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Jun 7, 2020
The Indie Live Expo is Japans celebration of the indie game dev community. They have picked through some of the greatest minds from that community, and presented their works to the public by way of an online streamed expo. This will not only give exposure to a community that sometimes struggles to find it, but also gives great publicity to the game makers that truly pour their heart into their craft.
You may view the expo below, then go and vote for who you think should win awards in each category. The winners will be revealed during the Indie Live Expo II, which will be held on November 7th. I have included the English translation version for all you potato fans out there that (like me) currently do not speak Japanese.
The Expo aired yesterday, but was lucky translated in this stream today. You can also view the “trailer” for the Indie Live Expo II below, which is basically just a glorified title screen. If you would like to get in on the action, you can visit the official website for the for the expo. Be sure to vote soon, though, as the voting will end on Semptermber 30th.
If you would like to see one of my favorite upcoming indie games, check out my coverage of Little Witch in the Woods.
Jun 5, 2020
Hokko Life is an Animal Crossing inspired indie game that aims to capture the cuteness of the beloved village simulator and even adding a whole new level of customizations.
Hokko Life is desribed as a ‘cosy, creativity filled community sim game’. The game is being developed by Robert Tatnell who runs his own indie game dev company, Wonderscope.
Hokko Life begins with your player stepping off of a train. Having taken over your very own (albeit a little dusty and old) workshop, you are free to craft and create to your heart’s content.
The quiet village which you now call home needs your design expertise. Help create an endearing town for its inhabitants. Armed with paint and tools, you can design, build and decorate new homes for your new furry friends.
Robert has long talked about the level of customizations you can come to expect from Hokko Life. Not only can you change patterns and colors of your favorite furnitures but you will even be able to create some new designs from scratch.
This may sound complicated but in a recent tweet from Robert we got a first look at how to build your own designs. It is as easy as dragging and dropping pieces together to bring your creative vision to live!
Easy creative tools like this are very rare in video games and allow for players to really expand their creativity. It will be exciting to see all the different designs players come up as the game also features a market where you can share or even sell your creations to other players!
Hokko Life also just got mining and other new additions, take a peak at the latest here.
May 29, 2020
I am always on the lookout for upcoming adorable Indies that have major potential, and a super cute aesthetic to boot. Well, Ova Magica certainly appears to have it all. This captivating life sim has farming, crafting, resourcing and even a bit of creature collection with turn based battles! It’s like all of my favorite game features have been rolled into one delightfully darling package!
One important thing to keep in mind is that, while Ova Magica may look absolutely perfect, the game is still heavily in development. However, the developer, who goes by the name of Claudia, has reached the point where she is comfortable enough to release a wonderful reveal trailer to the world, which can be viewed below.
Also, given all the amazing features listed above, it comes as no surprise that the developer has mentioned taking inspiration some of my favorite games of all time; Harvest Moon, Pokemon, Azure Dreams, Stardew Valley and Grandia. We can expect to see many other features from our favorite classic titles, like bug catching, fishing, seasons and weather effects, shooting stars on beautiful nights, and even dating and relationships.
From what I could gather, the game takes place in an adorable little town modeled after the developers hometown in Germany. At the start of the game, you will pick your starter “blob” that will aid you in your journey. You will also be placed on an abandoned farm and will be tasked with building it up with resources and the tools that you learn to make along the way.
Much like Pokemon, as you advance through the game, the creatures at your command will grow and become stronger, learning new skills for battle. You will also be able to breed the creatures to help add to your little precious army, with over a thousand possible outcomes.
You will be able to customize your farm using many helpful tools meant to expand and expedite the horticulture process. You will even be able to decorate the interior of your home, much like Stardew, but with a much healthier focus on cutesy graphics.
All this to say, Ova Magica is one epic indie that I will surely be keeping an eye on from here out. If you’d also like to stay tuned to see more, be sure to follow the developer on Twitter.
Also, there is mention of the game coming to Kickstarter in the not too distant future (early 2021). That is one event you won’t want to miss if you’d like to be a part of the creation of Ova Magica.
If you would like a closer look at the development process as it unfolds, you can also find the game on itch.io.
For more awesome upcoming farming and life-sim games, check out my coverage of Coral Island, a farming sim with an environmentalist twist.
May 29, 2020
Summer in Mara is a farming game at heart but adventure awaits when you set sail to visit neighboring islands.
You play as a adventurous young girl that lives on a beautiful tropical island. The indie game has been in development for a while and it is finally time to set sail and go on an adventure.
For the ones who don’t know, Summer in Mara is a farming game where you can customize your own island by planting trees, growing crops, and raising livestock such as pigs and chickens. And when you feel adventures you can hop on your boat and travel to new islands full of people to meet and treasure to find!
The game is launching on Steam on June 16th and Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One fans may also enjoy the game sometime in June with no exact release date given just yet.
