Hi there and welcome to urge Indie Gaming and to our first video of the New Year .
Each month, we detect the highest 10 most interesting indie games expected to release and today,
we’re counting down the highest new indie games of January 2021.
First up for this New Year , we’ve Sword of the Necromancer.
We first covered this back within the half-moon of last year when it took to Kickstarter raising
just shy of a quarter-million us dollars or around 100 and eighty thousand British
Pounds supported current as this video airs exchange rates.
It’s always great to ascertain projects we took an interest in beginning to the market and
in Sword of the Necromancer, we’re pretty excited to urge hold of this when it launches
towards the top of the month on January 28th.
Sword of the Necromancer may be a dungeon crawler action RPG that also comes with several rogue-lite
elements with it having the beautiful nifty ability to revive your slain enemies into new allies
and have them fight alongside you.
What’s more, each weapon is usually different which should spice things up abit all thanks
to the utilization of a procedurally generated weapon which should produce to any number
of effects and attributes, some little question more useful than others.
However, this type of variety should help keep players on their toes.
We’re also looking forward to seeing how the sport deals with it’s couch-cop option,
something we expect we’ll just like the most about this one, and the way twiddling with a buddy, all
within ongoing covid restrictions here within the Netherlands, impacts the general experience.
Sword of the Necromancer feels and appears sort of a good way to start our coverage in 2021
and is predicted out on PC via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and therefore the Nintendo Switch.
Coming up next and at this month’s number 9, Skul The Hero Slayer comes out of early
access January 21 and as this video goes up it currently has an overwhelmingly positive
Steam review score from slightly below eight thousand reviews.
As you would possibly be ready to guess from the onscreen footage, Skul The Hero Slayer may be a 2D action
platformer with its roots firmly within the classic side scrollers from the 8 and 16 bit era.
That said, having hung out with this over the past few weeks, this gorgeous pixel art
platformer certainly uses modern sensibilities within how the amount and overall gameplay
is put together.
As others have already noted elsewhere, this nod to the retro games of old continues within
the game’s difficulty with it offering up a very stern challenge which should keep
players plugging away at this one for a few time.
If you’ve played this in Early Access the complete launch sees an entire heap of additional
content with the developers having already said they plan on offering yet more content
over the game’s lifecycle.
For now, Skul the Hero Slayer is merely coming to PC although a port onto all of the standard
consoles is predicted at some point later this year.
Up next and at number 8 headed into Early Access on January 15th, Ancient Abyss looks
full of promise.
Described by the developers as a Zelda-like action game which will see players head into
and explore a mysterious randomly generated maze in what looks to be an enthralling pixel
art aesthetic .
There’s rogue elements too which gets our thumbs up as does the combat which looks an
all round pretty decent affair.
As for the time spent in Early Access, well the developers are suggesting this might be
around the 12 month mark with them adding more levels, weapons, enemies and many more
traps and puzzles before the complete launch with the team actively seeking player feedback
to help further shape how it all plays out.
Ancient Abyss could become something rather special.
Moving on and at this January’s number 7 we’ve an absolute cult-classic and while
first out back in 2016 on PC, Bezier some time past as we suspect it still is today, is one
of the simplest arcade twin-stick shooters ever made with it now coming onto the Nintendo
Switch on January 21st.
It’s got everything you’d want from these sorts of games starting from the neon-soaked
visuals to the soundtrack to the sound effects and in fact gameplay that not only keeps
you on the sting of your seat but also returning for more with one among those “oh just
one more go” quite overall vibes thereto .
There’s albeit we recall correctly a reasonably decent back story to all or any of the events going
on within the sport which for this particular genre may be a worthy rarity.
While this re-launch seems mostly focussed on the Switch, as feels quite natural enough,
there’s also a replacement enhanced version expected out an equivalent day for PCs via Steam.
At number 6 and something that’s perhaps somewhat on the awful side of things for this
early within the New Year , Olija (pronounced o- lee-ya) is curious-looking 2D Metriodvania
with action-platforming elements.
There’s a demo you’ll play immediately which you’ll find via the game’s Steam homepage
and like all of the geames featured during this rundown, you’ll find a link thereto down within
the video description.
It feels considerably an overall journey or somewhat of an end to finish campaign although the combat
is because the handout states pretty darn razor sharp.
