Respawn Point

Today marks a huge occasion for indie video games, as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes the most-nominated game at The Game Awards (as per VGC).

I’m here to celebrate another week of awesome indie games, releasing between November 17 and 23. There are plenty of cozy games, some sure-to-become favorites, and an absolutely packed Monday. Seriously, I had to cut myself short or this list would just have been full of nothing but November 17 games. (Meanwhile, Nov 22 and 23 are so sparse that I left them off entirely. Go figure!)

Note: I haven’t personally played these (yet!), but I’ve hand-picked some of the most interesting upcoming releases—most of them indie!

Steam Games Releasing Nov 17:

• Leaf Blower Co. by LifT Games: Like Power Wash Simulator, but you’re clearing leaves instead of caked-on dirt. Looks just as satisfying.
• The Berlin Apartment by btf: A cool stylized game about the journey of one single apartment throughout the years, as it goes through different times and owners. This one has gorgeous art, and the concept makes me think of Unpacking.
• The August Before by Silly Little Games: Another Unpacking-esque game, this time in 3D and with a filter over the whole thing that makes me nostalgic just looking at screenshots.
• Umami by Mimmox: Put together cute food puzzles by rotating and placing blocks in the right spots. There are 15 hand-drawn puzzles to solve and absolutely no time limits. (A code for this game was kindly provided to me by Mimmox, but I haven’t personally tried it yet).
• Abra-Cooking-Dabra by Door 407: A cooking card game that looks like a wild ride through resource management. Oh, and your cat is your boss.
• Little Aviary by Tom Daly: I’m pretty biased here, but I love birds. So, the idea of having little pixel birds hanging out at the bottom of my screen is just delightful.
• BLUMA by Potaco Studio: Join an adorable magical chinchilla named Bluma on an adventure through a puzzle platformer where you create the platforms.

Steam Games Releasing Nov 18:

• Myths are 100% True by LeatherIceCream, ClayGod: Did I just step back in time to the height of Newgrounds? Because that’s what it feels like, in the best possible way. The description says it all: “Myths are 100% True is a Fast-Paced Combat-Platformer that feels like X-Files if it was made by 12 year olds back in 2008.” Yes, please!
• A Pinball Game That Makes You Mad by Azimuth Studios: I love it when games don’t hide how much rage I can expect. This one looks like pretty ridiculous fun, with just one button to control and an absurd pinball course straight out of your dreams (or nightmares).
• The Diner at the End of the Galaxy by General Interactive Co.: Today is a good day for great game names, clearly. This one takes a restaurant manager and combines it with interplanetary life and exploration, with a touch of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for a delicious sci-fi game about food.
• Morsels by Furcula: Another game about food in a very different way. Morsels is a roguelite creature collector where the “creatures” are sentient food. It’s giving me flashbacks to Bugsnax and I love that.
• Good Morning My Darling by Kova: A sweet point-and-click about a young girl who wakes up to find strange things happening in her home, and her roommate missing. This is a solo-dev project with hand-crafted visuals and music, and even has 8 endings, 33 achievements, and a unique menu depending on the last ending you got.

Steam Games Releasing Nov 19:

• Demonschool by Necrosoft Games: A tactics RPG where you plan out your moves, then unleash them all at once for contextual action. You can also set your demon school schedule and befriend 15 unique characters. Plus, it looks stunning.
• Jinagan by Reinfree: This quick, one-hour-long platformer that’s heavy on the atmosphere and story. I’m intrigued, in part because the description is written as a poem.
• Not My War by 24-Pack Studios: This is a top-down stealth-survival game that stars a ferret. I don’t usually play stealth games but this looks great to my untrained eyes.

Steam Games Releasing Nov 20:

• Saborus by High Room Studio: You’re a chicken in a slaughterhouse, and you would very much like to not be in one. Escape!
• Project Thea by MuHa Games, Eerie Forest Studio: This is a tactical survival RPG with inspiration from Slavic folklore and a clear love letter to classics like Fallout.
• Organized Inside by Meox Studio: Yes, this is another organizational sticker-type game. No, I will never have enough of these. Plus, it looks extra cute.
• Neon Inferno by Zenovia Interactive: A very cool, retro-style side-scrolling beat-’em’-up.
• Cursed Companions by Crimson Forge Studios: I’ve heard a bit about this. You run around with your friends, defeating monsters using voice commands. But if you say the forbidden word, you doom everyone!
• Retrace the Light by Xiaming Game: This looks like a solid 2.5D action game, with fluid, futuristic attacks and an interesting concept of retracing your steps.

Steam Games Releasing Nov 21:

• Following Seas by Whipstaff Games: Sail into this ship simulator, complete with realistic controls and environment. It looks beautiful, and I’m surprised it’s this studio’s debut!
• Terrifier: The ARTcade Game by Relevo: This is apparently a tie-in game for the Terrifier franchise, which I’m sorry to say I’m not familiar with. It still looks like a good time, rampaging through a retro arcade world as a killer clown.
• Duckoleon by Pumancz: Recreate historic battles from Napoleon’s era, except you’re a duck. Enough said!
• Boardfall zero by Follow the fun: Interesting take on chess that turns it into a tactics game that progressively increases in difficulty as new enemies fall onto the board.