top of page
Writer's pictureXPN Network

Indie Spotlight - July


I love video games. I also really love indie games! So welcome to our new monthly feature giving spotlight to a selection of Indie Games!

Below are a handful of Indie Games I have had the pleasure of playing this past month. Check out what I thought of them and give them a play this month! Support Indie Devs!


SCREAMING LOAF:

Screaming Loaf is a wacky 2D puzzle platformer! You play as a loaf of bread and you scream at enemy jam jars to shatter them. Split into sliced bread to be in multiple places at once, do this to solve puzzles and defeat far-apart enemies more efficiently. Screaming can also be used to interact with the environment; for example, screams can inflate hot air balloons, activate levers, and propel you across water. Don't let the fiendish fillings catch you, or they'll turn you into sandwiches! I really enjoyed this game, while its a little rough around the edges graphically/audio wise it is a unique and funny premise. With its low price and 129 unique levels to play through (as well as unlockable accessories for your loaf of bread) why wouldn't you want to play this game?! 7/10 CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE



DEFEND FROM CANDYLAND!:


The trees are under attack from the evil candy, you need to Defend from Candyland! Build up a plant based defence to protect the trees from both land and air. Try to overwhelm them by planting the whole field with your defences, or prioritize a few choice plants and level them up, the choice is yours!


Work your way through the levels to try your skills against numerous preset map layouts and minion waves, or head into endless mode, where the waves are endless, and the board is completely clear for you to make your own, how long can you last? This top down tower defence game will keep you occupied for hours, and with the cute pixel graphics it is suitable for all ages.


I love a good tower defence game! Whilst this game has pretty simple pixel based graphics, it's a very fun experience. There are some very punishing levels in terms of challenge/difficulty but as this game is still in early access it shows alot of promise - the dev is even looking at adding a level editor too! 7.5/10


CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE



GALACTICON:


Galacticon is a video game with the look and feel of arcade cabinet games from the early 80'sin the style of Williams classics: "Defender" or "Joust", with the gameplay of legendary "Jetpac", and with touches of "puzzle" to increase bonus points and enter your score in the local high score table or even in worldwide high score table.

Humans are tiny creatures of an outer belt planet that thanks to their biomechanical monstrosities have invaded, exploited ans enslaved most species in the galaxy.

The interestellar council has met for the first time in eons and has determined that there is only one option left to exterminate this plague... an option that has always been feared beacuse it could be as powerful as dangerous:

Invoke the Galacticon, a deadly legendary creature -half God, half machine- and pray everything goes well...


I loved Retro like games that use 8-bit graphics. This game throws me back to my childhood of playing joust on the Atari 2600 but with much more thrown in for good mix and a gorgeous art style. The game has infinite levels with a progressive difficulty curve so you can keep replaying over and over to get that sick high score! This is a fantastic arcade experience that everyone should try and I love that they have optimized it to be used in arcade cabinets - great for a DIY homebuild setup! Galacticon is a must for retro 80s arcade lovers!


9/10


CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE


LIFE OF PEPE: Life of Pepe is a colorful survival game for one or two players, with split screen local co-op! Add or drop a second player at any time. Craft your way through eight distinct worlds. Explore at your own pace as you strive to free the land from a hostile grumling invasion. A non-linear, sandbox approach allows players to forge their own paths and find creative solutions to challenges. The early levels provide plenty of content for casual players to enjoy, but true grit and careful planning are required to reach the final boss! Good luck out there and remember to stay hydrated.


Don't let the graphics fool you on this one. They may be simple, but the gameplay isn't. The survival mechanics are great and the game really gives you the feeling that you have the freedom to do and play however you want. I highly recommend playing with a friend but the drop in drop out co-op allows you to keep playing whether you have friends or not! This is a great game to play with a child and is a good introduction into this kind of genre. There's also alot of content for the price and you can gather resources, craft weapons and tools to help you survive, fight enemies, farm and even tame and ride animal companions!


