During our visit to this year's video game fair Gamescom, alongside the business obligations we had, we spent some time exploring the Indie Arena Booth. Some of the games that caught our eye were presented in special articles, and in this article, we will introduce a few of the most interesting indie games we had the chance to see at this year's Gamescom.
The Blind Warrior
The game The Blind Warrior, currently in development, is a solo action-adventure set in Java in the mid-19th century, during the Dutch colonial rule. Players follow the character Barda Mandrawatu, a priest and fighter for justice, who loses his sight after a tragic event but gains mystical abilities that help him fight against tyranny.
The game's environment is a semi-open world, inspired by the legendary Indonesian comic series Si Buta dari Gua Hantu. The combat mechanics include traditional silat martial arts – combinations, blocks, parrying, stealth stabs, and brutal finishing moves. The visual style is particularly striking after Barda loses his sight: through the “Blind Sense” mechanic, the environment is scanned, and enemies are revealed through a special “sensory” effect – like a purple mist, which enhances the atmosphere and tension during gameplay.
Cold Abyss
Cold Abyss is an atmospheric and relaxing first-person indie adventure where you find yourself at the bottom of the ocean with a simple yet intriguing task — to repair internet cables. There are no enemies or dangers in the game, just silence and the endless sea, providing a sense of peace and solitude.
The Director’s Cut version brings new content: expanded levels, additional story, and a completely redesigned movement system, along with improved visuals and interactions. The game also includes artifact collection, which further deepens the gameplay.
Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi
Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi is an upcoming fantasy adventure where players take on the roles of Lili — a guardian who has withdrawn after her mother's death — and Sadi, a desert monk, as they embark together to fight against the mystical void that corrupts their world.
Throughout the game, you explore intricate temples inspired by classics like Zelda, solve environmental puzzles, rescue spirits, and face golem monsters. The demo version reveals a wondrous visual style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, with the mechanics of the two protagonists – swordplay and magic – at the core of the game.
G-Rebels
In the year 2684, when the oceans have swallowed most of the land, the sky has become a new battlefield. In G-Rebels, players take on the role of pilots in an elite unit tasked with maintaining order among floating megacities. Inspired by classic futuristic action flight simulations, the title delivers a tense combination of dogfight battles, tactical missions, and free exploration of a vast open world.
With spacecraft armed with laser cannons, missiles, and jamming systems, every sortie requires quick reflexes and strategic thinking. The game offers dynamic weather conditions, realistic flight maneuvers, and a story that reveals dark political intrigues in a world where the sky is the only hope — and the greatest threat.
Echoes of Mora
Echoes of Mora is an intriguing first-person narrative adventure developed by the Berlin-based studio Selkies Interactive. The game invites players to dive into a sunlit underwater world flooded with water – an abandoned village that hides numerous secrets – to help the young character Mora in her quest for her missing brother.
The title offers the possibility of playing in VR and standard (non-VR) mode, with seamless switching between perspectives during gameplay. Players will explore a submerged village, discover hidden objects, solve puzzles, and use “Echoes” – time portals that reveal events from the past, opening up an emotional and multi-layered story. Expect puzzles, exploration, and a sensitive narrative intertwined with elements of mystery and fear, in an atmosphere that is both intriguing and
Aquapark Tycoon
Aquapark Tycoon, in development by Boxelware and scheduled for release in 2025, brings a cozy simulation atmosphere where you build the ultimate water park – take care of the design of slides, pools, and saunas to meet the demands of visitors.
The game combines creativity, strategy, and management: design adrenaline-pumping slides, relaxing wellness pools, and luxurious saunas, all with customizable temperature, aromas, and aesthetics. It also includes cooperative multiplayer, Steam Workshop for sharing creations, scenarios, and challenging objectives, along with support for various languages and a pleasant, colorful visual style.
Shrine's Legacy
Shrine's Legacy is an upcoming action RPG game in retro style, heavily inspired by SNES classics like Secret of Mana. It is set in the magical world of Ardemia, where two heroes, Rio and Reima, must restore the legendary Sword of the Shrine – a sacred quest to find eight elemental gems – to save the world from a sinister threat.
The game features an emotionally driven character story, full of tough choices and sacrifices that will shape the fates of the heroes and the Ardemians. Players can explore a diverse open world, enter tense dungeons, fight against monsters and rich bosses, and solve puzzles that require clever use of elemental magic.
What stands out is the cooperative gameplay option: alongside one hero, there is always a companion, which can be controlled by AI or replaced by a friend – compatible with local split-screen cooperation and the Remote Play Together option. The graphics in a 16-bit retro style evoke nostalgia while not feeling like a mere imitation of old games.
In short: Shrine's Legacy looks like a promising spiritual successor to once-popular SNES-like RPG titles, combining a strong story, fluid combat, a return to cooperation, and creative puzzles – perfect for genre fans.
Aris Arcanum
Aris Arcanum takes us into a Victorian world through a roguelite adventure where librarian Clyde Colegrave, ravaged by illness, wanders the haunted Halls of Aris. Dependent on dangerous Ink-magic and limited by a staff, the game offers a unique spellcrafting system for each round.
During the descent into the magical library, you face twisted enemies and explore haunted corridors filled with rituals and occultism. Each death resets spells, but progression is felt through permanent upgrades and fluid yet challenging combat gameplay enriched with a gothic, hand-drawn aesthetic.
