August brings us great indie releases for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. Here we discover the best indies: Fall Guys, Rogue Legacy 2 and many more.
Raphael Colantonio, the founder of Arkane Studios, pointed out in a recent interview for PC Gamer that triple-A development no longer involves creating video games, but manufacturing products. It is getting harder and harder to find big-budget titles that defy convention and break away from hackneyed open worlds with cinematic delusions. But that does not mean that they no longer exist. There are still crazy, fresh and imaginative games. There is no better exponent of this than indie dev, which embraces innovation and offers different games.
Just take a look at the latest independent releases to find out. Julio bequeathed us exciting works like Carrion, an almost countercultural survival horror in which we embody the monster. Also more relaxed ones like Townscaper, a city-builder with a toy vocation. August goes the same way and brings us another batch of diverse and unique indies with which to withstand the heat a little better. From a battle royale to the Yellow Humor to a video game in which, because there is not, there is no video game. Read on and you will discover that the summer Indian still holds many surprises for you.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
From its trailer, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout makes it clear that it is a fun, crazy and absurd game in the most wonderful of senses. Halfway between battle royale and Yellow Humor, the objective is to overcome obstacles before the rivals and be the first to reach the goal. It won’t be easy, as the road will be full of traps that would make Chino Cudeiro himself nervous.
Developed by Mediatonic under the umbrella of Devolver Digital, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is being the hit of the summer. This has been possible, in part, thanks to it being one of the free PS Plus titles for the month of August. The success on PS4, together with the 2 million users it already has on PC, make it the best release in the history of Devolver Digital. And that, speaking of a company that has produced hits like Enter the Gungeon and Hotline Miami, is saying a lot.
There is no game: Wrong Dimension
We usually use these lines to describe the indies that we discover in an attractive and interesting way. However, to tell a single detail about There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension would be doing you a disservice. You have to arrive at this delusional point & click adventure with as much ignorance as curiosity to fully enjoy it.
His metahumor, dialogue, and puzzle ingenuity are well worth it. What’s new about Draw Me a Pixel is a game —although the title denies the biggest— with some of the funniest and most original ideas of 2020 so far. One of the great covers of indie dev for this year, available at Steam since August 6.
Windbound
A vast open world to explore, an environment full of natural resources and enemies, long parasail glides, a subtle soundtrack … Many will read this and think of Breath of the Wild, but the truth is that we are not talking about Link’s latest adventure . We are actually referring to Windbound, an indie that shares many, many elements from the most recent The Legend of Zelda. Though on an indie scale, its open world approach, action, resource utilization, and pacing are very similar to Breath of the Wild.
The work of 5 Lives Studios puts us in the shoes of Kara, a warrior separated from her tribe during a fierce storm that causes her to be shipwrecked in the Forbidden Islands. With no help other than her skill with the bow, the protagonist uses nature to survive in an environment as beautiful as it is dangerous and full of secrets. You can explore, hunt and build on land, but also aboard your ship. With it, you will sail the seas with a freedom reminiscent of another beloved Zelda: Wind Waker. Windbound lands on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch on August 28.
Kill it with Fire
Do you like spiders? Neither do we. Precisely for this reason, Kill It With Fire is a fantasy come true for any arachnophobe, since it allows us to kill such terrifying insects in a thousand and one ways. With fire, of course, because the title of the game is for something. But also with explosives, pans, guns, and even shurikens.
From Casey Donnellan Games they propose us a chaotic and hilarious FPS with which to have fun ad nauseam. Or to death, if you are a spider. Kill it With Fire can be purchased on PC from August 13.
Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Island
Despite waves of hyper-realistic games, complex mechanics, and the inevitable passage of time, adventure games stand unscathed in their fish bastion. And not out of simple nostalgia, but because every year — and almost every month — they receive fresh blood in the form of new releases. Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Island is one of them and joins Thimbleweed Park, Kathy Rain and company as a new emblem of point & click.
The new from imaginarylab proposes an adventure with a pirate atmosphere and clear inspiration from classics like Monkey Island. Beyond its mysterious history, Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Island stands out for its tremendously beautiful graphics. Over 50 different scenarios, 15 characters to interact with, countless puzzles and a free demo on Steam are more than enough reasons to give it a try on PC.
Dreamscaper
At the beginning of the year we recommend Dreamscaper as one of the joyindies of 2020 and finally the opportunity comes to see if it is up to the task. This precious ARPG puts us in the shoes of young Cassidy to fight against the monsters that torment us in dreams, as well as against the depression that clouds our days. Precisely, monsters represent all those negative feelings and we can only free ourselves from them by defeating them. Dreamscaper’s message is clear: a better life goes through overcoming our internal ghosts.
Every morning we will interact with the rest of the NPCs and we will be shown why the life of the protagonist is a disaster. What happens to us during the day will influence our nocturnal adventures, real nightmares in which we will have to fight against all kinds of abominations. If we defeat them and the final boss with which each phase culminates, we will be able to wake up with more areas to explore the next time we meet Morpheus. If we lose, yes, we will have to relive all our dreams. This is the roguelike nuance that suits Dreamscaper so well. Afterburner Studios’ work is available in Early Access via Steam from August 14, although it will soon arrive on consoles.
Rogue Legacy 2
Rogue Legacy, along with other indies such as The Binding of Isaac, is one of the great responsible for the rise of roguelikes. Infinite replayability, difficulty and new features that await in each game are some of the most outstanding elements of the genre and, of course, of the first Rogue Legacy. Its sequel comes seven years later with ingredients of similar flavor, such as the mechanics with which we inherit strengths, weaknesses and something else from our lineage. However, the recipe is peppered with some details – and Cellar Door Games promises to include more and more new features – to understand why there is a 2 behind the title.
The most impressive thing is the renewed audiovisual section, of which its 2.5D environments stand out above all. The structure of metroidvania is also strengthened, as there are now altars in which to obtain permanent abilities – inherited from generation to generation. You can tell that Rogue Legacy 2 is still in the early access phase, but the foundation is more than solid. As the variety and quantity of rooms and enemies increases, the result promises to be at the same level as the original. Available on Steam from August 18, the new Cellar Door Games will be updated month by month until the final launch.
School is back in September… And also the indies!
August will say goodbye with a good roster of indies like those mentioned here, as well as some who, like Biomass or No Straight Roads, delayed their release. The eighth month of the year will take place the summer holidays and September will bring us back to school… and many more indies. Fall is usually a wonderful time for video game releases and this year, despite the coronavirus and the proximity of the next-gen, there are several titles that deserve your attention. In FreeGameTips, as always, we will discover them all.
