A stylish shooter, occult Solitaire and other new indie games worth checking out
It's called Ambidextro and it's from Majorariatto, which self-published the game (the two-person studio's tagline is "Video games that ruin lives"). The gist here is that you play a wizard sent by a queen to rescue her children after a witch kidnaps them and takes them to two different places. Rather than let him try to find the princess and prince one at a time, the queen bisects the wizard and orders him to the dungeons until he learns to control both halves of his body simultaneously. That's where you come in. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
There are 100 single-screen levels in Ambidextro and you complete them by controlling each half of the wizard at the same time. One with the left thumbstick and the jump button of your choice, and one with the right. The aim is to bring the two halves of the wizard together. The timer doesn't leave much room for error and when one half dies, it's back to the start. Sure, you could cheat by getting a friend to control one of the wizard halves, but that defeats the purpose.
I am a truly horrible multitasker, so I was curious how well I'd do at playing Ambidextro . As it turns out, I got through the first 19 levels fairly quickly, and then I was absolutely rotten at it. Granting myself more time through the accessibility settings helped a bit, but it's still a tough game. I'm going to stick with it to see if I can get better. There's no way it could be as difficult as simultaneously playing two characters in Overcooked by myself. Now, that's impossible. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
Mycopunk is a co-op shooter from developer Pigeons at Play and publisher Devolver Digital that arrived in early access on Steam this week. With a Moebius-style look that reminds me a bit of Sable , the fantastic Rollerdrome and the Borderlands series, Mycopunk is certainly eye-catching.
You can team up with three friends and play as robots that have been hired to eradicate a fungus that's infected a valuable world. Each of the robots has their own moveset and class, but (as in the Borderlands games) there's a great deal of variety and customization when it comes to the weaponry. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
Inscryption showed what's possible when you inject horror into a card-based game, and perhaps that was an influence for Occlude , which is out now on Steam. This is billed as a "game of occult Solitaire." Sure, you'll arrange cards by numerical rank, but it seems there's more going on here than might first meet the eye. As the title suggests, the rules are somewhat obscured in this narrative puzzle title from Tributary Games and publisher Pantaloon. Can you figure 'em out? To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
Everdeep Aurora is an interesting-looking game from Ysbryd Games that landed on Steam and Nintendo Switch this week. This NES-inspired 2D adventure reminds me a little of Animal Well in terms of its tone and look. You play as a cat named Shell who drills down to search for her missing mother amid a meteor shower that has wrecked the planet's surface. There's a mix of platforming and exploration here. Everdeep Aurora looks rather pretty and the trailer made me smile. I'm hoping to play it at some point down the line. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
I do love a side-scrolling beat-'em-up and Ra Ra Boom is absolutely one of those. This project from Gylee Games features four ninja cheerleaders from outer space who are trying to save Earth from a rogue AI. This is a co-op game for up to four players. Each of the cheerleaders has their own attacks and abilities (including ranged weapons), as well as a skill tree that you can use to unlock new ones.
I've played a chunk of Ra Ra Boom and I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far. It looks and sounds nice, and the combat is just the right level of challenging for me up to this point. If you dig games like the Streets of Rage series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge , you might be interested in checking this out. A two-level demo is available on Steam now. Ra Ra Boom is coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox and PS5 on August 12. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
Rhythm of Resistance is a Metroidvania that has a very interesting mechanic. It's a rhythm-based game (no points for guessing that after reading its title), but there's a catch — you can pick the music. For instance, you can switch to a track with a lower BPM to make a trap easier to bypass. You can find new songs that can distort reality "in strange and surprising ways" while you're on your journey in this game from NetherMoon Game Studio, which is slated to arrive on Steam next year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Engadget
3 days ago
- Engadget
The Cult of the Lamb comic is coming back with the Schism Special this fall
Oni Press/Massive Monster/Devolver Digital We're officially getting more of the Cult of the Lamb comic expansion. Following last year's miniseries, which built on the game's existing lore and injected some real emotional depth, writer Alex Paknadel and artist Troy Little are returning to the story of the Lamb and their followers in a one-shot 48-page issue that's due out in the fall from Oni Press. Cult of the Lamb: Schism Special #1 will be available on October 29 for $8, with covers by Troy Little and Peach Momoko, alongside a foil variant for $10. Schism Special picks up after the emotional events at the end of the first story arc. Per Oni Press: In the aftermath of their first and closest follower's sacrifice, Lamb continues the bloody quest to defeat the Bishops of the Old Faith, but they lack the conviction to tend their growing flock back at the cult. More potential followers are rescued by the day, but with no one to indoctrinate them, Lamb's power stagnates and The One Who Waits becomes weary of his earthly vessel's resistance to the full power and responsibility of the Red Crown. When famine strikes the cult, a challenger to Lamb's mantle emerges, and a new struggle begins… I genuinely can't wait to dive back into this story (even though it broke my heart a little) after being pleasantly surprised by how good the comics turned out to be. They've done a great job so far of honoring the game's tone, serving up both cuteness and brutality, and at this point, I'll pretty much take all the Cult of the Lamb content I can get.
