Indie Spotlight: July 2021

The GameGrin Indie Spotlight aims to give attention to videogames that 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 July.

Tribes of Midgard

A survival co-op game to kickstart this month. Tribes of Midgard has players defend a village from hellish villains and giant monsters as they attempt to return to Valhalla as heroes. Play alone or with up to 10 friends in this roguelite-survival game. With captivating art and a well-paced gameplay loop, Tribes of Midgard has left me lusting to pillage more than anything ever before.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows
Play if you enjoy: 7 Days to Die, Valheim, Tower Defence

Black Skylands

Take your ship to the skies and conquer the lands in Black Skylands. Claiming to be the first skypunk genre game, Black Skylands lets you fly, fight and capture territories. Developed by Russian studio Hungry Couch Games, Black Skylands sets the sky as the limit, as you captain your airship to victory. With a sprawling open world, you’ll never know who or what you may find on your adventure.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
Play if you enjoy: RimWorld. Space Haven, Dead Nation

Eldest Souls

Despite a legally debatable name, Eldest Souls offers a challenging, fast paced fight for survival. A souslike experience at its core, Eldest Souls sets itself apart with sharp visuals, and polished combat. With a focus on challenging, well-designed bosses, as opposed to a wide array of smaller mobs, Eldest Souls shines bright in a genre that has been continually dulled over the years.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Play if you enjoy: Dark Souls, Titan Souls, Demon’s Souls

Beard Blade

Who doesn’t love beards? Who doesn’t love beards… when they’re platforming? That’s the aim of the game in Beard Blade, where the barber toughens up your mighty scruff. Taking control of Branson, players can enjoy his lovely shapeshifting beard as they fend off foes through the land in this side-scrolling beard fantasy. Beard Blade aims to take the best of classic and modern platformers, as it tries to give the genre a fresh trim.

Platforms: Windows
Play if you enjoy: Celeste, Owlboy

Mini Motorways

A cheap and cheerful game to get the internal brain cogs running again. From the makers of Mini Metro comes the strategy sequel with all be clamouring for Mini Motorways. Build roads that drive a growing city, and turn the traffic travesty into a driving utopia. Expanding on Mini Metro, Mini Motorways offers a more versatile and open gameplay experience, as well as easy to export gifs and further colour blind support to make the game more accessible. If you hate traffic, this is your chance to make it a thing of the past.

Platforms: iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Windows
Play if you enjoy: Mini Metro, Rail Route

The Ascent

The final game of July is comfortably the most polished game in the cyberpunk genre to be released in the last 12 months. An action-shooter RPG at its core, The Ascent more than holds its own against some of 2021’s best releases. Fantastic gameplay, an incredibly detailed world, there’s plenty of attention to detail through the games world. In The Ascent, you belong to a bleak, yet colourful world of corporate manipulation, and you must fight for the survival of your district.

Platforms: Xbox Ones, Xbox Series X|S, Windows
Play if you enjoy: Dead Nation, Helldivers