August is somehow one of the most offensively stacked months of the year for indie games, and it’s almost a bit much. Seriously, could we all just chill out a little bit? How on Earth is anyone meant to actually find time to play all of these incredible indie games? We do this for a living, and we’re still unlikely to get the time to play even half of these.
Still, it’s better to have too much of a good thing, and a lot of these games will appeal to specific kinds of people, which means that, unless you’re like us and want to play everything, you should have a nice month with just a couple of excellent games to sink your teeth into. Or you could just spend the rest of the year playing only Baldur’s Gate 3 and probably not see everything there is to see in it. Anyway…
Boyhood’s End – 1
Are you ready to probably unearth some trauma from your childhood by accident? Good, because we’re pretty sure that’s what Boyhood’s End is going to do. This adventure game is hitting early access and is a science fiction horror game that has you all living under a mechanical overlord called R. Karellen, who rates people and gives them a human score. You take control of Giovanni, who has the lowest human score possible. It sounds stressful, but pretty enticing too.
Baldur’s Gate 3 – 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 has been in Early Access for just under two years now, and it’s finally coming out in August. This comes from the geniuses behind the Divinity series, and basically turns Dungeons & Dragons into an RPG for people to enjoy. There are custom characters, unique playable stories to experience, loads of choices to make, nearly infinite builds to test, and it’s co-op too.
30XX – 9
30XX asks the important question, “What if there was a Mega Man roguelike?” This is actually a question that its predecessor, 20XX already answered really well, but 30XX builds on it substantially to create an even better game. It’s been in Early Access for some time now, but the full version releases in August, and whether you’re looking for a new platformer, action game, roguelike, level builder, or co-op game to play, this has you covered on every possible front. Also, the music is incredible.
Moving Out 2 – 15
If the idea of moving house seems fun to you, the Moving Out 2 is here for not just you, but also your strange friends who also like lifting furniture. The game builds on the chaotic first entry to add more levels, brand-new obstacles to overcome, and the same sort of co-op and sort of competitive multiplayer that makes it so enjoyable. It’s the kind of game that’s sure to test friendships and familial bonds, but in a light-hearted way, and one that’s less about capitalism than something like Monopoly.
City of Murals – 16
City of Murals describes itself as being a “cute and gross, action-platformer, rogue-lite.” You get to explore huge colourful worlds and use a mix of weird and wonderful weapons against weirder and wonderfuler monsters as you do so. Everything in the game is trying to stay alive as long as it can, and you get to see if you can win that particular competition. The art style is wonderfully absurd too, so check it out.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk – 18
Jet Set Radioooooooooooooo! Wait, no. Bomb Rush Cyberfuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunk. There’s no denying the inspiration behind Team Reptile’s latest game. The slick gameplay, the cell-shading, and the excellent soundtrack are sure to make this an incredible experience, and we can’t wait to jump in and master everything the game throws at us. We’ve been looking forward to this one ever since it was first announced, and the fact that it’s now within reach has us reaching for our skates.
Goodbye Volcano High – 29
Goodbye Volcano High is a cinematic narrative adventure game with dinosaurs. We’re not sure it needs any other words, but just in case, you take control of Fang, who is in their final year of high school, and is trying to salvage some underappreciated relationships as they navigate through that tricky time of life. It looks heartfelt, intense, and also it has dinosaurs.
