Tag: #IndieGames

Anchors Aweigh: Hooded Horse Reveals Sci-Fi Roguelite ‘Rogue Carrier’
Strategy fans, it is time to map out a whole new set of logistical nightmares, because the indie genre-masters at Hooded Horse have just dropped an announcement that will have city-builder and roguelite enthusiasts instantly hitting that Steam wishlist button.

Partnering with developer Wild Fields, Hooded Horse has officially revealed Rogue Carrier—a unique blend of deep colony management and tense roguelite progression set across the infinite, hostile oceans of a sentient alien world.

If you have ever wanted to captain the ultimate floating megastructure while the planet itself tries to drag you into the abyss, this one is for you.

The Premise: Survival on a Sentient Sea

In Rogue Carrier, an interstellar scientific expedition goes catastrophically wrong, leaving your crew stranded on an unknown planet known as Keeling-IV. With your mothership destroyed, your new home is The Behemoth—a colossal, ocean-faring science carrier that acts as the physical foundation for your mobile colony.

Your goals haven’t changed: you still need to explore the surface and analyse local anomalies. However, the stakes have drastically shifted from scientific discovery to pure, unadulterated survival.

Unlike your typical static city-builder, you will be plotting waypoints across an expansive oceanic landscape, deploying recon craft, and harvesting resources from scattered islands.

Key Gameplay Features
- Build Vertically on Limited Deck Space: Space on The Behemoth is a premium resource. You will have to manage Tetris-like placement of over 80 building options—including solar panels, factories, crew housing, and R&D labs—to create powerful layout synergies.
- Balancing the Ship (Literally): Poor layout planning doesn’t just hurt your production lines; an imbalanced ship will capsize more easily when hit by the planet’s erratic weather.
- The Planet Fights Back: The world you are exploiting is fully aware and highly reactive. As you extract resources and pollute the ecosystem, the planet escalates its counter-attacks, throwing everything from severe storms to massive aquatic leviathans at your hull.
- Die, Learn, Repeat: The destruction of your ship is not the end. Following true roguelite fashion, failed runs trigger a persistent loop. You will carry accumulated data and unlockable technologies across parallel universes, exploring 50 distinct scenarios and five potential endings.
“Will you embrace polluting the world and arming your ship to the teeth to escape quickly, or will you try to balance survival with the temperament of a living world?”

Why Strategy Fans Should Care

Hooded Horse has a stellar track record for publishing complex, deeply engaging strategy titles (think Against the Storm, Manor Lords, and Terra Invicta). Seeing them back in a game that merges the high-stakes layout planning of a colony sim with the emergent storytelling of a roguelite oceanic expedition is incredibly promising.

Rogue Carrier is slated to bring its deep production chains, tense naval combat, and multiversal progression system to PC soon.

What do you think of Rogue Carrier’s unique blend of seafaring and colony management? Let us know in the comments below!

Find out more here

#RogueCarrier #HoodedHorse #WildFields #StrategyGames #ColonySim #IndieGames #PCGaming #Roguelite #GamingNews #TechMash
10th July 2026
Silent Shadows: Raw Fury and Fool Moon Announce Wordless, Card-Based Mystery Hillthorn

Indie gaming powerhouse Raw Fury has officially teamed up with Montreal-based developer Fool Moon to unveil their latest project: Hillthorn. If you are a fan of atmospheric, mind-bending thrillers that trust your brain to do the heavy lifting, you’ll want to put this one on your radar immediately.

Following in the eerie footsteps of Blue Prince and The Seance of Blake Manor, Hillthorn is a hauntingly dark, card-based investigation game where the ultimate challenge isn’t just solving the crime—it’s doing it without a single word spoken.

The Setup: Silence on the Mountain

The premise of Hillthorn drops you straight into an unsettling, isolated alpine nightmare. A child has gone missing along the treacherous, maze-like mountain trails of a secluded town. You play an outsider tasked with unravelling the truth, but there’s a massive catch: the tight-knit local community, known as “The Flock,” has absolutely no interest in talking to you.

Instead of relying on heavy dialogue trees, text boxes, or voice-acted interrogations, the entire mystery unfolds through visual Clue cards.

A World in Cards: Every unsettling detail, hidden motive, and environmental secret is physically represented as a card. Players must use pure logic and sharp intuition to Investigate, Explore, and—in some bizarre instances—”communicate” with these cards to piece together the narrative.

Mechanics That Play with Time

Finesse is key if you want to extract information from the highly suspicious locals, but you won’t have the luxury of taking your time. In Hillthorn, time is your most scarce resource.

The clock actively ticks down with every action you take, forcing a stressful trade-off between being thorough and being fast. Interestingly, the developers have teased a mechanic that allows you to revisit untrodden paths, hinting at a loop structure where backtracking is possible—but it comes at a distinct, eerie cost.

