Let’s just get it out there – understandably, large-scale developers and publishers get a fair amount of crap from audiences when they prioritize political and/or ideological preferences. This is ultimately fine of course, not to mention an effort we entirely agree with and support when it comes to diversity, but making sure a product adheres to a particular set of rules doesn’t always guarantee success. In fact, it rarely does, but larger projects mean larger budgets, and that tends to get tethered to pleasing as many people as possible so someone can make a return.
That being said, it’s not impossible to have great games that are diverse or inclusive. Bigotry in gamers is a real thing, and we’ve got an article on that on the way, but one thing we’ve always admired about our favorite artists is when their art is intended to make you think, not what to think. But indie developers have always been aware of this, and 2024’s final Six One Indie Showcase presented gamers with a ton of progressive and exciting new things to talk about. While the first half definitely seemed to have an emphasis on aesthetic buzzwords like ‘cozy’ and ‘chill,’ it didn’t take long for some surprisingly intense moments to pop up, with games tackling things like grief, trauma, corruption, and… divorce. Yes, divorce. In fact, let’s start with that one, because it actually looks pretty cool. The game, not divorce. Good thing our spouse doesn’t read the blog. Anyway.
Enjoy!
16. NetherWorld
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Truly, NetherWorld looks like a fascinating ride through the literal and metaphorical underworlds of woe, sadness, and heartbreak. As cute as it is disturbing, the 2D tale of a Jellyfish handling divorce with casual sex, controlled substances, and violence is one we can’t wait to embark on when it’s out in 2025.
15. Lucha Libre: Legend of the Mask
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As a person with both Mexican and Spanish blood in their ancestry, we wondered if there was a moment that Lucha Libre’s trailer would set us on high-alert. Luckily, every frame of it won us over – the fighting and outfits look fun, there are real Luchadors in the game, you can collect Aztec artifacts while searching for El Taco Perfecto, and unlike some of the other trailers we saw, the VoiceOver work on this one was impeccable. We’re beyond hyped to tackle this one when it’s out Spring 2025.
14. Sliding Hero
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This top-down Metroidvania (a genre where the gear you collect corresponds with how and where you can explore) looks like a real breath of fresh air, and that’s saying something because the genre has seen a lot of progress in the 2020’s. Rather than going with the crowd and throwing in flashy color palettes or cyberpunk themes, Sliding Hero takes us back to 18th century Vienna, which needless to say is a bit lacking in representation these days. It also plays with a unique movement mechanic where you slide until stopped, as opposed to taking single steps. Be sure to slide into it when it’s out in 2025.
13. Peppered
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Peppered calls itself an existential platformer, and for someone like us that’s about all you’d have to say to pique our interest. However, the gameplay looks like an interesting mix of fast-paced arcade style of Joe and Mac: Caveman Ninja and the diverse trawls of Dead Cells. The trailer also indicates an emphasis on ‘one shot’ – whether than translates to a single chance or a one-shot-kill remains to be seen, but we’ll be happy to figure it out once it’s released.
12. Painted in Blood
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In addition to Metroidvania, a genre that’s seen a huge resurgence over the last few years is the affectionately titled ‘boomer shooter.’ These titles recall the First Person Shooter experience of the 1990’s, particularly in the flavors of Doom or Duke Nukem. But Painted in Blood looks like it’s going to shake things up with surreal pacing, gothic interiors, and waves of bloodthirsty rats once it’s out.
11. One Eyed Likho
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Honestly this was one of the best trailers of the event – what starts out as an atmospheric, black and white mystery quickly descends into madness, from talking heads with legs and burning corpses to what appears to be some sort of cyclops emerging from the shadows. We’re not familiar with the legend of Likho, but we will certainly brush up on it before it’s out.
10. Clever Girls
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Well, well, well… are things coming full circle here or what? Not only has Fecking Bahamas covered the two classic math rock bands that share the name Clever Girl, but now we have the distinct pleasure of introducing our audience to Clever Girls, the game in which you and your gang of girlie dinos cause havoc and escape the clutches of humanity. There’s turn based combat, exploration, character building, and it looks like you’re able to play as each member of the gang, so it looks like there’s going to be a decent amount of replay value too. Hopefully we don’t go extinct before it comes out!
9. Haunted Paws
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Maybe not all cute and cuddly animal games are great fun or super in-depth, but Haunted Paws actually looks like it’s going to ace the test on all three of these crucial points. But also, when we saw the dogs going through different hats, and then running away from a giant spider, we couldn’t help but get emotionally invested, and now we can’t wait to hear more and/or play it once it’s out.
