Swallowing the Moon and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Between The Game Awards and showcases like Day of the Devs, Wholesome Snack, Latin American Games and Women-Led Games, there’s been a ton of video game news over the last week (I need Control Resonant ASAP, please and thank you, Remedy). And hey, guess what? I've got even more for you to dig into, including info on some new releases that you can play right now.

One of those is a game I’d been looking forward to since about 2022, and it’s always nice when something you’ve remained patient for turns out to be worth the wait. In Sam Eng's Skate Story, you play as a demon who accepts a deal offered by the Devil. If the demon can ride a skateboard to the Moon and swallow it after being transformed into a creature made of “glass and pain,” the Devil will grant them their freedom. 

It’s just as strange as that setup sounds. While you’ll need to execute combos to defeat bosses, this is a skateboarding game that leans more heavily on story than pure gameplay. It’s visually and sonically arresting too, with Blood Cultures and John Fio crafting a killer soundtrack I know I’ll be listening to for a long time to come. 

Skate Story is out now on Nintendo Switch 2, Steam and PS5 for $20. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members can play it at no extra cost. 

New releases

Unbeatable is another game I’ve had on my radar for some time, though I haven’t had a chance to jump in yet. This is another stylish game in which you play as Beat, who sings in a band. However, music is outlawed in this world (oh no!). Through rhythm-based minigames and battles with cops, Beat tries to bring back the music. There's a separate arcade mode with a dedicated progression system too.

I'm a sucker for stories about rebellious underdogs, and this rhythm adventure could well hook me in. Unbeatable — from D-Cell Games and publisher Playstack — is available on Steam and PS5 for $28 (there’s a 10 percent discount on Steam until December 23). It's set to hit Xbox Series X/S very soon too.

Speaking of games I've been keeping an eye on, Adrift (from solo developer S.K.9.8 and co-publisher Secret Sauce) was one of the first games I covered when I started doing this weekly roundup earlier this year. It's a driving game in which your aim is to deliver a volatile energy core. Since you're traversing a hot desert, you'll need to be careful to prevent the core from overheating and blowing up. Thankfully, there are safe spots and cooling stations where you can bring down the temperature.

The vaporwave aesthetic of Adrift caught my eye and although I dig the presentation, the game isn't quite clicking for me in the early going. It didn't take long before my vehicle got stuck and I had to reset, and I'm finding the top-down world a little confusing to navigate. I'll stick with it for at least a little longer, though. Adrift is out now on Steam. It usually costs $13 though there's a 25 percent discount until December 23. 

I've very happy that a game like Drywall Eating Simulator can exist. Peripheral Playbox's satirical walking sim sees your character trying to deal with the maddening realities of daily life and the frustration that one may find in dealing with other people. Get mad enough and you'll be able to punch through a wall (something you'll have to do to move through the levels anyway). Then, you can munch on some drywall to calm yourself down.

I had a good time with it and there’s some pointedly funny writing here. “I thought AI sucks but it told me that was wrong and I believed it,” says one person. That's all well and good, but I mainly just want the NPCs to leave me alone so I can eat drywall in peace. Drywall Eating Simulator is out now on Steam. It'll usually run you $10, but there's a 10 percent discount until December 17.

Planet of Lana was one of my favorite games of 2023 and now it's available on iOS and Android for $9. It sees teenage Lana and her cute companion Mui making their way through a world that's been taken over by alien robots as they try to rescue Lana's sister.

This is a puzzle platformer in the vein of Inside and Limbo, and despite the pretty and often bright presentation, it's just as dystopian as those games. It sounds gorgeous too, thanks in large part to a beautiful score from The Last Guardian composer Takeshi Furukawa. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel from Wishfully and publisher Thunderful. That's set to arrive next year.

A Game About Digging A Hole is one of this year's real indie success stories. It’s a game that a developer started making in their spare time that has sold more than 1.2 million copies since February. After landing on PC and mobile, the $5 game from Doublebee and publisher Rokaplay is now on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. It's on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass.

It's a straightforward loop. Start digging a hole in your backyard, sell the stuff you find, upgrade your equipment and keep going. Just, uh, be careful down there. You never quite know what you'll run into.

Upcoming 

Vampire Therapist developer Little Bat Games has revealed its latest project, Better Than Us, which is coming to Steam in 2026. It's a narrative-driven sci-fi narrative game in which you'll infiltrate swanky parties thrown by wealth hoarders in the future to steal spoils back from them. 

Violence isn't the solution here, as you'll need to charm the ultra-rich, who buy elections and have "monopolized AI development to ensure machines serve their interests" (I dunno, this all seems extremely far-fetched). You can spin up a web of lies about things like how your husband died and how much Worldcoin you have. To maintain your ruse, you'll need to keep your story straight by remembering what you said and to which characters. 

Okomotive (Herdling, Far: Changing Tides) just revealed its next game. PinKeep is a roguelike deckbuilder in which you'll place structures on a playing field to fend off enemies. To collect resources, you'll need to play some pinball. By using the flippers (and flicking the ball for more precise movement), you can pick up what you need to fight back against your opponents. You can damage bad guys directly with the balls too. 

As a Ball x Pit enthusiast with a tepid but growing interest in deckbuilders, this speaks to me. A PinKeep demo is coming to Steam in January, with the full game set to arrive late in 2026.

AudioMech is a neat-looking game that popped up for the first time during the pre-show of The Game Awards. This is a rhythm-based action title from Dylan Fitterer, the creator of Audiosurf. It taps into whatever music you have playing on your computer (even something that you're streaming or playing through a microphone) to customize both your weapons and opponents.

A track that's heavy on bass might give you a longer sword, while vocals and lead instruments can power a cannon. There are several ways to play, including a mode in which you don't take damage and a boss rush option. AudioMech is coming to Steam and there's a demo available now. 

Let's wrap things up with something a little more relaxing. Lost and Found Co. is a hidden object game from Bit Egg Inc. and co-publisher Gamirror Games. During the latest Wholesome Snack showcase, it was revealed that the game is coming to Steam on February 11.

It's little wonder that more than 170,000 Steam users have wishlisted this game. It looks absolutely lovely. The developers sought to recapture the "magic" of childhood puzzle books in their hand-drawn world. Here, you'll help Ducky, a duck-turned-human intern at a startup that hunts for items that townspeople have lost. There's a demo available that features the option to decorate a part of the world using items you find.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/swallowing-the-moon-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-154937071.html?src=rss