{"id":64248,"date":"2026-06-27T21:16:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=64248"},"modified":"2026-06-27T21:16:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:16:59","slug":"a-sidescrolling-roguelite-platformer-steam-deck-air-hockey-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=64248","title":{"rendered":"A Sidescrolling Roguelite Platformer, Steam Deck Air Hockey And Other New Indie Games Worth Checking Out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/img\/gallery\/a-sidescrolling-roguelite-platformer-steam-deck-air-hockey-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out\/l-intro-1782508229.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Roguelite Dungeon Scroller? | Dark Scrolls | Available Now!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uNLFCDGjDrA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Dark Scrolls<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Developer: Doinksoft<br \/>Publisher: Devolver Digital<br \/>Platforms: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck), Nintendo Switch<br \/>Price: $10, with a 10 percent discount on Steam until July 5 and free copies of <em>Gunbrella<\/em> and <em>Gato Roboto<\/em> included in select territories<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I&#8217;ve mostly enjoyed my time with <em>Dark Scrolls<\/em>, though I don&#8217;t think it quite adds up to more than the sum of its parts. The title is pitch perfect for a side-scrolling platformer that&#8217;s influenced by FromSoftware games. I dig the Master System-style visuals and shoot-&#8217;em&#8217;up feel. It&#8217;s nice that there&#8217;s local and online co-op support, but I haven&#8217;t tried that yet.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Keeping in with the old-school vibe of <em>Dark Scrolls<\/em> (as well as FromSoft games), there isn&#8217;t a tutorial to speak of. You&#8217;ll figure out the characters&#8217; abilities through experimentation. Alternatively, you can pick up your phone in real life and call a hotline that Doinksoft set up, just like the game helplines of old. Cute. The review guide sent out to journalists also evoked classic game manuals. I enjoyed that very much.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I like the variety of heroes as well. You have access to three at the jump \u2014 the ax-throwing, ground-pounding Grizz suited my playstyle well \u2014 and you&#8217;ll unlock others as you progress. The first of those is likely to be an adorable pup named Biscuit with a bark that&#8217;s more powerful than its bite. Alas, I couldn&#8217;t quite get to grips with Biscuit. I died far more rapidly as the dog than with other characters.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">You earn coins from chests and defeating enemies, and use these to buy perks that you can employ throughout your run. Perks are tied to your character&#8217;s star level and, from what I&#8217;ve seen so far, they each last for a short time. Still, that could be enough to quickly destroy a boss if you have the bomb perk. Star levels reset when you trigger your special ability. In Grizz&#8217;s case, that involves firing a bunch of axes in multiple directions at once.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">However, the roguelite aspect is where <em>Dark Scrolls<\/em> falls short for me. Many of the perks \u2014 such as a rocket jump \u2014 are fun, though the upgrade economy is brutal. Each level has a shop where you can buy upgrades, but the prices increase dramatically between stages.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I get what Doinksoft is going for. Every time you level up your character in, say, <em>Elden Ring<\/em>, it costs more. That approach doesn&#8217;t quite work here given the linear format of the levels and the randomization of chests. You can&#8217;t exactly farm coins from enemies whenever you like.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mini AirHockey coming to the Steam Deck 24th of June!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mfUjuEr7fxM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Mini AirHockey<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Developer: Geert Verhoeff<br \/>Publisher: Sumatras Studios<br \/>Platform: Steam (designed for Steam Deck)<br \/>Price: $1, with a 10 percent discount until July 8<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Geert Verhoeff makes neat hand-drawn projects that are primarily designed for Steam Deck, such as a maze game that you can play using gyroscopic controls. The latest is <em>Mini AirHockey<\/em>, a two-player experiment that makes use of the handheld&#8217;s touchpads.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It works best when the players are positioned at each end of a Deck, as if they&#8217;re playing regular air hockey and defending a goal on the narrower side. They use a touchpad to control a paddle and hit the puck.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There&#8217;s no real depth to <em>Mini AirHockey<\/em> and it&#8217;s a bit janky \u2014 much like the Scotland team that has deeply disappointed me at the men&#8217;s World Cup. Still, it&#8217;s an interesting way of looking at how the Steam Deck might be used to deliver different types of games, even if this one harkens back to the likes of <em>Pong<\/em>. It could also be a fun way for Deck owners to show their family and friends what the system is capable of.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dart Racer - Early Access release date trailer - our N64-styled extreme pod racer launches June 23rd\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ogGzb9NNvM4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Dart Racer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Developer: LubSoft<br \/>Publisher: Proteus Interactive<br \/>Platforms: Steam (Windows, VR; Steam Deck verified). Also available on Meta Quest<br \/>Price: Usually $10, with a 20 percent discount until July 7<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I was already looking forward to <em>Star Wars Galactic Racer<\/em> even before previews dropped this week suggesting it plays like a roguelite take on the Burnout series. That game is still a few months away. In the meantime, <em>Dart Racer<\/em> could be a decent way to tune up.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This is an arcade podracing game with a Nintendo 64-era look from solo developer Piotr Jastrz\u0119bski aka LubSoft. You can customize the design and capabilities of your ship (or &#8220;dart&#8221;). The option to play in VR with a first-person cockpit view is intriguing, though I would worry about getting motion sickness while tearing around these tracks.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em>Dart Racer<\/em> is initially available in early access. Jastrz\u0119bski estimates the full version is at least nine months away. The plan is to add more darts, tracks, upgrades, customizations and a campaign mode.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DEER &amp; BOY - Launch trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3IYYUW7mCmQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Deer &amp; Boy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Developer: Lifeline Games<br \/>Publisher: Dear Villagers<br \/>Platforms: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck verified; demo available), PS5, Xbox Series X\/S and Nintendo Switch<br \/>Price: $20, with a 10 percent launch discount<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Here, we have a narrative-driven platformer akin to <em>Inside<\/em> and <em>Planet of Lana<\/em>. A young runway and a fawn (who grows during the game, like in <em>Neva<\/em>) forge a bond as they help each other navigate the wilderness and a variety of obstacles. Along the way, they&#8217;ll be confronted by shadowy threats.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lifeline Games and Dear Villagers say <em>Deer &amp; Boy<\/em> is a family-friendly game that has &#8220;no graphic violence or complex text.&#8221; There&#8217;s no dialogue either, so the music will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting to sell the stakes and convey emotion. This looks quite lovely, and I&#8217;m hoping to check it out at some point.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/2202997\/a-sidescrolling-roguelite-platformer-steam-deck-air-hockey-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dark Scrolls Developer: DoinksoftPublisher: Devolver DigitalPlatforms: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck), Nintendo SwitchPrice: $10, with a 10 percent discount on Steam until July 5&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[364,9042,4020,321,14625,4706,12405,22838,25517,3418,78],"class_list":["post-64248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-air","tag-checking","tag-deck","tag-games","tag-hockey","tag-indie","tag-platformer","tag-roguelite","tag-sidescrolling","tag-steam","tag-worth","wpcat-32-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/64253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}