7.5/10 CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE



JEEBO & JERBO VS. LIFE CHAPTER 2: Jeebo & Jerbo vs. Life is a story focused Metroidvania/Party Based JRPG told in chapters! The overworld plays like a standard 2D Metroidvania where unlocking new party members allows you to access previously inaccessible locations due to their unique movement abilities! For example, Jeebo can wall jump, and Jerbo can pogo jump off of normally dangerous obstacles. It differs from standard Metroidvanias in that when you encounter an enemy the game switches into a Party Based JRPG where you must strategize your actions in order to succeed!


Chapter 2 contains four playable characters, each with their own unique movement abilities to help aid in exploration and each with their own move set for use in battles! In this chapter, taking place directly after the events of chapter 1, the party will venture to a new unknown land across the canyon in Bosquapital Forest: Mr Somewhere, the home of the Mr. Somethings. There they will meet new and familiar faces (including a mysterious wizard named Wandalf) who will help guide them towards discovering a sinister plot from CeratoCorpâ„¢. I previously reviewed chapter 1 of Jeebo & Jerbo Vs. Life. Check out my video review below! This chapter is actually paid downloadable content for the original over a brand new stand alone game. Chapter 2 is more of the same, but the dev has definitely took some of the feedback from Chapter 1 and it feels like a much more enjoyable experience this time around. 7.5/10 CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE


CRAFT HERO:

Gather resources, design, build, and upgrade the base and produce supplies; research weapons, deploy traps and towers, recruit mercenaries and set out to the dynamic generated dungeons, and defeat the Dark Lords one by one!


Another game that is still in early access. Craft Hero is a fun little game at a decent price. It does get abit grindy for my taste, but there are a variety of classes to play as and a mix of survival sandbox and tower defense mechanics with a sprinkling of automation thrown in for good measure. With the planned additions of new bios and dungeons when it gets to full release - the game definitely shows promise!


6.5/10

CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE



ALIEN SCUMBAGS:


Alien Scumbags is a sci-fi action platformer with a big slice of horror and a stack of pop culture references. You'll run, hide and kill across several levels, collect items from capsule machines and unlock characters. The year is 20XX, the earth has been ravaged by nuclear wars and our only hope is the research shuttle Nostrami. Unfortunately the ship has been incommunicado for 48 hours now. That's were you come in! You are Master Chef, a bad ass space marine and it's your job to explore the dark corridors of the Nostrami to find out what events occurred. This game is fantastic. If you love over the top gore, retro styled graphics and humour then this will be right up your street. You can feel the nostalgia ooze from it as you play through the 18 different interactive environments on offer. There are 11 unlockable characters (each with their own unique perks) as well a secrets, data disks and golden eggs to find throughout the game as well as tons of references to other games and movies. The game also has an endless mode too which is great fun! I definitely recommend playing this with a controller - A fantastic shooter you don't want to miss out on!

9/10


CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE



MANGO MISCHIEF:

Mango Mischief is a throwback to a simpler time - the 16-bit era of video gaming - when JRPGs used (and abused) cliché storylines as vehicles for showing off interesting battle mechanics, difficult dungeons and monsters, complex puzzles, character leveling systems, and customizability through skills, upgrades, and gear.

Mango Mischief is an enjoyable classic style JRPG that not only pays homage to the old school JRPGS but also parodies them as well with fourth wall breaking segments and a well written narrative! The game features cool enemy art, a large open world to explore and 4 different party members to play with. The combat is the classic turn-based battle system so if you have ever played one of the old final fantasy games you will feel right at home. 7.5/10 CHECK IT OUT ON STEAM HERE


And that's it for our July Indie Spotlight Segment! Have you played any of the games above? Do any of them tickle your fancy? Let us know in the comments below! If you're an indie dev and would like us to check out your game, fire us an email via the contact form or contact us on Twitter and we will take a look! We try to play and cover every game we get send a copy of!

147 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page