Independents’ day
WATCHING THE PENNIES? HERE ARE FIVE GREAT INDIE TITLES THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK THIS CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS is just days away, and this year we’re all counting the pennies.
Between interest rate rises, the ever increasing price of food and drink, and eye watering energy bills, life is not cheap at the moment.
All this means that we’re searching for pocket friendly gifts for Santa to deliver this festive season.
But when the loved one in your life is a gamer, that can be easier said than done.
But there is a solution – indie games, a lower-cost alternative to the expensive AAA titles.
It’s been an incredible year for indie studios, with some fabulous games being released.
December is not without its fair share of new indie titles, and here are just five any gamer would be delighted to receive this year.
BOTS ARE STUPID
(PEGI tbc) PC. Price: £9.34
The perfect title for the geeky gamer in your life, this is a must if they are a fan of games like Mario Maker.
This 2D platformer sees you having to navigate your characters through levels in a very different way.
As the ‘Central Locomotion Officer’ in a futuristic robot factory, it’s your job to help train and assemble the bots.
Rather than guiding them through using a gamepad, you have to write a set of simple instructions telling the robot what to do.
The good news is there is an unlimited supply of bots, so no matter how many you accidentally crash and burn, there is always another to take its place.
ASTRONITE
(PEGI 7) PS4, PS5, XBOX X/S, XBOX ONE, Switch, PC. Price: £14.99
Looking like it’s come straight from the ZX Spectrum, this 1bit metroidvania combines action, exploration, puzzles and platforms.
Sporting graphics in stark black and white, on the surface this looks like a fairly easy game. Let me assure you, it isn’t.
Your little astronaut is exploring an uncharted planet, and the aim is to work your way to its core.
Packed full of dungeons, secret paths and extraterrestrial dangers, this charming title promises to be a lot of fun.
Melatonin
(PEGI 7) Switch, PC. Price: £12.34
This rhythm game is all about the worlds of dreams and reality merging together.
With beautiful pastel coloured hand drawn graphics, it uses animations and sound cues to help keep you on beat.
Packed with dreamy levels and a wonderfully upbeat soundtrack, this game has been three years in the making.
Despite the gentle, almost soothing gameplay, there are some surprising challenges waiting around the corners.
Munchkin Digital
(PEGI TBC) PC. Price: £11.39
The popular tabletop card game makes the leap to PC this month.
King of the ‘take that’ style card game (when pulling a card can suddenly give you random powers or abilities), chaos and fun often ensue.
Now you don’t have to rely on your imagination, as the game comes to life on the screen.
Go down to the dungeon, kick in the door and kill everything you find.
You can backstab your friends, by stealing the treasure and running for your life.
A little fiddly to get your head around to begin with, once it clicks, there’s hours of fun to be had.
Super Kiwi 64
(PEGI 7) Switch, PC. Price: £2.49
With its polygon style graphics, it’s hard not to instantly compare this game to late 90s N64 games like Banjo-kazooie.
Billed as a 3D-platformer and Collect-a-thon, this strongly hits the nostalgia bone for gamers of a certain age.
The star of the piece is a Kiwi, who can jump, glide, corkscrew-attack and stick his long bill into surfaces in order to climb walls.
While the graphics are retro, the gameplay is not, with smooth controls that makes this a pleasure to play.