds of hours into it).

Elsewhere, The International Game Developers Association, The International Game Developers Association Foundation and Women in Games International teamed up for an interesting announcement this week. The organizations are collaborating on a project called Port Quest, which is designed to help successful developers bring their games to mobile platforms. Studios who take part can receive assistance from industry veterans, access to workshops and more.

Applications are open now and will close on September 15. Those chosen to participate will be featured in a showcase. However, only games that have earned at least $10,000 per month for the last six months are eligible. The games can't have previously been made available on mobile devices either.

New releases

A game called Ritual of Raven, from Spellgarden Games and publisher Team17, arrived on Steam and Switch this week. It's billed as a "cozy, story-based farming sim" but you're not going to be making your character till the land, plant seeds and carefully nurture crops here. 

Instead, this is more of a deckbuilder, as you'll collect tarot cards and make use of their magical powers to do the work for you. It seems like an interesting twist on the Stardew Valley formula, especially if you're into card-based games.

Kimchi: A Stars in the Trash Story is a free, short game from Valhalla Cats that dropped this week on Steam and Itch.io — just in time for International Cat Day. As a kitten named Kimchi, you'll explore a cat museum and solve puzzles as you learn about the history of cats.

This is a spinoff of Stars in the Trash, a hand-drawn platform adventure with a gorgeous aesthetic that came out late last year. I bought that game months ago but haven't gotten around to playing it. The arrival of Kimchi is a good reminder for me to do that.

I mentioned this one in a previous edition of this roundup, though I can't help but highlight it again (not least because I feel the need to switch things up after highlighting a couple of cozy games). Turbo Kid is a delightfully gory Metroidvania that acts as a quasi-sequel to a film of the same name that I utterly adore. It finally landed on Switch this week, alongside an update for a PC update that enhances a lot of the weapons and makes them easier to acquire. Outerminds says the update also brings performance improvements to lower-spec systems.

Upcoming

A foraging adventure called Out and About was supposed to debut this week, but it's been pushed back by a few days as Yaldi Games unfortunately didn't check the Early Access box in Steam's publishing tools. As such, the studio has had to delay the game's arrival until this Monday. That's a bit of a pity for a developer that's releasing its first-ever game, but Yaldi's transparency here is quite endearing.

In any case, Out and About will see you gathering fungi and wild plants to help you cook delectable dishes and put together herbal remedies. You'll also be helping to rebuild your community following a powerful storm. The game features real-life plants, so you might learn how to identify flora when you're out and about in the real world and perhaps do some actual foraging of your own.

Rogue Labyrinth looks absolutely gorgeous, with a look that reminds me of my favorite game of all time, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. In this story-driven action title from Tea Witch Games and publisher indie.io, you'll seemingly be able to turn anything into a projectile (including deflected enemy attacks) by whacking it with your smacking stick. 

You'll play as a nomad named Iris who returns home only to find that the place where you grew up has been converted into a labyrinth that hosts a reality show. The labyrinth is home to randomized biomes that feature monsters and allies alike. Rogue Labyrinth is coming to Steam on September 1. A demo, which I might just check out this weekend, is available now.

Atari revealed this week that Adventure of Samsara — a spiritual successor to Atari 2600 title Adventure from 1980 — is set to arrive on September 4. It's coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam and GOG.

In this pixel art Metroidvania from developer Ilex Games, you'll attempt to restore balance to the multiverse. To do that, you'll need to explore a series of connected biomes and take down tough bosses. Of course, you'll gain abilities and upgrades while you're on your journey, because that's how Metroidvanias work.

I think my favorite thing about Autumn with the Shiba Inu is that it's a sequel to a battle royale mystery visual novel called A Summer with the Shiba Inu, so I have two of these games to check out. This is a mystery visual novel from Quill Game Studios that puts you in the paws of Quei-Li, a freelance hacker tasked with uncovering information in a corruption case.

There are multiple endings here, which should encourage replayability, and I appreciate the lovely doggo illustrations by artist Alicia García Ochoa in the trailer. Autumn with the Shiba Inu is coming to Steam on August 14, and a trailer is available now.

Dude, Where Is My Beer? A New Hop is a point-and-click adventure in the vein of those LucasArts games from the '80s and '90s. In this project from Arik Games and Edo Brenes, you play as a dude who just wants to drink a pilsner when all that can be found are craft beers and gross IPAs (I can't stand IPAs, sorry). Since a master brewer has banned pilsners, you'll have to make your own by acquiring the right ingredients and gear, then entering a brewing contest.

This is a sequel to 2020's Dude, Where Is My Beer? and I love the Star Wars pun in the sequel's title. There's no release window for Dude, Where Is My Beer? A New Hop as yet, but there's a demo up on Steam now.

Let's wrap things up for this week with a game that's "inspired by analog horror, outsider art and the liminal landscapes of David Lynch and Andrei Tarkovsky." Concierge is a surrealist, non-linear game in which you'll use a camcorder to help uncover clues and solve puzzles and trials that might require some outside-the-box thinking. This project from two-person Brazilian duo Kodino Artes and publisher Digital Tribe Games looks pretty compelling to me. Concierge is coming to Steam on September 15.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-magical-farming-sim-cat-museum-exploration-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-120042340.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-magical-farming-sim-cat-museum-exploration-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-120042340.html?src=rss