Is your backlog of games not quite long enough? Lucky you, since we have three more indie games to add to your library. This month we’ve got a retro-inspired driving game, a laid-back but dark city-builder, and the best new survival crafter of the last few years.
1FUMES
Released in early access on July 29,FUMESis a single-player vehicular combat game that’s unapologetically retro. It’s the kind of game that doesn’t really get made anymore, ever since the genre fell out of favor in the late 90s and early 2000s. The game looks like a relic of the past with retro-inspired handling, physics, and the sort of gameplay loop you’d associate with titles likeDredgeorDave the Diver.
InFUMES, you must explore the wastelands, fight off rivals, and collect upgrades to make your car even better so you’re able to do it all over again. Gameplay involves balancing driving and shooting, with a full customization system in place that allows you to pick a loadout depending on how you like to play. Small cars are light and nimble, while larger trucks have better durability at the cost of handling and speed.
In addition to roaming the wastes and pursuing upgrades, there are boss battles, delivery missions, and more challenges to get stuck into. The world itself is procedurally-generated, so you could technically drive forever (or at least until you get wasted by a giant ship-on-wheels).
Despite its obvious references to theMad Maxuniverse, the game that immediately sprang to mind was 1997’sInterstate 76and its sequelInterstate ’82. Anyone who enjoyedVigilante 8, theCarmageddonseries, orTwisted Metalwill also get a kick out of this. There are some nifty built-in retro filters to play with, including CRT and VHS modes, or the option to turn them off and play clean instead.
Since the game is currently in early access, it’s only $15 (though there’s a 10% discount right now if you’re quick). The game is the product of a small team of four developers, and already has an ambitious roadmap that features more activities, melee combat, a proper story, more varied environments, and proper gamepad and Steam Deck support. The developers also want to introduce mod support and online co-op, though the team admits that these aren’t promises. Best of all, there’s a demo to get stuck into so you can try the game out for yourself.
I’ve been playing it on the Steam Deck, with the default official controller layout, and I’ve been having a blast. The game runs incredibly smoothly, with the only drawback being the need to hold the Steam button and use the right trackpad or joystick as a mouse cursor in the pause menu and customization screens.
2Abiotic Factor
Abiotic Factoris a survival crafting game for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. The game just had its 1.0 release on July 23, leaving early access and finally making its way to consoles (and it’s even playable via Xbox Game Pass). After gaining momentum and earning a loyal following since it landed on Steam in May 2024, it’s finally ready to enjoy in its “finished” state.
The game takes a lot of cues fromHalf-Life, specifically the Black Mesa research facility (called GATE) in which the first game takes place. You play as a scientist caught up in a “Resonance Cascade” inspired disaster, which unleashes untold horror. But you’re not the action hero; you’re a boffin who must use your intellect to overcome the “anomalous entities” that now roam the halls of your workplace.
So you’ll be doing a lot of surviving (pilfering snacks from vending machines) and crafting (constructing makeshift crossbows from whatever you find lying around) as you plan your escape. Like any survival crafter, you’ll also have to set up a base of operations. This will become your home for the duration of your shift, a place you can build and upgrade with the help of your fellow academics.
Visually, the game shares a lot in common with Gordon Freeman’s first adventure.Half-Lifefans will spot scientists who look very familiar and the monorail from the opening sequence, but you’ll also be exploring alien worlds and fending off robot armies.
The game is chock-full of systems upon systems, with mini-games for simple actions like sleeping, and buffs galore for things like sitting down or consuming a warm drink. Characters have positive and negative traits that make them feel well-rounded and add some personality to your playthrough. And venturing into the unknown through the game’s various portals feels both dangerous, thrilling, and rewarding.
You can play this one with up to six of your friends, and you’re going to want to since it features some of the most rewarding co-op gameplay in recent memory.
3Dystopika
Dystopikais a city-building sandbox that focuses on creativity and fostering atmosphere, rather than resource and population management. The twist here is that you’re creating the kinds of dark, futuristic, and dystopian cityscapes you’d see in movies likeBlade RunnerandGhost in the Shell. It’s like a cyberpunk version ofTownscaperorTiny Glade, with no end game or “win” state.
you’re able to adjust the time of day (though the game takes place mostly in the dark, as you’d expect), the weather (including snow and dust storms), and choose to commit to specific tilesets to get a specific look (or just pick from everything for a more organic city). You can then drop into Photo Mode and have the game generate a high-resolution snapshot of your creation, which you can share with the developer as part of a monthly community challenge on Steam.
I first found out aboutDystopikabecause I spotted the soundtrack on Bandcamp whilebrowsing for new ambient music. This was added in the June 1.5 update, adding some much-needed ambiance that takes heavy inspiration from genre mainstays likeVangelisandDeus Exfrom producer Sonic Mayhem (Sascha Dikiciyan). I’ve also been playing this a bit on Steam Deck, and while it’sfine, it really demands a proper mouse setup and a nice big (preferably OLED) display.
FUMESnot old-school enough for you? Check out someretro racers that are still worth playing. If you’d rather build bases than dystopian cities, we havea list of great base-builderstoo.