8. Inspector Waffles: Early Days
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Yep, it happened again, two semi-cute animal games in a row. This cat-detective prequel of sorts blends 8-bit, Gameboy styled noir with the point-and-click mechanics of it’s predecessor, which may sound like a bit of a risk to less seasoned gamers, but we’d trust the developers on this one – after all, the original was an absolute blast, and the artistic reduction showed off in the trailer was an interesting, even novel surprise. Honestly, it looks like Pokemon Red or
7. Aikyam
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There were more than a couple rhythm-based games on display at Six One Indie’s showcase, but Aikyam turned the most heads without a doubt. The game’s synopsis boils the experience down to a Bollywood-inspired fantasy RPG, which in itself is enough to get us interested, but the game’s unique art style and team building really stood out to us. Somewhere between Roblox and the frankly awkward but undeniably intriguing style of Killer Bean, the characters bounce, dance, and gyrate like spirits or sprites, and by the end we were totally charmed and ready to don the ol’ dancing shoes for it’s release.
6. Near-Mage
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Full disclosure, if you ever wonder why we make insane esoteric references to metaphysics, magic, or the supernatural, it’s because we spent a considerable portion of our lives messing about with that stuff and it’ll always be a part of us. Seeing a game like Near-Mage gives us some hope that these subjects and more can be used for more than fictional fodder in horror games, and while this particular coming-of-age tale in Transylvania probably isn’t entirely historically accurate, it’s the kind of starting place we’ve been longing for. It also has an incredible looking art style, so all in all, we can’t wait to crack open the grimoire when it finally comes out.
5. Saudade
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So… from what we can tell, this isn’t a sequel to LSD: Dream Simulator, but this fully cooked post-apocalyptic survival experience definitely looks like a trip. In fact, it looks so discombobulating that there’s probably an argument for managing expectations here – that being said, we’re not sure that we’ve ever seen anything like it without downing an eighth of magic mushrooms and trying to get through The Neverhood. Hopefully we will be mentally prepared for this one whenever it drops.
4. Airframe: Ultra
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If you grew up playing arcade racing games like Wipeout, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, or even just games like Super Mario Kart, this retro-futuristic jaunt is sure to thrill. We’d even go so far as to say it looks somewhat innovative in that their are detailed character models with physics that can get pretty banged up in the game’s various modes of combat, which isn’t something those games explored before they went out of style. It also showed off a pretty bangin’ drum n’ bass tune, which is probably an indicator for a great soundtrack as well, so we’ll be revved up to play upon its eventual release.
3. Rainworld: The Watcher
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The first Rain World resonated with gamers in such a way that probably not even its own developers could have predicted it. In fact, if you were watching or participating in the chat during the premier earlier today, that was just about all anyone could talk about. If it wasn’t the next Rain World, they didn’t care. Luckily, established fans and newbies alike could instantly agree that the trailer for its upcoming expansion looks phenomenal. We can’t wait to slug cat with the best of ’em in desert ruins, floating silos, and more on March 28th, 2025.
2. Sorry We’re Closed
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This one legitimately took us by surprise – somewhere between Parasite Eve, Lollipop Chainsaw, and Resident Evil, this retro-fabulous romp looks like a ton of fun. There’s androgynous demons, third-eye based puzzles to solve, and a seemingly novel take on the ability to switch between third and first person during combat sequences. All in all it looks like an exotic and in-depth experience we’ll be sure to explore when it’s out on November 14th, 2024.
1. Pyrofauna
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Show hosts and head honchos behind Six One Indie Mike and Josh said they knew when they saw this game that it had to close out the showcase. Within seconds, we absolutely see why. Pyrofauna was almost entirely created with PAPER and CARDBOARD BOXES. It sees you playing as a tiny flame spreading throughout the forest, but in a friendly way that inspires the bugs around you to dance. Isn’t that amazing? It might not sound super original on paper (hehe) but watch the trailer and you’ll see the same magic we did. We don’t know when it’s due for release, but we’re burning to find out.
BONUS ROUND:
Retchid
(We were honestly pretty stoked to see the criminally underutilized Doom 3 engine at play when the trailer started rolling.)
We Stay Behind
(This mysterious, unassuming trailer had us intrigued to experience the tale of a comet threatening to decimate a small town and the drama it inspires.)
Valley Peaks
(We’re not huge fans of heights but we’ll be damned if that keeps us from enjoying this heavily-stylized first person climbing adventure, which just released on Steam.)
Floridale Man
(Floridale Man seems a hell of a lot nicer than the average Florida Man, and we’re ready as ever to play in this breezy sandbox of gentle, only slightly calamitous chaos.)
Huge, huge, huge thanks to Six One Indie for all they do to help indie publishers and developers get the support they need, what an inspiration.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)