Indie Video Game Round-Up #5 - PATH OF EXILE, ALTERIUM SHIFT, CHILDREN OF SILENTOWN, and More

It’s time to go through the last week or so and cover a bunch of the video game news from smaller developers and publishers. We’ve got news for VR gaming, release dates, expansions, and more. Let us know your favorite indie game news that we may have missed in the comments below.

We’re going to start off with some news for fans of virtual reality. Resolution Games announced that they’ll be holding the first-ever Resolution Games Showcase on December 15 at 9 AM PT via YouTube Live and Facebook. There, CEO Tommy Palm and other members will be sharing game announcements, updates, and more. The team at Resolution Games also revealed that the Reign of Madness adventure for Demeo will become available on Quest and Steam on December 15.

Set in the town of Ends, Reign of Madness will introduce the grappling hook-wielding Barbarian as Demeo’s latest playable class, as players square off against their greatest evil yet.

Back in non-VR realms, a Metroidvania bullet hell game called The Knight Witch was launched by Team17 and Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team. I’d be interested to see how well those two game genres are combined and I love the art for the cinematics. You can play The Knight Witch now on Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam or GOG), PS4/5, and Xbox (affiliate link) consoles.

As Rayne, players will explore the once peaceful metropolis of Dungeonidas, fighting enemies that have invaded the city’s labyrinthine streets, and wielding devastating Knight Witch powers. As the story unfolds, Rayne’s playstyle can be fully customised through a deck building system that includes over 40 unique spell cards, while opportunities to speak to the citizens of the beleaguered city via press conferences will present the morale challenge of telling the truth of how the war is going… or not.

If you like business sims, the hit Startup Company recently announced that it will be releasing on console next month. The game comes from developer Hovgaard Games and publisher 2Awesome Studio with very high ratings on Steam. On January 26, 2023, business sim fans will be able to grab it on Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, and Xbox Series X|S (affiliate link).

Begin as a small startup and develop a business idea into a profitable corporate giant. Headhunt Designers, Researchers, and Developers to innovate new features. Renovate the office space and layout as the company grows, and balance worker salaries with workload to ensure employees remain happy. Foster a healthy work environment and turn your small business into a corporate behemoth.

The developer and publisher Magic Hazard has announced that Chapter One for the game Memory Lost is set to release before the end of the year. The team launched a new teaser as well to show you what to look forward to.

Memory Lost is a story-driven action shooter, the battles in which are built around the mechanics of mind capturing and moving into the enemy's body. The game was created and published by Magic Hazard. The demo for the game was released on Steam on February 3, 2021. Chapter One of the game is due to be released in Q4 2022.

For fans of epic fantasy and deck-building games, Game Source Studio and Iceberg Interactive announced that their upcoming game Mahokenshi will be launching on January 24. Mahokenshi will be available to play on PC via Steam across several languages including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, and Polish.

Traverse a vast array of vibrant 3D maps. Immerse yourself in the magical Japanese atmosphere, where the Mahokenshis are the only hope against the corrupt forces. You will face many threats throughout your journey, but, isn’t it all about honor? You bet it is. Find remote locations, uncover treasures, and leverage the strengths of the 4 samurai houses to create powerful combos.

Meet the different people of the Celestial Islands, save villages, discover shrines and defeat deadly demons. See your battles brought to life with fully animated characters. Perform magical maneuvers, fiery attacks, strong defensive moves, and swift counterattacks on your way to bringing back peace to the Islands.

THQ Nordic and developer Black Sea Games are launching Knights of Honor II: Sovereign on December 6 and released a new trailer highlighting the multiplayer mode. In multiplayer, you can play with up to five friends to work together or discover who is the best at ruling their kingdom. The game will be available on PC and reminds me a lot of the old game Lords of the Realm which has me intrigued.

Lead your chosen medieval realm to honor and glory with up to 6 players - each one controlling its own kingdom, caliphate, duchy, or republic. It's up to you to either play against each other or cooperate, forming alliances or betraying your friends at just the right moment…

Children of Silentown is an upcoming dark point-and-click-adventure game from Elf Games and Luna2 Studio with publisher Daedalic Entertainment. The game looks both adorable and creepy and I’m sold! It was recently announced that the game will release on Nintendo Switch, PC (Epic|GOG|Steam), PlayStation, and Xbox (affiliate link). You can try the prologue for the game on Steam now for free to see if it’s really for you.

The story follows Lucy, a girl growing up in a village deep in a forest inhabited by monsters, as she slowly begins unraveling the mysteries that surround her. During the day, Lucy spends her time with her friends or helping her mother. But at night she is haunted by terrible nightmares, listening to the horrible growling coming from beyond the town limits. One thing is clear to her: the dark brings terrible danger and she must never step foot in the forest. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to delve into the forest and face her fears.

Frontier recently launched Update 14 which brings the Thargoids’ war against humanity to Elite Dangerous: Odyssey. You can play Elite Dangerous now on PC (Epic|Frontier|Steam), PlayStation, and Xbox (affiliate link). All PC players who own Elite Dangerous and play in Live Mode will be given access to the wider narrative experience even if they don’t own Odyssey.

