More Cult of the Lamb, a World War II computer mystery and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s happening in the indie games space. It’s been a very busy week with fun game releases (next week will be too!), so let’s tackle some of them after a quick thought about gaming while traveling.

I love my Steam Deck. I really, really do. It’s a fantastic machine. And yet, when I took it with me on a five-week vacation trip, I used it for barely an hour the entire time. This doesn’t really justify the space and weight it takes up in my bag. The same goes for my Nintendo Switch 2 and my PlayStation Portal.

I’ll leave them all at home next time. I’ll grab a small controller (probably OhSnap’s MCON) so I can play weird games on my laptop or phone. I will also bring my Playdate. I love this little yellow console and haven’t spent enough time using it. I have a lot of cool indie games to catch up on there (Diora seems particularly interesting). I’m more likely to play something on a flight if it’s on a device I can take out of my pocket. I just wish Panic would have put a backlight in the Playdate.

New releases

Massive Monster and publisher Devolver Digital offered Worship of the Lamb fans, a whole bunch of reasons to get back into the game this week with the arrival of Woolhaven expansion. You’ll need to get closer to completing the base game (although you don’t need to beat the final boss) before you can experience what the DLC has to offer. It includes weather effects, a new mountain area with two new dungeons, a breeding system (which allows you to raise animals as pets or for food) and much more.

People who dig Worship of the Lamb it looks like it’s really getting into the game. After a few years of free Massive Monster updates, Woolhaven is a major expansion that’s similar in scope to the base game, so it should keep fans busy for quite a while if they want to try everything. The DLC is now available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. It costs $17 if you already own the base game.

Inkle, the studio behind To the sea! and the wonderful A Highland song is back with TR-49a puzzle game with a World War II computer at its heart. Over five decades, a series of books, letters and journals were fed into the machine as part of an effort to “crack the code of reality.” But now you are tasked with finding and destroying a specific book before time runs out.

This all seems rather mysterious. To give you an idea of ​​what’s going on here, Inkle says he took inspiration from narrative deduction games like The Roottrees Are Dead, The Return of the Obra Dinn And His storyas well as audio dramas. I don’t see myself having the time or patience to understand the conundrum of this particular machine (I imagine many gamers will need a laptop for this one), but I’m intrigued enough to at least watch a Let’s Play at some point. You can discover this mystery for yourself on Steam (normally $7, but there’s a 10% introductory discount until January 28).

Another week, another Metroidvania, but MIO: Memories in Orbit has a more striking art style than most. This game from Douze Dixièmes and publisher Focus Entertainment debuted to positive reviews this week. Once a forgotten spaceship’s AI guardians stop working, you’ll need to help the MIO robot explore the spaceship “to revive its lost memories” and save it from doom. Naturally, you’ll discover new abilities along the way, including a grappling hook and gliding.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Steam, Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store for $20 (with a 10% introductory discount on select platforms). You can also check it out via Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Perfect tides: from station to station is a pixel art point-and-click narrative adventure and sequel to Three Bees’ Perfect tides. Over the course of a year of gameplay, you will help 18-year-old Mara explore the big city and find her place in the world.

The early 2000s vibe of the trailer is impeccable, so I’ll have to try playing it at some point. Perfect tides: from station to station is now available on Steam for PC and Mac for $20.

Cozy cafe simulation Rear side debuted in Early Access on Steam (normally $11, but there’s a 10% discount until January 28) this week. I’m disappointed I haven’t had a chance to try this one from Coffee Beans Dev yet, because it looks lovely.

Besides serving snacks and drinks to your four-legged customers, you can learn more about your cafe’s visitors by reading stories about them in the newspaper (hopefully nice ones!). You can play at your own pace by drawing latte art and decorating your coffee shop. Eventually, you will be able to visit other players’ cafes and open a flower shop. Like I said, it looks lovely.

Next

One of my favorite games from last year will receive a free update on January 26. Just when I thought I had no more Ball x PitKenny Sun and his friends (with publisher Devolver) invite me back to discover two new characters, eight new balls with their own abilities, more passives and a surprise of sorts.

I adore Ball x Pit and this update will remove everything and play immediately for me. The Regal update will be available on all platforms: Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Ball x Pit costs $15. It is also available through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

I am interested in checking out the demo of Crawling VampiresA Vampire Survivors spin-off. Poncle will be released on February 23 at Steam Next Fest as well as on Xbox. Your progress will carry over into the full game, which will be available on Game Pass on day one.

As a general rule, turn-based games aren’t really my thing, nor are roguelike deckbuilders. But I’m a big fan of Vampire Survivorsso I’m definitely willing to try. It helps Crawling Vampires appears to be fast-paced and draws inspiration from the chaotic visuals of the original game. Crawling vampires coming to Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android later this year.

Speaking of interesting demos, one for DX ratchet is available now on PC before the full game releases on Switch, Steam (PC and Mac) and the Mac App Store on March 5. It will normally cost $13, but a limited time discount will bring the price down to $9.75. If the name of the game sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a color version of the title from Playdate’s first season. Ratcheter.

This version of the pixel-art action-adventure features multiple visual filters, a “CD-quality stereo soundtrack,” and supports more languages. Playdate creator Panic posts DX ratchetwhose developers are Shaun Inman, Matthew Grimm and Charlie Davis.

Let’s end this week with a cinematic trailer and release date for Aethosa story-driven survival and base-building game from solo developer Pawsmonaut Games. It arrives on Steam on March 6.

Aethos is a game about “building a future on the ruins of corporate greed” in a dystopian sci-fi world. As former mining engineer Maeve, you start with basic equipment and a drone companion at your side. You’ll explore what’s left of a failed scientific expedition and abandoned facilities as you attempt to establish your own mining claim after leaving a company that’s draining the planets’ resources.

Of course, you will upgrade your equipment and expand your base as you progress. You can change settings like the air supply to the base, how quickly your hunger and thirst needs change, and how much you can carry to fine-tune the experience.