Round Up // The Mini Indie Showcase: Aug ‘23
Enigmatic elves, diabolical demons, and promiscuous bears; we’re currently in the midst of an historic year for big budget releases. Whether its due to a laser focus on the heavy hitters, the breadth of launches each week, or the low bandwidth across media and influencers, many indies have been getting lost in the shuffle. Our goal at Six One Indie is simple: we strive to amplify indie developers and publishers who push the bounds of what’s possible in the gaming scene on a daily basis.
The Mini Indie Showcase was created with that goal in mind. Countless indies find themselves without the means nor resources for traditional promotion. Some of our favorite games of all time are those that don’t have a loud enough voice to break through the mainstream. While we may not have the biggest of footprints within the industry (yet), we aim to utilize our expertise to help our partners reach an enthusiastic and passionate indie audience through our zero-barriers Showcases and Spotlights.
August 2023 marks our third Mini Indie Showcase, as well as our second major production of the year. We featured 33 remarkable indie games throughout the Summer Showcase. Twenty-five of the games are some of our most anticipated upcoming releases, while the remaining eight are must-play games that have released earlier in the year. Additionally, our show featured a handful of exciting exclusives including reveals, brand new trailers, and interviews with the folks behind the pixels.
The Showcase Home Page houses all of the content from our Summer Showcase. But if you’re looking for the hits, here is the official round up of everything featured during The Mini Indie Showcase: Aug ‘23.
Horla // Mr. Dev Studio
Horla is a 3D first-person horror game with puzzles and interactive storytelling. Play as Moacir Gonçalo, a private detective that is hired to investigate an old mysterious haunted house.
Show Exclusive: Game Reveal, Interview
An Ankou // Alkemi, PID Games
Death is not the end. You’ve been chosen as the Ankou, a servant of Death who aids lost souls using the tools of your old trade. Roam haunted lands to find resources, craft weapons, and slay hordes of demons in this action-exploration roguelike.
Show Exclusive: Interview
Heretic’s Fork // 9FingerGames, Ravenage Games
Dear candidate, we are pleased to invite you to take up the position of manager of Hell. You will punish sinners by using our deck-building computer system to construct hellish towers capable of keeping the endless hordes of the underworld in check. Best of luck!
Show Exclusive: New Trailer feat. Occams Laser
Dreadhunter // Trickster Arts
Plough through hordes of deadly monsters and defeat vicious bosses in an intense fast paced shooter RPG where all items are “legendary”, levels are ever-changing and combat is razor-sharp.
Mirthwood // Bad Ridge Games, V Publishing
Embark on an enchanting journey and brave ferocious creatures in an immersive medieval fantasy world. Will you settle a new homestead to live a life of farming and trade, or pick up the sword and take up the adventurers' path?
On The Peril of Parrots // Spritewrench
Take control of P.O.L.L.I - the Procedural Operating Layered Linguistic Intelligence - and put your skills to the test with 100+ challenging puzzles! Unravel a mysterious experiment overseen by the brilliant "Scientist", their trusted "Assistant", and the shady "Stakeholder".
Bombing!! 2: A Graffiti Paradise // Devon Wiersma
Welcome To Graffiti Paradise! Explore for hidden secrets, meet interesting friends, unlock painting tools, and fill your world with color!
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To // Soft Not Weak
Cast spells, be queer, & crash the biggest concert of the year! Spirit Swap is an action-puzzle game set in a lush, narrative-driven world of witchy demons.
Extra Coin // CINIC Games
Extra Coin is a narrative game with sports mechanics, set in a virtual social network. Dive into its digital world: explore the city, challenge your opponents, make friends and reveal the stories of failure and revenge of its inhabitants.
Vaporwave Pinball // Mixtape Games UK
Play LoFi digital pinball in a variety of cozy, chill locations. Explore a 90s operating system to find new worlds. Uncover hidden, corrupted files. For a couple of hours, escape the real world. Vaporwave Pinball is the ultimate "virtual holiday" destination.
Show Exclusive: Interview
Checkmate Showdown // ManaVoid Entertainment, BadRez Games
Chess meets Fighting games. Crush your opponents in the arena and on the chessboard in this online multiplayer competitive tactical fighting game that mixes the strategic elegance of Chess with the fast-paced execution of fighting games.
Show Exclusive: Release Date Reveal, Free Weekend Announcement, Interview
Full Void // OutofTheBit
Full Void is a 2D Cinematic Puzzle Platformer set in a dystopian future. A young teenager, scared and alone, must use all their skills to defeat a rogue AI that keeps mankind oppressed.
Show Exclusive: Interview
Carry Onward // Andrey Chudaev
Carry Onward is a narrative gameplay short that follows a grieving man as he packs up his home. Immerse yourself in his thoughts and emotions by interacting with items, which shape his internal state. Experience the transformative power of memories and the hope that arises from embracing change.
Hellscreen // Mixtape Games UK
Use a rearview mirror to fight through a horror-filled hellscape in this Doom-inspired retro-fps. Shoot behind you, detect invisible enemies & never fall victim to enemy traps. Find new weapons, unlock abilities & warp to maps at any time! Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear!
Show Exclusive: Interview
Wrestle Story // Tic Toc Games
LIVE YOUR PRO WRESTLING STORY in this hard-hitting, smack talkin', RPG adventure! Create your wrestler, build your tag-team, and slam your way through an expansive 3D world where WRESTLING IS EVERYTHING!
Doggy Don’t Care // Rohan Nowell
Unleash adorable chaos as a mischievous pup! Explore, collect, and smash your way around the house & beyond in this cheeky adventure. Fetch the approval of your feathered friend, Rocko the Parrot, by digging into a list of fun-filled tasks. It's sure to be a pawsitively unforgettable day!
