In May, independent video games continue to be an escape route to overcome confinement. Here we recommend the best of the month.
"Until May 40, do not take off the dress," says the popular proverb. Most likely, we will have to stay home even beyond that May 40, once we can resume the new normal. Until then, minimizing home exits and maximizing caution when we leave is a priority. With this in mind, video games will continue to play a critical role in supporting confinement. Especially its independent scene, since in the indies we will find a very attractive variety. It is enough to refer us to the month of April, which left us openwork joyindies such as Cloudpunk, ITTA and Moving Out. Everything indicates that May will not be an exception and the fifth sheet of the calendar will provide us with hours and hours of indie entertainment. For sample, a button. Below we discover the 7 most relevant independent titles of May 2020.
Atomicrops (Danny Wynne, Toby Dixon, and Joonas Turner)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has broken all sales records for the series, as well as the digital video game market. Following in its wake and that of the mythical Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley marked a before and after for the indie dev. And, despite its success, its bucolic and hyper-calm formula may not fit everyone. The trio formed by Danny Wynne, Toby Dixon and Joonas Turner is aware of this and has wanted to give a twist to the farming simulator with their Atomicrops.
In this work we inherit a farm devastated by a nuclear catastrophe. The post-apocalyptic situation makes us the only source of food for the rest of the neighborhood, although it will not be necessary to cultivate our lands under the constant threat of mutant beings. With elements typical of roguelite, Atomicrops combines showers with automatic weapons to take care of the garden while dispatching all kinds of enemies. We will not only be able to improve our cultivation tools, but also our defense tools. In between, the trio of developers offers us the opportunity to establish relationships with the rest of the inhabitants of the place, both friendship and love. There is something hilarious in his proposal, hybrid between action and farming, that has captivated us. And surely the same thing happens to you when you catch it on the Epic Store, PS4, Xbox One and Switch from May 28.
Wildfire (Sneaky Bastards)
In a world where magic exists, those who master it have incredible power. An example of this is the protagonist of Wildfire, an indie that combines platforming, stealth and the odd puzzle to provide us with a magical adventure. Although his plot premise is not the most original in the world – our powers generate some fear, rejection and marginalization – Wildfire does propose interesting things in playable terms.
Sneaky Bastards' work gives us complete command of fire, ice, and other elements to take advantage of enemies and thus free villagers in captivity. Despite our unquestionable power, Wildfire never prioritizes brute and close combat, but instead opts for stealth. Thus, we will be able to use our mastery of the water to extinguish the nearby torches and confuse the enemies, in addition to catching them with a vine that will be set on fire immediately. Of course, we will also have the option of using the levers, bridges and rocks on the stage to benefit our cause. From Wildfire we are left with his inventiveness, his pixel-art and his local cooperative as the keys to an indie to keep track of on Steam and the Humble Store since May 26.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill (Megagon Industries)
Lonely Mountains: Downhill will already sound to the diehard indie dev. It is not for less; It was one of the best independent titles of 2019. Many of you may wonder what a game from last year does in a May release list. The answer is simple: The Megagon Industries title debuts on Switch and we'll never tire of recommending it.
Faced with the prevailing vision of sport in the video game industry, almost always linked to adrenaline, this indie bets on a more relaxed vision. In it we descend mountains in complete solitude – hence its title – and there is no other soundtrack than that of the sounds of our bike and those of the environment that surrounds us. Lonely Mountains: Downhill understands sport as a moment of concentration and peace in a way that is very unusual in recreational play. However, it also has a lot of arcade in which to search for shortcuts to achieve the best possible time. Its peaceful and colorful environments, in addition to the uniqueness of its proposal, compel us to recommend it now that it is available on Switch from May 7.
Before We Leave (Balancing Monkey Games)
City building and management games have helped many to overcome the worst of confinement. Not surprisingly, they often demand our attention for long periods of time and work best in the medium-long term. It seems that Balancing Monkey Games are aware of this and have chosen the best time to launch Before We Leave, without a doubt one of the most beautiful building simulators in recent years.
This indie invites us to repopulate a world in which humanity has been decimated by the threat of ancient deities. After leaving underground, our species must start again in a completely empty world. The objective is to rebuild and re-inhabit the hexagons that compose it based on effort and much, much caution. Despite being described as a non-violent video game, Before We Leave there is a lot of death. The gods we were talking about reappear from time to time to cause all kinds of disasters and avoid casualties will be a complex task. Luckily, spending hours and hours on resurfacing hurts a little less in a world as precious as Before We Leave. You can buy it in the Epic Store from May 8.
Someday You’ll Return (CBE Software)
Few will deny that survival horror experiences a second youth in recent years. With Capcom and Resident Evil at the forefront, but also with other triple A exponents such as The Evil Within 2, the genre is going through a good time. Independent productions such as The Glass Staircase and the entire Puppet Combo gameplay have contributed to this, reminiscent of that terror typical of PSX. Very soon, Someday You’ll Return will join that list of terrifying indies to continue feeding survival horror with oppressive settings, scarce inventories and heart attack scares.
Someday You’ll Return, by CBE Software, offers us a psychological horror story in which a desperate father searches for his daughter, lost in a forest to which her father swore never to return. Such a promise is of little use when it is our offspring that is at stake, so we will begin its search among the dark trees. With a fascinating aesthetic and similar to that of Bioshock, Someday You’ll Return has been scaring us on Steam since May 5.
Arboria (Dreamplant)
Although still in the Early Access phase, Arboria has debuted on Steam, sparking the interest of quite a few players. And it is not for less, because this action RPG in the third person boasts more than striking graphics and a combat worthy of attention. From procedural dungeons, in this indie we play a Yotun warrior capable of mutating based on the symbiotic weapons he acquires. This characteristic gives a great variety to the battles, perhaps the strong point of the game. From what can be seen in Early Access, combat will force us to combine weapons and strategies to defeat the considerable number of enemies that await us in missions.
Its final release will still keep us waiting until 2021, but its creators on Dreamplant ensure that Arboria early access already contains the best elements of the game. You can check it yourself through Steam from May 7.
Maneater (Tripwire Interactive)
You just need to do some zapping in the summer to realize that movies about sharks are falling out of your pocket. From the Steven Spielberg classic to crazy things like the Sharknado saga, to the mediocre Megalodon from a couple of years ago. However, the sharks have not swam in the waters of video games with the same frequency. There is some case, like Jaws Unleashed on PS2 and Jaws: Ultimate Predator on 3DS and Wii, but nothing relevant. At least until the premiere of Maneater, an indie that comes to PC and the current generation of consoles with an obvious challenge: to become the first decent shark game.
The first thing that surprises in Tripwire Interactive's work is his RPG vocation. Maneater puts us in the teeth of a baby shark that will not have it easy to survive at first, but will soon become a true man-eater. Its progression both in the food chain and in the game will take place in a wide open world – up to 7 regions with hotel beaches and industrial docks, among other locations – full of life, both underwater and human. In it we will find everything necessary to grow as predators even beyond what is expected of an ordinary shark, reaching levels of power typical of a true megalodon. The father of the shARkPG will arrive in our waters on May 22.
At the gates of the summer
With a May filled with interesting works, it is inevitable to start thinking about what June will bring. We already anticipate that the first month of summer will bring, in addition to the heat, a good list of indies with which to enjoy refreshing games. Whether we are still at home or if we can start dating, indie will be critical to surviving quarantine again.
