Second Showcase About Some Of The Most Promising Indie RPGs and Strategy Games
Welcome to the second episode of Indie Showcase. For newcomers, this is a recap of our latest overviews dedicated to indie RPGs. So, if you missed an interesting title, you’ll find it conveniently listed in this article. Handy, right?
Turn Based Lovers is always on the lookout for those nearly unknown titles with huge potential, to give them the spotlight they deserve and help the project’s growth. I mention this because in this article, you’ll find the majority of titles without a release date, or with one that’s quite far off. Adding a few more wishlists can certainly help many projects become feasible.
Today, we’re covering pure RPGs, Strategy games, Roguelites, and Dungeon Crawlers with immense potential that I can’t wait to try. Let’s dive into this Indie Showcase.
Fangs & Forges
The first game I’m introducing offers a high fantasy world that we can explore at our leisure. It’s called Fangs & Forges and is developed by Alpenwolf Studio. This RPG features tactical combat that promises to be dynamic and fast-paced, but the real charm for me lies in the thrill of exploring the game world to discover dungeons that house legendary items, allowing our party to become stronger.
It’s the same excitement I feel every time I start a new game of Battle Brothers (which usually ends in disaster, but that’s another story). In any case, Fangs & Forges is a truly interesting RPG set to release sometime in 2024.
Hibernaculum
Dark, horror-filled, and somewhat claustrophobic atmospheres are balanced by a UI and graphical style straight out of the 90s. Hibernaculum, developed by Victor Pflug, is a dungeon crawler aiming to offer an experience closely tied to classics of the past while providing a modern take on many exploratory mechanics.
The game places us inside an abandoned structure filled with things that can and will harm us, offering open-ended exploration driven by the choices we make in-game. It’s primarily an RPG, so character development is crucial if we want to have a chance of reaching the end of these labyrinths, if there is an end. Hibernaculum is expected to be released on PC in Q4 2024.
Cryohazard
A race against time, chased by angry spirits that want to destroy everything in their path. These are the premises of Cryohazard, an intriguing roguelite developed by indie dev BossyPino and the only game on this list already available on Steam.
In this post-apocalyptic world, a storm of ghosts has invaded cities, devouring everything in their path, and the only salvation for our hero is a caravan made up of different wagons equipped to take on these invaders. The interesting aspect lies in the ability to upgrade each wagon for new bonuses and skills, with movement playing a key role. The game is available on Steam.
Whispers of the Eyeless
Next, we have a strategy game that puts us in the shoes of a prophet, not to bring good news and peace, but to restore a dark cult seeking to revive the power of dead gods—nothing worrisome, right?
Whispers of the Eyeless is a strategy game where we must manage all aspects of the cult we lead, such as recruiting new followers, acquiring resources to develop our base called the sanctum, and facing key events and choices that will guide the game toward various outcomes. With remarkable graphics and a demo already available, this strategy game definitely shows potential.
Maximum Apocalypse: The Video Game
I’m not an expert in tabletop games, but Maximum Apocalypse: The Video Game brings to digital what seems to be a fairly well-known board game. Developed by Mega Cat Studios and Rock Manor Games, this RPG offers a cooperative experience for up to six players. Together with our friends, we’ll face threats ranging from zombies to aliens and everything in between—no small task.
Of course, it’s possible to play solo, but I believe these types of games are best shared with friends, as each player will take on a character to balance the team’s skills, from the stealthy thief to the fearless fighter. Plenty of gameplay hours are guaranteed thanks to customizable maps and numerous missions available. Definitely a title to keep an eye on.
SOF: Enemy From The Future
It’s amazing how just mentioning X-COM can spark the interest of any turn-based strategy game lover, and developer QuadCom Interactive knows this well. SOF: Enemy From the Future is their new title that brings yet another alien threat to Earth, and it’s up to us to stop it. How? By confronting enemies in grid-based combat, developing our base, and conducting research to give more weight and weapons to our various troop classes.
A formula we all know very well but seemingly can’t get enough of. SOF: Enemy From The Future has a demo available on Steam, with the Early Access version expected in August.
Dawnmaker
The next game is Dawnmaker, developed by Arpentor Studio, which takes us to a world consumed by smog that has practically covered and darkened the entire planet. Through an interesting mix of city and deck-building mechanics, we must restore normal conditions to Earth by reactivating ancient lighthouses.
We’ll explore the darkness to collect resources and ancient technologies that will allow us to obtain powerful cards and build strategically if we want to have a chance at victory. The graphical style is truly remarkable, and there are all the prerequisites for a strategy game that can offer countless hours of gameplay. Dawnmaker is set to release on July 31, 2024.
Anoxia Station
Continuing in the strategy genre, there’s a title with very interesting premises, although no actual gameplay scenes have been seen, or rather they’ve been fleeting. Anoxia Station is a survival strategy game developed by Yakov Butuzoff that takes us deep underground, the only habitable place after a series of eruptions made the surface unlivable.
We’ll be tasked with leading an international team to learn more about a mysterious mining station located deep underground to find and collect petroleum, a resource necessary for the human race. Extreme conditions, radiation, strange beasts, and much more will be our obstacles in this strategy game that shows great promise. No release date yet, but after reading our overview, be sure to wishlist the game.
Ruinlander
And here we are, almost at the end of this indie showcase, to introduce an intriguing Survival Sandbox RPG called Ruinlander, developed by the solo indie dev wineviper, which takes us to a world on the brink of destruction. We don’t play as the savior but simply as a survivor who must, well, survive.
Again, there are many threats: mutant monsters, pirates, bandits, and we have the freedom to face and be whatever we want within the game world. We’ll explore the game map to trade, find artifacts, establish relationships with the various factions vying for what’s left of the planet, and fight in first-person perspective battles. It’s not the best in terms of graphics, but it’s potentially endless in what it can offer.
Forlorn Memories
We conclude with a JRPG that you won’t believe is developed by a solo dev, though with the help of some very skilled professionals. Forlorn Memories, named after its developer Forlorn Alex, offers a complex RPG experience where we are called to guide one of many available characters within a fantasy world we can traverse on foot, on various creatures, or in flight.
Forlorn Memories offers plenty to do. We can build relationships with other characters and NPCs up to marriage, engage in gardening, crafting, monster capturing, and even develop our personal robot. The graphical style speaks for itself, and if everything is well-balanced, we’ll have a high-quality RPG on our hands. No word on a release date yet, but a demo should be available soon.
The second episode of our Indie Showcase ends here, and as always, I look forward to your comments and thoughts on our Discord server, X, and YouTube channel. And last thing, if you are a dev with a turn-based game on the work, don’t hesitate to contact us on [email protected]
