Pretty Metroidvanias, free Bomberman-style chaos and other new indie games worth checking out
A Gamescom-week indie-game roundup highlights several newly announced and recently released titles, alongside a trend for deliberately tedious “needle in a haystack” games. The selection matters as it points players towards smaller releases across genres, including Metroidvanias and multiplayer action games, while showing how novelty concepts are finding an audience.
– Several viral games ask players to locate an almost impossibly obscure object, such as a Bitcoin hard drive in a landfill, one needle among five million pieces of hay, or a missing semicolon in 187,421 lines of code. – Fatal Claw has left Steam early access with its 1.0 release; it is a £25-style Metroidvania in which cat protagonist Kisha explores a technologically revived ancient kingdom and absorbs enemies’ abilities. – Fatal Claw is Steam Deck Verified, has generally positive Steam reviews and is discounted by 20% until 9 September. – Divinum is another pixel-art Metroidvania, following young warrior Fjør as he confronts an invading external threat; it is Steam Deck Verified and available on Steam and GOG for about $15, discounted by 10% until 11 September. – The roundup also flags free Bomberman-style multiplayer chaos and a dog game featuring a “play dead” mechanic.
- Gamescom week has brought a broad wave of indie-game announcements.
- Fatal Claw and Divinum offer new Metroidvania options.
- Viral search games turn tedious tasks into playful challenges.
New here? Start with this
Metroidvanias are exploration games built around a connected world, where players gain new abilities that let them reach previously inaccessible areas. Fatal Claw and Divinum are two smaller releases in this genre, with stories set in ancient kingdoms facing danger.
The roundup also points to other kinds of indie games, from free multiplayer action inspired by Bomberman to a game about a dog. Separately, “needle in a haystack” games challenge players to find one tiny or hidden thing among vast amounts of material, such as a misplaced line of code.
These examples show the range of games made by smaller studios, which often experiment with unusual ideas and mix familiar genres in new ways. They matter to players looking beyond major releases for different styles of play.
Art Celebrity Culture Entertainment Fashion Gaming Space Technology