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Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
10 best indie games releases in May 2025 – smaller gems worth checking out
In the mood for something smaller between huge, tentpole video game releases? Here's the best we played from this past month. A whistlestop tour through some of the very best indie games released throughout the month of May, judging by what we played. There's a strong argument to say that May might have been the best month of 2025 yet for indie games. It's no secret that Steam releases are becoming more frequent (and therefore harder to stay on top of) by the year, hence why we take our mission to highlight and talk about the best from what we played incredibly seriously. But while April's selection of indie hits featured potential GOTY winner Blue Prince, the month of May had variety and creativity in spades – as we'll soon discover. From multiple isometric GTA throwbacks looking to bring something new to the format to the latest entry in the burgeoning 'first-person booter' format, these are the 10 best indie games releases in May 2025. Between big AAA release like Doom: The Dark Ages and Blades of Fire, these are the indie treats we enjoyed playing most. Aureole – Wings of Hope A seriously fast-paced 2D platformer clearly intended as a modern tribute to the era of old-school Sonic the Hedgehog, Aureole – Wings of Hope does a great job at balancing serious speed with satisfying level design that is rarely frustrating to regularly bump up against. Barrelling through heavenly and hellish stages as an angel's halo in order to reclaim your home from demonic forces (yes, you read that correctly), true diehards will want to run through stages repeatedly in the hopes of securing the best time. If you're in the mood for a contender to classic Sonic, then Aureole – Wings of Hope will sure scratch that itch in its own charming way. Deliver at All Costs Destructive environments in games – indie or otherwise – are never not fun. Proving this once again are the sandbox driving delights of Deliver at All Costs. Because while most of your time is indeed spent transporting items by vehicle as the game's title suggests, you'll spent an equal amount ploughing through buildings, people, and more all in the name of on-time delivery. Surrounding this chaos is a so-so narrative about trying to rise up the ranks of 1950s industry, but really Deliver at All Costs is at its best when routinely challenging you to get from one location to the other with all cargo intact while battling some seriously slippery driving physics. It results in a surprisingly chaotic top-down GTA spin. Empyreal A lot more than just a Soulslike copycat, Empyreal is a hardcore third-person action RPG made by a small team that boasts plenty of ideas of its own. Most of them centre on gaining better, more powerful loot that means being able to hit harder and take on harder challenges, yet it's backed up by a surprisingly interesting story that sees you continuously exploring a planet to unearth the revelations that once belonged to an ancient civilisation. Obviously, you can totally ignore these lore elements if you so wish, where you'll still find some seriously satisfying combat and a generous number of aggressive and passive abilities that renders builds surprisingly flexible. If you're seeking a tight and focussed action game that keeps on giving, Empyreal is it. Monster Train 2 Just in case you thought the original Monster Train wasn't as moreish as roguelike deckbuilders could come, its sequel arrived this month as a bigger, better package that proves even harder to put down. Crucially, developer Shiny Shoe hasn't completely overhauled the addictive formula that worked so well before. You'll still battle against waves of invading monsters protecting the pyre at the top of your three-tiered train. Now, however, new clans introduce fresh ways to play offensively and defensively, alongside new daily challenges, card types, and new unlockable pyres with unique perks able to make or break your run. Simply put, Monster Train 2 is the pinnacle of what a roguelike deckbuilder can be and a perfect follow-up to the 2020 original. To a T Katamari creator Keita Takahashi has a habit of making games that are a bit more, shall we say, 'off-kilter' compared to most others. It worked for Katamari Damacy, and it works again here in To a T, a colourful slice-of-life adventure about a schoolkid who is forever trapped in a T-pose. Determined not to let this unusual predicament get them down, however, To a T sees you control them throughout daily life in their hometown where you gradually learn the lesson that 'you're the perfect shape' because every shape is, in fact, perfect. Complete with madcap musical sequences, wholesome characters, and oddball minigames aplenty, To a T is a very special time for the brief period it lasts. Glum Against all odds, the 'first-person booter' is becoming a bit of a movement all its own thanks to the indie scene. First there was Anger Foot, then Mullet MadJack kicked its way into our hearts, and now it's the turn of Glum to do much the same. True, it's currently in early access as opposed to full release, yet already to appreciate the bombastic, boot-driven action it provides with its frantic and fast-paced first-person gameplay. It feels wildly distinct to its forebears thanks to its uniquely medieval setting, where player stake on the role of a deranged goblin reading primed to kick enemy arses into haybales, wagons, and a whole lot more. The more creative your kick-fuelled kills the better in this madcap FPS driven by your own magical boot. