ICYMI — September

The gaming landscape is constantly getting a stream of new titles and it can be too easy to miss out on a couple of really good ones especially if they coincide with the release of some of big ol’ AAA game with full marketing teams behind them.

So today, we’d like to present a small set of independently developed game titles of different genres that might’ve gone over your radar. If any of these tickle your fancy, we’ll let you know where you can pick them up and on what platform.

So in case you missed it…

Darkest Dungeon

Red Hook Studios

Brutal and beautiful. Darkest Dungeon pits your recruitable band of randomized adventurers through Lovecraftian-inspired horrors where your character’s HP may not be the worst of your worries. The position-critical turn-based combat can be greatly influenced by the affliction system where your character’s sanity may just crumble and slowly tear your band apart from the inside.

It’s a challenging game painted in an art style that reflects the decaying state of both the estate you’re trying to reclaim and the mental state of everyone involved. If you’re looking for something more easy-going this might not be the title for you. But if you like to be put to the test especially in the early game, this could very well be worth the $24.99.

Available on Windows, OSX, PS4, Vita, Linux, and iOS.

Papers Please

3039 (Lucas Pope)

Never thought I’d be playing a game that’s all about immigration and actually have a lot of fun with it. While it might be a rather touchy subject given the world today, don’t let it stop you from enjoying a clever and tongue-in-cheek game about everyone just trying to get by in a cruel world.

The premise of Papers Please is very simple: you’re an immigration officer and you check everyone’s papers if they’re legally allowed to enter the glorious country of Arstotzka. But as national security tightens, the requirements for entry grow which makes your job harder as you scan through people’s papers and identification for anything out of place.

And that’s not even taking into account all the colorful personalities that come in everyday hoping to make their future in Arstotzka.

Available on Windows, OSX, Linux, and iOS for $9.99.

Gunpoint

Suspicious Developments (Tom Francis)

The stealth puzzle platformer Gunpoint offers a lot of different ways to approach each level and grades you accordingly as well as give you certain “titles” that best describe how you handled it. Managed to complete the stage and get out without anyone being the wiser? Ghost. Made sure you beat the living daylights out of everyone there? Psychopath.

But these are only a few of the possible things you can do in order to finish the multitude of different stages. As you progress, you’ll be given new tools to solve new challenges and possible even use those tools to better your grade in previous levels.

If you enjoy stealth games, you should definitely give this one a go.

Available on Windows, OSX, and Linux for $9.99.