The wait is over, Dreamers. The Being and Becoming open playtest is LIVE NOW on Steam!
Dive into a world where gorgeous, handcrafted pixel art meets a nightmare that warps reality itself. As a rare lucid dreamer, you are the only hope to defy the prophecy of The Word and consume the spirits of the corrupted to save what remains of a dying kingdom.
What’s waiting for you in the Playtest?
The Beginning of the Nightmare: Play through the game’s intro and explore multiple hauntingly beautiful locations.
Master Your Arsenal:Experiment with a redesigned combat system featuring stamina mechanics and both light/heavy weapon archetypes (like the Exalted Axe and Cleaver).
Face the Corruption: Challenge two epic bosses and a variety of regular enemies, including the swarm-heavy “Ghosts.”
New Movement Abilities: Test out the new Slide move, ledge-clinging, and improved platforming responsiveness.
How to Join:
Head over to the Being and Becoming Steam page.
Look for the “Join the Being and Becoming Playtest” banner.
Click “Request Access” and dive into the Collective Dream!
Release Window Update: We are also thrilled to announce that the full journey begins in 2026!
Don’t let the beauty of the forest or the grandeur of the cathedral lull your vigilance—the deeper you descend, the more treacherous it becomes.
Play the Playtest & Wishlist on Steam: https://s.team/a/1917990
If you’ve been craving that classic ’90s arcade adrenaline, Neon Inferno is officially here to deliver! Developed by the legends at Zenovia Interactive and published by Retroware, this is the ultimate love letter to the run-and-gun genre.
Why you need to play:
Pure Arcade Action:ThinkContra meets Metal Slug, but cranked up to 11 with modern fluid mechanics.
Stunning Pixel Art: Every frame is a neon-soaked masterpiece of dystopian chaos.
Co-op Mayhem: Grab a friend and blast through hordes of robotic enemies and screen-filling bosses.
Killer Synthwave Soundtrack: The music alone is enough to get your blood pumping.
The future is dark, but your muzzle flash is bright. It’s time to lock, load, and take back the streets!
Available now! Check it out now and let us know your high score in the comments.
Experience the rush of terminal velocity as you dodge, dive, and survive the drop. If you’ve got fast reflexes and a love for high-stakes arcade action, this is for you.
Fast-paced gameplay
High-score chasing
Retro-modern vibes
Step back into the golden era of arcade gaming. The developers have combined classic 90s aesthetics with modern, addictive mechanics to bring you FREEFALL 95.
Don’t let the pixels fool you—this drop is intense. Can you handle the descent?
Have you ever woken from a dream with a lingering sense of unease, a feeling that something profound and unsettling just unfolded, but the details are frustratingly out of reach? Imagine experiencing that sensation not just once, but throughout an entire game. That’s the captivating and often unsettling experience of The Red Bow: Strange Dream.
Developed by Stranga Games, known for their distinctive pixel art style and emotionally resonant narratives, The Red Bow is a point-and-click adventure that pulls you into a world both familiar and deeply bizarre. You play as Roh, a young girl who finds herself in a strange, labyrinthine place, searching for something she can’t quite remember, guided only by the titular red bow.
From the moment you begin, the game establishes a unique atmosphere. The pixel art, while simple, is incredibly evocative. Each environment, from desolate hallways to eerie outdoor spaces, feels handcrafted and filled with a quiet dread. The colour palette often leans towards muted tones, punctuated by stark contrasts, enhancing the dreamlike and sometimes nightmarish quality of Roh’s journey.
Red Bow: Strange Dream on Steam – https://shorturl.at/6Nzc8
Ahoy, Seafarers! The winds of change have blown across the world of Seablip, bringing with them the largest and most strategically significant expansion since the game first launched in Early Access: the Castle Update! This isn’t just a patch; it’s a monumental addition that reshapes how you interact with the world, offering new avenues for power, defense, and pirate glory.
Here’s a look at what you can expect to find when you set sail for the new content!
Fortify Your Future: New Castle Mechanics
The heart of this update is the brand-new Castle Battle Mode. No longer are you just a roving captain; you are now a lord of the sea with a stronghold to defend (or an enemy fortress to besiege!).
Build Your Own Stronghold: Head to the workbench on your home island to begin Castle Crafting. You can now construct and customize your very own fortress, turning your humble base into an imposing defensive structure.
