NBA Streetball, Crafting With Renewable Energy And Other New Indie Games Worth Checking Out

NBA The Run

Developer and publisher: Play by Play Studios
Platforms: Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Price: $30

Basketball fever has taken hold for many as the New York Knicks are just one game away from their first NBA title since 1973. If you’re a Knicks (or San Antonio Spurs) fan looking for a way to kill some time until tonight’s Game 5, NBA The Run might have you covered.

This is a 3v3 streetball game and a spiritual successor to NBA The Street from a team including some developers who worked on that series. It features more than 30 real NBA players — including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić and Kevin Durant — and it leans more into arcade action rather than taking the simulated approach of the NBA 2K series. I’m not quite as into basketball as I was as a kid, but NBA Jam has a permanent place in my heart, so I’m definitely interested in trying NBA The Run.

Solarpunk

Developer: Cyberwave
Publisher: Rokaplay
Platforms: Steam, Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2

Price: $23 (available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass)

Solarpunk is a game I’ve had on my radar for a little while. It’s a relaxing crafting game set on a group of floating islands that you can travel between using airships. The two-person team at Cyberwave have baked in some “light survival mechanics,” though this is said to be an uplifting game that you can play with friends.

Given the title, it may not be too surprising that sustainability is a key focus of Solarpunk. You’ll build devices that can draw power from renewable energy sources and use that to automate systems across your farm and home.

It looks lovely, and lots of other folks are interested in this one. Solarpunk saw more than 500,000 demo downloads during a previous edition of Steam Next Fest. More than a million people wishlisted it too.

Crushed in Time

Developer and publisher: Draw Me A Pixel
Platform: Steam (coming to Switch and mobile later this year)
Price: Usually $25, with a 20 percent discount until June 24

As a fan of LucasArts point-and-click adventures, Crushed in Time is a game that speaks to my soul. This is a spin-off from There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson make their return as they travel through time and space in search of a character that has gone missing from their own video game. You’ll be exploring the game’s development pipeline to track down this missing NPC.

Aside from the highly meta concept, what helps Crushed in Time stand out is that it takes place in an elastic universe. You’ll be tugging on objects and environments to help you solve puzzles (so it’s really more of a click-and-drag game). This looks very much up my alley. Ironically, I haven’t had time to jump in yet, but I plan on playing Crushed in Time as soon as my schedule lets up.

Voidling Bound

Developer and publisher: Hatchery Games
Platforms: Steam, Epic Games Store (coming to consoles later)
Price: $25, with a 10 percent discount until June 23

Voidling Bound is from a studio that includes former Skylanders developers, so maybe it’s not too much of a shock that this is a creature feature. It’s fundamentally a creature taming game in which you’ll breed, nurture and evolve critters using skill trees and the like.

You’ll then take control of said creatures in combat as this is also a third-person shooter. It looks like an interesting spin on the creature taming format.

33 Immortals

Developer: Thunder Lotus
Publishers: Thunder Lotus, Kepler Ghost
Platforms: Steam (previously on Xbox Series X/S and Epic Games Store)

Price: $10 until June 17 on Steam. It’s also on sale on Epic Games Store and Xbox. It’s available on Game Pass Ultimate and Premium, as well as PC Game Pass

33 Immortals is a neat game that I’m looking forward to diving back into. I played a chunk of it in early access and now Thunder Lotus has released the full version, which is also making its debut on Steam.

33 Immortals 1.0 features three playable worlds, other fresh content, more customization options and a new final boss encounter to properly conclude a run. It’s a co-op action roguelite that brings 33 players together to battle hordes of enemies and hulking bosses. There are miniboss rooms that you can conquer with a few of your teammates (after you call for help with emotes) and earn upgrades for the crew. It’s a good time!

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