Author: Obsidian

What if the afterlife were a hospital? Not heaven. Not hell. Just white corridors, sterile silence, and a strange sense of calm. Return to Ash, the newest visual novel from Serenity Forge, starts with that simple but eerie question—and spins it into a delicate story about loneliness, regret, and the aching hope for one more chance. This short but potent narrative experience blends light decision-making, emotional storytelling, and minimalist art into a tidy 2-4 hour package. It may not be groundbreaking in terms of mechanics, but its execution is quietly profound. For fans of reflective visual novels like Spiritfarer or…

Few indie titles have managed to so effortlessly channel the spirit of 90s horror while evolving the formula for modern players quite like Heartworm. Developed by Vincent Adinolfi and published by DreadXP, this pixelated psychological thriller dives headfirst into nostalgia, wrapping it in sorrow, memory, and the quiet tension that defined a golden age of survival horror. It doesn’t just mimic the past—it refines it. A Personal Descent Into Grief At the heart of Heartworm is Sam, a grieving protagonist searching for answers after the death of her grandfather. Her journey begins online, stumbling across a mysterious forum promising contact…

If you’ve ever thought, “I want to destroy my keyboard and my friendships at the same time,” then Paddle Paddle Paddle might be the perfect game for you. Developed solo by Mateo Covic under the Zoroarts banner and published by Assemble Entertainment, this chaotic, physics-based co-op platformer officially launched on July 25, 2025. What began as a silly idea in the shower quickly evolved into one of the most frustratingly fun indie games of the year. A Simple, Sadistic Premise The premise is simple: you’re in a rubber paddleboat, surrounded by lava, and your job is to paddle through one…

Tripwire Interactive is back with Killing Floor 3, the next chapter in its iconic co-op horror shooter series. Set in a grim 2091 where the megacorp Horzine unleashes genetically engineered monstrosities known as zeds, Killing Floor 3 challenges players to team up as Nightfall operatives in brutal six-player co-op battles to hold the line against a dystopian nightmare. While the game arrives with some apparent gaps and rough edges, the core experience is a gory, gratifying ride that shows signs of becoming the franchise’s strongest entry. An Evolved Foundation The bones of the Killing Floor franchise are still intact—wave-based enemy…

If you’re hungry for a brutal, stylish, and intelligent fusion of roguelike tension and ARPG complexity, Hell Clock might be precisely what your dark heart desires. Set against the backdrop of a twisted retelling of Brazil’s War of Canudos, this is not your typical dungeon crawler. It’s a game that combines fast-paced combat, meaningful build diversity, and historical inspiration into a fiery cocktail of challenge and catharsis. Narrative Depth in a Dark Historical Mirror You play as Pajeú, a righteous warrior determined to rescue the soul of his fallen mentor, The Counselor, amidst a world corrupted by undead enemies and…

If Deep Rock Galactic, Risk of Rain 2, and a vat of psychedelic mushrooms had a love child, that game might be called Mycopunk. Developed by the appropriately named Pigeons at Play and published by Devolver Digital, Mycopunk is an early access co-op shooter that throws you and your squad into the heart of a planet-wide fungal meltdown. You’ll exterminate bio-mutated mushroom horrors as a gang of malfunctioning robots armed with makeshift sci-fi gear, strange gadgets, and a whole lot of chaotic energy. It’s weird. It’s janky. It’s brilliant. Let’s break it down. Fungal Extermination for Fun and Profit The…