If you want an example of how diverse games with the indie moniker can be, read on. I’ve got a slimy action/puzzler, an inky Western FPS, and a title that stuffs the spirit of Super Mario Bros. into a fox to share today. The one thing they have in common? Each project hails from a relatively small team working to get word of their game out.
Blood West
Welcome to the Wild West. It’s a bit less…lively than you remember. A tense and eerie atmosphere intensifies as I stealth my way past animated, and hostile, humanoid abominations. Grabbing an axe, I cut the pixelated creature down, but I still have no idea what’s going on. Or if I want to know. Blood West is in Early Access but aiming to release at the end of the year. I’ll be sure to follow this unsettling, gory path then.
Dros
Recently released, Dros has you play as a goo creature/heavily armored zombie. The once human bounty hunter, falling afoul of evil slimes, is inches from death when the Dros (a sticky black lab experiment) decides to use him as its shell, saving his life. You can detach from the symbiotic relationship to use the Dros’ special abilities to solve — not terribly demanding — puzzles and return to your plated host to prevail in combat.
Kitsune Tails
This is straight up Super Mario Bros. 3; there’s no getting around that. Familiar feeling enemies, levels, and design abound in this title following a young fox spirit on a mission. Though the story elements are abrupt, the gameplay captures that 8-bit era feeling. The game won’t be out this year, but if you’re looking to scratch that old-school itch, Kitsune Tails will hit every major platform when it does launch.
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