Engadget
3 days ago
- Engadget
A stylish shooter, occult Solitaire and other new indie games worth checking out
Welcome to our latest roundup of indie game news and releases. We've got some nifty stuff lined up for you this time around, including a stylish co-op shooter and a very cool Metroidvania concept. But first I'd like to bring your attention to a newish game I picked up in the Steam Summer Sale. It is absolutely breaking my brain — or perhaps it might actually improve my cognitive function. It's called Ambidextro and it's from Majorariatto, which self-published the game (the two-person studio's tagline is "Video games that ruin lives"). The gist here is that you play a wizard sent by a queen to rescue her children after a witch kidnaps them and takes them to two different places. Rather than let him try to find the princess and prince one at a time, the queen bisects the wizard and orders him to the dungeons until he learns to control both halves of his body simultaneously. That's where you come in. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. There are 100 single-screen levels in Ambidextro and you complete them by controlling each half of the wizard at the same time. One with the left thumbstick and the jump button of your choice, and one with the right. The aim is to bring the two halves of the wizard together. The timer doesn't leave much room for error and when one half dies, it's back to the start. Sure, you could cheat by getting a friend to control one of the wizard halves, but that defeats the purpose. I am a truly horrible multitasker, so I was curious how well I'd do at playing Ambidextro . As it turns out, I got through the first 19 levels fairly quickly, and then I was absolutely rotten at it. Granting myself more time through the accessibility settings helped a bit, but it's still a tough game. I'm going to stick with it to see if I can get better. There's no way it could be as difficult as simultaneously playing two characters in Overcooked by myself. Now, that's impossible. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Mycopunk is a co-op shooter from developer Pigeons at Play and publisher Devolver Digital that arrived in early access on Steam this week. With a Moebius-style look that reminds me a bit of Sable , the fantastic Rollerdrome and the Borderlands series, Mycopunk is certainly eye-catching. You can team up with three friends and play as robots that have been hired to eradicate a fungus that's infected a valuable world. Each of the robots has their own moveset and class, but (as in the Borderlands games) there's a great deal of variety and customization when it comes to the weaponry. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Inscryption showed what's possible when you inject horror into a card-based game, and perhaps that was an influence for Occlude , which is out now on Steam. This is billed as a "game of occult Solitaire." Sure, you'll arrange cards by numerical rank, but it seems there's more going on here than might first meet the eye. As the title suggests, the rules are somewhat obscured in this narrative puzzle title from Tributary Games and publisher Pantaloon. Can you figure 'em out? To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Everdeep Aurora is an interesting-looking game from Ysbryd Games that landed on Steam and Nintendo Switch this week. This NES-inspired 2D adventure reminds me a little of Animal Well in terms of its tone and look. You play as a cat named Shell who drills down to search for her missing mother amid a meteor shower that has wrecked the planet's surface. There's a mix of platforming and exploration here. Everdeep Aurora looks rather pretty and the trailer made me smile. I'm hoping to play it at some point down the line. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. I do love a side-scrolling beat-'em-up and Ra Ra Boom is absolutely one of those. This project from Gylee Games features four ninja cheerleaders from outer space who are trying to save Earth from a rogue AI. This is a co-op game for up to four players. Each of the cheerleaders has their own attacks and abilities (including ranged weapons), as well as a skill tree that you can use to unlock new ones. I've played a chunk of Ra Ra Boom and I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far. It looks and sounds nice, and the combat is just the right level of challenging for me up to this point. If you dig games like the Streets of Rage series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge , you might be interested in checking this out. A two-level demo is available on Steam now. Ra Ra Boom is coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox and PS5 on August 12. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Rhythm of Resistance is a Metroidvania that has a very interesting mechanic. It's a rhythm-based game (no points for guessing that after reading its title), but there's a catch — you can pick the music. For instance, you can switch to a track with a lower BPM to make a trap easier to bypass. You can find new songs that can distort reality "in strange and surprising ways" while you're on your journey in this game from NetherMoon Game Studio, which is slated to arrive on Steam next year.