Update 14 brings widespread changes to the way Thargoids behave in Elite Dangerous. With new system states that reflect the ongoing progress of this war, commanders can help shape the fate of each system by repelling the Thargoid invaders – both by fighting them head-on in combat, and supporting humanity via less confrontational means. Systems that fall to the Thargoids will undergo visible changes, with star ports and settlements becoming badly damaged or even abandoned.

This moment has been a long time coming. Previously in the ongoing narrative of Elite Dangerous, the controversial figure known as Salvation attempted to activate an anti-xeno weapon called the Proteus Wave against the Thargoids, which backfired and resulted in catastrophic losses. Now, humanity must deal with the dire consequences of this provocation, as locations in the game that players have long considered safe come under intense attack.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey Update 14 also sees the addition of a revamped Thargoid Interceptor known as the Orthrus. Reflecting the changing nature of the Thargoids’ strategy as this event begins, this Interceptor doesn’t behave like existing ships in the game, and its purpose must be revealed in order for humanity to have a chance at stopping the Thargoid onslaught.

Path of Exile revealed more details regarding the upcoming free expansion, The Forbidden Sanctum. The expansion will launch for PC on December 9 and for PlayStation and Xbox on December 14. During a recent livestream, the Grinding Gears Game team talked about many aspects of the new content coming to the expansion. There will be a brand new Challenge League, two new Skill Gems, seven new Vaal Skill Gems, significant balance changes and much more.

• New Three-month Challenge League: The Forbidden Sanctum is a roguelike that takes place within Path of Exile. Players will explore an ancient sanctum which is rumored to be hidden beneath the Fellshrine Ruins. Long abandoned, a malevolent presence has taken hold. In each area of Wraeclast they play through, players will have the opportunity to explore one room of the Sanctum as they search for its treasures.

• New Skills and Vaal Gems - Two new skill gems that benefit melee characters have been introduced. These are Volcanic Fissure, a fiery slam skill, and Frozen Legion, a spell that summons a ring of icy melee statues. Many new Vaal Gems have been introduced. Vaal Gems are alternate versions of existing skill gems that come with a periodic and massive power boost.

• Ruthless Mode - An optional new game mode which can be selected during character creation. Ruthless is all about extreme item scarcity, which creates a challenging and brutal way to play Path of Exile.

• New Unique Items - This expansion introduces over fifteen new unique items that can be found within the Sanctum or throughout Wraeclast. These items create new opportunities for specialized character creation.

• Monster Modifiers - The Archnemesis monster modifier system has been replaced with a refined set of modifiers that each only do one thing and say exactly what they do. Their rewards have been updated as a result and are no longer associated with specific modifiers. In general, magic and rare monster combat is now less complex but can still result in a combination of modifiers that get your heart racing.

• Endgame Improvements - Improvements have been made to the Atlas Passive Tree that allow players to invest even further into content they enjoy. Two new Atlas Memories can now also be found, telling the story of Domination and Bestiary.

• Buffed Endgame Unique Weapons - Ten endgame unique weapons have received massive buffs to bring them in line with some of Path of Exile's most iconic items. Naturally, they're now extremely rare.

• Balance Changes - Many balance changes have been made to game areas such as Jewels, Hexes, and Eldritch Altars.

Pathea Games has announced they are releasing a new colorful management sim in early 2023 on PC called Let’s School. Players will become the new headteacher for their old school and build their dream school. You’ll have to oversee the day-to-day operations for the school, construction, and more. This sounds like a lot of fun! You can wishlist Let’s School now on Steam.

In Let’s School players have the power to control every aspect of their school from initial construction to day-to-day operations. With dozens of different facilities to choose from and hundreds of different teaching apparatus to aid learning, it is up to the player to define what kind of school they want to build and run, with the goal of ensuring every student performs in their exams to secure more funding for the following academic year.

Players really can build their dream school in Let’s School. However even with the best facility in the world, a headteacher’s work is never done as each staff member and pupil has their own interests and motivations which may not gel with your aspirations to climb the schools league table. Choose what associations, sports meetings, morning exercises and other activities are available in-school to enrich or enrage students - all of whom have their own individual preferences and talents. The students’ personalities and relationships should be taken into account to ensure the reputation of the school is maintained - as well as the stress levels of their teachers, of course! There are also dozens of randomly occurring emergencies, contraband and dynamic seasons thrown into the mix, which ensures that no two play sessions will ever feel the same.

If you’re looking for a new JRPG to enjoy, you can go and download an updated demo for Alterium Shift. The game is developed by Drattzy Games LLC and published by Gravity Indie Games and the demo is available over on Steam. This new demo is a full rework with expanded content and tons of new features like the fact that each of the 3 main characters has their own unique path in the story. Alterium Shift is set to release in Q4 2023 with Early Access launching in Q2 or Q3 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4/5, and Xbox consoles.

Choose one of three main characters and embark on an adventure to discovery the mysteries of the world. The bond between the main characters, each with their unique story that intertwines, and the lovingly created retrographics and gameplay will surely make you feel nostalgic.