Sure, Alan Wake 2 and Mortal Kombat 1 were stellar moments at Summer Game Fest, but what about the indies? We’ve got you covered there. We got the chance to go hands-on with multiple Summer Game Fest indies, and refining the list to just five was difficult. From puzzles to romance, sci-fi mystery, and a cozy room, we’ve got you covered with a list of five indies to add to your wishlists immediately—in no particular order of course.
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Cocoon
Developed by Geometric Interactive and published by Anapurna Interactive, Cocoon is an adventure puzzle game. Geometric Interactive is led by founders Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer of LIMBO, and award-winning programmer/composer Jakob Schmid—and it shows. A unique puzzle game where the players move between worlds contained by orbs while interacting with a biomechanical world, Cocoon is the star of the Summer Game Fest Indies. Gorgeous and immersive, the game balances difficulty with beauty in a way that never forces the player to become frustrated. Instead, each environmental puzzle invites you to explore more of the world as the music lulls you into the game.
With complex puzzles that push the player to learn how to use the environment, Cocoon is one of those unique gems of a game that trusts the player to understand the world they have put them in, and does so without creating a difficulty barrier that is beyond “observe your surroundings and interact with everything.” Even the boss battles are built on observing the puzzle at hand and moving to solve it. That’s its beauty.
Simpler Times
Published by iam8bit and developed by Transylvania-based indie studio stoneskip, Simpler Times is a chill game that asks its players to relax and become the lead character as she interacts with her childhood room. In fact, Simpler Times takes place entirely in Taina’s childhood bedroom through different seasons of her life. Here you can listen to music, paint, watch nature, take photos, browse books, read notes, and solve puzzles. Each object has a story to tell. The game takes place over span of ten years with four different moments to explore, each portrayed in a different season. Driven by a play-at-your-own-pace gameplay style, this was my last appointment of Play Days, and it was one of the most calming and immersive experiences of the showcase.
The music helps create the atmosphere. The backs of photos and books inform you of who Taina is, teaching you intimately about the character you can’t see but are playing as. It’s a cozy game that is able to connect intimately with the player and build something beautiful. While I only spent about 20 minutes in Taina’s room, I wanted to be there longer. I wanted to live there. There is something wonderful and transformative that happens as you play the game, I can’t wait to find out more about who Taina is.
Simpler Times is coming to PC via Steam in 2024 and is available on the wishlist now.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Published by Netflix and developed by Night School Studio, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals was a surprise in the Summer Game Fest indies line-up. With gorgeous 2D art and speech bubbles that add a character and atmosphere to the storytelling, this sequel game can be entered to as a newcomer to Oxenfree or as a returning player. Set in Camena, a small coastal town, unnaturally occurring electromagnetic waves are suddenly causing interference with electrical and radio equipment. Reluctantly, Riley Poverly returns to her hometown to investigate the mystery for a job and winds up witnessing a mystery more expansive than she thought. A narrative adventure game, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals relies on your choices to shape your path.
While I only scratched the surface of the game with about 20-minutes of hands-on time, it’s easy to see how different elements can develop over time. From the radio that allows you to tap into the static of Camena to the way you climb and explore the town’s cliffs, everything felt like there was so much more rumbling underneath. That alone left me wanting more, yielding a demo experience that stood out on the Summer Game Fest floor, from the AAAs and the indies.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals releases July 12 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, and Netflix.
Thirsty Suitors
Nothing makes relationships more frustrating or complicated than parents. In Thirsty Suitors, developer Outerloop Games (published by Annapurna Interactive) has crafted a game about culture, familial pressures, and the choices you make to express yourself. In it, you play as Jala, who is trying to make good with her exes, placate her parents, and mend broken platonic relationships too. With a visit from her grandma and her sister’s wedding pushing the gas peddle, Thirst Suitors
There are three main elements to Thirsty Suitors that made it stand out among other Summer Game Fest Indies: combat, skateboarding, and cooking. The first of these is turn-based campy combat featuring upgrades and abilities. Skateboarding is where I spent most of my time in the hands-on demo because, well, it’s awesome. Set in the Timber Hills skatepark, you can wall-run, manual, and take on individual challenges to test your skating prowess. And finally, there is a cooking element that brings South Asian recipes to gaming and works as a way for Jala to get closer to her family.
A unique game that is unlike anything I’ve seen before, this is easily a must-wish-list game from the Summer Game Fest Indies slate.
Thirsty Suitors will launch on Game Pass, PlayStation 4|5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.
Galacticare
The only hands-off preview on the list, Galacticare is an interesting sci-fi take on hospital management simulators. With impatient aliens that may or may not destroy the galaxy and a spin on medicine that pushes the player to learn more about alien patients to unlock more elements, this is one game that is perfect for all of those who love management games. Galacticare is developed by Brightrock Games and published by CULT Games and offers a relaxing sandbox strategy hospital sim that takes you on a colorful and bizarre journey as you manage a private hospital in space. From the company’s humble beginnings orbiting 23rd-century Earth to the internal world of an extra-dimensional deity and everything in between, you build it and save the galaxy in turn.
Galacticare looks to add more science fiction to the management genre. It will be an interesting hospital simulation that is more geared toward fun and saving the galaxy from impatient aliens than overwhelming players with the layered difficulties of healthcare. Galacticare has players step into the role of new director of Galacticare to help manage various hospitals across the galaxy. With a campaign to make you go through wacky events and a sandbox mode that allows you to build, build, and build, it’s a blend of campy science fiction fun and management elements too.
Galacticare will be released on PC later in 2023.
Summer Game Fest offered a lot for AAAs, but the truth is, indies are the lifeblood of gaming. They push the boundaries and craft unique experiences for players in fantastic ways. So these five Summer Game Fest indies should just be the start of your wishlists, not the end.
