Indie Games & News - 9.12 Report

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Unity has announced a significant industry development this week, stating that starting from January 1, 2024, they will impose an “installation fee” on all qualifying users. If developers have generated revenue and total game installations that surpass the threshold in the past 12 months (the threshold being $200,000 and 200,000 total installations for personal edition users), an additional charge of $0.2 per installation will be levied. The revenue threshold for professional and enterprise edition users is set at $1 million. This decision has sparked strong protests from industry developers, with numerous studios, independent developers, and game publishers expressing their dissatisfaction. Developers, including the creators of “Among Us,” have stated that they will consider switching to alternative game engines and reconsidering the development or porting of their games, stating that they would rather not be taxed “while providing no additional value.”

Chillquarium
Chillquarium is a relaxing and casual idle game where players can purchase fish fry to nurture their own little fish and then sell them to earn income as they grow over time! Start building your own aquarium, from simple beginner tanks to elaborate dream setups. Collect rare and exotic fish species and unlock their unique multi-colored forms!

The RPG Engine
“The RPG Engine” is not an RPG game itself, but rather a 3D modeling RPG tool/engine. It features a rich inventory of props, allowing you to freely build maps in your preferred style. You can modify terrain and create buildings, making it a versatile tool. Additionally, you can also play it as a sandbox game if you prefer.
The game lacks a beginner tutorial, which might make it less accessible for newcomers, as it is not primarily designed as a game. However, the overall construction should be intuitive and efficient, thanks to the organized prop inventory and user-friendly UI.
The advanced version of the engine offers the following features: the ability to access 10k+ assets, the option to invite a player to join the game for free, hidden feature bundles, a complete set of customization options, and the unlocking of paid DLCs.
The game features a rich inventory of items, with a potential of over a thousand different props. It includes almost 80 different animal models. It also offers social features such as dice rolling, fancy fireball effects, chat functionality, and supports music playback and file import.
You have the opportunity to create maps, characters, and environments, which can be used as a virtual tabletop for playing TTRPGs (Tabletop Role-Playing Games) with friends online. You can build bustling cities, create dank dungeons, and populate them with NPCs that interact with the maps you’ve created.

Eternights
This is a romance-themed action-adventure game. The story unfolds in a city surrounded by layers of high walls, where monsters transformed by a virus roam freely. Until one day, the protagonist’s arm is accidentally transformed into a shape-shifting artifact, granting them the power to combat the infected. With time running out, the protagonist must not only shoulder the responsibility of saving the world but also protect their loved ones.
This game combines romance development with monster battles, featuring a skill upgrade system. Players can fight alongside companions, use combination skills to defeat enemies, and also find time for dating to develop relationships with their favorite characters.
A game developed by Sony. Players who have experienced Persona and visual novels are in for a treat. This is an action-oriented text-based RPG that combines elements from the Persona series, real-time combat, and dating simulation.
In terms of the story, you’ll find settings reminiscent of Persona, with “Shadows” and a “Velvet Room.” The Japanese-style dating plot is the starting point of the game’s story, and real-time combat seems to serve a mysterious purpose. Overall, the gameplay is quite enjoyable, with the only downside being the lackluster 3D modeling.

MythForce
Inspired by beloved Saturday morning cartoons, MythForce unites swords & sorcery with gripping 1st-person combat in a new roguelike adventure.
Brave the dungeon alone or join forces with friends to take on an ever-changing Castle of Evil!
Wield legendary weapons and powerful magic to smite hordes of enemies in an immersive fantasy dungeon-crawl through a colorful cartoon castle.
Overall a very well crafted fun game with great hit feedback, good sounds and great art plus co-op. Nostalgia trip limits the target audience potentially

URBO
URBO offers you the opportunity to build towns on floating islands. You’ll watch small houses grow into bigger ones, then bigger ones into even more, slowly filling the space for your town. When you run out of space on one island, a new one will appear, followed by another, and so on until you complete the level.
Dive into the inimitable ambience of URBO, where landscapes delight the eye and puzzles evoke memories of mathematically precise riddles from ancient legends. You shall create cities that can only be seen in dreams. Dreams to be remembered and to which you’d wish to return. URBO is a unique mixture of visual minimalism, relaxing music, meditative game tempo, and puzzles that impress with their elegant solutions.
This Zen-like city-building puzzle game challenges you to find the balance between aesthetics and pleasing the city’s populace.
The rules are quite simple: build houses on the playing field with different geometric shapes. Start with small houses, then move on to bigger ones, and so on. As a result, your city and the number of people calling it home will grow. Perhaps one day, you’ll create a city that can no longer expand. But even then, there will always be new competitive landscapes in different forms, requiring a fresh approach.

Martha’s Dolls DEMO

You are the player, and you have been tasked with investigating the disappearances in Martha’s House . You must find out what is happening. But be warned, the dolls are not to be trifled with. They will stop at nothing to keep you from leaving.

