New Year, new us? Well, not really. We’re still going to be bringing you the most exciting indie games each week, and while the last few weeks have been quiet – hence our absence on this particular playing field – things are building back up again now. Hopefully you’re all feeling rested after whatever constituted your holiday period, because the games are unlikely to stop coming until the end of the year now, so strap in.
To kick our year off, we’ve got three powerful picks from the upcoming batch of games. It’s a bit more action-focussed than usual here, but that’s a good way to kickstart your brain for the coming onslaught of whatever chaos 2021 rains down upon us.
Action comes in a lot of different flavours though, so we’ve got one man’s adventure to escape some bad luck, the tale of a group of knights who tend to be sat around a rounded table, and a roguelike that is heavily inspired by the classic Legend Of Zelda games. As long as you’re here for a good time and an adventure, we should have something for you, so let’s charge in.
Yaga
You might, after the last 12 months, want to dip into the life of one who’s had a worse time of things than you and help them get through it. Sometimes helping somebody push through a tough situation can help, and while that does apply in real life too, it’s a little bit easier to do in a game, and usually involves more monsters and magic too.
Well, Yaga casts you as Ivan, a one-handed blacksmith who seems to be cursed with bad luck. You see, you keep getting sent out on tasks by the Tzar, who has no regard whatsoever for your safety, which means you’re probably going to die. The good news, or at least news, is that Baba Yaga is watching over you to see what happens. Whether or not they’ll help remains to be seen, but you can only push on through the trials that await Ivan and hope for the best.
Coming to Steam on 13 January 2021.
King Arthur: Knight’s Tale
Look, we’ve all heard the tale of King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable a thousand times, but that doesn’t mean that the mythos surrounding him and his crew isn’t an interesting one. The old tales of dragons, magic, and whatever else they decide to include in any retelling is always fun, but the core is a solid adventure in and of itself. This is especially true if you decide to take things in a new direction, because it’s always nice to see a new spin on these things.
Well, King Arthur: Knight’s Tale doesn’t cast you as Arthur himself, but Sir Mordred, a former black knight from the tales. You’ve managed to best him, but in doing so, you’ve also been killed. However, neither of you have died properly, and you have to go on a quest to kill whatever it is he has become in order to fulfil your quest. You’ll do this by fighting X-COM style battles and collecting new party members, building your own castle, and generally battling through unimaginable horrors as you go. King Arthur: Knight’s Tale is only hitting Early Access this week, but we still think it’s worthy of your attention.
Launching Q1 2021.
Ancient Abyss
Roguelikes are good fun, providing they’re made well. There’s a lot of them out there, and while they’re not all winners, there are plenty worth playing. Ancient Abyss looks as though it could be one such game, and that’s, in part, due to the very obvious Zelda inspirations that seep through every aspect of it. That means you’ll collect new abilities, explore lush green areas, dark dungeons, and unlock new abilities that will allow you to plumb all of the hidden areas of the map.
Ancient Abyss has you exploring dungeons and a dangerous world in search of more power and a way to quell the evils constantly coming after you. It looks absolutely stunning, and frankly the idea of a roguelike Zelda game is enough to get more people interested anyway. This is another Early Access game, but if you’re aware of how many Early Access roguelikes there are then you’ll know that this style of release fits the genre perfectly.
Launching January 14 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC.