Chowdown Kitty, developed by Lunar Peace and published by indie.io, is a Match 3 puzzle game where your goal is to simply find treats and feed adorable kitty friends. If you’ve ever played a game like this, like Candy Crush or Bejewelled Blitz, for example, you know it’s an easy type of gameplay that allows you to pop in and out as you have the time or inclination to do so.  The difference here is that the items you are matching are cat treats of a variety of shapes, each level (and cat) have their preferred treats as well, and you will get additional scoring for matching these treat choices.

Totally Normal Creature brings this micro-tale game to life. I’d say it’s a fairytale (only because a fairy tells the story), but it’s much deeper and sometimes darker than I could have imagined. Fortune and Misfortune both vie to twist mortal lives into branching stories. The game is written is delightful rhyming couplets and has moments of levity and darkness that I wasn’t prepared for. You choose who to play as, the computer plays your opponent. First one of you is designated to start by applying a bane or boon to up to 3 of you (or your opponents) mortal cards.

Roll or Die is a minimalist, physics-based arcade game where you must maneuver a rolling ball through a crumbling environment and through obstacles across three modes: Time Attack, Endless Runner, and Obstacle Course. Speed, precision and momentum are the name of the game, both a necessity and a curse. It’s definitely a game where you can drop in and play a few rounds, but it's also addictive with a ‘just one more run’ mentality. Time Attack places you in the center of a zone where your only obstacle is to stay alive as long as possible.

Ride through the apocalypse with your friends on a school bus in BUS: Bro U Survived. Herbarium Games brings you this co-op story-driven adventure, and I was excited to dive into the Prologue recently. Playable with 1-4 players, you will fight zombies, gather resources, solve puzzles and help other survivors while you try to uncover the truth behind the current fate of Fang Island. Starting off at the menu, there is a little bit of character customization. A decent variety of options to give your character a little bit of personality and flair.

Nova Antarctica, by RexLabo and PARCO GAMES, is an indie gem that places you in the winter wonderlands of Antarctica in a distant future Earth that has long faded into desolation. The South Pole remains a beacon of hope, and a signal under the ice hints of possible resources still there. A 3D, third-person experience with 360 camera control and stamina-based movement, this story-based survival game was nothing like I expected when I first saw the trailer. Somehow, it was both more basic and deeper at the same time. You are an unnamed person of small stature (are you a child?); your past is a mystery.

Roll or Die is a minimalist, physics-based arcade game where you must maneuver a rolling ball through a crumbling environment and through obstacles across three modes: Time Attack, Endless Runner, and Obstacle Course. Speed, precision and momentum are the name of the game, both a necessity and a curse. It’s definitely a game where you can drop in and play a few rounds, but it's also addictive with a ‘just one more run’ mentality. Time Attack places you in the center of a zone where your only obstacle is to stay alive as long as possible.

Nova Antarctica, by RexLabo and PARCO GAMES, is an indie gem that places you in the winter wonderlands of Antarctica in a distant future Earth that has long faded into desolation. The South Pole remains a beacon of hope, and a signal under the ice hints of possible resources still there. A 3D, third-person experience with 360 camera control and stamina-based movement, this story-based survival game was nothing like I expected when I first saw the trailer. Somehow, it was both more basic and deeper at the same time. You are an unnamed person of small stature (are you a child?); your past is a mystery.

Ride through the apocalypse with your friends on a school bus in BUS: Bro U Survived. Herbarium Games brings you this co-op story-driven adventure, and I was excited to dive into the Prologue recently. Playable with 1-4 players, you will fight zombies, gather resources, solve puzzles and help other survivors while you try to uncover the truth behind the current fate of Fang Island. Starting off at the menu, there is a little bit of character customization. A decent variety of options to give your character a little bit of personality and flair.

Mark your calendars, Indie Game fans. The first Steam Next Fest of 2026 is on the horizon, and I can’t wait! Running from February 23rd through March 2nd, you’ll be able to check out hundreds of demos, watch live streams and even participate in some Q&As with the devs of these recently released and upcoming indie games. All the demos are free, and you may find a rare gem or even a new genre of game for yourself. Remember to wishlist these games, join the communities and provide feedback once you play the demos.

Mark your calendars, Indie Game fans. The first Steam Next Fest of 2026 is on the horizon, and I can’t wait! Running from February 23rd through March 2nd, you’ll be able to check out hundreds of demos, watch live streams and even participate in some Q&As with the devs of these recently released and upcoming indie games. All the demos are free, and you may find a rare gem or even a new genre of game for yourself. Remember to wishlist these games, join the communities and provide feedback once you play the demos.

Checkmate in the Wild West – Chess Adventure is a game that hadn’t been on my radar, and honestly, something I likely wouldn’t have sought out as someone who isn’t very good at chess. But sometimes life gives you a chance to branch out and try something new, and you just say yes. So, saddle up for a Wild West chess adventure where you cross paths with bandits, sheriffs and hustlers. Solve puzzles, challenge characters, buy power-ups and determine your destiny in a game where your choices matter. You can play a simple mode and learn more about chess.

Urban fantasy is a unique genre in gaming. It blends elements of folklore and fairytales in a more modern setting. Herdling is a brand-new adventure from Okomotive, who are known for creating the acclaimed atmospheric FAR games, and Panic, publishers of the beautiful Firewatch game. Herdling also does something even more unusual in gaming; it combines urban fantasy with cozy elements of light socialization and animal care. Waking up under a bridge, you make your way out into the city. Nothing is really explained, but it’s clear that some life-altering event had taken place.