The boss fights also are many fun although overall, we didn’t find this one too difficult,
although it’s challenging in palces from what we’ve seen and played of it thus far ,
which makes for a pleasant change of pace within this particular genre.
Olija should be out onto PCs on January 28th with you ready to line up of this via Steam.
Next up and moving swiftly on to number 5 and first call at April of 2019, Heaven’s
Vault is getting a port onto the Nintendo Switch this coming January 28th.
Now Heaven’s Vault was one among our games of the year with it offering up a genuinely
captivating overall story that sees you checking out a missing roboticist all within hundreds
of meticulously hand drawn frames of 2D art within 3D environments where you’re able
to freely roam within the person amongst ruined palaces, town , villages and
many other places besides.
Much of this comes within the sort of linguistic pattern recognition and while a touch tricky
at the get-go, things great easier the more you play.
There’s something gratifying about ticking off the puzzles as you solve them, particularly
when you begin to lean and recognise the symbols within the scrips you’re asked to piece together.
Heaven’s Vault may be a terrific achievement and one we’d happily recommend to all or any Switch
owners who like a superb puzzler with a good better associated overall story.
At number 4 and expected initially call at Early Access in November of last year, although
it slipped into the primary month of 2021, Everspace 2 is that the direct sequel and follows after the
events of the first Everspace 2 game.
For those that don’t know it’s a single-player spaceship shooter with a stress on deep
exploration with a full on smattering of looting, mining and trading all within some decently
looking RPG elements.
What’s more, there’s also what appears to be a thoughtful and compelling overall
story that accompanies your go after better gear and upgrades which is altogether looking
rather excellent.
There’s a demo you’ll play today and therefore the developers have indicated the sport should
come in round the 20-hour mark if following the campaign.
We can expect additional content to be added over the course of the first Access period
although there’s no word thus far from what we’ve seen on when the sport might fully
launch.
At number three and taking the primary spot on stage for 2021 we’ve Encodya, another
success from the KickStarter crowdsource funding platform that’s coming to PC via Steam and
GOG.
This one comes with quite the pitch line where players can expect the sweetness and creativity
of Studio Ghibli, the setting and atmosphere of Blade Runner and therefore the humour and game style
of Monkey Island.
So what does that each one really mean?
Well it certainly makes for something that’s so very visually appealing on the attention in what’s
also some extent and click on adventure.
We’ve been playing quite perhaps of our justifiable share of those quite games lately
and we’re really rather crazy the cinematic stylings of this and also the thought where it’s
set to supply randomly generated puzzles amongst quite 100 different locations
and a minimum of 34 non-player characters to interact with.
If this or the other game we’re featuring during this episode looks likle something you
might fancy playing, or if we’ve missed anything you cant wait to play, feel free
to allow us to know down within the comments.
Encodya comes out January 26 onto PC by way of Steam and GOG.
At number 2, and something we’re thinking that’s looking utterly charming.
Down in Bermuda features a plucky explorer within a unusual adventure game that’s full
of attractive looking puzzles to unravel and mysteries to uncover.
Players will crack codes, collect magic orbs and use their gray matter via a mixture
of logic puzzles and hidden object hunting within what seems a wonderfully vivid and
vibrant world set within the infamous Bermuda Triangle .
We’ve always a soft spot for these sorts of creations and hope to be ready to provide
a review of this as soon as we’re able.
Down in Bermuda comes out January 14th to PC, Apple Arcade, Playstation Xbox and therefore the
Nintendo Switch.
At no 1 with it expected out on January 26th, Cyber Shadow is probably for several , one
of the foremost wanted games of the primary quarter of the year.
This was another game that fell out of a 2020 launch time-frame with it’s Ninja-Gaiden
inspired storyline that follows Shadow, a cyborg ninja looking to rescue his fellow
clan mates from a number of bad guys.
Aside from looking towards all things Ninja Gaiden, we understand there are elements here
of Mega Man with it also having a couple of things that put us in mind of the recent The Messenger
with it having an entire host of boss fights, cinematic cut-scenes and multi-directional
paths with plenty precision platforming.
The 8 bit stylings and associated score have us honestly on the sting of our
seats expecting this to return onto PC and every one of the consoles you’ll have already got sitting
under your TV or gaming monitors.
