Issue #04
For the best experience, enjoy this newsletter on a computer with a warm cup of coffee ☕️.
The shear voume of games that are released is enough to send any of us into a frenzy. It’s what makes combing through them so difficult! There were hundreds of games released this month and it’s been a tough one to condense. The quality for July has been NEXT LEVEL.
Early Access delivered some killer titles already, which you can find in July’s Indievelopment edition.
Below, you’ll find some honourable mentions, followed by some gems you need to check out. This letter is stacked with a bunch of new titles, and we’d be surprised if you didn’t find at least one that caught your interest. Might need to read this edition in two sessions!
We’ve alsot been notified this email is so big is might be clipped down the bottom. So click here to head over to the web version for uninterrupted scrolling.
All price references below are in USD. All images can be clicked which will lead to the developer/publisher website.
Let’s dive in.
Honourable Mentions
From the makers of Ashen, we have an “explosive Souls-lite”. Great voice acting and combat. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn—$39.99
Beautifully animated and scored metroidvania, reminicient of the 16 and 32-bit era. Steampunk mixed with double jumps, air dashes and solid boss fights. Gestalt: Steam & Cinder—$19.99
Rick & Morty meets a shop management-sim. Purchase and sell items, attend auctions, and stop thieves. Pawn Planet: First Sales—Free
Lasting about 6 hours, craft, harvest, and release your inner alchemist to solve puzzles; exploring a rich science-fantasy world. The Last Alchemist—$19.99
A great stepping stone into the souls-like genre, this pulls it back and ‘cozy-fies’ it up. Open world, great graphics and music. The Sacred Acorn—$19.99
Polished in almost every way, this puzzle game will have something for everyone. “Connect blocks to control robots, decode messages, and defuse bombs.” Linkito—$14.99
Not for the faint-hearted, this will test your metroidvania-boss abilities, and… patience. Hand-drawn 2.5 world inspired by Japanese folklore. Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus—$19.99
A classic hack and slash monster slayer with a cel-shaded-like graphic style. 15 hours of solid playtime. From award-winning publishers, Curve Games. Dungeons of Hinterberg—$29.99
Falls under the “interactive” category, but has an incredible story with AAA graphics. Set in a futuristic, dystopian, noir New York, lead an investigation in search of a serial killer out for the city’s elite. Nobody Wants to Die—$24.99
A uniquely painted puzzle game where every move shifts the world around you. Not too difficult, and can be completed in about 10 hours. Arranger—$19.99
HIDDEN GEM
 4th July 2024 | You can tell when a pro works on a game. Developer Toffee Games works AAA by day, and indie by… indie. Navigate your ship with agility, dashing through gates to annihilate enemies and rack up points. Spend points to upgrade movement, boost defense, or get powerful auto-firing weapons. Inspired by Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions’ Pacifism Mode, PERMUTER brings a roguelike twist to the mix. |
 10th July 2024 | Once Human is a multiplayer open-world survival game set in a bizarre, post-apocalyptic future. Team up with friends to battle monstrous enemies, uncover hidden plots, compete for resources, and build your own territory. Not just another cash-grab, or a pay-to-win. Games like this are a difficult endeavour for any dev, but this indie team is making a stamp that’s worth exploring. |
 12th July 2024 | Summoned by mysterious gnomes, it's up to you to restore a long-lost garden. Attract adorable animals, build a lush environment, and immerse yourself in this relaxing garden-builder. Set your own pace: develop a vegetable area, progress a lucrative story arc, or simply sit back and admire your creation. |
 12th July 2024 | Experience an open-world action-adventure that blends exploration, puzzles, and dynamic combat. With your powerful companion Piggy, brave the four elemental regions and conquer their lords. 20+ hours of playtime for you in this one. There’s a few bugs and mechanics that need tweaking since leaving Early Access, but are heavily outweighed by everything else! |
 12th July 2024 | “Anger Foot is a lightning fast hard bass blast of kicking doors and kicking ass. Crash through the caffeine-fuelled fever dream of Shit City, putting the boot to a menacing menagerie of merciless gangsters.” Run. Kick. Repeat. From Devolver Digital and the folks who brought us Broforce. Instant classic. |
HIDDEN GEM
 17th July 2024 | Experience the joy of flight in this multiplayer co-op game. Soar through beautiful landscapes, seeking rare and elusive creatures to add to your flock. Perfect for winding down after a long day, this cozy creature-collector is short yet replayable, offering endless charm and relaxation. |