A Switch demo called Summer in mara Prologue will also release closer to the Switch release in June 2020.
In other related news Harvest Moon One World has been announced. It is the first game in the beloved Harvest Moon franchise that allows for traveling the world. Get the latest on the game right here.
May 27, 2020
Little Witch in the Woods is a fantasy role playing game where you get to live the life of a witch. The ability to use magic always adds such a special component to any game, especially adorable sim-life games like this one.
You play as Ellie, a little witch that has just come to a new town, and you are set to be a part of a “witch’s house”. Only, when you arrive, it appears that the town is near empty, and the witch’s house is in disrepair.
It is your task to help rebuild things to the way they are meant to be. Meet many friends along the way, and learn much about the world of magic, and what it means to be a witch.
In cooperation with the recent Wholesome Direct from the Twitter account WholesomeGames, the developers have shared a short new video featuring gameplay from their upcoming game. This footage has never been seen before, and was exclusive to the Wholesome Direct.
Recently, the admins of the WholesomeGames Twitter account separated the footage into its very own tweet, which you can view below.
For more information about Little Witch In The Woods and the development team at Sunny Side Up Games, check our interview with the developers.
You can also click here to view the full Wholesome Direct, featuring trailers from 50 different upcoming wholesome indie games.
May 26, 2020
During todays Wholesome Direct a brand new trailer for Ooblets has been released and early access has finally been confirmed!
For everyone who is living under a rock and has not heard about Ooblets yet. Ooblets is a work in progress indie game, inspired by gems such as Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Pokemon. I have been following the development of the game from day one and even had the opportunity to sit down with Rebecca for an interview!
The game has been in development for some time and plenty of adorable gameplay footage and game development updates have been revealed over the time. Rebecca is one of the two developer behind the game and she has been teasing an Early Access release earlier this year. However, she did not have much more to share at that time.
Today the small two people indie team behind the game finally lifted the curtain and surprised fans with the announcement of an early access release coming very soon!
To celebrate the exciting news the Ooblets team also released a brand new and most adorable trailer. Feel free to dance along!
Make sure you wishlist Ooblets on Steam so you will be among the first one to be informed when the game becomes available!
May 26, 2020
For those that have been in the dark on this one, Snacko is a farming and life sim game where you get to play as a cat. It is an adorable indie title that I have been keeping an eye on for some time now. As far as I know, this is the only upcoming farming sim where you get to play as a cat, so attention is certainly due.
Well, now is your chance to help this amazing indie title become everything that it is meant to be. The developers have just launched their kickstarter page so that fans can join in on the fun of assisting with the creation of the game. Simply help out with a little funding, and you get the peace of mind knowing that you did something to make this great game even greater.
Not only that, but (as is customary with Kickstarter) you can also get some pretty sweet goodies by chipping in. The more you donate to the cause, the more you will get in return (as if the knowledge of helping creation wasn’t enough). Starting at the $20 donation mark, helpers will even get a PC key for the game upon release.
Along with the launch of the campaign, the developers also released a new trailer, which you can view below. I know that after seeing my first Snacko trailer, I was all in, and I’m sure you will be too.
“All ashore on Snacko, a farming adventure sim starring cats, by husband and wife development team Bluecurse Studios, with support from our publisher. You can wishlist Snacko on Steam right now! It’s a game about finding your home, taking risks, and appreciating the big, wide world. Snacko is inspired by classics like Rune Factory and Harvest Moon, while also drawing from The Legend of Zelda series and even early 2000s MMORPGs.”
You can find plenty of information about Snacko on the kickstarter page using the link above.
For more great farming and life sim indie games, check out my coverage of Coral Island.
May 25, 2020
With all the craziness happening in the world right now, it comes as no surprise when we hear that some games that we have been waiting for have been delayed. But, it is very nice when we hear that a delay was not caused by the turmoil, but the opposite instead. SkateBird will be seeing a delay until 2021, but only because things are going super great in the development department.
In a recent Kickstarter update, the developer of Skatebird announced that the release of their game will be pushed back so that there will be time to add a proper story mode, instead of the simple tape collecting that was originally planned.
Megan Fox, developer of Skateboard, also ensured the followers of her game that the delay was just to add improvements, and that there has been no negativity causing the delay. All is well (as well as can be rn) in the development of Skatebird, and the developers aren’t being bogged down by current circumstance any more (or less) than the rest of us.
For those that have not been following, SkateBird is an indie eSports title in the style of classic Tony Hawk games, but with an avian twist. In the game, you play as a little birdie that loves to skate and shred with friends. This title will be released with multiplayer capabilities, and will be coming to the Nintendo Switch (when it is ready).
For more information on Skatebird, you can check out the games page on the official Nintendo website (which is yet to be updated with the new release date).
For more great Tony Hawk-esque games, check out my coverage of Wave Break, a game about jet skiing bears that also love to get tricky.
