top of page

Indies to Catch in February 2025!

Hubert Spala

Updated: Feb 4

February is upon us! Since November I haven't posted my most anticipated list of super cool Indies, and I am sorry for that oversight. Unfortunately, my work/life balance in those past few months had to heavily skew on the side of work, stealing all my time with great vehemence. But now, with Imbolc out of the way, the day slowly but surely getting longer and the sun visiting my corner of the world for a good while, I feel rejuvenated! With that newfound energy I jumped back into the rich mines of Indie Games to take a look on what glorious titles I'd love to play through this month, and I am more than happy to share my findings.


KEEP DRIVING | 6th February


You might not recall, especially if you're not an avid reader of my humble blog (which I strongly suggest to become!), but I mentioned this brilliant title in one of the previous Demo Dives. KEEP DRIVING has it. I cannot be sure what it is, exactly, but this game just have it, okay? It's the vibe, the atmosphere, the pure sheer nostalgia for the years of yore. With CDs in a big plastic album, with tapes still hanging around. With payphones and simple consoles to keep us entertained. It harkens back to a time of wonder and wander. A time when all you needed to have a good time was your trusty vehicle, open road, and perhaps a buddy or two to share it with, road-trip style. And a time in which picking hitchhikers wasn't that unusual.


It is funny to me that I fell so heavily into this game. Since, well... I don't have a driving license. Or a car. Or ever driven one. And yet, somehow, they got me. The indie rock blazing from the radio, the catchy tunes, and the sounds of the road. Add to that pretty cool sense of exploration across the map, the roguelite elements in a very fun and peculiar 'combat' system, immersive sense of narration, and bam! That's how you cook up a banger. I'd be playing it the second it comes out, no doubt in my mind.


DAWNFOLK | 13th February


I have been following this title since before it was even called DAWNFOLK. It's exactly my kind of cham. A more relaxed city-builder with a unique atmosphere, cool microgames for farming your resources, and a bit of pressure to not make it a completely casual experience? Sign me in. DAWNFOLK feels like a perfect Switch game, and I sure hope y'all catch my meaning here. It tells me to pick it up, play for a short bit, and then happily return to it at any given moment to put in a few more turns. It feels like a game I can pick up at any moment to inject myself with a bit of no-nonsense fun. It might not have some revolutionary ideas to display, no grand narratives or industry-defying concepts, but by Jove and the mercy of our glorious Sun, it does moment-to-moment fun just right.


And it has quite a lot of potential to be very replayable. Depending on the amount of structures, biomes to explore, and events that can happen, it can possibly shore you up for dozens upon dozens of hours or randomized runs. I sure hope that's going to be the case because it's another title that I plan on snatching up the moment it releases.


LOST RECORDS: BLOOM & RAGE | 18th February


God damn was I waiting for this one. The latest LIFE IS STRANGE was quite entertaining, solid even, but it failed to scratch that itch. It felt a bit too... sterile. A bit too short. A bit too safe, may I add? It didn't reach, for me, the peaks of the second installment... Albeit was infinitely better than the third one. But that's kinda my point. The worst parts of that series weren't cooked by DON'T NOD, but by DECK NINE. And frankly, it shows, at least for me, that DECK NINE just isn't capable of delivering the emotional punches that DON'T NOD can. TELL ME WHY was fantastic!


Anyway, the core of my rambling is that I trust this company to make a supreme narrative, with great characters, clever writing, and lots of twists and turns to get lost in. Cooking up a new setting that they will have full creative control over was definitely a wise step that I surely hope will pay off for them. And that the game is going to be as good as I wish it to be in my dreams. It seems like more of what I want - great music, a tightly woven story, and plenty of fleshed-out digital people to follow and be in their skin... Fingers crossed!


HPL: NYARLATHOTEP RISING | 19th February


Psst, lean over here, I'm gonna share a little secret... I am a massive fan of Cosmic Horror. Yup. Read most of Lovecraft's stories, and dabbled in Derlth and Lumley, biting into stories from Langan and Ligotti... In short, it's my jam. HPL: NYARLATHOTEP RISING looks very promising, especially in its delivery. It's a book! It is an interactive book, with various mixed media in, a story-rich narrative that promises that your choices will matter.


I sure hope so, because in this format there is really no excuse not to fully embrace branching paths to the extreme. After all, it seems to be a virtual paragraph adventure book, and I love those. I have quite high hopes for this title, which are gently reined in by the fact that it seems to be a debut project for the two studios working on it. And one of them seems to embrace AI generations? At least the name suggests as much. Not a big fan, but I get it, so let's see if the outcome - and especially the writing - will be able to hold a candle to the competitors in good horror narratives.


MORSELS | February, with Hope!


Well, well and well. MORSELS is one of those titles that stick in your mind. The visual style of it is pretty fantastic! Grimy, gnarly, with a bit of a comedic twist that doesn't soften its grossness, but empowers it. I have been looking forward to this title since I first learned of it some months ago, and all the stars in the heavens seem to foretell that it will be coming sometime this month? Splendid. Was looking forward to a great action roguelike after burning some serious hours with VOIDIGO. Not much to add here - just check the trailer out, and if the visuals made you coo in delight like they did for me, it is a title to nab for yourself and play it!


The gameplay itself also looks interesting - sure, it might be a little bit of a tried and tested formula on the face of it, an action roguelike oh so many others... But there seem to be a few interesting ideas brewing in that gristle-packed, flesh-bubbling kettle. Swapping between different morsels, upgrading and evolving them to your liking, and spattering of various styles, perspectives, and peculiar minigames to keep it all fresh in your runs. Looks great, let's see if the folks at FURCULA cooked with this one.

14 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


WANT TO RECEIVE THE LATEST NEWS?
Subscribe via email to get notified of new posts whenever they pop online.

bottom of page