Running Fable Petite Party is a colourful, wild and unpredictable spin-off from Running Fable. Brought to you by Seashell Studio, you can battle your way through 16 competitive mini-games and try to dominate the tabletop party board. Every round gives you an opportunity to taunt your friends, steal victory and cause mayhem. This is a party game meant to be played on one screen with your friends, though, locally, up to 4 players. There is no online gameplay with friends, unfortunately.  You can choose to play the mini games solo as well, though, just not the board game mode. 

I love a great sim game, and there aren’t many that I won’t at least take a closer look at when I see them pop up on my social feeds or in one of the stores. Ultimate Grandma Simulator looked and sounded just quirky enough to check out. Being an ‘older’ gamer, I often joke about feeling like a grandma in the gaming sphere, and I thought this game, by developers Circo and PlumPointTwo, would be a bit of a laugh. While I did, indeed, have a lot of emotions while playing this, laughter was barely present, unless in frustration.

Winter Burrow immediately captured my attention with its adorable storybook look when I first saw it announced. It’s classified as a family-friendly survival game, and that genre really isn’t something I am familiar with, so I was curious how the devs at Pine Creek Games would approach it. The nature of survival games can be quite dark. Normally, your character starts with nothing other than the drive to find food. Once you find food, you will learn additional skills and attempt new goals. While Winter Burrow challenges you to live through a freezing winter as a small mouse, it is family-friendly in the fact that nothing truly gruesome happens.

Full disclosure, I’m a fan of Fable. This content will be biased in that I’ve been a fan of the franchise for a long time. When Lionshead Studios closed in 2016, I had lost all hope of another Fable game. Fable came out in 2004, Fable II in 2008, and Fable III in 2010. I won’t go into the subsequent games, but that trio consumed countless hours of my life. In 2017, Phil Spencer (Head of Xbox) mentioned that the franchise had " a lot of places it could go”, and my hopes were renewed.

I had the pleasure of first playing Gloomy Eyes for the ID @ Xbox Indie Demo Fest and was immediately captivated. I couldn’t wait to play more. I was even more excited once I realized that the full game had launched on September 12th, so I didn’t have to wait to dive into this Tim Burton-esque world again. Developed by 3Dar, Be Revolution Gaming, ATLAS V, ARTE France, and Fishing Cactus and published by ARTE France and Untold Tales, I am normally a little nervous when a game has so many teams involved.

I had the pleasure of first playing Gloomy Eyes for the ID @ Xbox Indie Demo Fest and was immediately captivated. I couldn’t wait to play more. I was even more excited once I realized that the full game had launched on September 12th, so I didn’t have to wait to dive into this Tim Burton-esque world again. Developed by 3Dar, Be Revolution Gaming, ATLAS V, ARTE France, and Fishing Cactus and published by ARTE France and Untold Tales, I am normally a little nervous when a game has so many teams involved.

Full disclosure, I’m a fan of Fable. This content will be biased in that I’ve been a fan of the franchise for a long time. When Lionshead Studios closed in 2016, I had lost all hope of another Fable game. Fable came out in 2004, Fable II in 2008, and Fable III in 2010. I won’t go into the subsequent games, but that trio consumed countless hours of my life. In 2017, Phil Spencer (Head of Xbox) mentioned that the franchise had " a lot of places it could go”, and my hopes were renewed.

Winter Burrow immediately captured my attention with its adorable storybook look when I first saw it announced. It’s classified as a family-friendly survival game, and that genre really isn’t something I am familiar with, so I was curious how the devs at Pine Creek Games would approach it. The nature of survival games can be quite dark. Normally, your character starts with nothing other than the drive to find food. Once you find food, you will learn additional skills and attempt new goals. While Winter Burrow challenges you to live through a freezing winter as a small mouse, it is family-friendly in the fact that nothing truly gruesome happens.

I love a great sim game, and there aren’t many that I won’t at least take a closer look at when I see them pop up on my social feeds or in one of the stores. Ultimate Grandma Simulator looked and sounded just quirky enough to check out. Being an ‘older’ gamer, I often joke about feeling like a grandma in the gaming sphere, and I thought this game, by developers Circo and PlumPointTwo, would be a bit of a laugh. While I did, indeed, have a lot of emotions while playing this, laughter was barely present, unless in frustration.

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Staffer Case: A Supernatural Adventure is, no surprise, a supernatural thriller. Comprised of a complex narrative, interesting characters and an intriguing setting, Team Tetrapod has brought something outside my norm for me to review. I wasn’t sure what to think about a supernatural murder mystery visual novel, but it didn’t take long for the Korean developer to capture my attention. You play as Notrick (Note) Case, an American travelling to London for the first time. When you first meet the sharp-dressed man with a fountain pen curled into his hair, he’s sitting in a cab on his way to his new workplace.

Gaming is often full of games that are focused on competition between friends or online players, or story-driven solo adventure games. Cozy co-op adventures are a bit rarer, but here comes Studio Mantasaur (with support from Wikkl), a four-person development team from the Netherlands, to change that. They have released their first game, All Hands on Deck, a cozy 2-player co-op puzzle platformer adventure available on Steam and Switch. Players can jump into this easy-going title where you play as two cheerful hands named Lefty and Righty. You will work together to solve puzzles, collect trinkets, and save your plushie friends.