Why We’re Excited

Raw Fury has a phenomenal track record for publishing games with distinct, unforgettable identities (Sable, Norco, Cassette Beasts), and Hillthorn fits perfectly into that curated lineup. Stripping away dialogue entirely places a massive emphasis on visual storytelling, environmental design, and player agency. It’s a bold mechanic that could make for one of the most uniquely immersive detective games in years.

Watch the Announcement Trailer

Check out the debut trailer below to get a first glimpse of the game’s striking, silent aesthetic:

Hillthorn is coming to PC via Steam, and an updated demo is already live for players who want to start testing their detective skills right away. Head over to Steam to play the demo and add it to your wishlist today!

Find out more here

#GamingNews #IndieGames #Hillthorn #RawFury #FoolMoon #PCGaming #MysteryGames #CardGames #SteamDemo #TechMash

10th July 2026
Tanks Can Fly Now: Indie Roguelite ‘DroneTanks’ Smash-Hits Its Way to Announcement
Forget everything you know about tank warfare. The days of crawling over muddy trenches at five miles per hour while squinting through a rigid iron cannon are officially over.

Belgian indie developer Ludum Elite has officially pulled back the curtain on its debut PC project, DroneTanks, and it’s throwing the traditional military blueprint completely out the window. Instead of a sluggish war machine, this upcoming single-player roguelite puts you in the cockpit of a flying, superpowered, steel-plated hero that trades long-range sniper standoffs for devastating, up-close melee combat.

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to deliver a crushing hammer slam to an enemy scout drone from 50 feet in the air, this is the game for you.

Heavy Armour Meets Superhero Agility

At its core, DroneTanks reimagines the tank as an agile, mechanical superhero. Your flying tank moves with an aggressive, relentless pace, allowing you to soar through the skies, dodge incoming fire, and drop right into the middle of hostile robotic squads.

Instead of just trading projectile fire, your primary tools of destruction include:
- Devastating Uppercuts: Rocket-boost into oncoming aerial targets and launch them into orbit.
- Crushing Hammer Slams: Bring the weight of a multi-ton flying tank directly down onto ground forces.
The developers have paired this high-flying brawling with deep, real-time buildcrafting. During each run, you’ll unlock branching skill trees, buy shop upgrades, and mix-and-match powerful ability modules dropped by fallen enemies. Because you can combine these traits freely, Ludum Elite promises that you can craft absurdly overpowered, highly experimental “hero tank” builds, ensuring that no two runs ever play out the same way.

The Mission: Step into the chassis of a mechanical hero on a rescue mission to save adorable, glowing “Gemlings” from the rogue security automation network originally built to protect them.

Low-Poly Charm Meets Rhythm-Driven Chaos

Visually, DroneTanks boasts a highly stylised, cartoonish low-poly aesthetic brought to life by expressive, punchy animations that give your armoured avenger a distinct personality.

But don’t let the clean, vibrant art style fool you—the game features a brilliant, rhythm-driven twist during major encounters. The game’s audio engine is dynamically tethered to its boss fights. For instance, when facing down the notorious “Disco Boss,” the soundtrack directly dictates the enemy’s movement patterns and bullet-hell attacks. To survive, free the captured Gemlings, and win the day, you’ll have to time your dashes, uppercuts, and hammer drops perfectly to the beat.

Playable This Summer!

While DroneTanks is launching first as a feature-rich, high-replayability single-player roguelite, Ludum Elite has already noted that they have long-term plans to introduce a chaotic multiplayer mode later in development.

Can’t wait to test out your aerial boxing skills? You won’t have to wait long. Ludum Elite has confirmed it will be debuting a fully playable build of DroneTanks at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne. Attendees will be able to check out the campaign tutorial, explore three distinct biomes, experiment with the skill tree, and go head-to-head with the rhythm-based final boss. Find them at the “Home of Indies” booth in Hall 10.2.

Keep your eyes on TechMash for more updates as we get closer to the showcase, and get ready to wishlist it on Steam soon!

Find out more here

#DroneTanks #IndieGames #GamingNews #PCGaming #Roguelite #LudumElite #Gamescom2026 #TechMash
10th July 2026
Ready to Ascend? Bonfire Studios Drops Arkheron Closed Beta This July!
The wait is officially over for one of the most anticipated competitive action games of the year. Bonfire Studios—the heavy-hitting independent developer headed by former Blizzard Chief Creative Officer Rob Pardo—has announced that the Closed Beta for Arkheron will officially kick off on July 15, 2026.

If you managed to get a taste of this fast-paced, isometric PvPvE brawler during Steam Next Fest back in February, you already know how chaotic and thrilling it is. For everyone else, get ready: you have exactly two weeks to jump into the Tower, test your builds, and experience a massive wave of post-playtest upgrades.