Siege Warfare: Take the fight to your enemies! Sail the seas and challenge up to 26 enemy castles belonging to the Bluecoats, Redcoats, and Pirates. These are full-scale battles that demand a new level of strategy.
The Player Under Siege: Be warned, captains! Your enemies will now actively lay siege against your castle. You must manage your defenses and crew to protect your hard-earned loot and base.
Deeper Customization and Rebalancing
Beyond the castles, the update includes a major overhaul to ship management, crew progression, and overall game balance, making your journey smoother and your challenges more interesting.
Ship & Equipment Upgrades
More Equipment Slots: The old limit is gone! Ships now have a massive 12 inventory slots for equipment instead of just 3, allowing for much more varied and specialized ship builds.
Name Change: “Ship Upgrades” has been wisely renamed to “Equipment” to better reflect its function.
New Castle Equipment: A variety of new equipment, specifically for fortifying your castle, has been added to the crafting pool.
Crew & Combat Refinements
Companion Crewmate: You can now pick a crewmate to follow you on your adventures! Say goodbye to traveling alone on land.
Level Cap Raised: Your dedicated sailors can now reach Level 20, with new skills learned at Level 4 and Level 10.
Enemy Rebalance: Expect smarter, tougher enemies. The new random layout generator for both ships and castles, combined with an AI priority balance change, means you’ll face fresh, challenging opponents every time you sail.
Wizard Changes: Enemy wizards are slightly slower, especially when grouped up, and they use a new spell layout to prevent spamming—making wizard battles more tactical.
Modding and Quality of Life
The solo developer, Jardar Solli, is laying the groundwork for a burgeoning modding community and has added crucial quality-of-life improvements.
Initial Mod Support: The update introduces an Enemy Ship and Crew Creator found on the Start Menu. While Steam Workshop integration is still planned, players can now create and customize their own enemy content, setting layouts, art, and difficulty!
New Castle Chest: A dedicated Castle Chest and Equipment Storage have been added to hold the specific resources and modules needed for castle building, helping keep your inventory tidy.
Key Binding & UI: Deselecting and switching crew in battle has been streamlined with new key bindings (e.g., Right Click, Num Keys, A/D).
Auto-Save: Auto-save is now added each time you enter the world map (sailing), a small but significant comfort for every captain.
Ready to Claim Your Throne?
The Castle Update is a game-changer that pushes Seablip from a charming pirate RPG to a full-blown open-world strategy experience. Whether you want to focus on building an impenetrable fortress on your home island or become the terror of the seas by tearing down enemy strongholds, this update has something for every kind of captain.
Are you ready to build your legacy and dominate the seven seas? The workbenches are waiting!
Which feature are you most excited to try first—building your own castle or challenging the legendary enemy strongholds? Let me know in the comments below!
In the world of indie games, where massive open worlds and cutting-edge graphics often dominate the conversation, there is a quiet beauty to the narrative-focused, pixel-art experience. This is precisely what solo developer Guanpeng Chen delivers with his newest project: “In Search of the Ice Pop.”
Just announced with its Steam page launch, this short visual novel promises to be a poignant journey back through time, exploring themes of modern melancholy, forgotten connections, and the powerful pull of a simple childhood memory.
The Premise: An Unexpected Nostalgia Trip
The game’s setting is a suffocating summer night in modern society. We follow the life of a young, aspiring writer grappling with a sense of hopelessness. It’s on his way to a convenience store shift—a common, almost mundane experience—that a memory strikes him: a forgotten ice pop, and the “big sis” who took him to the arcade some 15 years ago.
This is the core of the quest. It’s not an epic adventure, but a deeply personal, internal one: Where is she now?
The narrative is positioned as “a story of modern melancholy,” suggesting a gentle, perhaps bittersweet exploration of adult disappointment contrasted with the bright, vivid simplicity of youth.
The Vibe: Pixel Art Meets Strong Narrative
Guanpeng Chen is no stranger to crafting powerful stories through pixel art, having previously released the “pixel art × strong narrative” title, Booth: A Dystopian Adventure. He returns to this style, using the medium to evoke a specific sense of nostalgia and atmosphere.
Visual Style: Expect rich, evocative pixel art that brings the everyday settings—the convenience store, the city streets—to life with a dreamy, almost wistful quality.