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo What if your auntie was the CEO of a tech empire who one day had her soul transferred into a magical yoyo? As barmy a premise for an old-school action-adventure game as it might be, this is the core question at the centre of Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. Unusual narrative setups aside, it makes for a lovingly made top-down 2D throwback that pays excellent tribute to the GBA era in both its visual style, puzzles, and structure. You'll explore a whole city trying to take down four crime bosses, wielding the power of your yoyo as both a weapon and puzzle-solving tool. As if it was ever in doubt, this very first 'yoyovania' ever is an undeniably charming journey. The Precinct Having already tackled the reprehensible side of the law with top-down criminal simulator, American Fugitive, a few years ago, developer Fallen Tree Games is back at it again with The Precinct. As its title suggests this time you play the part of police officer, solving crimes within a New York style city in the 1980s with surprisingly accurate (and often meticulous) detail. The story has its heart in the right place but can often get in the way of what The Precinct does best, which is present a classic GTA style world from the opposite perspective of what Rockstar's titles typically portray. From high-speed chases to issuing parking tickets, The Precinct achieves its goal of letting you roleplay as a cop within a tightly detailed isometric sandbox. The Siege and the Sandfox With indie Metroidvania games being a dime a dozen these days, The Siege and the Sandfox definitely surfaces as a diamond in the rough by focussing on stealth over direct combat. You play as the titular sneaky thief thrown down into the pits of an underground city, gaining increasingly more complex parkour abilities such as pole-swinging and wall-running that helps give this pixelated explore-a-thon a uniquely different flavour than most. Enhancing this stealth-fuelled story of revenge is narration provided by Baldur's Gate 3 's Amelia Taylor, who does an equally excellent job providing additional texture to this beautiful world and narrative. Special mention: Sea of Stars – Throes of the Watchmaker Easily one of the best indie games to recapture the magic of vintage Final Fantasy in recent years, the original Sea of Stars mixed beautiful pixel art with great characters and combat to be a standout indie title of 2023. This month offered an excellent reason to return to it in the from of the new Throes of the Watchmaker DLC. It sees heroes Valere and Zale shrunken down into a clockwork world, where they must battle twisted versions of themselves while using all-new class skills themed after the funfair. Throes of the Watchmaker is not only a reminder of what made Sea of Stars great, but is equally ace in its own right.
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Ten Things I Wish I Knew When I Started ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33'
Expedition 33 This may be the latest I've written one of these advice articles about a new game, but with how word of mouth is slowly spreading about GOTY frontrunner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, I figured this may still be relevant enough to its increasing slate of new players. I've put close to 80 hours in now and beaten the entire endgame, and I have some advice to share. Here are ten things I wish I knew when I started Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: 1. Dodge Is Training Mode, But Still Acceptable Long Term – There are two forms of live-action defense in Expedition 33, dodging and parrying, the latter requires much tighter timing than the former, but allows for powerful counter-hits. If you're not used to this style of combat, I highly recommend only focusing on dodging for a while, as it will make you far less frustrated, especially as enemy movesets become more and more complicated. I will also say you can play the entire game doing almost nothing but dodging, and while you'll lose counterattack damage you will…be alive. This is what I did and it was fine. 2. Use Sound Cues, Not Just Visuals In Combat – This took a while to learn, but sure, you can dodge or parry when a swing or spell is about to hit you, but I'd argue it's almost more important to get used to the sound cues the game will give you, reflecting the moments where you can time things properly sometimes based on that alone, helping you with the rhythm of a moveset. Expedition 33 FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder 3. Build A Support Character – It can be easy to want to make everyone have max DPS to try and do as much damage to bosses and teams as possible. But while that can work, I would suggest investing in at least one character that serves mainly as support. The best options for this, I'd argue, are Sciel, Verso or Monoco, funneling buffs into either each other, if one has a DPS build. But I mainly used them to buff Lune and Maelle (even after Maelle's giant nuke move got nerfed). 4. You Can Come Back To Almost Everywhere – I know there's always some amount of stress when it comes to a game like this that you think you need to explore every inch of every location lest you be unable to return. You can in fact return almost everywhere later (not a version of Lumiere as you unfortunately miss a thing or two), and while I do not discourage exploring when you make a first run, know that you may run into puzzle or enemy walls you need to do later. And you can. 5. Weapon Upgrades Are Key – While upgrading your moves is important, and getting the right Pictos set up is as well, I think that too often weapons themselves are neglected, as everything scales off that damage, and even just a handful of upgrades can jump your damage anywhere from 20-50% within tiers, it's not just for unlocking new perks. There will be places you can farm weapon materials later on if you want, so I would not hesitate to invest heavily in a current favorite. Expedition 33 6. Pictos And Stats – You need to pay attention to which Pictos you put in your main set and which you simply use as passives. When they are active, they will give you health, defense, speed or crit bonuses that are mandatory for boosting your characters besides normal stat points. I would say defense especially is overlooked in this regard, and if you're struggling I'd pick ones to boost that, definitely early in the game. 7. Passive All Pictos/Luminas – There is essentially no reason to ever not passive a Pictos you get as you might use it for a build later. The way I would do this is just throw any random three on three different characters, so nine at a time, and win four very easy fights at some early zone you return to. Get the full set. 8. When You Pass The Damage Cap – You may be wondering when you can start doing more than 9999 damage, as eventually you will hit this cap and it will start being annoying as it hard limits fights. The answer to this without spoilers is essentially after the second-to-last boss where you will then get a Pictos (that you can easily make passive) that takes you past that cap. 9. When You Hit The Damage Cap – However, there's an additional piece of advice here when you are stuck on the damage cap. At that point, you want to be using as many multi-hit moves as you can to do more damage per attack. As in, a single attack that hits the 9999 cap is much worse than a five hit attack that can do 5000 damage for a total of 25000, working within the damage cap. Very key for some of the later bosses. Expedition 33 10. Finish Story Before Fully Exploring – The end gets sort of weird as you will return to the main map and be tasked with fighting a 'final boss,' but it makes it seem like you should do all your exploring then before head to that fight. While you may want to power up a bit before that (at this point you will be past the damage cap), I recommend doing that fight as soon as you can both for story reasons at that finale, but also as it directly leads into other story stuff in the endgame you'll want to see. There's just no real reason to wait. Bonus: Maelle Tournament - Pretty early on you will be thrust into a tournament for a story beat that will ask you to pick one character to play. Pick Maelle. You will win her best sword in the game, and even if it was recently nerfed in a patch, it is…still probably her best sword. You can get it later on but it is much, much harder then. Enjoy. I cannot wait for you to experience this whole game. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Forbes
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' Is Nerfing Its Most Game-Breaking Build
Expedition 33 Sandfall You do not often see heavy nerfs in single player, PvE only games, but sometimes things get a little too crazy, and something has to be done. That's currently happening with the beloved GOTY contender Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has announced it will be addressing its problem child, Maelle. Sandfall has revealed that it will be nerfing an aspect of the most popular, strongest Maelle build that involves the high-damage move Stendhal and stacking a zillion buffs to rack up anywhere from 20 million to 3 billion damage in one hit, depending on how it's set up. With the hardest phase of the hardest boss of the game able to be one-shot with 50-60 million in damage, this erases the entire endgame's challenge if you choose to use it. I wrote up the build literally yesterday, but it's being nerfed tomorrow in a new series of hotfixes. I mean, yes, this is justified. We don't even know how strong this nerf is and cutting it down to 95% of what it was still could be overpowered. The goal, Sandfall says, is to make it in line with other big damage, single-hit skills, rather than be 1000% better than everything else. Players are still discovering more and more builds for all characters every day, and even perusing YouTube, you can see millions in damage from other characters from Sciel to Verso. But millions is not 50 million or 3 billion, and it's not clear if anything close to Maelle's nuke can be drafted in the game with other characters at this point. But I've played these games long enough to know that someone is probably going to figure other things out. Expedition 33 Sandfall Again, Maelle is no doubt still going to be strong. Even post-nerf Stendhal may still be overpowered. But you will be surprised how little even a few million damage can move at least some of the health bars really late in the game, and it seems you are going to have to actually…play. Well, I won't because I just beat everything with Maelle. I mean, it was just too tempting, I'm sorry. I'll start New Game+ and do it legally, I promise. So yes, you have one more day of this which may not be enough to fully craft the build depending on where you are, but this is entirely justified so I don't think players can be all that mad about it. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Forbes
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' Review: A 10 If There Ever Was One
Expedition 33 I've lost track of how many turn-based RPGs I've bounced off of over time, even some GOTY contenders, or winners, that I won't name here for risk of embarrassment. So when once again, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was recommended as a 'must-play,' my gut instinct was 'here we go again.' Nope. Not this time. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an epic work of art that fixed my turn-based issues and allowed me to experience what may in fact be one of the best RPG storylines in genre history. Possibly even in video game history, given how beautiful, sad and moving it is. But that's just one aspect in addition the acting, the atmosphere, the music and yes, the combat. It's hard to find practically any faults here. You don't need to skip to the end, this could not have been a more obvious 10/10 and it's easily my frontrunner for GOTY, even just a couple weeks after Blue Prince had that title on lock for me (don't get me wrong, I still love Blue Prince). Expedition 33 tells the story of Gustave, a man living in a badly broken version of Paris that has been devastated by a calamity that continues unfolding every year. Citizens only live to their 30s before being erased by a mysterious, giant figure in the horizon, The Paintress, who puts up a new number on a huge pillar as a countdown from 100. We're at 33. Expedition 33 That's the expedition number, as citizens are routinely sent out to attempt to kill The Paintress and stop this cycle. They've failed 77 times, but this time will work, right? Well, that's what you're going to find out, but things quickly go sideways and you're left with a core party of Gustave, his de-facto daughter Maelle, element-wielder Lune and then others you will pick up along the way, as is RPG tradition. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Charlie Cox, Daredevil himself, stands out in his first video game role, but the voice cast goes on to include legends like Andy Serkis and Ben Starr as characters I won't detail here. But the entire cast is excellent and between the voicework and the motion capture, convey emotion in a way we don't often see in the genre. RPG storylines are often a bit…over the top for my tastes, depending on the game, and while this wild world does require some brain-breaking processing, it's still a coherent tale and features some of the biggest, most stunning twists I've come across in gaming, ones that I was genuinely not expecting, and that the playerbase has been kind enough not to spoil. All you can say is…wait for Act 2. Wait for Act 3. Wait for the Epilogue. You'll understand when you get to each of them. The environment design here is out of this world. I've taken so many screenshots I've lost count, and just when you think you've seen the coolest area, there's another one around the corner. All of this is bolstered by an incredible score that is immediately something you'll want to add to your Spotify, if it doesn't give you PTSD from the emotional moments of the game or the most exhausting boss fights. Expedition 33 That brings us to combat, the thing that allowed me to push forward through the game due to its mix of turn-based strategy and real-time reactions, namely dodging and parrying with the necessary accompanying timing and reflexes. It's not the first game to do this, but it's the best, and for 30+ hours now, it has maintained its appeal, though perhaps even better is the 'Picos' build system to create some truly interesting and fun characters, be they DPS, tanks or support, with no one specific character locked into one of those roles, and enough flexibility to experiment. Even a 10 won't have nothing wrong with it. At some point, if you find a build that works, your rotations can get a little dull, and there are only a handful of encounters that really make you switch up your strategies dramatically (a guy who could only take damage from parry counters, for instance. And these damn Mimes. You'll see). And in some encounters, attempting to dodge or parry eight-hit combos every other turn or one-hit KO moves can be a little exhausting. I'm also not the biggest fan of navigation, especially in the open worlds when you want to get back to certain zones. I enjoy flying and swimming around on our personal Baymax, but it's pretty easy to waste time getting lost rather than zapping to a place you've already been. They're minor annoyances. It's a stunning game that only gets more and more stunning the further you get. It's an easy recommend to anyone, even people like me who have previously been allergic to turn-based combat. You may have to get used to it, but push past and learn the systems to experience once of the best games you may play in years. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Forbes
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' May Be The Highest User-Scored Game Ever
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 I saw a headline the other day about how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was not just tied as the highest-scored game of 2025, it was one of the highest-scored games…ever. That didn't seem right to me, and while no, that is not true of its 92 Metascore, as dozens of games are higher than that, if we're talking about user scores? Actually yes, that's true. And from what I can tell, at least at the moment, it may be the best user-scored game that can be tracked on Metacritic. With hundreds of reviews in, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a 9.6/10 on Metacritic from players. That is not just the highest I've found, but the highest I've found by a good margin. Metacritic lists the highest user-scored games ever in a list, and while it's not in perfect order, it's full of all-time greats. Among these, clicking through as many as I can, I have only seen one 9.3, and that's The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine DLC. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 The rest of these games on the list range from 9.0 to 9.2. Any classic you're thinking of is almost certainly in that range. Ocarina of Time? 9.1. Final Fantasy VII? 8.9. GTA 5? 8.5. As for more recent games, what would come to mind? Elden Ring? 8.2. The Last of Us? 9.2. Baldur's Gate 3? 9.2. This year's Blue Prince with its tied 92 Metascore? 7.6. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder I say Clair Obscur 'may' be the highest user-scored game of all time because I have not clicked through the thousands that exist, but at least for now, that appears to be true and I cannot find anything close to it. (On Steam specifically that may not be true, as it has a stellar but perhaps not all-time best 93% positive score). Will things stay this way? That remains to be seen. It stands to reason that as more reviews coming in over days or weeks or months it could drop. This may be an initial burst of excitement that's skewing things this high, but I've seen people call it their GOTY after an hour, and up there with the best Final Fantasy games ever made despite this being a game made by a new studio of 33 people. It's hard to overstate just how wild this is. There has been almost nothing but effusive praise for it among players, and it seems like a frontrunner for GOTY at the moment, despite a series of great releases in 2025 already. It may end up butting up against GTA 6, but even then, I mean, anything's possible with a game this beloved. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Bluesky Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