CNET
5 days ago
- CNET
Mycopunk Review: It's Deep Rock Galactic With a Fungal Infection
There's a complex science to differentiating between first-person shooter games. The movement shooter is the antithesis of the military simulation, and you can't be any farther away from a boomer shooter than a battle royale. A slurry of subgenre archetypes, tags and "gameplay feels" serve as the building blocks for FPS taxonomy, creating a tried-and-true system to organize new games. That's why it's all the more thrilling when a new experience resists being cleanly categorized. Yes, developer Pigeons at Play's Mycopunk was obviously inspired by Deep Rock Galactic. You're dropping onto the surface of a dangerous planet to solve a megacorp's problems, air out hordes of enemies, collect some shiny loot and extract with your friends. But Mycopunk is also a grab bag of the greatest mechanics from FPS subgenres across the spectrum, combining team-based hero abilities, dynamic movement mechanics and impactful gunplay with classic co-op horde shooter action to great effect. There's a lot to love in this game, no matter which shooters usually appeal to you. From dusty shroomfields to green overgreen research facilities, Mycopunk is popping with color no matter where you land. Pigeons at Play/Devolver Digital Strap in, drop down and get ready to be a wage slave If you're familiar with Deep Rock Galactic, you'll quickly acclimate to life on New Atlas. You're trading in your pickaxe, beard and short stature for a metal chassis as one of the Saxon Corporation's robotic employees. The megacorporation has vested interests (and many expensive assets) down on the planet's surface, but a mysterious threat has taken over the company's research facilities -- a fungal growth sprawling across planets that you'll need to exterminate, one gun-toting mushroom at a time. You're expendable, you're paid pennies on the dollar and Saxon is too busy violently suppressing the Galactic Union of Workers to send you reinforcements. That means it's up to you, your robot buddies and your handler Roachard (a talking roach-man) to clean up this problem alone. Thankfully, every class brings distinct abilities (and personalities) to the battlefield in order to take down the sentient spores. The most basic FPS character, the Wrangler, is a washed-up cowboy bot with a jump dash and a lasso, which can be used to yank in enemies or grapple out of danger. The Bruiser is an ex-security bot who loves gambling and tanking damage for the team, using his hefty frame to dish out melee retaliation. The Scrapper and Glider are the best team players, creating extra mobility and providing crucial healing for their allies to help them out in a pinch. The pseudo-cel-shaded locales are visually reminiscent of Borderlands in all of the best ways. Pigeons at Play/Devolver Digital You'll want to swap between these classes on the fly in order to adapt to the tasks and parameters of the mission you've picked. You won't be embarking on the same quest every time, after all. Sometimes you're clearing fungus off company property, and other times you're setting up a planetary railgun to blast a rival corporation's spying spaceship out of the air. The worst missions will have you escorting a vehicle (get ready to repair lots of tires if you're playing solo), but the best missions will see you engaged in an all-out brawl with waves of enemies until you clear out enough of the fungal threat to warrant an extraction. As with many horde shooters, you get a high degree of control over how difficult your experience will be. There are three modifiers to control how often waves of enemies spawn, and there are six threat levels that determine just how dangerous your foes will be. I found the difficulty curve to be rather generous, and only really got stonewalled around threat level five in my single-player matches. Unlocking weapon and character upgrades and tagging in your co-op buddies will definitely make threat level six feel like a fair and balanced challenge -- one where you'll face some of the most difficult enemies in the game. Are you shooting for dangerous limbs or aiming for center mass? These are the split second decisions that could decide your success during each mission. Pigeons at Play/Devolver Digital Modular destruction makes every foe feel unique This fungal contagion is no joke: Every piece of electronic equipment on New Atlas has been taken over by sentient spores, which means lasers and railguns that used to protect the Saxon Corporation's assets are now wielded against you. Every foe you face