Indie Highlight
Sep 5, 2024
In Shinehill by developer Peach Bite, you play as a spy who has been assigned a tough new job. You arrive on an unfamiliar planet where you suddenly replace one of the residents. The trusting locals mistake you for a new neighbor and treat you with kindness by giving you a house and plot of land. From there, the rest is up to you!
Spend your days on this supposed island paradise becoming a champion fisherman. Or start a farm on your plot of land and tend to a variety of crops. You can even cook up some delicious meals in Shinehill and go exploring abandoned dungeons across the island that hold secrets. The real question is, what made your command turn their eyes toward this planet? Is there something shady going on and it’s up to you to figure out? Perhaps! Get to know your new neighbors. Help them out and learn their stories. Maybe even make friends, or become more. One of your new friends might actually be a threat to everyone else.
Release Date
You can find Shinehill listed on Steam now. There is a demo available and it’s expected for a full release in September!
- Sep 5, 2024
Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure, developed by Massive Miniteam, blends automation with real-time strategy aspects for a unique adventure set in a beautiful fantasy world. In fact, this game is perfect for players who want to dive into automation games, but also great for automation veterans looking for something fresh. Explore a gorgeous procedurally generated world. Build massive automation networks to enhance productivity. And also get to know your townspeople and helpful little Sparks.
Sparks are the little creatures who follow you and help you out in your adventures. Take them across the unique biomes of Oddsparks to encounter some unusual enemies. Or stay at home and optimize your designs by giving your Sparks logistical instructions. Eventually build a thriving village for yourself and your townspeople to live in. Complete quests from your villagers to unlock new buildings. Also, unlock new customizations for your character to make them unique, too!
Release Date
You can find Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure on Steam now. It’s also coming to Xbox and PlayStation soon! So, get ready for an exciting adventure full of automation and fun!
Autonauts is another cute game that uses automation!
- Sep 5, 2024
Aeruta is a unique action adventure game where you also run a bakery! In this world, bread is slowly becoming a distant memory. Then one day, the main character Chaya triggers an explosion by accident. She’s been living in a rundown town where she’s been tasked to help restore the bakery alongside the owner, Effie. And the explosion in the oven released the unmistakable scent of delicious bread!
Now, you’ll set out, playing as Chaya, to return bread to the daily lives of the village. Set out on a grand adventure to explore this beautifully designed side-scrolling world. Use weapons to fight enemies and collect resources. Then, use those resources you’ve found in Aeruta to experiment with different bread recipes. Sell your delicious breads in the bakery to earn money for its restoration. Build new places in town and watch as unique characters move in to repopulate the once floundering town!
Release Date
You can find Aeruta on Steam now!
This cute game reminds me of Cuisineer, another cozy action roguelike that focuses on managing a food establishment!
- Sep 4, 2024
If you love cats and casual city builder games, then look no further than Katsl! Developed by Kofka.games, this adorable little sandbox game takes place in the island town of Katsl, a curious place inhabited only by cats. There, you can unleash your creativity by building up that town and creating the purrfect haven for your furry friends. Each cat even has their own story to discover!
Katsl doesn’t require you to plan, organize, gather, or schedule your builds. Simply just click to build block by block. Create sweeping castles and humble abodes. Get to know your residents, too. Each one has their own hopes, dreams, and personalities. You can even help them achieve their dreams as your work to become their friends. So, build a beautiful town and care for your new furry friends!
Release Date
Katsl is planned to release on Steam at some point. There is no release date listed, though.
Check out Tiny Glade for more cozy building.
- Sep 4, 2024
Captain your very own greenhouse starship in Kohlrabi Starship by developer Whimsical Wolff Games. Begin your space-based journey on a mysterious planet where you’re searching for rare plants and animals that are close to extinction. Bring what you find back to your home planet in an effort to restore the ecosystems there. Turning the vast deserts of home into thriving, lush biomes won’t be easy, of course. You’ll also need to work on repairing the starship, gather resources other than plants and animals, make money, and forge friendships with other people you encounter!
As you explore the stars, choose which plants and animals to bring onto the ship. Carefully introduce the plants to different environments to see which one suits it best. Breed the endangered animals you capture to impact the ecosystems you’re trying to restore. You can even terraform the desert to turn it back into a green paradise. Plus, you can breed the perfect pet to follow you around. Want a cute little kitty with pink fur? You can do that!
