Wardogs, Valheim 1.0 And Other New Indie Games Worth Checking Out

The 1.0 update brings a whole heap of additions to Valheim, including a Deep North biome as well as fresh weapons, armor sets, tools, creatures, buildable items, crafting materials, locations, events and much more. The new animated intro is neat too.

Valheim was an early access hit out of the gate, and it has now sold more than 17 million copies. I spent a few hours dabbling in the procedurally generated sandbox when it debuted in 2021. A few of my friends were much more into it — one has put around 600 hours into the game. It’s not quite my favorite genre, but I might have to dip back in to get a sense of what Valheim is like after the latest patch.

Mewgenics

Developers/publishers: Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
Platforms: Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S. Already available on Steam
Price: $40

Another successful indie game has spread to more platforms, as Mewgenics (which sold a million copies in its first week earlier this year), is now out on consoles. The long-in-development RPG is all about breeding cats to combine their attributes and abilities. You then take a crew of kitties into a run of turn-based battles. After a successful run, a cat may only be used for breeding.

It’s a strategy game with life sim elements and complex systems. You can experiment with combinations of powers, mutations and items for your cats, and you’ll probably never see the same one twice. “There are currently 74 sextillion (basic) cats in Mewgenics,” Edmund McMillen said last year. “If you factor in Mutations, Classes, Abilities and Voices, it’s a lot more.”

Shroom and Gloom

Developer: Team Lazerbeam
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: Steam early access (Windows, Mac)
Price: $15

Dungeon crawler deckbuilders with turn-based battles aren’t usually my kind of thing, but the art direction of Shroom and Gloom caught my attention. I’m glad I gave it a go, since there are some neat ideas here.

This is actually a double deckbuilder. Along with the cards you use in combat, there’s another deck for exploration. You’ll use this to rest, modify cards and unlock new abilities.

I’ve only played one run so far, but I’m already starting to see how the mechanics tie into each other. I enjoyed being able to turn an enemy into food if I was able to kill it with fire. Consuming that can another card into a weapon that doesn’t have a casting cost. While Shroom and Gloom isn’t Steam Deck Verified yet, it’s running well enough for me on the system. I’m probably going to stick with this one for a bit.

Effulgence RPG

Developer/publisher: Andrei Fomin
Platform: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck)
Price: Usually $20, with a 25 percent discount until September 24

On the subject of games with striking art styles, my goodness does Effulgence RPG look neat. Andrei Fomin used ASCII characters to create the 3D characters and objects. I don’t recall seeing anything quite like it.

This is a party RPG that just left early access. Enemies are your resources as vanquished foes break down into particles that you can collect and feed into a matter printer. You can use this to unlock more weapons and gear, even during combat. The mechanics sound almost as interesting as the visuals. The game doesn’t require a significant commitment either, as Fomin says a playthrough will take roughly five to seven hours.