What is Arkheron?

If you haven’t been keeping tabs on it, Arkheron is a unique blend of team-based MOBA dynamics, battle royale tension, and action RPG mechanics. Teams of three fight their way up a surreal, shifting Tower constructed from fragmented memories.

The big twist? There are no fixed heroes or classes. In Arkheron, your items are your heroes. You loot, combine, and adapt your abilities mid-match on the fly. What you carry defines your playstyle, allowing you to completely pivot your strategy to counter rival teams as you scale the floors.

What’s New Since Steam Next Fest?

Bonfire Studios hasn’t just been sitting on its hands since February. They’ve taken a ton of player data and community feedback to overhaul the core experience. Here is what to look out for in the Closed Beta:
- Massive Performance Optimisation: The engineers went deep under the hood to parallelise GPU rendering simulation and rewrote the VFX system. Translation? Smoother framerates, zero stutter, and much better performance on your GPU.
- Introducing “Spires” (3v3 Arena): A brand-new mode built around pure combat and build creativity. You’ll load into a ready room, select your gear, battle it out in a best-of-three, and see how high you can climb before your run resets.
- Learning Spires: Totally new to the game? This onboarding mode lets you fight bots in a step-by-step introduction to the complex item system, giving you the space to learn without getting instantly obliterated by veterans.
- Ascension Mode: The peak competitive, multi-team experience where 15 teams battle to ascend the Tower is back with upgraded pacing, better UI, and sharper gameplay clarity.
How to Get Into the Beta

The Closed Beta runs from July 15 to July 26, 2026.

TechMash Tip: If you get an invite via Steam, check your library—the “Arkheron Playtest” will automatically convert to the “Arkheron Closed Beta.” Even better? Being invited automatically grants you three extra Steam friend invites so you can assemble your squad right away.

Servers will be live 24/7 for the Spires mode, while the hardcore Ascension queue will be open during peak regional windows (7 PM – 11 PM BST for UK and European players) on select days.

Head over to the Arkheron Steam Page right now to request access and secure your spot in the Tower.

Find out more here

#Arkheron #BonfireStudios #GamingNews #PCGaming #Xbox #ClosedBeta #PvP #IndieGames #SteamNextFest #TechMash #Gaming
10th July 2026
Arcane Fantasy Beckons: ‘Utopia: Birth of the Heroes’ Lands on Steam Early Access This Month!
Indie gaming fans, it’s time to expand your wishlists. Mana Core Game Studios has just dropped a major announcement regarding their highly anticipated debut title. The Monterrey-based studio has officially revealed that Utopia: Birth of the Heroes will launch on Steam Early Access on July 27!

If you’ve already played through the gripping five-chapter demo currently available on Steam, you know exactly how captivating this world is. Starting later this month, you’ll finally be able to dive much deeper into this dark, beautifully crafted arcane fantasy realm.

What is Utopia: Birth of the Heroes?

Developed by a passionate two-brother team (Dante and Daniel Arjona), Utopia: Birth of the Heroes is a character-driven, choice-heavy visual novel. Set in a war-torn medieval fantasy realm, the narrative doesn’t follow your typical “good vs. evil” tropes. Instead, it revolves around three distinct protagonists—Frederick, Diomedes, and Eskil—each driven by their own conflicting, intense vision of what a “perfect society” should look like.

The Early Access Deal: Diving into Early Access gives you immediate access to Chapters 0 through 17, which covers the entire first half of the game! That translates to roughly 8 to 10 hours of rich, narrative-driven gameplay. Even better? Everyone who jumps into Early Access will automatically receive the full game upon its official launch.

Why You Should Keep an Eye on This One
- Morally Grey Dilemmas: Your choices ripple across kingdoms. A heroic decision from one protagonist’s perspective might just be an absolute tragedy for another.
- Massive Replayability: With branching paths, multiple perspectives, and numerous distinct endings, your choices genuinely dictate the fate of the world.
- Stunning Atmosphere: The game features gorgeous hand-drawn artwork and an incredibly atmospheric, emotionally charged score composed by Peter Reid Jones.
- Community-Driven Polish: Mana Core is using this Early Access period to actively collaborate with players, refining the narrative pacing, UI, and localisation before the 1.0 release.
Alongside the release date announcement, the studio also unveiled a brand-new character spotlight trailer for Eskil Ilhamy, giving fans a closer look at the steady, calculated perspective of the game’s third playable hero.

Mark Your Calendars!

The journey to find out what you’d sacrifice for a perfect world begins in earnest on July 27. Head over to Steam right now to check out the 5-chapter demo and add Utopia: Birth of the Heroes to your wishlist!

