6 indie games from The MIX's GDC showcase today
The MIX kicked off GDC with a showcase of 60 upcoming indie games. That's a lot. If you want some good recommendations, you've come to the right place.
Today, as part of the ongoing Game Developer’s Conference, Kinda Funny and The MIX hosted a showcase of sixty indie games revealed over a nearly two-hour livestream. Of course, that’s far too many games to list out here, so today, I want to focus on a few games that caught my attention. Although, I highly recommend you check out the entire livestream on YouTube if you’re a fan of video games, and especially if you’re a fan of indie games. The stream was long, but it was thankfully broken into a few sections like RPG games and horror games, so you can home in on what you are interested in.
Six games that caught my eye from The Mix’s GDC showcase today
These games are all from independent developers so please, if something looks interesting to you, remember to add them to your Steam or GOG wishlist. It’s a free and easy way to support cool games and helps the developers prove that there is a groundswell of interest in their game. Many of the games showcased today also have demos or playtests available, so you don’t have to wait to get a feel for what they are like to play.
- Six games that caught my eye from The Mix’s GDC showcase today
- Gunboat God
- Stunt Xpress
- Fresh Tracks
- Hirogami
- Shadow of the Road
- Vessels of Decay
- Conclusion
Gunboat God
Kicking off the showcase was a game with a stunning art style, Gunboat God. I know that name probably doesn’t ring as highly artistic at first, but the developer Janson RAD made some undeniably cool visual choices. Pilot a gunboat in a 2D, side-scrolling, action-packed shoot ‘em up that reaches Vampire Survivors levels of chaos. Balance your vessel on the surface of the water, but you don’t have to stay there all the time. Jump into the air and dive underwater as enemies approach from all sides. Behind you is a colorful background, but you, the water, and your enemies are all binary black and white, making for a unique visual appeal.
As the protagonist, you’ll learn to work with an engineering crocodile to upgrade your boat with all kinds of over-the-top weaponry and abilities. Explore various biomes and fight challenging bosses. An interesting note from the showcase, part of Gunboat God’s visual style comes from its animation process. The developer “just likes animating stuff” so each sprite was created first in 3D, then exported to 2D, which gives them a unique appearance and movement style. Currently, Gunboat God is planned for a release early next year, but there is a Playtest available now on the game’s Steam page. Just sign up and Steam will let you know when you are granted access. When I signed up, I got immediate access, so the same thing could happen to you!
Stunt Xpress
An action rogue-lite with procedurally generated arenas where you earn points for pulling off sick stunts and tricks, earn useful tools and upgrades to fend off enemies, and deliver packages. I’d be impressed if you guessed that Stunt Xpress is a game about becoming the raddest delivery van driver you can be. Enter procedurally generated worlds, or arenas, full of ramps and places to drop off packages. You can earn points for completing various tasks, delivering parcels, or performing awesome tricks, or delivering a package while performing an awesome trick!
Stunt Xpress is being developed by Rafael Goncalves and Pineapple Works. The trailer caught my attention for its sense of humor and what I’m sure will be a great time exploring procedurally generated worlds with a wild physics engine. Plus, I’m curious to see what other vehicles can be unlocked. Stunt Xpress is planned to be released sometime this year, but no exact release date yet. It was previously delayed out of 2024, so maybe that means we won’t have to wait too much longer.
Fresh Tracks
Perhaps the most clever name of the whole showcase goes to Fresh Tracks, a first-person action rogue-like rhythm game on skis. What really sold me on this idea, aside from the incredible premise, was what Music Director Yao Wang said: “Every time someone plays [Fresh Tracks], they should feel like the soundtrack was written just for them and for that exact playthrough.” What I can gather from the trailer is that the gameplay has the player skiing forward but hopping left and right to avoid obstacles. Unlike some rhythm games where the player chooses a track or song to play, Fresh Tracks gives the player several choices to take their own path.
Like any good rogue-like, Fresh Tracks has various upgrades that can be found and collected throughout each run. So not only is this game full of unique music according to each player’s playthrough, but the gameplay will also vary depending on what charms the player encounters and what choices they make. Fresh Tracks doesn’t have a release date yet unfortunately, and no demo either, but I’ll be keeping it on my Steam wishlist for now.
Hirogami
Hirogami, which I’m learning now as I write this, is being developed by Bandai Namco Studios Singapore and Mayalysia, so not sure if it counts as an indie, but it still looks cool anyway. In Hirogami, you play as Hiro, a paper hero who has mastered the art of folding. Hiro is able to fold himself into various origami shapes, from animals to planes, in order to traverse, explore, and take on enemies.
Hirogami is a 3D platformer that takes place in a paper world being invaded by strange digital creatures. Meet various characters like a gorilla, a frog, an armadillo, and maybe a few non-animal characters too. But the great thing about those animal characters is that Hiro will be able to take on their shape, unlocking useful traversal and combat abilities. The armadillo can roll into a ball, the gorilla can climb and pound the ground, while the frog has a much higher jump. I am very curious to see how this one ends up working out. Hirogami has not announced a specific release date yet, but is still expected to be released sometime this year.
Shadow of the Road
From Another Angle Games comes a unique tactical CRPG set in feudal Japan. But don’t let that setting fool you, Shadow of the Road is full of fantastical magic, guns, and steampunk machines. This turn-based RPG takes the player through an immersive story-driven adventure in this unique setting. Battle against other humans, yokai, and massive mechanical hulks as you use your katana to carve your own path through this story.
Shadow of the Road is being published by Owlcat Games, the developers behind Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, who know their narrative-rich RPGs. There is still a lot we don’t know about Shadow of the Road, but today’s trailer announced an open alpha period where anyone can sign up for an opportunity to try out the game. Just go to the game’s Steam page and sign up for the playtest for a chance to try out this atmospheric RPG. Currently, there is no exact release date announced for Shadow of the Road, but with an open alpha in process, it can’t be too far off.
Vessels of Decay
I have had my eye on Vessels of Decay from Simon Jakobsson and Aurora Punks for a while now. This pixel-art, retro-inspired action adventure takes place in a post-apocalyptic Scandinavia, meaning it’s full of references to myth and folklore from that region. Vessels of Decay has a playtest active now, so head to the game’s Steam page for a chance to try it out.
Vessels of Decay might be a retro-inspired game, but the action still looks excellent. One character is shown flipping through the air to attack a larger opponent, and at one point, grabbing a small enemy and swinging them around in a circle before hurling them at a stone wall. I’m very interested in getting a chance to try out this combat system and see how it works. Vessels of Decay doesn’t have a release date yet, but the Steam page does say 2025, so hopefully that is accurate.
Conclusion
That’s all for this article! But remember, there were tons of other great video games shown during today’s showcase, so if these sound great to you, chances are there’s more waiting to be discovered. If anything looks like something you would want to play, add the game to your wishlist. It’s a hugely helpful way to show support to hard-working and creative indie developers.
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