You might think Pokemon Pokopia has filled out your gaming slate for March already (or the rest of the year), or be locked with your friends on Slay the Spire II or Marathon. You’d be incorrect, as a huge host of excellent new indie games have appeared and are going to be available this month! Go ahead, buy them. You definitely have time to play. Below are five indie gems coming this month that deserve your attention – even if only for a wishlist.
Esoteric Ebb
Esoteric Ebb may have already come across your radar – this CRPG from Swedish solo developer Christoffer Bodegård is making waves with an 88 critic review score and an Overwhemingly Positive review score on Steam. Esoteric Ebb is a fantasy RPG that truly deserves to call itself a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, with entirely dice roll-based gameplay, an omniscient, snarky narrator, and a seemingly endless number of ways to surmount obstacles from conversations to combat. Esoteric Ebb uses an original variant of Dungeons and Dragons 5e rules, so fans of the tabletop RPG or its video game adaptation Baldur’s Gate 3 will already be familiar with many of the systems. If you’re a fan of CRPGs, you owe it to yourself to put everything else aside and download it now!
Rubato
If you’re looking for something a little stranger, you might want to check out UK-based solo developer dconn’s debut game, Rubato! In this extremely weird and experimental 2D platformer, you’ll need to manipulate a robust physics simulation as a frog and collect thousands of planet bits to overthrow an evil corporation that has taken over the universe. Will the celestials destroy the sun? Will you be able to fix the solar system with planet bits? Can you survive the absurd intensity of Rubato World? And when it comes time, will you be able to save yourself? Rubato hits digital shelves on March 20.
Steam Page | itch.io | Nintendo eShop
Aether & Iron
Fans of strategy RPGs and looking for a tall dame down at the docks will want to keep an eye on Aether & Iron. The US-based indie team at Seismic Squirrel has put together a tactical turn-based RPG with dice roll dialogue trees and car-based combat, and with a noir flair and unique art style it’s certainly eye catching. In this self-styled “Decopunk” world set in an alternate 1930s New York City, a crew of smugglers must utilize anti-gravity technology to move contraband, find secret paths, and maybe start a revolution along the way. Aether & Iron has some established talent behind it with a story and characters by the writers of Mass Effect and Far Cry, and hopefully this new independent project proves just as fruitful. Aether & Iron is available on March 31.
Hozy
Hozy is, as the name might suggest, cozy. As with all great cozy games, you begin by abandoning your busy life in the city to return to your small hometown. However, the neighborhood has fallen into abandonment and disrepair. You take it upon yourself to room by room restore the place you grew up, painting and cleaning until these places find new life. With no timers, scores, or pressure, Hozy isn’t going to be for everyone, but it seems like it will be a great way to unwind after a hard day. There’s nine buildings to explore and each step of restoration reveals a little more of the occupant’s story. If you love the idea of physics-based cleaning, you’ll want to casually Hozy on down to the Steam store and grab it on March 30.
The Wide Open Sky Is Running out of Catfish
You looked at Rubato and said “this is far too normal, I fight Onion Legs at least once a week in my real life.” Well, we’ll just have to up the weirdness. ZIPIT! Games is a New York City-based couple-turned-game-developers, and their debut title looks to be ultra charming. In The Wide Open Sky is Running Out of Catfish, you’ll explore a stylized world with Nintendo 64-esque graphics on a photography quest to take the coolest and strangest pictures of all time. The twist? the entire game takes place on the back of a giant flying catfish. Catalog unique creatures, discover secrets, share your findings and never, ever forget to explore. If you want a hopeful and unexpected story in these times of great stress, look no further. The Wide Open Sky is Running out of Catfish launches on March 27!
Did we miss any you were looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!