Find out more here

#UtopiaBirthOfTheHeroes #ManaCoreGameStudios #VisualNovel #IndieGames #SteamEarlyAccess #PCGaming #FantasyGaming #IndieDev
10th July 2026
Make a Splash! Aquapark Tycoon Drops Highly Anticipated Early Access Release Trailer
If the summer heat has you daydreaming about massive water slides, lazy rivers, and endless wave pools, indie developer Boxelware has the perfect digital antidote. The team has officially dropped the Early Access Release Trailer for Aquapark Tycoon, locking in a launch date that is just around the corner.

Grab your virtual trunks: Aquapark Tycoon is officially making its splash onto Steam Early Access on July 22, 2026.

Dive Into the Chaos (With Friends!)

The brand-new trailer showcases exactly how far the game has come since its initial demos. While it retains that cosy, playful aesthetic tycoon fans love, the depth of the building tools looks incredibly robust.

Here are the biggest highlights revealed in the trailer:
- Unhinged Slide Editor: The absolute star of the show. You have full creative control to engineer towering, twisting water slides. Want a practical family ride? Easy. Want a vertical drop that sends your guests hurtling through the air at questionable speeds? Go right ahead.
- Deep Pool Customisation: You aren’t just placing pre-baked assets. You can customise swimming pools by their exact shape, depth, temperature, and even water type.
- Co-op Multiplayer: One of the biggest surprises in the trailer is the confirmation of online co-op. You can team up with friends to build a massive resort together—or just mess up each other’s carefully planned layouts.
- Wellness & Saunas: It’s not all adrenaline. You can construct luxury saunas, setting custom infusion schedules and choosing essential oils to attract guests looking for a peaceful retreat.
- Streamer-Ready Features: The game will launch with built-in Twitch integration, letting your live viewers pop into your park as guests. Watching your chat get swept down a chaotic waterslide is bound to be top-tier entertainment.
Packed with Content at Launch

Boxelware isn’t skimping on the Early Access content. When the gates open on July 22nd, players will have access to 45 different pools, slides, and saunas, alongside 18 unique shops for food and merchandise.

If you like structure, the game includes 13 objective-driven scenarios to test your management mettle against seasonal changes and financial strain. Prefer to just build? The Free Play sandbox mode spans 8 different biomes and 4 themed worlds (Pirates, Fantasy, Tropics, and Antiquity) with zero financial restrictions.

Watch the Trailer & Try the Demo

The trailer perfectly captures the lighthearted chaos of running a park that may or may not meet standard safety regulations. If you want a taste of the action before the July 22nd release, a free demo is currently live on Steam.

Check out the trailer, add it to your wishlist, and get ready to build the ultimate aquatic paradise.

Are you ready to build the ultimate water park, or are you just going to launch your guests into orbit? Let us know in the comments below!

Find out more here

#Gaming #AquaparkTycoon #TycoonGames #IndieGames #SteamEarlyAccess #PCGaming #Boxelware #SimulationGames
10th July 2026
Twisted Tower: The BioShock-Meets-Disneyland Nightmare FPS Lands This August!
Step right up, thrill-seekers and horror fans! If you’ve ever looked at a vintage theme park mascot and thought, “Yeah, that thing definitely wants to eat my soul,” then we have some brilliant news for you.

Saber Interactive’s 3D Realms publishing label and indie developer Atmos Games (the brilliant minds behind Pinstripe and Neversong) have officially pulled back the curtain. Twisted Tower, the atmospheric action-adventure FPS set in a deeply unsettling, abandoned 1950s amusement resort, is officially launching on August 18 for PC via Steam!

This Ain’t a Small World After All…

Described as a macabre cocktail of BioShock meets Willy Wonka, Twisted Tower drops players into a beautifully twisted, retro-inspired funhouse that has long since been abandoned by regular tourists. Instead, the park’s resident fairy-tale mascots have been cooped up for decades—and trust us, they are absolutely dying to give you a “hug.”

Your objective? Battle your way to the summit of the tower, survive the deadly traps, solve twisted puzzles, and try to rescue the love of your life.

Check out what you are getting with your ticket to the park:
- Five Hauntingly Immersive Levels: Explore a gorgeous but terrifying 1950s resort across uniquely themed zones, including a creepy hotel, a dilapidated waterpark, a clown casino, a carnival forest, and a retro-futuristic space station.
- Punchy, Bloody Gunplay: Face off against legions of corrupted mascots in fast-paced, hard-hitting FPS action.
- A Toyish (But Deadly) Arsenal: Forget your standard assault rifles. You’ll be upgrading and wielding a wacky array of weaponry, featuring a whack-a-mole mallet, a rubber-band pistol, a dart-throwing Tommy Gun, a bubblegum-spitting chain-gun, and even a “farting” shotgun.
- High Replayability: The game features dozens of unique paths to discover on different playthroughs, ensuring that your ascent up the tower feels fresh, unpredictable, and entirely personal every time.
- Bizarre Traversal Mechanics: Collect weird toys as you progress to unlock new ways to jump, dash, and grapple your way up the structure.
“Twisted Tower splices Disneyland and BioShock together to create a macabre world of mischief and mayhem.”