Genre: Classified as an Adventure/Visual Novel, the focus will undoubtedly be on the text, dialogue, and emotional resonance rather than complex gameplay mechanics.
The Theme: This isn’t just about an ice pop; it’s a metaphor for a cherished moment, a lost connection, and a simpler time that the main character is trying to recapture in a difficult present.
If you enjoy games that prioritize a strong, emotional narrative and beautiful, retro-inspired aesthetics, this is one to keep firmly on your radar.
Why You Should Watch This Space
In an era of endless content, the promise of a short, nostalgic visual novel is incredibly appealing. It offers a focused, memorable experience that respects the player’s time while delivering a powerful emotional punch.
“In Search of the Ice Pop” is a testament to the power of solo indie development and narrative art. We can’t wait to dive into this quest for a forgotten friendship and the bittersweet taste of memory.
“In Search of the Ice Pop” currently has its Steam store page live, and while the official release date is yet to be announced, you can wishlist it now to be the first to know when this melancholic journey begins!
Are you excited for a story-driven pixel-art game? Let us know your favorite nostalgic indie game in the comments!
In Search of the Ice Pop on Steam – https://s.team/a/2775540/
The year is 2040, the world is a radioactive mess, and only one thing matters: ratings. Developed by Turbo Napalm and published by RedDeer.Games, Nuclear Gladiators 3000 throws you headfirst into the ultimate, deadly, live-broadcast TV show run by the infamous Blaster Vision Channel. If you’re looking for a retro-inspired action roguelite with a Vampire Survivors-style horde-crushing core, look no further—you’ve found your next obsession.
Fame, Glory, and Mutated Hordes
What sets Nuclear Gladiators 3000 apart is its gloriously over-the-top, dystopian game show premise. You aren’t just surviving; you’re performing. Every run is a broadcast, every kill is for the crowd, and your goal is not just to live, but to become a legend of the arena.
What to Expect in the Exclusion Zone:
Action Roguelite Mayhem: Get ready for fast-paced, twin-stick-style combat (or a survivors-like experience if you prefer auto-fire) where the screen is constantly filling with endless waves of filthy mutants and rebel scum. Think bullet-hell meets hack-and-slash, all wrapped in a neat, bloody bow.
Procedurally Generated Arenas: No two broadcasts are exactly alike! Each run throws you into procedurally generated environments, forcing you to adapt your strategy on the fly.
Choose Your Star Gladiator: Pick from several unique Gladiators, each with their own set of skills and progression paths. Finding the right character to match your playstyle is key to surviving past the first commercial break.
Persistent Progression: Death is just a minor inconvenience for a true celebrity. Between runs, you can spend your hard-earned fame and currency to permanently upgrade your equipment, unlock new content, and boost your raw power.
Weapon and Upgrade Arsenal: Collect a massive, wild arsenal of unique weapons and power-ups mid-run. Synergies are everything—combine abilities to create a build that can truly dominate the airwaves.
Boss Battles and Champions: It’s not just cannon fodder! You’ll have to face off against the show’s fearsome Champions—challenging, over-the-top boss fights that will test your skills and your build’s viability.
Retro-Futuristic Vibe
The game nails its aesthetic. The vivid pixel-art style perfectly captures a chaotic, retro-futuristic dystopia that feels ripped straight out of an 80s action movie. The explosions are big, the mutants are hideous, and the sheer amount of chaos on screen is a visual treat. It’s an intoxicating blend of nostalgia and high-octane action.
Are You Ready for Prime Time?
If you love the satisfying loop of a roguelite—die, upgrade, try again, get further—and you crave non-stop action, Nuclear Gladiators 3000 is a must-play. It takes the familiar survivors genre formula and adds a compelling layer of character progression, high-stakes boss battles, and a killer theme.
Do you have what it takes to survive the Blaster Vision Channel and earn a lifetime supply of Dopaminol™? Tune in now and become the bloody star you were born to be!
Nuclear Gladiators 3000 is available now on Steam and Nintendo Switch!
The stars are right for a descent into cosmic horror, but this time, you’re bringing a shotgun. Cthulhu’s Reach: Devil Reef—a self-proclaimed “action roguelike co-op dungeon crawler set in a Lovecraftian universe”—is here to combine the dread of Innsmouth with the frantic fun of a top-down shooter.