Show Exclusive: Interview
Squirrel With A Gun // Dee Dee Creations
Squirrel with a gun! What crimes will it commit?
Project Anomaly: Urban Supernatural Investigator // DARK SCIENCE
Project Anomaly: Urban Supernatural Investigator is a 2.5D first-person adventure mystery game where you play as an investigator who solves cases by taking pictures of cryptids, urban legends, & mythological creatures as well as befriending them in an open-world environment.
Show Exclusive: Interview
Slay The Princess // Black Tabby Games
You're here to slay the princess. Don't believe her lies. Slay the Princess is a choice-driven psychological horror visual novel/dating sim with dramatic branching, light RPG elements, and hand-penciled art.
Show Exclusive: Interview
Turn By Turn Villain // PixelSlop
Play as the bad guy, do good! Become a demon forced to walk the human world in this Turn-Based Action RPG! Engage your ex-minions in chaotic brawls! Choose actions quickly from a classic menu but mind your Turn Points! Earn your redemption by collecting Light to dispel darkness... your dark mess!
Show Exclusive: Game Reveal
Everholm // Chonky Loaf, Freedom Games
Lilly was spirited away to a mysterious island. As her memories fade, everyone seems to know her and her quest for her missing sister. It’s time to establish a homestead, meet your friendly Everfolks, then learn their secrets and solve the mystery of Everholm, in this open-ended minimalist RPG!
Crystals Of Irm // David Schütze, Deck13
Crystals Of Irm is an old school RPG with a distinctive combat system and dungeon crawl elements. With three heroes you explore Irm, visit the different regions of the land and climb deep down into the darkest dungeons.
Hot Bunz // SpaceSalad Studios
Hot Bunz is a physics-based 2D Platformer Party Game with one goal - players must battle it out over who can hold the key the longest through an array of obstacle courses in a series of increasingly complex levels to come out on top as Buttopia's Greatest Of All Time (ButtGOAT).
Soulitaire // Beardshaker Games
Open your own cozy fortune-telling café: the Soulitaire! Receive your guests. Listen to their troubles. Lay the cards and divine their future! But be aware: Your interpretation will change the fate of their lives.
LIMINAL PHASE // anananas studio
LIMINAL PHASE is a VR action horror game set in a parallel ‘90s. Fight malevolent monsters, solve peculiar puzzles, and explore the dark corners of a fractured mind consumed by video games.
Hyde’s Haunt & Seek // Smol Games
Spook or be spooked in this ghostly multiplayer horror game! Play as either the mortal Seeker, trying to retrieve prized possessions of the dead, or as Ghosts, using pranks and scares to keep those pesky humans from your prize. It's multiplayer mayhem as ghouls clash with go-getters in a haunted manor!
Phoenix Springs // Calligram Studio
After the reporter Iris Dormer reconnects with her estranged brother, she finds herself in Phoenix Springs, a desert oasis, home to an enigmatic community. Amid lush ruins and peaceful waters, she must unveil the dark mysteries that link the place, the people, the myths – and her own past.
Show Exclusive: Story Trailer
Rune Fencer Illyia // Nootbox Games
Traverse a massive, ruined and beautiful world in this intense, atmospheric action platformer. Steal enemy abilities and fight them back with their own runic magic and deadly swordplay, as you attempt to find your lost twin sister in the sunken kingdom of Ithos.
Crypt Custodian // Kyle Thompson
Crypt Custodian is a charming metroidvania about cleaning up the afterlife. Play as Pluto- a mischievous cat who has died, and is sentenced to be the afterworlds janitor... FOREVER! Hang out with other doomed ghosts, battle beasts, and explore a vastly expansive landscape.
BioGun // Dapper Dog Digital, Ravenage Games
Get injected into the microscopic world of BioGun. Face viral threats and winding corridors on your mission to save man’s best friend from the inside. Will you be the vaccine to save dog-kind from extinction or will DocX have to return to the drawing board?
Show Exclusive: 90s Trailer
The Black Pepper Crew // Quijipixel Games
Assemble your crew, gear them up and fight creatively on this easy to learn but hard to master turn-based tactical roguelite. Capture the most dangerous bounties in the city, cash that juicy bounty and improve your chances of survival in a city filled with crime and jazzy grooves.
Rightfully, Beary Arms // Daylight Basement Studio
Rightfully, Beary Arms is a bullet hell roguelite that is about much more than collecting loot, dying and losing everything. Carefully choose enemy upgrades against your own, then plan your dungeon crawl tactfully to gun through unique factions of enemies, strategically preserving loot after death.
Kristala // Astral Clocktower Studios
As a feline warrior with the gift of Kristala, you must master the six magic specialties of the sacred Kristals to join ranks with the famed Raksaka warriors. You must also battle to uncover the source of a terrible curse that has transformed planet Ailur's creatures into mutated monsters.
Whether you make your wishlists a bit longer, play exciting new demos, or add new games to your libraries right now, please support and show love towards all of the developers. Throwing a showcase is no easy task, and we wouldn’t be here without our partners.
Looking for more indies to put on your radars?
Be sure to check out The Mini Indie Showcase: March ‘23, as well as the bite-sized Play NYC Spotlight.
What were some of your personal highlights?
Make sure you let us know in the comment section of The Mini Indie Showcase: August ‘23!
We have one more Spotlight to share before we close out the year, but we’ll share details once we’ve proven ourselves as worthy Raksakan warriors. But as for The Mini Indie Showcase, we’ll be back for Spring ‘24.
Play more indies.