The only way to survive is to find Martha’s House Secrets. It is said that Martha was the one who cursed the village, and only she can break it. But her house is guarded by the most powerful of the dolls, and you will need all your courage to face them.

Can you survive the horrors of Martha’s Hollow and break the curse?

  • The dolls are all different sizes and shapes, and they are all eerily lifelike.

  • The House is filled with the sounds of children’s laughter, but there are no children to be seen.

  • The keys are guarded by the dolls, and you will need to solve puzzles to get them.

  • The game is full of jump scares and other terrifying moments.

  • Realistic Graphics and Gameplay

Deceit 2

Millhaven Asylum, 1979: A chilling occult ritual claims the lives of a once-renowned family, leaving only whispers of the horror behind. This unsolved enigma lay dormant until the audacious Truth Seekers Anonymous dared to unravel it. Now, you’re ensnared, a pawn in the sinister Ritual of Deceit, orchestrated by the malevolent Game Master.

Deceit 2 is an immersive 6-9 player social deduction horror experience that can be played with friends or online via matchmaking. Your goal, escape the Ritual. But beware, two of your party have been corrupted by evil, hiding amongst you in plain sight, empowering the Ritual in order to sacrifice you to the Game Master’s mysterious Benefactors.

At its heart lies the art of deception. Observe, analyse, and deduce, but remember, with ever-changing tools and terrains, strategy is fluid.

The second generation of the 3D version of Werewolf, “Deceit 2,” has increased the number of players from 6 to 9 and has made modifications and optimizations to character modeling. Despite the increase in the number of players, the types and abilities of the werewolves have been somewhat reduced, and they do not inherit data from the first generation. In the original game, weapons and other items are no longer obtained through experience points but through tokens obtained after completing matches, which are then used for drawing prizes.

Ad Infinitum

In Ad Infinitum, you play as a German soldier haunted by the horrors of the Great War. While your mind grapples with memories of your family home and the trenches on the front, you try to break the endless cycle of suffering.

Unspeakable nightmares come to life in the recesses of your mind. To escape the death traps and terrifying creatures, you must understand the source and motivation of each monster and solve the puzzles that stand in your way. From blind demons who can hear your softest footsteps to hideous disjointed puppets who move in the dark, horror is around every corner.

Continuously explore, solve various mysteries and puzzles, and ultimately uncover the story of this war-torn German family.

Bride into the Cave

“Bride into the Cave” is a horror puzzle game about a Miao girl named Miao Fei, who discovers the truth behind an ancient legend and saves her own soul.

This Chinese-style 2D puzzle game combines elements of Nüshu, paper-cutting, folklore, and more, similar to “Paper Marrying Clothes.” The character costumes, music, and patterns all showcase the characteristics of the Miao Minority in western China.

MASKED DEVOURER

You play as young blogger, who loves filming her careless travels in forgotten and forbidden places. She doesn’t believe in mysticism and all sorts of superstitions, but one day, wandering into a strange Japanese city, she completely changes her mind…

MASKED DEVOURER was developed under Silent Hill and Resident evil series games inspiration. But it is a fully original horror story. Includes: unproffesional voice-acting, vhs-audio filter, B-movie plot. Unravel the secret of this town and that uncanny mask!

It has wide-ranged sight, so try your best to avoid any eye contact. Otherwise, your fate will be…clearly not charming. Its creepy walking sound should be an alarm: if it gets louder - be aware! Map includes two separate sections with completely different expirience! Be aware while crossing streets of wide Japanese city area and try not to be lost in liminal space of labyrinth market.

Assault on the Evil Star : First Person

The story is about a special forces soldier who finds out about a big conspiracy to destroy humanity and tries to save people. He encounters enemy soldiers and scary monsters on his adventure.

Assault on the Evil Star is a scifi first person shooter inspired by games like Halo.

Sorrow Asylum 2

Explore this sorrowful insane asylum, where time seems to stand still unless you take the calendar pages to the room in the basement of the asylum to progress. The longer you stay in this place, the more horrors will try to stop, correct, and change you, and the entire place will be affected by your presence.

You will encounter the inhabitants of this place: the Plague Doctor, a surreal creature named Dalu, and Lara, who appears as a little girl this time.

The Plague Doctor may attempt to treat you, but he could do it painfully or simply prevent time from flowing, causing you harm in the process.

In the room next door in the asylum, a little girl named Lara resides, and you will experience more of her story about abuse and loneliness in this second game.

A new creature, Dalu, makes an appearance, and he’s fascinated by illness and patients. This eerie head monster always keeps his eyes on you, adding an unsettling element to the asylum.

The game offers 15-day cycles where the asylum becomes progressively more sinister and dangerous. Players have the option to run and hide, but they often need to confront the unknown and continue uncovering the stories of this place and its residents.

The game features an atmospheric horror setting with elements such as fleshy walls, gruesome corpses, and a red-toned, desolate environment.