Once Upon A Kingdom
Once Upon A Kingdom is an upcoming card game with elements of city building and light tower-defense strategy, where the player leads civilizations through fairy-tale, mythical worlds. Each move is executed from a deck – you pay with a card, build, combine structures, and open defensive zones while facing threats. Different campaigns explore mythical themes such as the constructions of pharaohs, the great flood, or lunar settlements.
Deer & Boy
Deer & Boy is an upcoming poetic cinematic platformer where a boy's escape after a tragic event leads to an unexpected friendship with a fawn. Together, they solve puzzles, avoid enemies, and build a strong bond as the deer gradually evolves into a protector, helping the boy heal and grow.
EverSiege: Untold Ages
EverSiege: Untold Ages is an upcoming action-strategy roguelite game with a bird's-eye view, set in a fantastical post-apocalyptic world. The player takes on the role of demigod warriors — Scyronsa — who defend the last stronghold of humanity, Bastion, while fighting against enemy hordes and evil forces surrounding it. Each attempt brings tough decisions: to build defenses, restore crumbling structures, or seek power through Shamanic magic and Essence. Participating in Co-op mode allows up to three players to shape the fate of Bastion together. The game will soon enter Early Access, with plans for additional content expansion during the first 12 months, including new Wargears, Essences, and enemies.
Restaurats
Restaurats is an original simulation roguelite game set in a medieval world where you run a restaurant – but not just any restaurant, rather one managed by a whole team of clever rats. You are the leader of this rodent team, cooking dishes, throwing food to guests, wiping drinks under skeletons, and proving to orcs and vampires that your “bloody meat” is the tastiest.
This humorous mix of cooking, resource management, and satirical humor delivers a unique experience in the form of “roguelike cooking” – each attempt is a chaotic adventure filled with unpredictable obstacles and spiced up with boss battles, all within a genre that combines simulation and action. The game supports single-player and online cooperative experiences, with features like Steam achievements and Cloud save positions.
It is an eccentric, fun, and completely unusual cookbook that mixes chaos, humor, and strategy, promising that you will come back for more... or at least try again, just when you think you have mastered the infamous “rat-chef” duty.
Curse of Pirates
Curse of Pirates is an upcoming action roguelike game inspired by Vampire Survivors and Hades. Players become captains aboard a pixelated, roguelike galleon, fighting against supernatural enemies, crews, and sea gods, while customizing their ship and skills for each new attempt.
Pathologic 3
Pathologic 3 brings a dark survival adventure and psychological horror, set in a terrifying world ravaged by an elusive plague. In the role of Doctor Danila Dankovsky (“The Bachelor”), players have only 12 days to save the town, but with a unique twist – they will be able to return to the past and change key events with the help of a rare resource called Amalgam.
Through the visual "Mind Map" interface, players can track the cause-and-effect relationships of their decisions, targeting specific events they wish to alter. This "time travel" is a fundamental mechanic of Pathologic 3 — it allows for experimentation without fear of irreversible mistakes, while also unlocking access to hidden stories and endings.
Gameplay involves diagnosing patients, using advanced medical tools like microscopes, introducing quarantines, and managing resources to stop the plague. The narrative is layered and atmospheric, with deep moral dilemmas and psychological tensions that define the series.
Pathologic 3 is a sequel to the cult franchise that promises an intense, emotional experience with a new, innovative approach — ideal for fans of the series, but also for new players seeking a challenge. The game is planned for release in 2025 for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Cult of Blood
Cult of Blood is an upcoming survival horror adventure in development, published by Dusty Box. The game is set in an isolated village deep within a gloomy forest landscape, inspired by a true sinister story that promises players a dark and tense atmosphere.
Players take on the role of a police officer who, while performing a routine task, gets drawn into the events of mysterious disappearances—and finds himself face to face with a cult that performs bloody rituals. What begins as a mundane duty soon turns into a desperate fight for survival to uncover a terrifying truth.
Gameplay relies on classic survival horror elements—managing limited resources such as ammunition and medicine, dramatic confrontations with human and supernatural enemies, and challenging boss fights with unique attack patterns. The gameplay system uses fixed cameras and "tank" controls, providing a visually tense and elegantly retro experience.
For those craving a classic and atmospheric horror adventure—Cult of Blood promises a dark, stylized, and tense journey through the secrets and fever of the forest village.
Theropods
Theropods is a charming point-and-click adventure inspired by the golden age of pixel art games, where you explore a world filled with dinosaurs. The game combines puzzles with a cinematic story and vibrant characters, all accompanied by retro aesthetics. The main protagonist is a young huntress whose village has been attacked by a wicked band of barbarians – her goal is to free the captured people.
At the same time, she meets a lost astronaut with futuristic equipment, so it seems that genre boundaries are being blurred: sci-fi elements and prehistoric challenges are combined. The game contains no dialogues – the story is conveyed through animations and sounds, without words. The release is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Necromancer’s Tale
The Necromancer’s Tale (Psychic Software, released July 17, 2025) is a narrative-driven top-down RPG adventure set in an alternate 1733, in a kingdom by the Adriatic. You take on the role of a small noble figure exploring dark necromantic rituals from a mysterious book, with the goal of gaining power and revenge without losing your sanity – or without hanging in front of chatty villagers.
The game features a rich story of over 400,000 words, includes more than 180 characters with hand-drawn portraits, and features tactics and dialogue where trust plays a key role (you will lose it — and the trial — if you abuse it unnecessarily). It mixes strategic turn-based combat with swords and magic, manipulation, deception, and political intrigue – all in an atmosphere of gothic and madness.