Of course, you’re not alone in Kohlrabi Starship. Take time out of your busy exploration schedule to meet a cast of diverse characters. Help them out with some tasks and forge friendships with them. You may even find love in one of them! And you get to decorate your starship to suit your tastes. Collect and build furniture, change the flooring, and place useful pieces of technology to help your mission of restoring your planet. Whatever you do, you’re bound to have an excellent space travel adventure!
Release Date
Kohlrabi Starship is coming to Steam some time soon. Add it to your Wishlist to receive notification of its release.
Little-Known Galaxy is another cute space-based exploration game with fun farming!
- Aug 28, 2024
Horticular is a relaxing gardening game with a magical twist. Developed by inDirection Games, this beautifully vibrant game begins with you being magically summoned by garden gnomes. They want you to restore a garden that was abandoned by its previous caretaker. So, take on this huge task, but at your own pace, and build a lush garden to be proud of!
You have total creative freedom to turn this garden into whatever you want. Use hundreds of unlockable surface types to create biomes with different terrain. Plant tons of different kinds of flowers and plants. Even place fun decorative items like pillars, planter boxes, and more to create your dream garden. Of course, you want to build the garden in a way that it’ll attract creatures! Each critter has requirements before it will move in, though. So, plan accordingly and soon your garden will overflow with plants and animals!
You also need to maintain the magic of the garden in Horticular. Animals will become unhappy, the garden will decay, and you’ll see corrupted agents sent by your nemesis show up. With the help of the garden gnomes and your abilities, though, you’ll be able to prevent all of that. There are also garden upgrades you can purchase. These upgrades will increase your skills and unlock new items. And while each playthrough will be different, no choice locks you out of upgrades. You’ll be able to unlock everything every time!
Release Date
You can find Horticular now on Steam!
Like gardening? Try Botany Manor!
- Aug 28, 2024
Into the Emberlands is a quirky storybook-like adventure game where you uncover an ever-changing world. Your job is to rebuild your decimated village and save the villagers who’ve been lost to the Miasma. You’re the chosen Lightbearer, and you’re the only one capable of navigating the Miasma. Equipped with a lantern fueled by a light-bringing ember, you can venture forth to find the villagers. Just be sure your light doesn’t fade while you’re in the Miasma or you’ll be lost too, and need to wait on the next Lightbearer to find you!
Explore different biomes in a procedurally generated world as you discover scenery hidden behind the Miasma. There’s tons of life and secrets to find during your journey. Encounter small adventures and big surprises, too. Like quirky and mystical creatures that come in all shapes, sizes, and fantastic colors! Help out the creatures of Into the Emberlands and they’ll aid you in your journey to restore the village by providing you with necessary resources and helpful equipment upgrades. Use the resources you gather to rebuild the village, taking it from nothing to the thriving safe haven your people deserve. Different buildings and vendors within your town can help kickstart your next adventure, too. So, rebuild and find those villagers!
Release Date
You can pick up Into the Emberlands on Steam now!
Want some more exploration games, but perhaps something a little less world saving? Try Endless Ocean Luminous, Seasons of Rocco, or Alba: A Wildlife Adventure!
- Aug 22, 2024
Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is a first-person interactive fiction adventure that takes place in 1905. You play as Cam, a deep sea diver who’s part of a crew of adventurers and pioneers. Aboard the Thalassa, you and the crew prepare to a Spanish galleon from the ocean, but what should be a momentous occasion quickly turns into anything but. After the incident, you took some time to heal, but have learned the crew of the Thalassa have all disappeared, and so has the ship. To find out what happened, you decide to dive down to the wreckage to gather clues about what happened that fateful day.
This atmospheric adventure isn’t exactly a horror story, but it does explore the complexities of human emotions and sorrow. You’ll navigate through the beautiful ocean surroundings of Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss to get to the wreckage of your old ship. Once aboard, you must navigate through the debris and search for clues while dealing with the grief of losing friends. Find the necessary tools around the ship in order to open blocked doors and clear obstructions. Leave no stone unturned in the Thalassa to figure out what happened to your crew.
Release Date
Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is set to release on Steam at some point. Add it to your Wishlist now to get notifications when it releases!
If you prefer an ocean-based game with less mystery and more exploration, check out Beyond Blue!
