Indie Spotlight: February 2021

The GameGrin Indie Spotlight aims to give attention to videogames the independent scene has offered us over the past month. Whether it be due to quality, success or creativeness, these are the independent games that stood out to us over the month of February.

Fights In Tight Spaces

Fights in Tight Spaces is an intriguing blend of deck building and turn-based tactics. With its stylish animation, players can build a style of play that suits them by picking from over 150 cards. With daily missions and new objectives every time you start the game, Fights in Tight Spaces is a game you could end up wasting hours of your life in.

Play if you enjoy: Into the Breach, XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Platforms: Windows, Xbox Series X|S

Retromania Wrestling

An official sequel to the 1991 classic arcade wrestling game Wrestlefest, this is the perfect homage to a style of wrestling game thought to be long left in the past. With multiple game modes, including a story mode, 16 unique wrestlers on launch, a large collection of arenas and match types, Retromania Wrestling is the arcade wrestling game you didn’t know you were waiting for.

Play if you enjoy: Wrestlefest, Fire Pro Wrestling
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One

Buddy Simulator 1984

Are you in search of a new best friend? Are you willing to let an artificial intelligence analyse and learn from you? If you answered yes to both of these, then Buddy Simulator 1984 may be the right game for you! This wholesome, friendly (definitely not a horror game) game sees you befriend and play games with your new AI best pal. This isn’t a game, this is the next step in humanities technical advancement!

Play if you enjoy: Pony Island, Undertale
Platforms: Windows

Rhythm Doctor

From making friends to saving lives, Rhythm Doctor lets you save the lives of your patience with a tap of the spacebar - and a little bit of rhythm. Each patient is affected by a different illness, affecting the rhythm of their heart. It’s on the shoulders of the Rhythm Doctor to hit that spacebar in time with the heart beat to ensure they pull through.

Play if you enjoy: Crypt of the Necrodancer, osu!
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows

NUTS

Squirrels are pesky critters and it’s up to you to track down what these mischievous little fellows are up to in Melmoth Forest. Set up a camera, survey the area and track down squirrels in this gorgeously crafted world. As things continue to get strange throughout your days tracking, it’s up to you and Dr. Nina Scholz to figure out just what is going on out here.

Play if you enjoy: Firewatch, Return of the Obra Dinn
Platforms: iOS, Nintendo Switch, Windows

Valheim

Our penultimate game this month is one that likely needs no introduction, but deserves it’s mention all the same. At the time of writing, Valheim is a smash hit, reaching five million copies sold in under a month since release. This viking survival game has taken the world by storm. Survive, craft and fight your way through the games various biomes and bosses and earn your spot alongside Odin in Valhalla.

Play if you like: Minecraft, Rust
Platforms: Windows

Speed Limit

Finally this month, Speed Limit has been our stand out indie title here at GameGrin. Receiving a perfect ten score from our writer Alana, Speed Limit takes players on a time bending journey throughout arcade history. The game cannot be assigned one true genre, as it constantly leaps between various types of games. It’s ironic it’s titled Speed Limit really, as the game never seems to slow down.

Play if you like: Celeste, Cuphead, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One