Mark Your Calendars for August 18

Led by industry veteran Thomas Brush, Atmos Games has a stellar track record for crafting games bursting with distinct artistic style and deep emotional narratives. Backed by the action-heavy pedigree of 3D Realms, Twisted Tower is shaping up to be one of the most unique indie shooters of the year.

The gates to the resort officially open on August 18. Head over to Steam right now to add Twisted Tower to your wishlist and prepare for the ultimate ride from hell.

Are you brave enough to make it to the top? Let us know in the comments below!

Find out more here

#TwistedTower #3DRealms #AtmosGames #SaberInteractive #IndieGames #GamingNews #FPS #HorrorGaming #SteamGames #PCGaming #RetroHorror
9th July 2026
Hatch & Sell: Minsgon Simulator Free Prologue Drops This July!
If you’ve ever wanted to combine the creature-hatching joy of Pokémon with the absolute retail chaos of running a fantasy shop, your highly specific dream is about to come true. Developer Vokcen and renowned simulation publisher PlayWay S.A. have officially announced that the free prologue for Minsgon Simulator is set to launch on July 15, 2026.

Get ready to manage your shelves, train mythical beasts, and build the ultimate magical business.

What is Minsgon Simulator?

At its heart, Minsgon Simulator is a unique blend of a market management sim and a creature collectathon. Instead of just stacking normal groceries on a shelf, your inventory consists of mysterious, evolving fantasy creatures called Minsgons.

The free prologue launching on July 15 serves as a limited standalone version, giving players a firsthand look at the core gameplay mechanics before the full game hits Steam Early Access.

Key Features to Expect in the Prologue

The prologue will offer a solid taste of the magical grind, allowing players to jump straight into the basic loop of the Minsgon world:
- Hatch & Discover: Find mysterious eggs and watch them hatch into unique, stylised Minsgons.
- Tame & Evolve: Take care of your creatures, train them, and watch them evolve into spectacular, majestic forms.
- Build Your Shop: Manage, customise, and expand your storefront to attract more customers and sell rare creatures.
- The Magical Exhibit: Design a beautiful garden showcase to show off your collection and boost your shop’s fame.
The King of Quirky Sims Strikes Again

Publisher PlayWay S.A. is legendary in the PC gaming space for backing immersive, wildly addictive simulation titles. By teaming up with developer Vokcen, they look to be bringing that same deep, mechanical simulation layer to a dark fantasy, colourful aesthetic.

Whether you want to carefully curate a rare collection or just ruthlessly flip legendary beasts for maximum profit, Minsgon Simulator is shaping up to be a perfect weekend time-sink.

Mark Your Calendars: The free Minsgon Simulator: Prologue goes live on Steam on July 15. Head over to Steam now to add it to your wishlist and prepare for incubation day!

Find out more here

#MinsgonSimulator #IndieGames #SimulationGames #PlayWay #SteamNext #GamingNews #TechMash
9th July 2026
High Stakes, Dark Vibes: DEAD SPIN is the Horror Slot-Machine Deckbuilder of Your Nightmares
Move over, traditional card battlers. There is a new, twisted player entering the roguelike deckbuilding arena, and it wants you to gamble with your literal life.

Independent developer Strong Monkey Games has officially revealed DEAD SPIN, a deeply unsettling horror roguelike deckbuilder that swaps out the standard sword-and-sorcery decks for something far more addictive—and deadly. The game is heading to PC via Steam, and the best part? You don’t have to wait to see if luck is on your side, because an open Steam Playtest is live right now!

Check out the official announcement trailer below to see the madness in action:

Step Inside the Abandoned Casino

DEAD SPIN drops you into a grimy, abandoned casino where you are forced into high-stakes slot-machine duels against a cast of lunatic gamblers and masked captors. This isn’t just about pulling a lever and hoping for three cherries; it’s a tactical psychological battle where chance meets deep strategic planning.

To survive, you’ll need to master the art of the spin. Instead of drafting a traditional deck of cards, you shape your luck by building out a deck of symbols, chips, and coins.

