Another month, another set of indie devs fighting for their lives to get eyes on their games. The myth of the indie game coming to save gaming is absurd, but the inverse could be true. We could very well save indie gaming and keep it relevant, keep indie devs creating, and keep cool games by cool devs coming out. And more importantly, keep a roof over their head and food in their bellies. Something as simple as wishlisting a game you think looks interesting or like even something in the realm of possible interest for you could help out these games immensely.
Some of y’all might know me for my RPG coverage on Monstervine, something I’ll be scaling back a bit on this year. Last year was pretty brutal, we had a TON of RPGs come out and I reviewed a ton and still missed a few I wanted to play! We wanted to expand our coverage of indie games though and not just indie RPGs. I decided one of the ways I’d like to contribute, other than reviewing more indie games, is to do a monthly wrap-up on what’s coming out. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds and miss indie release dates, so my goal is comprehensive coverage to help these games get eyes on them.
I’m pretty excited about a few of the titles on this list. Of course, they’re all coming out around the same time which means I have to pick and choose. However, I’ll likely pick everything up this month and work on them throughout the year. If you’re on the fence, make sure to wishlist, and I’ll keep bringing you indie coverage to help you decide. It seems patience is a theme this month, so I hope you enjoy reading about some upcoming indies. As always, numbers mean everything, make sure you’re sharing these games, putting them on your respective wishlists, and keeping an eye on Monstervine.com to learn more about your favorite games.
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
Platforms: PC, Xbox
Release Date: February 3rd
Cast spells, be queer, and crash the biggest concert of the year is an eye-catcher for sure. Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To pair match-3 puzzles with a visual novel full of ‘witchy demons.’ Created by the worker-owned gaming co-op, Soft Not Weak, Spirit Swap looks like a colorful, fun, sexy, and cozy mix with a Lofi beats soundtrack to jam to while you’re matching gems. Play as Samar, a young witch, who works the spirit-swapping night shift. Help Samar bond with demons, cast powerful spells, and earn trinkets to decorate her bedroom in Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3, releasing on February 3rd. Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To currently has a demo on its Steam page.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: February 5th
The developers behind Moncage, Optillusion, are back with another beautiful game trading in puzzles for comedy. However, I have to imagine there will be some figuring out what to do in While Waiting. While Waiting apparently plays itself, offering the player the option to exercise patience in a world where we’re constantly looking to do something. The tagline of the game being, “Learn to embrace life as you wait,” seems fitting in what looks like a very silly, yet profound take on the adventure genre. The art looks stunning, the animations look fluid, and the entire game looks playfully lighthearted. I’m really looking forward to playing While Waiting when it comes out on February 5th. While Waiting currently has a demo on their Steam page.
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: February 5th
Brace Yourself Games is back with more NecroDancer for all. This time, the NecroDancer is playing a more simplified version of the popular roguelike, with a similar lane style to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Rift of the NecroDancer boasts 30+ Rhythm Rift tracks, a difficulty that scales with you, and a special Remix Mode that has daily challenges and remixes beat maps to make them fresh every time. Perhaps most exciting is the game allows custom beat maps including the developer tools with the game purchase, though I’m not sure if that comes with the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Rift of the NecroDancer releases on PC and Nintendo Switch on February 5th. Rift of the NecroDancer has a demo on their Steam page.
Platforms: PC
Release Date: February 6th
Pitched as a nostalgic road trip, Keep Driving has been popping up everywhere. The developers of Sea Salt and Post Void are back with another gorgeous pixel-art game but instead of speeding through levels to get a high score or commanding a horde of minions, Keep Driving is an atmospheric road trip RPG. It’s the early 2000s, you’ve just bought your first car, and it’s time for a long, slow, road trip. I’m excited about playing a game that’s so clearly trying to hit a nostalgia point that’s familiar to me. Boasting multiple endings, Keep Driving claims a 1 to 4-hour spread of gameplay time that should make this a very good option for those of you with hectic schedules that need the option to pick up and put down regularly. Of course, for those that do the theme of taking it easy will ring the most true. After all, according to the Steam page, “You’re young. You have time.” Keep Driving comes out on PC, on February 6th and currently has a demo on their Steam page.
