Plus, a double deckbuilder, capybara puzzles and an undead William Wallace.
Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s going on in the indie game space. As always, we’ll check out a smattering of the new games you can dive into this weekend before looking at some projects that are a bit further out.
I somehow found some time to play a couple of new games during an obscenely hectic week, including one I’d been looking forward to for a while. Worming From Home (which I mentioned last time) is an ultra-serious remote job simulator in which you try to stop your co-workers from figuring out you’re a worm.
You attempt to worm your way up the financial analyst career ladder by completing spreadsheets, gaming the stock market using insider info and staying in the good graces of your boss. After (or before) a hard day’s work, you can boost your skills by reading self-help books and working out — these involve minigames based on Snake and Breakout. You can decorate and upgrade your office with new equipment, and there are timed tasks to complete.
I really enjoyed my time with the charming Worming from Home. It has some fun jokes and actually getting any work done is a bit of a challenge (…in the game, I mean). You’ll need to slink around the mouse and push it to move your cursor, and you’ll have to be careful as you’re moving around the keyboard to avoid any typos. Since you’re a teeny worm, holding the Control key and tapping B to make text bold is impossible to do by yourself at first, so you’ll need to find a creative solution.
Worming From Home is on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3547270/Worming_from_Home/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Steam for Windows and Mac. It’s Steam Deck Verified as well. It typically costs $8, but you can pick it up for $6 until September 18.
New indie game releases
Developer: Bulkhead
Publisher: Team17
Platform: Steam early access (Windows). Coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2028
Price: $40 during early access
There’s a new tactical first-person shooter on the scene. Wardogs is off to a flying start after selling more than a million copies and soaring up the concurrent user chart on Steam, peaking at 340,171 players on its first day.
Rather than taking the well-worn battle royale or extraction shooter paths, Bulkhead opted for a “king of the hill” approach. Each match can feature 100 players, who are split into three squads. The teams battle for control of a 2km-square area that can pop up anywhere on whichever of the three maps they’re playing on. The more players your side has in a control zone, the more points you earn. The first team to 100 points wins.
Wardogs features local voice chat (so you can talk to enemies as well as teammates), along with base building and destruction. The most interesting aspect to me is the economic system. Each time you spawn into a match, you’ll spend cash on your loadout. You’ll earn more by controlling the zone, transporting allies there, reviving downed teammates, taking out enemies and so on. Your remaining cash carries over to the next match, so if you splurge on a vehicle to help your team win while you’re low on funds, you might have to start your next game with basic equipment.
Developer: Iron Gate
Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
Platforms: Steam (Windows, Mac, SteamOC/Linux; Steam Deck Verified), Humble, Mac App Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox for PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2
Price: $30
After five years in early access, a fully formed version of Valheim is here. The Norse mythology-inspired survival game also debuted on PS5 and Switch 2 this week. There’s crossplay support for up to 10 players across all platforms.
The 1.0 update brings a whole heap of additions to Valheim, including a Deep North biome as well as fresh weapons, armor sets, tools, creatures, buildable items, crafting materials, locations, events and much more. The new animated intro is neat too.
Valheim was an early access hit out of the gate, and it has now sold more than 17 million copies. I spent a few hours dabbling in the procedurally generated sandbox when it debuted in 2021. A few of my friends were much more into it — one has put around 600 hours into the game. It’s not quite my favorite genre, but I might have to dip back in to get a sense of what Valheim is like after the latest patch.
Developers/publishers: Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
Platforms: Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S. Already available on Steam
Price: $40
Another successful indie game has spread to more platforms, as Mewgenics (which sold a million copies in its first week earlier this year), is now out on consoles. The long-in-development RPG is all about breeding cats to combine their attributes and abilities. You then take a crew of kitties into a run of turn-based battles. After a successful run, a cat may only be used for breeding.
It’s a strategy game with life sim elements and complex systems. You can experiment with combinations of powers, mutations and items for your cats, and you’ll probably never see the same one twice. “There are currently 74 sextillion (basic) cats in Mewgenics,” Edmund McMillen said last year. “If you factor in Mutations, Classes, Abilities and Voices, it’s a lot more.”
Developer: Team Lazerbeam
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: Steam early access (Windows, Mac)
Price: $15
Dungeon crawler deckbuilders with turn-based battles aren’t usually my kind of thing, but the art direction of Shroom and Gloom caught my attention. I’m glad I gave it a go, since there are some neat ideas here.