Cheat the Odds or Face the Punishment

The game brilliantly blends roguelike meta-progression with intense risk-management strategy. Here is what you can expect when you sit down at the cabinet:
- Massive Synergy Scaling: With over 250 collectable items at launch—including 100+ special symbols, 50+ special chips, and consumable trinkets—you can stack effects, trigger massive score multipliers, and manipulate the rules to bend the odds in your favour.
- Eclectic, Dangerous Bosses: Every run pits you against more than eight unique opponents. Each boss boasts their own distinct playstyle, custom decks, and dirty tricks, forcing you to completely pivot your strategy based on whatever random loot you uncover.
- The Retro Horror Aesthetic: DEAD SPIN looks like a cursed VHS tape unearthed from the late ’90s or early ’00s. Its grimy, low-fi presentation is dripping with dark, grotesque humour and an oppressive atmosphere that turns every bad spin into a heart-pounding moment of dread.
- Endless Mode: Think your build is completely broken and unstoppable? Test it against relentless, scaling challenges long after you finish the main progression.
Join the Open Steam Playtest Right Now!

If you love the tense strategy of Balatro or Luck be a Landlord, but wish they had the sinister, mind-bending atmosphere of Inscryption, DEAD SPIN is a must-play.

There are no keys required and no waitlists. Simply head over to the official DEAD SPIN Steam Page, hit “Join the Playtest,” and see if you have what it takes to outscore your captors and spin for your freedom.

DEAD SPIN is slated for a full release on PC via Steam in late 2026. Make sure to add it to your Wishlist to support the developers!

Find out more here

#DeadSpin #StrongMonkeyGames #HorrorGames #Roguelike #Deckbuilder #IndieGames #SteamPlaytest #GamingNews #PCGaming #TechMash
9th July 2026
Alternate-History Soviet Madness: Hardcore Retro FPS ‘HMUR’ Locks In September Steam Demo!
Boomer shooter fans, it is time to stretch those trigger fingers. Publisher Valkyrie Initiative and solo developer FoxusSexus have officially announced that the highly anticipated demo for HMUR is dropping on Steam this September 2026.

If your idea of a good time involves lightning-fast movement, pulse-pounding electronic beats, and zero room for error, this is one indie title you need to put on your radar immediately.

Brutal Combat Meets Soviet Sci-Fi

Developed entirely by a lone dev, HMUR is a high-speed retro first-person shooter that feels like a beautiful, chaotic love child of Hotline Miami, Dusk, and the retro-futuristic Soviet aesthetic of Atomic Heart.

Set in an alternate-1990s USSR, you step into the boots of Sergei—a humble utility worker trapped inside a classified facility in the city of Mirnogorsk after a catastrophic disaster. Instead of fixing pipes, you’ll be blasting your way through relentless hordes of enemies.

The catch? One hit can mean instant death. HMUR features high-stakes, one-life gameplay where speed and absolute precision are your only mechanics for survival. Stop moving for even a second, and it’s back to the checkpoint.

Check Out the Fresh Gameplay and New Visual Style

The announcement comes right alongside a brand-new trailer, giving players a look at fresh, meatier gameplay footage and an updated visual style. FoxusSexus has been hard at work polishing the environmental details, and the new gritty, psychedelic look pairs perfectly with the game’s non-linear level design.

Here is what you can look forward to when the demo drops:
- Frantic ’90s Gunplay: Pure, unadulterated retro FPS action where momentum is everything.
- Branching Levels: Hit a brick wall on one path? Take a different route through the facility.
- High Stakes: Limited resources and fragile health mean every single bullet counts.
- A Killer Soundtrack: Blast enemies to an original blend of techno, hard bass, and breakcore.
Following its selection as one of the top 50 finalists at The Indie Premier 2026, HMUR is shaping up to be one of the most exciting solo-developed projects of the year.

How to Play

The HMUR demo will be publicly available on Steam in September 2026. In the meantime, you can head over to the official Steam page right now to check out the new trailer, look at the upgraded graphics, and add it to your wishlist so you don’t miss the launch.

Are you ready to survive the madness? Let us know in the comments if you’ll be downloading the demo this autumn!

Find out more here

#HMUR #RetroFPS #BoomerShooter #IndieGames #ValkyrieInitiative #SoloDev #SteamDemo #GamingNews #TechMash
9th July 2026
Bend Reality and Master the Elements: Fading Echo Splashes Onto PC This July!
The indie RPG scene is about to get a massive jolt of adrenaline—and a lot of hydration. If you’ve been craving an adventure that rewards raw creativity over predictable button-mashing, your next obsession has an official arrival date.

Independent publisher New Tales and debut developer Emeteria (a powerhouse studio formed by industry veterans) have officially announced that Fading Echo will launch on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

Best of all? This highly anticipated elemental action-adventure RPG will be available for an incredibly wallet-friendly $19.99.

Become One With the Flow

In Fading Echo, you step into the fluid shoes of “One”, a young Legend gifted with the rare power of Æther. Your mission? Save a fracturing multiverse and a dying desertscape from the clutches of a reality-warping, malicious force known as the Paradox Corruption.

