Microsoft is still working hard to court indie games. The company showed off a bunch of them, old and new, during its 2024 ID@Xbox showcase, though once again Hollow Knight: Silksong wasn’t among them. In addition to a small tease for upcoming Palworld creatures, we also got our first look at some newly announced bizarro gems like pixel art adventure Centum and gig-economy sim Promise Mascot Agency.
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The event, hosted by IGN, was a mix of new trailers, Game Pass updates, and shadow drops. We didn’t get clear release dates for a lot of stuff, but we did get a surprise free Vampire Survivors update that’s out on Xbox and PC now. While we only got a taste of the nearly two dozen games shown, more than a couple feel like potential game of the year contenders.
Astor: Blade of the Monolith
Astor is a 3D Zelda-like where you face hordes of enemies and bosses as you explore the world around you. The action-RPG now has a release date of May 30.
33 Immortals
“Multiplayer Hades” continues to look like a lot of fun. Thunder Lotus’ crowd-based action RPG goes into closed beta on May 24 and teased a big boss fight against Lucifer.
Palworld
New Pals are coming to your gun-making sweatshop soon. Pocketpair didn’t give a date but there’s a meditating fox and weird lizards with giant mushrooms on their heads that you can light on fire with flamethrowers.
Commandos: Origins
The Commandos reboot takes players back to the era of WW2 real-time stealth gaming with a six-unit squad soldiering on through 10 different missions. It’ll be on Game Pass when it launches.
Centum
You’re a mysterious prisoner escaping from their cell in this eerie pixel art adventure. It’s due out this summer, and based on the incredible art and surreal vibes of the trailer alone, it’s now at the top of my release radar.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Lost Records is the next adventure game from the team behind Life Is Strange. The latest trailer is bursting with analog ‘80s horror vibes. The developers at Don’t Nod told Kotaku the new game will let them focus on the experience of growing up and tell a story in ways the previous franchise, now owned by Square Enix, wouldn’t have allowed.
Keylocker
Billed as a “colorful turn-based rhythm JRPG,” Keylocker has you playing as a songwriter trying to take down a music-hating autocracy. The developers claim it has the comedy of a Mario & Luigi and the depth of Chrono Trigger. Lofty comparisons! It certainly looks promising.
Stampede: Racing Royale
Race with 59 other players in a battle royale that seems to be applying the Fall Guys formula to Mario Kart. I demoed it last year and was intrigued, though the ultimate test will be in whether studio Sumo Leamington can nail the moment-to-moment kart feel.
Jackbox Naughty Party Pack
Jackbox is getting a horny mode, apparently, unlike all the versions of its games people currently play which have never referenced sex, drugs, or other suggestive themes.
Times & Galaxy
Finally, a game for space journalists. Times & Galaxy puts you in the shoes of a robot intern collecting stories from strange creatures throughout space. It comes to Xbox in June.
Sulfur
A lofi, first-person loot shooter with ghosts, monsters, demons, and other depraved forces of evil, Sulfur looks like a cracking good time. There’s roguelike and extraction elements, taking an old-school approach to modern action adventures.
Fera: The Sundered Tribes
A colorful survival sim with colony-building elements and an emphasis on arrow mechanics. There’s a grappling hook, glider, and bullet hell-dodging traversal. It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2024.
All You Need Is Help
All You Need Is Help is a top-down puzzle party game where you play as plush Tetris pieces. It’s by the makers of PixelJunk, Q-Games. It’ll be on Game Pass in the fall.
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter
A sequel to the original side-scrolling action RPG Soulslike, Tails of Iron 2 takes the first game’s hand-to-hand combat into the frozen abyss. It’s settlement-building mechanics and brutal boss fights will arrive later this year.
Promise Mascot Agency
The creators of Paradise Killer are back with another wild-looking tale. Promise Mascot Agency has you recruit friends for strange jobs ahead, upgrade your truck, and explore the surrounding town.
Humanity
Humanity was an excellent, atmospheric puzzle game on PlayStation last year. Now it’s finally on Xbox on May 30. It’ll be part of Game Pass once it’s there.
Hangry
Hangry is a “snack n’ slash” RPG where you hunt monsters and climb a seedy sci-fi underworld by the ingredients you collect along the way. Hopefully the recipes are worth the number-crunching grind.
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Snowboards, ziplines, sword arms—Dungeons of Hinterberg has it all. The puzzle-based dungeon explorer is coming out July 18.
Vampire Survivors
The surprise “Laboratory Update” is free and out today. It includes monster-smashing trains, a mine cart level, and doors that open. Also Santa-themed weapons and two new characters. We also got another glimpse of the Contra update coming May 9.
The ID@Xbox stream also included sizzle reels for some indie games that are already out on other platforms but coming to Game Pass in the near future: Firework, Depersonalization, Keplerth, Volcano Princess, and The Rewinder. The last of those is available on the subscription service starting today.
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