It’s a new year, and that means only one thing – new games! And New Year’s Resolutions of course. To play more indie games. With January relatively dry for AAA titles, it’s the perfect time to try out some lesser known games before the triple-threat of Resident Evil Requiem, Nioh 3, and REANIMAL hits in February. Keep an eye out on these smaller games dropping this month that you probably haven’t heard of!
Cozy Caravan
Earning a stunning 95% positive rating on Steam in its two-year Early Access period, any fans of cozy games cannot afford to miss the 1.0 release on January 8 of Cozy Caravan. Travel through beautiful miniature landscapes in your trusty old caravan and help the communities and people you find along the way in this friendship-focused simulation. Craft outfits, set up market stalls, and jumpstart the local economy as you traverse this vast minuscule continent. You’ll meet a fun mix of characters and can even design your own, complete with tons of outfit options, with interactions from helping hitchhikers to a game of hide & seek. If you’re looking for cozy comfort and customization akin to Animal Crossing New Horizons, this Australian-made indie game is one you’ll want to stop for.
Steam Page | Apple Arcade | Nintendo eShop
I Hate This Place
Though backed by AA publisher Bloober Team, I Hate This Place is an adaptation of an Image Comics title of the same name that comes from small Polish indie studio Rock Square Thunder. Craft, hunt, and shoot your way through a post-apocalyptic world from an isometric viewpoint with stylized art that appears as a comic book in motion, reminiscent of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. The hardcore 80’s retro aesthetic pairs nicely with the supernatural forces that are coming after you, with indescribable cosmic horrors around every corner. The dynamic day/night cycle pushes you to explore and build during the day, and hunker down at night with your campfire to just try to survive with heavy stealth and trapping elements. Survival horror fans tired of first-person should keep an eye on I Hate This Place and can jump into the demo now!
Steam Page | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store | Nintendo eShop
Big Hops
If I Hate this Place was simply too spooky for you, this 3D platformer from Texas-based Luckshot Games will surely be balm for your weary soul. With a demo you can play right now sitting at 99% positive, the hype is real for this GameCube-style action platformer. As Hop the Frog, you’ll travel across vast biomes in tight, linear levels, fight enemies, and try to make it back home to your frog family. Though it aesthetically resembles early-2000’s platformers, Big Hops promises innovation in the platformer genre with emergent gameplay, expressive movement, and greater freedom akin to Super Mario Odyssey. This Kickstarter indie project is just about as grassroots as it gets, so hop to it!
Steam Page | PlayStation Store | Nintendo eShop
Bladesong
If you’re a fan of the YouTube channel Forged in Fire, you’re going to love the German-developed sword-smithing game Bladesong. This “ultimate sword making game” offers players a chance to very carefully and specifically craft swords as a blacksmith in a dark fantasy world, complete with a deep story about a dying kingdom on the brink of rebellion. Study the arts of the Eastern and Western blademakers, the historical styles, the ancient ways, and carefully hone your own style as the swordsmith of Eren Keep. No two creations will be the same. Take commissions from warriors and nobles alike and meet their needs by balancing your weapon’s weight, carry, parry abilities, and give based on real physics. Every inch of the sword is carved by your hand, every blade curved by your will, and every hilt decorated by your careful fingers. This shopkeeping simulator is a game unlike anything ever before, putting you in charge of the important job in a world where danger lurks around every corner. Fans of medieval and fantasy worlds like Skyrim and Kingdom Come Deliverance will find a lot to love here when Bladesong launches into Early Access on January 22.
Cassette Boy
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Cassette Boy may not look unique on its face, but this indie game out of Japanese studio Wonderland Kazakiri is based entirely around a very compelling mechanic. This 2D (or 3D?) action adventure game is based on the idea that what you cannot see simply does not exist. The world at first seems like simple 2D pixel art, but is actually a completely 3D model of a world that the player can rotate freely. Thing is, when you can’t see something, it ceases to exist – and likewise, when you spin the world to get a new perspective, you may find a whole host of things you didn’t know were there all along. Grab your sword, rotate that view, and follow a story that explores what it would be like to have to fully comprehend the things we cannot see with our own eyes.
Steam Page | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store | Nintendo eShop
Did anything here catch your eye? Did we miss a favorite indie dropping this month? Let us know in the comments below!
