Rusted Moss
Developer: Faxdoc, happysquared, sunnydaze
Platforms: Windows, consoles TBD
Planned release date: Q4 2022
More info: Official website | Steam
You'd be forgiven for looking at the current crop of indie games on Steam and concluding that we have enough pixelated run-and-gun platform games. Even so, Rusted Moss separates itself from the crowd thanks in large part to a unique grappling hook mechanic.
Platform games that let you grapple to walls and ceilings are nothing new, but Rusted Moss makes the concept feel fresh by turning the grappling rope into a bungee cord, adding some subtle physics manipulation to the usual swinging gameplay. In one platforming puzzle, you might jump off a ledge, grapple to the underside of an overhanging wall, and then let gravity stretch the bungee cord down as far as possible before springing up and releasing at the precise moment needed to let your momentum carry you to another platform high above.
That might sound overwhelming, but in practice, it all just works. The same goes for the gunplay, which uses keyboard-based movement and a mouse cursor that lets you aim easily in any direction. The chunky pixel art and subtle character work bring to mind indie classics like Cave Story in the best possible way, too.
My PAX demo ended with a thrilling boss fight that forced me to shift my momentum as I hung on to a bungee-grapple point for dear life, dodging incoming projectiles while simultaneously adjusting my aim against a teleporting foe. If the full game can maintain that fresh, edge-of-your-seat feeling, it will be one to watch out for.
Signalis
Developer: rose-engine
Platforms: Windows
Planned release date: Fall 2022
More info: Official website | Steam
Take one part Resident Evil and one part Metal Gear Solid. Mix them with the claustrophobic panic of BioShock. You might get something like Signalis, a game that evokes the golden age of survival horror in all the best ways.
The game starts with a minimum of explanation, sticking you in the role of a humanoid robot that has lost its memories. That's not a great situation, as you're also trapped on a disabled ship in a snowy wasteland. And the ship is full of automated sentries ready to take you out as you explore your unfamiliar living quarters. In true survival horror fashion, you must carefully examine every seemingly useless bit of detritus for clues about how to get off the ship and re-establish contact with whoever sent you.
While the actual, physical threats in the early game are rather limited, everything from the chilling sound design to the detached, unmoving camera helps evoke a feeling of dread and foreboding. A producer told us to expect a lot in the way of fear of the unknown and less in the way of the jump scares and grotesque, overpowered threats that seem to drive many horror games.
Signalis also stands out for its great use of low-polygon art, CRT-style low-resolution filters, and subtle interface cues to make everything feel like a lost original PlayStation classic, jagged edges and all. That might feel cloying or manipulative in less capable hands, but everything here is so pitch-perfect that the game simply feels nostalgic and comfortable.
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
Developer: Tribute Games
Platforms: Windows, Switch
Planned release date: 2022
More info: Steam
I haven't played a Ninja Turtles game—or been much interested in the franchise as a whole—since I bought Turtles in Time for the Super NES back in 1992 (I've felt like I've grown out of the basic brawling action of the series). But even a brief demo with Shredder's Revenge showed that the right nostalgic treatment can draw me back in almost instantly.
A lot of that appeal probably has to do with the amazingly detailed pixel art on display here. Individual turtles and enemies aren't just lazily palette-swapped versions of each other this time around—everything from run cycles to attacks is rendered with a ridiculous level of smoothness that imbues each animation with a unique sense of character.
The developers at Tribute Games have also taken pains to update the old-school, quarter-gobbling brawler formula for the modern day. Enemies can bounce off the edges of the screen and be juggled in the air, for instance, increasing the pace of the action. And powerful special attacks—which used to drain a player's health meter with each use—now simply rely on a separate meter that fills up as you damage foes.
Extra control options help things feel fresh, too, with double jumping, slide attacks, and an incredibly useful dodge move to help you get out of sticky situations. Bosses also give a bit more warning of their attacks than you might expect, making the major fights feel less unfair than they did in the arcade days.
While we tried out the arcade mode—which tasks players with completing all the levels with a limited set of lives—the developers also talked up a story mode in which characters can bounce between levels while earning new moves and abilities as they go. The team also promised optional hidden collectibles and goals to ensure replay value as well.
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