If you’re a fan of rogue-lites, pixel-art retro vibes, and the chilling mythology of H.P. Lovecraft, grab your axe and some ammo—we’re diving into the Devil Reef.
A Debt to the Deep Ones
The premise is pure 1920s noir-horror: you’re saddled with crippling debt to a local gangster, and your only way out is a rumoured hidden treasure in the accursed seaside town of Innsmouth, deep within the Devil Reef. What starts as a desperate treasure hunt quickly turns into a battle for survival as the generative dungeons fill with shambling Deep Ones, slimes, and worse.
The game is developed by The Fine Arc and is currently in Early Access on Steam, meaning the developers are actively building and refining the experience with community feedback.
Fast-Paced Roguelike Action
At its core, Devil Reef is a frantic, isometric action roguelike. Think classic twin-stick shooters mixed with the permadeath and procedural generation of a dungeon crawler.
Gunplay and Melee: You start with a simple axe, but quickly unlock and find more powerful weapons like a revolver, shotgun, and flamethrower. Crucially, the game encourages switching between weapons and your basic melee attack to manage the swarms of enemies effectively.
The Roguelike Loop: You will die—a lot. But progression isn’t lost. The gold you amass in a run can be spent to permanently unlock new weapons, which then become available to find in future runs. This meta-progression makes each failure feel like a step forward.
Generative Dungeons & Keys: Navigating the labyrinth involves a classic colour-coded key system (bronze, silver, gold) to unlock doors and find the path deeper. You’ll need to keep moving, manage your resources, and strategically use environmental hazards, like explosive barrels, to clear out the relentless hordes.
Lovecraftian Flair and Retro Charm
Devil Reef delivers its dose of cosmic horror with a delightful retro aesthetic. The pixel art graphics and atmospheric soundscapes immediately evoke a sense of ’90s gaming nostalgia, while the enemy designs—from the aforementioned Deep Ones to other eldritch abominations—are clearly inspired by Lovecraft’s iconic works.
The game’s atmosphere is enhanced by its focus on Incantations. These are stackable upgrades and arcane scrolls that grant your character various powerful effects, sometimes drawn from the Great Old Ones themselves, like Hastur or Cthulhu, allowing for deep, synergising character builds.
Go It Alone or Bring a Crew
One of the standout features is the up to 4-player online co-op multiplayer. While tackling the Devil Reef solo offers a tense, desperate struggle, bringing a team of fellow investigators (or just debt-ridden adventurers) significantly changes the dynamic, emphasising teamwork and covering each other against the enemy waves.
Final Verdict (Early Access)
Cthulhu’s Reach: Devil Reef is a genuinely fun and addictive rogue-lite that successfully marries the dread of the Lovecraft mythos with a speedy, satisfying top-down shooter experience. While the difficulty can sometimes feel a bit spiky and the overall variety is still growing (it’s Early Access, after all!), the core gameplay loop and the promise of more content—including future acts, characters, and a Map Editor—make this a title worth watching.
If you’re looking for an accessible, action-packed dungeon crawler with a generous dose of cosmic horror and a great co-op option, it’s time to test your sanity against the unspeakable things lurking in the Devil Reef.
Have you braved the depths of the Devil Reef? What’s your favourite weapon to use against a horde of Deep Ones? Share your thoughts and favourite builds in the comments below!
Would you like to know more about the recent Act III: Dagon’s Domain update for Cthulhu’s Reach: Devil Reef?
If you’re looking for a game that truly twists your perception of movement and space, look no further than MotionRec. This indie gem from developer HANDSUM and publisher PLAYISM isn’t just another 2D platformer—it’s a brilliantly clever “recording puzzle action” game built around a single, mind-bending mechanic.
The Power of MotionRec: Record, Replay, Conquer
At the heart of the game is your protagonist, Rec, a diminutive civilisation-recording robot navigating a beautifully desolate, monochrome, post-apocalyptic world ruled by machines. Rec’s special ability, gained from a trusty cassette tape, is the power to record and play back its own movements.
Here’s how this ingenious mechanic revolutionises the puzzle-platforming genre:
Ghost Movement: By holding the record button, you capture the exact trajectory of Rec’s movement—walking, jumping, even utilising stage gimmicks.