 17th July 2024 | Place your Keep and grow your kingdom by choosing your first Deck of buildings. Strategically place buildings to unlock more draws and Keep upgrades. Each building benefits from nearby influences, both positive and negative. Watch your kingdom grow from a hamlet to a metropolis. Enjoy the unique graphics, detailed landscapes, and relaxing soundtrack as you build your idyllic kingdom at your own pace in this cozy city puzzler. |
 18th July 2024 | What is a schim? It's the soul and spirit of any object or being. They should never be separated, but in this game, your schim, linked to a human, gets separated early, sparking your unique adventure. Step into one of this year's most unique games, where you jump from shadow to shadow in a relaxing and lively environment. This 3D platformer blends light, shadow, and animation seamlessly into the gameplay, offering an experience you'll only find here. |
HIDDEN GEM
 23rd July 2024 | Alone on a human spaceship overtaken by hostile aliens, you must explore, fight, and uncover the backstory of the crew. Evolve your alien weapon, shoot, slide, and stun your enemies as you search for survivors and attempt to escape alive. Exophobia combines crisp, colorful pixel art with intense electronic music for a unique aesthetic, in a retro-inspired sci-fi FPS with modern metroidvania progression. |
 24th July 2024 | Step into the brutal world of the First World War as a lone French soldier. Navigate twisted trenches, scavenge limited supplies, and solve complex puzzles while fighting for survival. CONSCRIPT offers a fresh twist on classic survival horror, immersing you in mankind’s most horrifying conflict. |
 25th July 2024 | Embark on a thrilling climbing adventure in Valley Peaks, a ribbiting first-person platformer. Scale mountains like puzzles, install Radio Towers to connect froggy inhabitants, and dive deeper into the Valley. The climbing mechanic has been superbly fine-tuned to take this to the next level. There’s a bright future for this game. Plus, you’re a frog. GET ON THIS. |
HIDDEN GEM
 25th July 2024 | An award-winning puzzle adventure where you must use The Artifact to solve puzzles, rearrange maps, reconnect humanity, and, most importantly... find your cat as the world faces cataclysm. A third free game?! This one definitely shouldn’t be. The original concept, born from a game jam idea, won Best Student Game at the IGF awards. This is a playbook for greatness: double down on a unique mechanic and build the game around it. |
 26th July 2024 | Dive into the thrilling world of a 2D arcade action platformer for up to 4 players. As Atlantis' last hope, battle hordes of enemies and conquer relentless challenges. Immerse yourself in stunning, 80’s styled pixel art and epic music. Confident in its classic vibe, this game delivers a nostalgic yet fresh experience. On every major platform. |
 26th July 2024 | Embark on an epic adventure in Wéko the Mask Gatherer, a single-player action-adventure inspired by classic 3D platformers and RPGs like Zelda and Spyro. Following through on it’s successful Kickstarter campaign, the devs have delivered on the classic inspirations to make this feel right at home in the digital library of nostalgia. |
Our Mates
A small section of articles from our internet neighbours.
“Outwit the HOST in a death game where fire spreads with each flip of a card.” Demo Disk had a look at Arsonate—”originally saw life as a submission to the Pirate Software Game Jam in January 2024, with the theme ‘It's Spreading’ being an obvious inspiration to the concept of a wildfire underpinning the game.”
Tiny Gaming reviewed Sunless Skies this month. The follow up to the great Sunless Seas. “It’s weird, whacky, and filled to the brim with absurdities, and yet it displays horror and dread when needed.”
Two games from The IndiEXP’s devs have been crushing it on steam this week:
Wren’s Resurgence—A thrilling 2D action platformer following Wren's epic quest to rescue her sister with her katana.
Which Way Up: Galaxy Games—Run on walls, orbit planets, and maneuver through gravity fields in 12 unique challenges with up to 4 players.
“Your job as an anonymous worker for a faceless corporation is to traverse a number of environments repeatedly and spot anomalies between them, which you report to the higher-ups via a Ghostbusters-esque handheld device.” A review of a game that didn’t quite make the list, Jump Dash Roll took a look at Shift 87.
Found a game you love in this list? Let us and the developers know you discovered it here! Happy gaming 🎮
The Indieformer Team
P.S. Don’t forget to share your thoughts and favourite discoveries with us via the comments, X (Twitter), Threads, or reach us at pr@indieformer.com