Get ready to level up your gaming experience with IndieWod’s incredible indie game bundle from August 28 to September 3! This week’s lineup is packed with the hottest upcoming games, including an RPG Sea of Stars, narrative adventure games Under The Waves and Goodbye Volcano High, an asymmetrical metroidvania game, How 2 Escape, and the fifth installment to the award-winning Trine series, Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy. Keep your eyes peeled for these eight amazing indie games that you won’t want to miss out on!
Remember, you can discover more indie games by staying tuned to IndieWod’s indie game bundle.
Sea of Stars – August 29
Sea of Stars is the new RPG from Sabotage Studio and a prequel to their 2018 hit The Messenger. The game is set to be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows (via Steam) on August 29.
The gameplay of Sea of Stars blends traditional and modern RPG mechanics satisfyingly. Each character has a mana bar that refills during their turn, and some attacks charge a combo meter to boost damage by hitting type weaknesses. Some enemies also display blocks that appear above them before they unleash a special attack, and you can break these by attacking them with the right types of attacks in time.
All of this is rendered in beautiful pixel art, and the isometric environments are full of nooks and crannies to explore, as well as treasure chests that can reward players with helpful gear. You can even push objects worldwide, which helps you navigate environments and find secret areas. And you can change the time of day to reveal new scenes, including a dynamic lighting system.
Under The Waves – August 29
A gorgeous underwater world awaits in the upcoming narrative adventure, Under The Waves, from developer Parallel Studio and publisher Quantic Dream. Set beneath the North Sea in an alternate history version of the 1970s, this game channels the personal losses of its dozen developers into a story about the engulfing power of grief.
In this unique setting, you will pilot MOON, Stan’s submarine, as he wanders the vast seabed while trying to find a way out of his own mind. During his journey, he’ll traverse caves, wrecks, and underwater plants while following mysterious manifestations of his memories. He’ll also collect materials and craft equipment that will help him navigate further on his self-discovery expedition.
Under The Waves is set to be released for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows (via Steam and Epic Games), Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on August 29.
Goodbye Volcano High – August 29
Goodbye Volcano High is a coming-of-age narrative adventure that follows a group of dinosaurs in their final year of school as they prepare for the end of an era. This game from Montreal developer KO_OP promises themes of growth, acceptance, and community, as well as an original soundtrack by composer Dabu (Dwarf Fortress, Winding Worlds), featuring Common Holly’s Brigitte Naggar on vocals.
The title was revealed during Sony’s PlayStation showcase event at E3 in 2020 and was originally scheduled for a 2021 release date, but was delayed multiple times as the project went through a series of creative and financial challenges. Now, it’s finally been rescheduled for a summer 2023 release.
Crossfire: Sierra Squad – August 29
A VR spin-off of Smilegate’s popular flatscreen shooter series, Crossfire: Sierra Squad, is launching for PS VR 2 and Steam VR headsets this August. It promises to immediately immerse players in the action without delay or a steep learning curve.
This new incarnation of the classic military arcade shooter puts you in the shoes of a leader of an elite paramilitary fireteam working for the Global Risk organization. As you complete a series of missions, you’ll tangle with the rival Black List organization and uncover a big plot. Battle a variety of crafty enemies across 60 campaign missions with 39 types of weapons.
Crossfire: Sierra Squad is set to be released for PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows (via Steam) on August 29. It should be remembered once more that the game is VR only.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle – August 30
If you’re a fan of survival horror and the 90s, you’ll probably love Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle. A prequel to the 2019 game, this third-person survival horror has the ’94 era on its mind while paying homage to Capcom’s legendary Resident Evil series.
You play as Dalila Reyes, a H.A.D.E.S agent who’s forced to battle through an underground military complex overrun with zombie-like, electricity-charged bad guys.
As with the original game, Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle aims to make the most of the Unreal Engine 4 engine for a truly immersive experience. This includes breathtaking graphics, a chilling soundtrack, and frightful enemies that you’ll have to fight off and kill.
Despite its heavy reliance on Resident Evil, the new demo for this game offers hope that it will be able to forge its own identity and deliver some genuine thrills. It also doesn’t have much of a backstory, so that gives it plenty of room to develop its own story.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is set to be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows (via Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on August 31.
How 2 Escape – August 31
Developed by Breakfirst Games and published by Just For Games, How 2 Escape features you as Fortuna, a witch living exiled on an asteroid. The game combines a blood-drenched gothic setting, tarot-like card creation, and divination with non-linear gameplay. You must battle creatures and solve puzzles to escape from this horrific yet beautiful pixel art world.
If you’re looking for a Metroidvania-style game that feels like it was made in the 80s, check out this upcoming release. It’s been in development for quite some time, with the developers taking time to polish and refine the experience. Described as “ratoidvania” by its creators, this unique game has you exploring a vibrant hand-drawn world while battling foes and overcoming challenges.
How 2 Escape is one of the more interesting entries on our list, as it aims to teach you how to play differently by throwing gaming tropes out the window. It’s another pixel art wonder with an incredible art style and some challenging platforming. The game is set to be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows (via Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on August 30.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy – August 31
The award-winning Trine series is back with a fifth installment, and it looks to be the biggest yet. Titled A Clockwork Conspiracy, the game sees the heroes of the Trine universe – Pontius, the knight, Zoya the thief, and Amadeus the wizard – team up to fight off an army of clockwork knights.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is an exciting adventure that follows Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight as they face their biggest challenge yet! After their reputations are tarnished, their loved ones are in danger, and their magical powers are at risk, the Heroes of Trine must come together to fight against a powerful Clockwork army and restore peace and justice to their land.
The game will be playable solo or with up to four online and local co-op players, while the puzzles have been upgraded with new abilities, including physics manipulation.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is set to be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows (via Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on August 31.
Medieval Apocalypse – September 1
Medieval Apocalypse is an action game that takes place in the medieval era, as the name suggests. The game’s main goal is not just to stay alive like other survival games where you have to manage your hunger, thirst, and tiredness. In this game, you also have to be careful not to get infected by zombies and turn into one of them.
If you want to make it through the apocalypse in medieval times, you’ll have to fight against zombies or other players. But you can also team up with others to fight together against large groups of zombies and take over their homes.
Medieval Apocalypse is set to be released only for PCs on Steam on September 1.