is generated with a new combination of nasty tools meant to make your life harder. Basic enemies scuttle toward you with spindly purple fungal legs, stabbing away with wild abandon once they close the distance. While not incredibly powerful by themselves, the spider-like crawlers can quickly overpower you when a horde comes together. Your biggest problems are the enemies that grow in power from the backline -- fearsome amalgamations of laser beams, bombs, energy weapons and more. As you blow open smaller enemies, larger enemies will steal away their limbs to grow bigger and more powerful, ramping up the threat level even as you thin out the herd. Enemies can carry bombs that hurt you and health packs that heal you... or sometimes even both at the same time. Pigeons at Play/Devolver Digital The enemy AI feels adaptive to evolving combat scenarios, which is impressive for a game of this scope and size. Each enemy will keep their distance from you or press the attack depending on the weapons and tools they've attached to their cores -- I find that it's worth shooting apart limbs even on destroyed enemies so they don't get repurposed as part of a larger squadron of fighters. There's a constant calculus running through your head while you play Mycopunk: Do you destroy an enemy's core to prevent it from gaining on your position, or do you hack away at its limbs to remove the fungus' resources from the battlefield? Part of what makes the game feel so rewarding is that there's no universally correct answer. You'll have to adapt your destruction to the threats on the field, picking which enemy modules to focus fire on. The modules your enemies are toting around aren't the only variable that will decide your approach to combat, either. You need to assess each threat based on the weapons (and upgrades) you have access to as well. Mycopunk's weapons feel crunchy and responsive. My personal favorite is this DMR -- its pinpoint primary fire charges up a laser beam as it strikes enemies. Pigeons at Play/Devolver Digital Upgrade your character and play your way If you love perks, weapon attachments and some gaudy gun skins, Mycopunk has tons of customization for you to dive into. Weapon attachments are found in the field, switching up how your guns and grenades operate. Common drops might net you a long range scope or "kill skills" that let you reload more quickly after defeating an enemy, while rarer pieces of equipment add elemental damage and other more esoteric effects. Unlocking new modifications for your classes and weapons requires skill points and planetary resources, which you'll earn by leveling up and interacting with local fauna and caches scattered around New Atlas, respectively. You can also change and improve how your class abilities work. Character skills range from basic ability uptime upgrades to complete overhauls. One of the coolest upgrades for the Bruiser, for instance, changes his barrier forcefield into a dome that provides overhealth for his teammates. I've personally fallen in love with the Scrapper, kitting her out so that I can place her grapple pole more often. There's nothing quite like swinging around missions like I'm wearing one of the Attack on Titan omni-directional mobility kits. There are dozens of these upgrades that you can unlock in the skill tree or by defeating enemies out during missions, and the rarest offerings will let you completely change how your class and weapons interact with your teammates and the wider world. Mycopunk feels like the first game that does this particular brand of horde shooting at the same level of quality as Deep Rock Galactic, which is no simple feat. At its worst -- when a mission crawls at a snail's pace or you just can't get an upgrade that feels like it's worth your time -- the game feels a little unpolished and frustrating. This is to be expected with a developer's first Early Access game, and none of the hiccups are truly obtrusive. But at its best, Mycopunk is greater than the sum of its parts. It's a game that pulls from so many different shooter subgenres with confidence and competence, and none of its myriad systems feel like a fumbled execution. It's a game that's dominated by the rule of cool -- you use funky guns to take down insurmountable odds, and sometimes you can even call down a race car just for fun. I'm going to pester my friends to buy the game on launch day, which is probably the most glowing praise I could possibly offer as an FPS fanatic with plenty of other well-established options. Mycopunk's Early Access release is available for PC on Steam now.
