23 Indie Games To Get Excited About In October 2022
Saturnalia by Santa Ragione – October 27th, 2022
Santa Ragione are an incredibly talented indie game developer. They made Wheels of Aurelia & MirrorMoon EP and helped publish Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star. Their next project is something totally different however. Saturnalia is a survival horror game steeped in the folklore and culture of Sardinia, Italy. In it you play as four characters, each of whom has an interlinked story and ties back to Sardinia and its traditions.
A roguelike-like, you’ll be exploring the ancient village which will shift and change each time you die. There are puzzles to solve but you’ll have to figure out how to deal with them without much guidance – this is a hands off experience. I need to mention the incredible art style too; adopting a low-poly, sketchbook style, Saturnalia looks incredibly distinctive. In our preview, Miles said it “may be a real gem of 2022”. We’ll be able to tell if he was right in a few short weeks as the game arrives on PC via EGS on October 27th, 2022. A console release is planned at a later date.
Marauders by Small Impact Games – October 2022
I get Killzone vibes from Marauders, the upcoming shooter from Team17 and Small Impact Games. Not just because they’re both sci-fi first-person-shooters but the character designs have an edge of menace to them too. Stick a pair of red eyes on one of these Marauders and I could be convinced they were from Helgan.
In reality though, Marauders is a very different beast to Killzone. A diesel-punk multiplayer looter shooter, this game has you play as space pirates, either solo or in a group of 3, as you go on daring raids. The aim is to shoot, loot and then scoot with the gear from other ships as you face off against other players. It looks very cool and will be landing on PC via Steam in October.
Unusual Findings by Epic Llama Games – October 12th, 2022
The 80’s simply refuse to go out of fashion. Just when you think the neon tinged aesthetic of the decade is getting tired, something rad* comes along and reminds you of why it’s such a bodacious* time in our lives. Unusual Findings, a charismatic point and click adventure from Epic Llama Games and ESDigital Games, is one such instance.
It’s almost Christmas in 1987. A trio of friends – Vinny, Nick and Tony – have just uncovered a distress signal from a crashed an alien spaceship while trying to order some… adult entertainment… using their cable signal descrambler. They decide to investigate this alien and uncover their motivations after they find that the towering alien is killing very specific members of their community. It’s a little bit Goonies, a little bit Stranger Things and a whole lot of intrigue. Check out Unusual Findings on PC via Steam and consoles on October 12th, 2022.
*I’m sorry.
Signalis by Rose-Engine – October 27th, 2022
The current crop of retro inspired survival horror games have been particularly good but Signalis from rose-engine has the potential to the best of the bunch. In the game you play as Elster, a technician Replika searching for her lost dreams. You’ll be exploring a retrotech world brought to life via a crunchy, old-school art style where you’ll find “terrifying secrets, challenging puzzles, and nightmarish creatures in a tense and melancholic experience of cosmic dread and classic psychological survival horror“. Sold. Signalis launches on PC via Steam and on consoles on October 27th, 2022.
Jennifer Wilde: Unlikely Revolutionaries by Outsiders Games – October 18th, 2022
2022 has seen some incredible point and click indie games, some of which have flown disappointingly under the radar. I’m certainly hoping that the imaginative and eye catching Jennifer Wilde: Unlikely Revolutionaries will find its audience because it looks very promising.
Jennifer Wilde has an incredible hook; it’s 1921 and the titular Jennifer suspects that her father’s death was more than just an accident. Using a power she’s had since childhood, she reaches out to try to summon his spirit. Instead, she connects with the famous Irish playwright Oscar Wilde whom was having a secret affair with her now deceased pops. The pair work together and follow a “a trail of murder and revolution, through Paris, to London and Ireland, and into conflict with secret government organisations, a British occult spy network, and the Irish Revolutionary Army”. It sounds wild(e) and is presented in a really appealing comic book art style. Jennifer and Oscar team up on PC (Steam Link) on October 18th.
Destiny’s Sword by 2Dogs Games – October 17th, 2022
Destiny’s Sword has had a long and winding road through development. Originally scheduled to release in 2020, the game was aiming to be a “a squad-based combat/strategy MMORPG” with a persistent PvP faction war and social features. The scope of the game has reduced significantly since then but the almost finished product that’s launching onto PC Early Access in October seems far more interesting than its initial elevator pitch.