This is actually a double deckbuilder. Along with the cards you use in combat, there’s another deck for exploration. You’ll use this to rest, modify cards and unlock new abilities.
I’ve only played one run so far, but I’m already starting to see how the mechanics tie into each other. I enjoyed being able to turn an enemy into food if I was able to kill it with fire. Consuming that can another card into a weapon that doesn’t have a casting cost. While Shroom and Gloom isn’t Steam Deck Verified yet, it’s running well enough for me on the system. I’m probably going to stick with this one for a bit.
Developer/publisher: Andrei Fomin
Platform: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck)
Price: Usually $20, with a 25 percent discount until September 24
On the subject of games with striking art styles, my goodness does Effulgence RPG look neat. Andrei Fomin used ASCII characters to create the 3D characters and objects. I don’t recall seeing anything quite like it.
This is a party RPG that just left early access. Enemies are your resources as vanquished foes break down into particles that you can collect and feed into a matter printer. You can use this to unlock more weapons and gear, even during combat. The mechanics sound almost as interesting as the visuals. The game doesn’t require a significant commitment either, as Fomin says a playthrough will take roughly five to seven hours.
Upcoming indie games
Developer: Tobspr Games
Publishers: Tobspr Games, Doyoyo Games
Platform: Steam
Release window: 2027
Here, we have a puzzle-focused spinoff from the Shapez factory builder series. In Puzzlez, you’ll solve conundrums by building automation machines in small spaces. The developers are making more than 75 handcrafted stages and you can create and share your own.
I’m more of an abstract and lateral thinker than a logical one, so I’m not sure this’ll be for me. But I like the vibes in the trailer and a lot of people are into automation games. It looks like an interesting twist on the format.
Publisher/developer: Jinjja
Platform: Steam
Release window: 2027
Yuzutsu is another puzzle game, but it’s one with some action in the mix. You play as a capybara monk named Taomaru. This cute creature just wants to bathe in a hot spring, but enemies are hellbent on stopping him.
Rather than battling enemies head on, you’ll switch places with them and other objects. If an opponent fires their weapon at you, the capybara can swap locations with the baddie, and they’ll eat the bullet instead. Solo developer Jinjja says the game will gradually introduce more mechanics into the handcrafted puzzles. If you get stuck or want to try a different approach, you can instantly restart a stage.
This one went on my wishlist right away, mainly because Taomaru has a yuzu on his head. I adore him already.
Developer: Ingame Studios
Publisher: 505 Games
Platform: Steam
Release window: 2027 (early access)
If you ever thought the Overcooked games were somehow not chaotic enough, Mayhem à la Carte might be for you. As you try to cook and serve meals alongside a few of your friends in this first-person game, you’ll have to keep enemies at bay. That’s because it’s an FPS game as well.
Along with hurling knives and shooting guns at the invaders, there are some more interesting ways to defeat them. You can attack them with toast and lobsters, and turn them into blocks of ice. If none of those options fit, you can shrink an enemy instead. I somehow don’t think this’ll quite have the same tone as the likes of Wardogs or the new Call of Duty.
Developer: Windup
Publisher: Knights Peak
Platforms: Steam, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox for PC, PS5
Release date: December 1 (available on Game Pass)
I don’t love that we’re getting December release dates for games and knowing they’re really not too far away at all. But at least Hela: of Mice & Magic seems like one to look forward to.
This is a co-op adventure game in which you and up to three friends control mice. After a kind witch becomes sick, you set out to help restore the world she protected by collecting ingredients, brewing potions and helping out wherever you can. If you prefer to play solo, you can create copies of your mouse. These can help you solve puzzles and make progress. A magical backpack can also help you out in this lovely-looking game.
For the final game of the week, I’m ditching the usual format of putting the trailer, title and so on first. It’ll make sense in a moment.
Developer 9000 Legends is making a boomer shooter in which you are tasked with stopping an undead army led by a zombie William Wallace from marching south and liberating Scotland from the rest of Great Britain. (I’d be on Wallace’s side here, but I digress.)
This ’80s-set FPS seems like it could be fun. A curse system will swap out your weapons at random and there are reactive enemies. When you set one of them ablaze, their companions might freak out.
Putting aside my desire for an alternate perspective in which I can play as Wallace instead, I might just have to check out the demo for this game during Steam Next Fest in October. It has a perfect name, too. You can take a peek at Graveheart below.