Platforms: PC
Release Date: February 7th
Slender Threads appears to be a breakaway from Blyts’ Nobodies series of games. Originally developing puzzle games with static images, Slender Threads looks like a huge leap in both the quality and quantity of game offered. Harvey, a traveling salesman, claims things have felt wrong ever since he arrived in Villa Ventana. “Every night it’s the same dream: my own head, mounted on a wall.” My jeebies are heebied. Slender Threads looks like a harrowingly good time with hand-drawn art that gives the game a diorama-like feel, a classic point-and-click style game with dialogue trees and puzzle-solving, and appears to be fully voiced. Get back to your point-and-click roots when Slender Threads releases on February 7th on Steam. A demo isn’t available but Slender Threads has a free prologue you can play on Steam.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: February 12th
Urban Myth Dissolution Center popped up on my radar last year during Steam’s Next Fest with a truly bizarre demo that left me wanting more. Pitched as a psycho-detective mystery adventure, Urban Myth Dissolution Center has you take on the role of Azami Fukurai, the center’s newest member. Azamis is tasked with unraveling the mysteries of the world around her thanks to the help of her glasses that allow her to see memories of places she visits. Full of anomalies, strange creatures, and cursed relics, Urban Myth Dissolution Center has you helping Azami uncover the truth behind the tall tales that plague her city. Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a game I am really looking forward to sinking my teeth into when it comes out on February 12th. Urban Myth Dissolution Center currently has a demo on its Steam page.
Platforms: PC
Release Date: February 13th
Darenn Keller left Ubisoft to make indie games and the fruits of their labor will be seen this month. Dawnfolk, a dark and minimalist survival city-builder looks absolutely phenomenal. Dawnfolk looks to be a pick-up and play-style city builder that has important choices around building a medieval city and ruling your lands. Decades ago obsidian monoliths rained down from the sky and darkness gathered around them, slowly permeating the world. After finding the mythical creature Lueur, a talking flame, you begin to rebuild your realm. An incredibly interesting and new iteration on the genre of city-building, Dawnfolk releases on Steam on February 13th. Dawnfolk currently has a demo on its Steam page.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox
Release Date: February 13th
Time for more horror in the vessel of a psychological thriller set in Taiwan during the 2010s. What happened to Tommy Lin? One day, Tommy Lin disappears and his sister, Yonny, discovers an old toy phone receiver that she used with Tommy as kids to connect her to the spirit realm. Tap into your friend’s deepest desires, and unravel the mystery of what happened to Tommy Lin in Recall: Empty Wishes. Boasting hand-drawn portraits, choices that matter, puzzle-solving, and non-linear storytelling, Recall: Empty Wishes looks like an exciting take on 2D side-scrolling adventures. Recall: Empty Wishes releases on all platforms on February 13th.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: February 13th
Shujinkou is a unique dungeon-crawling JRPG in that it would like to help you learn Japanese as you play the game. Though specifically pointed out on the steam page, Shujinkou is not purely a learning tool but as a video game with comprehensive language learning functionalities in it’s gameplay mechanics. Boasting hundreds of skills, items, cooking, and minigames, Shujinkou looks to have it all. Play as Shu, Jin, and Kou as you fight Akuma, a language-devouring eccentric fox. While it’d be impressive alone to crank out a big dungeon-crawling JRPG like this as an indie dev, with the added attempt at helping people learn Japanese, Shujinkou seems like a passion-project worth checking out when it comes out on February 13th. Shujinkou currently has a demo on their steam page.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox
Release Date: February 14th