What sets Fading Echo completely apart from the standard RPG crowd is its brilliant systemic gameplay. Water isn’t just an aesthetic here; it is your ultimate weapon and traversal tool. Players can dynamically shift between human form and a living fluid sphere to surf through pipes, slip through cracks, and crash down on enemies.

You’ll need to master water across all three of its states—liquid, vapor, and ice—to solve mind-bending environmental puzzles and survive.

Creative Combat is Survival: The world reacts dynamically to everything you do. You can mix your water abilities with environmental hazards like lava, toxic waste, and Paradox corruption to trigger massive, explosive chain reactions. If you can dream up an elemental interaction, physics will probably let you pull it off.

A Star-Studded Cast Across Shifting Realities

To survive the Paradox, you’ll have to cross into alternate, fractured versions of the same space where resources shift, hazards evolve, and the rules of engagement change entirely.

While the battlefield is volatile, you won’t be entirely alone. The game features a beautifully realised narrative brought to life by an absolute powerhouse of an English voice cast. Narrative RPG fans will instantly recognise elite talents like:
- Samantha Béart (as One)
- Matthew Mercer (as the ruthless Paradox leader, Maddock)
- Laura Bailey (as Vellum)
- Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, and Jasmine Bhullar
Pair that star power with a stunning, dynamic original soundtrack composed by Maxwell Sterling, and Fading Echo is shaping up to be an absolute feast for the senses.

Lock In Your Calendar

For just $19.99, Fading Echo is delivering AA-level ambition, premium voice acting, and innovative physics-based combat at an indie price point.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 21, 2026, to grab it on Steam or Epic Games Store. (And if you’re a console player, don’t fret—PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are confirmed to follow later this year!)

Are you ready to bend reality? Let us know in the comments if you’ll be wishlisting Fading Echo ahead of its launch!

Find out more here

#FadingEcho #IndieGames #RPG #NewTales #EmeteriaStudio #PCGaming #Steam #EpicGamesStore #GamingNews #TechMash
9th July 2026
Kill the Dealer: Bloodthief Dev Announces Grimdark Blackjack Roguelike ‘Blackout Jack’
If you spent 2025 pulling off high-speed, hyper-violent vampire parkour in the overwhelmingly positive boomer-slasher Bloodthief, solo developer Blargis is about to hand you a completely different kind of deck. But don’t expect a relaxing night at the casino.

Blargis has officially pulled back the curtain on Blackout Jack, an upcoming story-driven, grimdark blackjack roguelike heading to PC via Steam. And if you’re eager to try your luck, you won’t have to wait long: the game’s first Steam playtest is officially launching on July 15.

The House Always Wins… Until You Kill the Dealer

Blackout Jack twists the familiar, high-stakes math of classic blackjack into a tense, tactical struggle for survival. Set in the rain-slicked, crooked alleys of a seedy medieval city, this isn’t just a game about beating the house—it’s a game where the house wants to take your literal mortality.

The core loop places you at a table against a sinister, death-dealing dealer. Your ultimate, secret objective? Murder him. To do that, you’ll need to survive card rounds by building insane combos and powerful deck synergies. You aren’t just hitting or standing; you’ll be manipulating the odds using:
- Card-altering elixirs and boons to bend the rules.
- Life-paid chips and multipliers to maximise your damage.
- Strange relics were purchased from the local hostess using blood gems.
“I wanted to create an experience that blended a strong sense of mystery and narrative with the kind of gameplay where numbers keep going up and every run feels like it can spiral into something bigger.” — Developer Blargis

Explore a City Built on Secrets

What makes Blackout Jack particularly intriguing is that the game doesn’t end at the edge of the card table. When you step away from the dealer, you’ll be able to roam the grim midnight streets of the city.

The urban underbelly is populated by unscrupulous characters, shady denizens, and fellow conspirators. By exploring, you can uncover hidden tools like lockpicks and poisons, pick up cryptic lore, and buy vital items to stack the deck in your favour for your next run.

Naturally, death is a heavy feature in this grimdark world. But in true roguelike fashion, a gruesome game over isn’t the end. While death resets the night, you keep essential knowledge. Every failed run brings you one step closer to decoding the dark conspiracy binding the city together and permanently forcing the dealer to cash out.

Join the Playtest on July 15

If you love the psychological tension of Inscryption mixed with the addictive, rule-breaking card math of Balatro, Blackout Jack looks like it’s going to be a must-play.

Head over to the official Blackout Jack Steam Page right now to hit that wishlist button, and keep your eyes peeled for the playtest drop on July 15!