Now a “Living-Narrative Graphic Adventure”, Destiny’s Sword is a story driven game where you play as the leader of a group of troops embroiled in a war between factions. Each of your soldiers has their own story to tell and their experiences under your command will shape them as characters and effect their performance in missions. Using something called the “Insight Engine”, Destiny’s Sword boasts “infinite, diverse personalities and unprecedented character depth”. We’ll be able to dive into this on October 17th.
Charon’s Staircase by Indigo Studios – October 28th, 2022
We need some good horror indie games to arrive in time for Halloween and Charon’s Staircase looks like it’ll be an interesting (if not bone chilling) entry to the genre. In this game you play as secret agent that goes by the codename “Desmond” that’s has been sent to the spooky Oack Grove estate to destroy secret documents for a shady government agency. Of course, things go sideways and you uncover something called “Project Alpha” which promises to brown your undies. It looks creepy, weird and just what we want for a scary night at home. Check it out on October 28th, 2022 on PC via Steam and consoles.
Cultic: Chapter One by Jasozz Games – October 13th, 2022
Cultic was one of my personal favourite games shown at the recent Realms Deep event. A retro inspired shooter that’s harking back to the classics of yore, the first chapter of Cultic pits you, your guns and your dynamite against an insidious cult. While it looks old-school on the surface, Cultic takes advantage of modern day gaming standards by offering multiple ways to take on enemies. Go in guns blazing or plan out your strike with traps – it’s up to you, the player. Cultic takes all of the advantages of a modern engine – physics, lighting, and a fully 3D game world – but presents itself like those games we loved during the 90’s and 00’s. We can tuck into Cultic Chapter One on October 13th, 2022 via Steam.
The Case of the Golden Idol by Colour Grey Games – October 13th, 2022
I adore the vibe of The Case of the Golden Idol. It’s like the lost work of Agatha Christie, crafted when she was going through an experimental phase. In this game we’ll be investigating 12 weird and gruesome deaths, separated by 40 years but all somehow related to one another, and given the freedom to deduce our own theories about what happened. Through methodical point-and-click investigation and changeable wordplay, we’ll hopefully be unravelling a web of lies and secrets on October 13th, when this game launches on PC via Stream.
Flat Eye by Monkey Moon – October 17th, 2022
I can’t recall a time before now when I’ve seen a resource management sim with an emphasis on story and narrative. Usually, resource management games come with a few sentences to explain your goal, sometimes a bit of context, but little in the way of actual story. It’s possible that Flat Eye from Monkey Moon and Raw Fury is about to change that.
Flat Eye has you oversee and run the world’s leading gas and technological hub. Your aim is to keep your station running smoothly, complete objectives set by your AI overlord and develop new tech. This is balanced against the human tales of how this technology effects mankind, discovered via “Premium Customers”. These unlock narratives for you to experience and influence. It’s a very cool blend that feels like a playable version of a Black Mirror episode. Check into Flay Eye on October 17th via Steam. Or else.
I See Red by Whiteboard Games – October 24th, 2022
I know it’s a bit over used these days but I’m still a sucker for that black, white and red aesthetic that spilled out of Sin City into almost all popular culture. I See Red is a fast paced sci-fi rogue-like that makes really great use of this colour pallet. Despite not being on the market yet, I See Red has already won a few awards, picking up the grand prize at Argentina’s 2021 EVA Awards and “Best Visual Art and Design” at GameConnection x ChinaJoy’s Indie Games Awards. If this one’s up your alley, make sure to check it out on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on October 24th, 2022.
The Darkest Tales by Trinity Team – October 13th, 2022
Don’t let the fluffy fur of the protagonist fool you here. The Darkest Tale is not for kids. Putting a dark twist on familiar characters and fairytale landscapes, in this game we follow the journey of a stuffed bear named Teddy. When his owner Alicia, now grown up, is captured by a nightmare that creeps into reality, Teddy is the only one who can save her. Wielding swords and bows, we’ll have to fight through haunting ginger bread men, corrupted clockwork toys and petrifying plants in order to reach our destination. Sign me up on October 13th, 2022 when The Darkest Tale launches on PC via Steam and on consoles.
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That’s it for October 2022 – 23 Indie Games to put on your radar. Have we missed a game you’re looking forward too? Think something we’ve highlighted is particularly good? Hit the comments section and sound off.
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