Not everything will be smiles and sunshine on Valentine’s Day though and if you’d prefer to brood or contemplate life, Pikselnesia has you covered with Afterlove EP. In 2022, Mohammad Fahmi, creator of Coffee Talk and What Comes After passed away at 32. Fahmi was working on his newest game, Afterlove EP, and finally, in 2025, Fahmi’s legacy will be carried on. Afterlove EP is a slice-of-life adventure set in modern Jakarta exploring love, loss, and finding your way forward. Along with this being a hand-drawn narrative the main character appears to be in a band which lends itself to some rhythm sections. Contemplative rhythm games are my favorite indie games. Afterlove EP will help you move on this February 14th. Afterlove EP currently has a demo on their Steam page.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Release Date: February 18th
DON’TNOD is back with another choice-heavy adventure title. Join Swann as they create and foster relationships, jump between 1995 and 2022 and explore the sleepy town of Velvet Cove, Michigan. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is using a somewhat outdated or perhaps just unusual method of releasing episodes. Since DON’TNOD has gotten away from Square-Enix they’ve been producing mostly shorter-form stories to our benefit. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage both look and sound gorgeous as you explore friendships in both 1995 and 2022. The first episode, titled ‘Bloom’ releases on February 18th with the second episode titled ‘Rage’ releasing on April 15th.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: February 20th
Space Colony Studios is coming in hot with their first game, a sci-fi retro visual novel. The pixels are gorgeous, the vibes are immaculate, and the music is transcendental. Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog looks like it’ll send you out to space. Take on the role of the Gun-Dog’s security officer as the crew begins to fall apart in the face of a new looming threat. Already verified for the SteamDeck and now releasing in full color, The Gun-Dog looks like an incredible take on the retro VN. Be prepared to board and deal with a fully paranoid crew when Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog releases on February 20th. Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog currently has a demo on their Steam page.
Platforms: PC
Release Date: February 21st
I was worried this month would be a little light on deckbuilding roguelikes but Die in the Dungeon is here to save us. With a cute lil’ amphibious protagonist, Die in the Dungeon takes on the deckbuilder formula by getting rid of the deck entirely and replacing it with a dice bag. Every die has its purpose with lots of combinations to explore. Roll to win in this turn-based roguelike dungeon-crawling dicebuilder. I can’t wait to roll my way into Die in the Dungeon when it releases on February 21st. No demo is available but Die in the Dungeons: Origins is free to play and acts as a prologue for the main game.
Platforms: PC
Release Date: February 28th
KAISERPUNK offers an alternative history take on the 20th century as a consequences-based city-builder/grand strategy combo. Offering deep systems that allow for alliances and trade deals, an intricate resources management and industrial production pipeline, and mastering logistics. KAISERPUNK’s developer Overseer Games even boasts on the Steam page that decisions carry weight and that your actions have consequences. Find out what consequences your actions might have in this alt-history take of the 20th century. KAISERPUNK floats its way onto Steam on February 28th.
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: February 28th
Thunder and Kyla are two androids that have been given the ultimate task of discovering a new planet for the human race. Piloting their ship, the Omega 6, the two androids must pay off their planetary loan. That’s right, two big quests, one adventure game. Traveling to three different planets the androids will run into over 100 aliens, and battle rival treasure hunters in card-based battles, all while trying to pay off their loan and find a suitable replacement for Earth. Based on the manga Omega 6 by former Nintendo art director of over 30 years, Takaya Imamura, Omega 6 The Triangle Stars is sure to be a hit when it releases on February 28th.
Another indie wrap-up has come and gone. We’re always excited to scope out new indie games that pop up on our radar and shine a light on them but as much as we’d like to be all-seeing eyes, we can’t be. So if there’s a game coming up that you know about and haven’t seen covered or think it should be covered more, feel free to shoot us an e-mail at will@monstervine.com or ping our BlueSky account. We’re happy to provide coverage to as many indies as we possibly can and keep you informed as well. In the meantime, I hope you saw a game you liked, added a few to your ever-expanding wishlist, and tossed a coin to your indie dev. See you next month!