Find out more here

#IndieGames #BlackoutJack #GamerNews #Roguelike #Deckbuilder #SteamGames #PCGaming #Grimdark #Bloodthief #Blargis
9th July 2026
Goats Speaking Latin? ‘Huntin’ Buddies’ Is Your Next Chaotic Co-Op Obsession
If you and your friends thought meeting quotas in Lethal Company was stressful, wait until you’re tasked with hauling a massive, exploding deer carcass through a cursed forest.

The team at Huntin’ Buddies Wildlife Management has officially announced that their upcoming 4-player co-op horror-comedy hunting game, Huntin’ Buddies, is officially locking in its Steam release date for July 24th, 2026.

Pack your bags and grab your gear, because we are heading into a forbidden national park where the laws of nature have completely gone out the window.

The Job: Meet the Quota, Don’t Die Trying

The loop of Huntin’ Buddies sounds simple enough on paper:
1. Accept your hunting contract via a pager.
2. Head into the pitch-black national park at night.
3. Hunt the assigned wildlife, grab the massive carcasses, and drag them back to the truck.
4. Get paid and survive to see another day.
Easy, right? Not exactly. The game features realistic, highly volatile carcass physics. You and your friends have to physically move the heavy bodies by hand back to extraction. Pull too hard or overstretch the carcass? It explodes. Add in limited ammo and one-shot kills, and every single bullet counts.

“The Wildlife Has Been Behaving Strangely…”

Here is the real catch: you aren’t just hunting normal game. The developers have issued a strict warning that the local ecosystem is deeply corrupted.

We aren’t talking about standard rabies here. We are talking psychological horror. The deer have both eyes on the same side of their head, the goats are apparently speaking fluent Latin, and the longer you stay out past dark, the more the forest starts hunting you back. As the 15-night campaign progresses, each night gets increasingly cursed. Creepy anomalies, screaming rabbits, and things that definitely aren’t supposed to exist will begin stalking your squad. You either extract together with your quota met, or you become part of the park’s food chain.

Wishlist and Play the Demo Now!

Huntin’ Buddies features full drop-in multiplayer, shared contract progress, and proximity voice chat—perfect for hearing your friend scream as they get dragged into the brush by a creature.

If you want a taste of the madness before the official July 24th launch, there is currently a three-night demo available right now on Steam to test your survival skills. Go grab your squad, throw it on your wishlist, and get ready for the most chaotic camping trip of the year.

Find out more here

#GamingNews #HuntinBuddies #CoOpGames #IndieGames #SteamReleases2026 #SurvivalHorror #PCGaming #TechMash
9th July 2026
Trust No One: Jackbox-Style Party Game ‘Forest of Deceit’ Brings Cursed Traitor Mayhem This July

If you’ve ever watched The Traitors or stayed up late playing Werewolf and thought, “I could definitely trick my friends into a swift and sudden demise,” indie developer Ghost Camp has some fantastic news for you.

Today, the studio officially announced that Forest of Deceit, a Jackbox-esque social deduction party game built for 4 to 8 players, is officially launching on July 13th. Best of all? It’s dropping everywhere—hitting Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Survival of the Fittest (and the Fakest)

The premise of Forest of Deceit is brilliantly simple, yet custom-made for maximum friendship friction. You and your friends find yourselves stranded in a vast, sprawling forest. A lethal storm is brewing on the horizon, and if you can’t band together to construct a safe shelter in a matter of days, the entire group will perish.

To survive, you’ll need to venture deep into the woods to gather crucial building resources. The catch? The forest itself is heavily cursed, and it has already driven some of your companions completely mad.

If the Traitors successfully stall construction until the storm rolls in, they win. However, it wouldn’t be a true social deduction game without some heated finger-pointing. Every few days, the group will gather to discuss the recent chaos and vote out who they suspect is actively sabotaging the camp.

No Controllers? No Problem.

Borrowing the best page out of the Jackbox Party Pack playbook, Forest of Deceit eliminates the hassle of passing around multiple controllers. Only the host needs to own a copy of the game. Everyone else can jump right into the lobby using their own smartphones, tablets, or web browsers.

This makes it an incredibly accessible casual party game, accommodating everyone from hardcore strategy enthusiasts to non-gamer family members. It also features fully customizable house rules, giving it endless replay value for local couch co-op sessions or remote Discord game nights via screen-share.

Oh, and there’s a massive cherry on top for sci-fi and fantasy fans: the entire game is narrated by the legendary Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who and Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit trilogy).

Mark Your Calendars: Forest of Deceit releases on July 13th across PC and major consoles. Gather your group, boot up your browsers, and prepare to find out which of your friends is an absolute snake.

What do you think?

Are you ready to test your lying skills, or are you usually the first one voted out? Let us know down in the comments!

Find out more here

#ForestOfDeceit #GhostCamp #SocialDeduction #IndieGames #GamingNews #TheTraitors #PartyGames #JackboxStyle

9th July 2026