A Helping Hand (or Robot): Once recorded, you can play back this movement in a new location. Suddenly, that huge chasm is traversable by simply recording a walk on a flat surface and replaying it across the gap.
Defying Gravity: Can’t reach a high ledge? Record yourself riding an elevator upwards, then play back that “ascension” in mid-air to essentially float to your goal!
Tactical Traversal: Later stages introduce complex platforming challenges, like weaving through spike-filled hallways. Recording a perfect zigzag run and replaying it becomes the satisfying key to survival.
The game is constantly introducing new elements—like portals and winches—to layer complexity onto the recording mechanic, ensuring the puzzles stay fresh and engaging right to the end.
A Design Masterclass
MotionRec succeeds not just on its core mechanic, but on its execution and style:
Pixel-Perfect Aesthetic: The black and white, retro-inspired pixel art by m7kenji is simple, effective, and beautifully sets the sombre mood of a devastated world. It keeps your focus squarely on the puzzle at hand.
The Perfect Learning Curve: Reviewers rave that the game is expertly designed, providing a seamless and satisfying journey from simple movement recordings to truly complex, multi-layered solutions that make you feel like a genius.
Surprisingly Deep Narrative: Beyond the puzzles, the game weaves a genuinely impactful story about Rec’s mission to record a lost civilisation. It adds a surprising emotional depth that elevates the experience.
Is MotionRec For You?
If you enjoy thoughtful, brain-teasing platformers like Braid or The Witness, but with an action-packed, moment-to-moment gameplay loop, then MotionRec is an easy recommendation. It’s a tighter, well-paced experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome, with collectables hidden in hard-to-reach places to give completionists extra replay value.
It’s one of those games where the core concept seems simple, but the possibilities are limitless—making every solved puzzle a small, delightful victory.
MotionRec is out now on Steam! Have you had a chance to guide Rec through its journey? Share your favourite movement recording trick in the comments below!
Would you like to know more about the developer, HANDSUM, or perhaps check out the game’s official trailer?
Fights, battles, swords and combat in a gothic style world is what players can expect from the Slain 2: The Beast Within game. This is another one of the hack’n’slash games that reminds us of those retro arcade games from a while ago. This game pushes players to he limit, it requires speed and tactics, do you have what it takes to take on Slain? Slain 2: The Beast Within will be launching next year on PC via Steam.
To find out more about Slain 2: The Beast Within, go to the games page on Steam here https://shorturl.at/LmxOz
Taking inspiration from the likes of Star Trek, the original series is the Deck and Conn game, where players take command of a retro-looking nuclear-powered corvette set just fifteen minutes into the future in the year 1989. This is a single-player turn-based game that mixes together pixel art, strategy and there is a touch of classic Star Trek mainframe game from the 1970s.
To find out more about the Deck and Conn game, go to the developer’s website here https://www.microprose.com/ or go to the games page on Steam here https://shorturl.at/MNB0T
Forget what the title says, this game has not been around for a long time, but despite that, the 9 Years of Shadows game is here and players will enter what can only be described as an epic metroidvania adventure with a glorious pixel art design and a story that keeps us engaged with the game, what more could you want? The 9 Years of Shadows game is available on Xbox and PlayStation now.
Who would have thought that a game about a strange and macabre circus would be so good that it needed a sequel to finish it off? Well, this is the Vlad Circus and the second part of the game is called Curse of Asmodeus. In this game, players are faced with parallel timelines and the twisted mind of the demon Asmodeus. It’s not all doom and gloom, there is a bit of fun to be had along the way, too. Vlad Circus: Curse of Asmodeus will be released on PC and consoles on the 25th of August.
To find out more about Vlad Circus: Curse of Asmodeus, go to the official website here https://www.blowfishstudios.com/vlad-circus-coa or the games page on Steam https://shorturl.at/dyeen
It has to be said that it’s great to hear that the Toxic Crusaders are coming to all platforms this December, taking on Dr. Killemoff and his army of Radiation Rangers as they try to take over Tromaville. This is one of those games that reminds us of arcade games with the pixel art look and plenty of action. Toxic Crusaders will be launching on the 4th of December on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC.
To find out more about the Toxic Crusaders, go to the official game website here https://playtoxiccrusaders.com/ or go to the games page on Steam here https://shorturl.at/wl0x3
