It’s an occupational hazard coving indie games to get lost in unexpected worlds. Sometimes, I stumble into these titles going about my day, and sometimes I’m lucky enough that someone reaches out to share them with me. This last is how I encountered ILA: A Frosty Glide, Dreamsweeper, and Keeper’s Toll. The trio don’t have much in common besides the way I found them, but all merit a space on players’ radars.
ILA: A Frost Glide
Cool and smooth, the title says a lot. But it actually began life as Skaterwitch, a bite-sized experience made in nineteen days for Big Mode Jam 2023. The name change came along with the team’s decision to develop the idea into a full game. I played the original slice of gameplay to get a sense of the atmosphere and controls.
As I drift through the air as a witch-on-a-mission on my surprising skateboard-feeling broom, it becomes increasingly clear the game’s an intriguing blend of cool and chill. Some of that is owing to the snowy mountain top setting. Most of it, though, comes from the fun gliding. Similar to games like A Short Hike, my stamina-like flight skills increase as I collect scrolls on my hilly journey, allowing me to soar to ever-greater heights.
It’s a tantalizing foundation of a game. The first version of the team’s more fleshed-out vision is slated to hit itch.io in the next few months, and the Epic Games Store sometime in Q2.
Dreamsweeper
Cold emailing someone can be an incredibly difficult thing, but sometime very necessary to get word out about your game. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find Etherlight Studio’s message in my inbox pointing to its dungeon crawler/Minesweeper Roguelike, Dreamsweeper.
No stranger to the Minesweeper Roguelike genre — indie games are awesome — I looked forward to taking my first perilous steps into this dreamy title. What I discovered was its chill-beats-to-sweep-to vibes hit way harder than I expected. Making my way across the floor, looking out for black holes as I went, was strategic but pleasingly accessible. It makes for the kind of game players can escape into when they need to relax after a tough day. And combat — a directional button pushing minigame — changes things up enough to keep Dreamsweeper from lulling players into a real life dream.
But the game is in very early development, with its Kickstarter campaign going live February 1, so the final experience may grow up and away from this initial demo.
Keeper’s Toll
Fans of Early Access were eating well last week, and the feast included a sizable update to Keeper’s Toll. The new content includes consumable healing items, a kingly boss battle, and an unsettling castle to explore. But if you’ve never set out seeking adventure in the retro-inspired dark fantasy, prepare yourself to combat the challenges of a Soulslike with those of Vampire Survivors.
According to the team, the game is “a methodical genre-bending experience with a heavy focus on slow-paced, skill-based gameplay. Obliterate ferocious hordes as one of the four risen heroes, all with their own unique abilities, combat mechanics, and ARPG-like progression trees.”
Keeper’s Toll entered Early Access last year in May, and you can jump into the update now. However, if you want to wait for the full release, you can keep this game on your radar until its planned launch this summer.
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