Plus, Steam Next Fest, food-based horror games and a bunch of Dispatch updates.
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Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. There are some neat new games you can play this weekend and we'll take a look at a few that are on the way. However, much of the attention this week is on Steam Next Fest. The latest edition of the event, which includes thousands of demos, runs until Monday.
The week ran away from me, so I haven't played too many demos yet. I did enjoy playing a chunk of Emberville recently, and the whole prologue's now available for you to dive into. Progress carries over into the full game, which is out on October 27.
I absolutely had to carve out time to check out the demo for Golden Retriever Simple Life, which I've had on my wishlist since I first saw it last year. This is an FMV life sim in which you take care of a golden retriever named Pichu. The demo runs for a week of in-game time, during which you'll feed, pet, play with, train and go on adventures with this very good boy. Mechanically, it's pretty light, but I absolutely do not care because this game is utterly lovely so far. I can't wait to play the full thing in February.
I'm planning to check out other demos this weekend, including one of the big hits of this edition of Next Fest, the cyberpunk shopkeeping sim Probably Stolen. Also on my to-do list are the Backrooms-style puzzler Geodyssey, propeller plane schmup Iron Skies, 2D Metroidvania with no jump button Moonbrella and comedy game My Arms Are Longer Now, in which you pull off heists with a very long arm.
On the news front, there was an ID@Xbox Showcase this week, along with one from Critical Reflex. The former included release dates for A Game About Digging A Hole Together (December 4) and Mouthwashing on consoles (October 29), as well as a release window (March) for Croak, a platformer I've had on my radar for a while.
As well as platform updates, demo announcements and something we'll get to later, Critical Reflex Time included two wild game reveals. In the surreal RPG amFM, you'll hop between dimensions and create machines to defeat your enemies. To survive in Keykruncher, your character has to eat keyboards. Gosh, I love indie games, don't you?
Developer: Team Peak Publisher: Aggro Crab, Evil Landfall? Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2. Already on SteamPrice: $10
One of the biggest indie hits of 2025 is now on consoles. Co-op climbing game Peak is a collaboration between developers from Aggro Crab (Another Crab's Treasure) and Landfall (Content Warning). Players work together to ascend mountains with layouts that change every day. Peak blends survival and chaos to great effect, and it has a terrific canvas for viral, funny moments. It's mostly about friends helping (and sometimes hindering) friends, and the inclusion of cross-play should help with that.
When Peak debuted on Steam last year, it cost $8, though an initial discount to $5 helped it take off — it has now sold more than 23 million copies. The console versions will run you $10, however.
Nick Kaman, one of Peak's developers, told Game File the team has doubled how much content is in the game since its initial release, "which necessitates that we double the perceived cost of the game from 5 bucks to 10 bucks, even though the game price for consoles is only literally going up by 2 bucks. If we were really smart we'd go to 12 bucks which is basically 10 bucks, but we decided to have mercy."
Developer/publisher: Excellent Rectangle Platform: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck Verified; leaving early access), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, SwitchPrice: Usually $20, with a 10 percent discount on Steam until October 30
Tape to Tape is an arcade hockey roguelite in which you'll unlock abilities, players and other upgrades that will help you on your quest to stop a team of "evil golfers" from destroying one of Canada's national sports. Those scoundrels!
After choosing a squad (each of which has its own rules and playstyle), you'll take on an array of opponents that includes a soccer team and "farting princesses." You can find synergies between abilities that could help make your team feel unstoppable. It's hockey, so you'll get into fights too. Your buds might be able to help out, as here's co-op support for up to 10 local players.
Until this week, Tape to Tape had been in early access since 2023. The developers say they've upgraded the audio and visuals, revamped the campaign, and improved gameplay mechanics.
I much prefer arcade sports games to sims, so I might give this a bash. Also, I adore the name of the developer, Excellent Rectangle. That's a killer Parks and Recreation reference.
Developer: Pigeons at Play Publisher: Devolver Digital Platforms: Steam (Windows; leaving early access), PS5 Price: Usually $15, with a 50 percent discount on Steam until November 3. Also on PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium
I've played a few missions in Mycopunk, a stylish co-op looter shooter. I dig the grungy, Moebius-inspired art direction and the fast, frenetic action. The gist is that you're helping to wipe out a fungus that's taken over a planet. The infected enemies are modular, so there's some strategy involved as you try to focus on certain parts you want to disable first. However, you'll need to account for other baddies, as they can pick up and use dropped weapons.
I really like the weapon upgrade grid, as it offers many ways to experiment with off-the-wall builds. There are lots of other smart, thoughtful touches here, including a hub that's actually fun to explore and mess around in. Mycopunk doesn't quite feel sticky enough for it to slot into my regular rotation just yet, but I've flown solo thus far. Maybe it'll feel different if I can pull a squad together and jump in with them.
Developer: Filthy Eden Publisher: Critical Reflex Platform: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck Verified) Price: Free
Perhaps you're trying to save cash for the next Steam sale or a certain blockbuster that's out on consoles next month, but you're looking for something new and scary to play in the run up to Halloween. Cucina Stellata might check the boxes, especially because it's free. It was announced and released during the Critical Reflex Time showcase.
This is a short psychological horror game set in the Italian countryside in the 19th century. The trailer doesn't give too much away of the game's scary side outside of some squelchy sound effects, but the cooking aspect looks interesting. If you'd like to support the developer, there's a $5 "supporter pack" DLC. It offers illustrations as well as recipes from Cucina Stellata that you can put together IRL.
Developer/publisher: James Muirhead Platform: Steam (Windows) Price: Usually $5, with a 10 percent discount until November 4
Here's a good reason why it's smart for developers to promote their games in every relevant space they can think of. I found out about Grease Trap '99 after its creator posted about it in r/Scotland on Reddit this week. I'm glad James Muirhead did that, because this game looks right up my street.
It's a horror mystery with a dash of comedy that takes place in a fish and chip shop in the Scottish Highlands. At first glance, the setting looks like every "chippie" I frequented while I was growing up, but here something is growing beneath the floor. It's up to you to deduce what's what. Grease Trap '99 has retro, low-poly visuals and it's a short game that should take less than an hour to complete. It's fully voice-acted in Gaelic, which I speak maybe two words of. There are English subtitles, thankfully, so I plan to eat this one up.
Publisher/developer: AdHoc Studio Platforms: iOS, Android. Already on Steam, Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, LunaRelease date: December 9 Price: $20, though the first four episodes are free on mobile
AdHoc Studio had lots of Dispatch news to share for the game's first anniversary, including the mobile release date. The superhero workplace comedy from ex-Telltale Games developers now has a commentary mode (with 16 hours of cast and crew commentary) and an option to play the entire game with storyboard animatics. Those modes are available as part of the deluxe edition. You can upgrade to that from the standard edition for $11.
