INDIE ROCKS
With household budgets squeezed, these brilliant new titles won’t break the bank
EVERYWHERE you look these days, prices are going up.
UK households are facing the biggest squeeze on incomes in nearly 50 years, as the economic effects of the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine take their toll.
Between rising energy bills, a steep increase at the fuel pumps, and even the cost of food creeping ever upwards, life is hard right now.
All this means that expensive hobbies – like gaming – can be tough to justify. But there is a way to get your fix without it costing the earth – indie games.
There’s a wealth of indie developers out there producing some incredible work, and as well as being much gentler on your budget, the titles are often just as good – if not better than – the big studio games.
Here are five indie titles you should check out this month.
terrorbane (PEGI 7) PC, Switch Price: £14.99
One of the goofiest games I’ve played in a long time, this comedic adventure is packed full of quirky characters and homages to the history of video gaming.
In a meta twist, the game’s developer is a character within the game, and you must collect friendly Bugs so you can eventually challenge his rule.
You can relive some of gaming’s most famous scenes – all with a light hearted new twist, as you wade your way through broken story lines and landscapes.
When you’ve finished the game, you play through again, this time making different choices to see if you get a different outcome.
Packed full of genuinely funny moments, with some jokes that had me laughing out loud, this is one of the most inventive games I’ve played for a long time.
Nobody Saves the World (PEGI 12) PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX X/S, PC Price: £20.99
Claiming a new twist on RPGS, in this game you play as a featureless nobody who has become the master of shape-shifting.
By imitating various creatures and characters, like turtles, knights,
dragons and ghouls, you can swim, run and blast your way through hordes of bad guys in a bid to stop The Calamity from taking over.
Bright and colourful graphics really make this game a joy to watch, while the gameplay allows you to mix and match abilities for interesting new action.
With more than 15 different characters to play as, you’ll never get bored with this one.
Bone’s Cafe (PEGI TBC) PC Price: £7.19
This tasty title follows the journey of Bones, a necromancer who is pursuing his dream of serving cakes and salads.
A fast-paced cooking and restaurant management game in the vein of Overcooked, you have the freedom to not only plan your own menus, but design the layout of your kitchen too.
And when your cafe becomes a hit with customers, you can fall back on your old necromancy skills and raise your own undead kitchen staff to give you a hand.
Graphically it’s adorable, and I have to say some of the ‘secret ingredients’ you can harvest made me laugh darkly.
If you get bored of playing on your own, you can recruit up to three others to share the fun in couch co-op.
Lake (PEGI 16)
PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX X/S, PC Price: £15.99
This narrative game is set in 1986, as forty-something Meredith Weiss returns to her quiet hometown from the big city.
She decides to help fill in for her dad, who is the town’s mail carrier, and so begins a journey of rediscovery. Stop and chat with new faces and reconnect with old friends, you might even decide to strike up a new romance.
Gentle and slow paced, this actually makes you stop and think before making a decision.
Be aware though, your time with Lake will be short, clocking in at around six hours of gameplay – but what a six hours.
Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles (PEGI 3) PS4, XBOX ONE, PC, Switch Price: £15.99
As adorable games go, this is up there with the best.
Squish, bop and bounce through the Great Depths, an underwater world filled with Motes – bioluminescent creatures which spend their lives in the deep.
This glorious 3D puzzle platformer lets you take control of this hidden world’s inhabitants, in a bid to seize control from the Mastermote.
With graphics dripping in luminescence, you’ll soon find yourself under the spell of this magnificent underwater habitat.