Doinksoft/Devolver Digital

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. If you're looking for something new to play this weekend, we have several options for you to check out. We've also got news to bring you about upcoming games, including one with sword-wielding dinosaurs. Heck yes.

First, though, there's the small matter of the Steam Summer Sale, one of the biggest annual events on the PC storefront. Despite already having more games in my various libraries than I can ever conceivably play, I'm sure I'll at least pick up a few things from my wishlist.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Valve is starting the reservation process for the Steam Machine just as the Steam Summer Sale gets under way — it runs until July 9. While the Steam Machine is pricey for what's essentially a fairly low-spec Linux system, that initial investment could be offset by the money players can save in the frequent sales on PC storefronts, as prices are often lower than on consoles. Valve should start shipping the Steam Machine before the sale ends.

It's worth bearing in mind that, unlike on the current consoles, you don't need to pay for a subscription to play games online on PC. There's also the option to build your own version of a Steam Machine using various PC parts and SteamOS. If you have a spare AMD GPU, you can do that right now, but you might need to wait until 2027 for NVIDIA driver support.

I joined the lottery for each Steam Machine configuration, just to see if I could make it into the reservation queue. I didn't really intend to buy one. However, as I write this, I just got an email saying I'm in the queue. And it would probably be useful to have one so I can write about how well certain games run on it. I guess I'm going to have a decision to make very soon.

In other news, it was reported this week that Douze Dixiémes, the studio behind this year's MIO: Memories in Orbit, has shut down. The Metroidvania looks gorgeous and it debuted to positive reviews, but it didn't quite break out in a very crowded market.

Meanwhile, Ratatan — a spiritual successor to the Patapon series — has been delayed from its previous release date of July 16. The console versions and Steam 1.0 build will instead arrive on October 15. The development team says it needs more time to polish the game.

Dark Scrolls

Developer: Doinksoft
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platforms: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck), Nintendo Switch
Price: $10, with a 10 percent discount on Steam until July 5 and free copies of Gunbrella and Gato Roboto included in select territories

I've mostly enjoyed my time with Dark Scrolls, though I don'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's influenced by FromSoftware games. I dig the Master System-style visuals and shoot-'em'up feel. It's nice that there's local and online co-op support, but I haven't tried that yet.

Keeping in with the old-school vibe of Dark Scrolls (as well as FromSoft games), there isn't a tutorial to speak of. You'll figure out the characters' 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.

I like the variety of heroes as well. You have access to three at the jump — the ax-throwing, ground-pounding Grizz suited my playstyle well — and you'll unlock others as you progress. The first of those is likely to be an adorable pup named Biscuit with a bark that's more powerful than its bite. Alas, I couldn't quite get to grips with Biscuit. I died far more rapidly as the dog than with other characters.

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's star level and, from what I'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's case, that involves firing a bunch of axes in multiple directions at once.

However, the roguelite aspect is where Dark Scrolls falls short for me. Many of the perks — such as a rocket jump — 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.

I get what Doinksoft is going for. Every time you level up your character in, say, Elden Ring, it costs more. That approach doesn't quite work here given the linear format of the levels and the randomization of chests. You can't exactly farm coins from enemies whenever you like.

Mini AirHockey

Developer: Geert Verhoeff
Publisher: Sumatras Studios
Platform: Steam (designed for Steam Deck)
Price: $1, with a 10 percent discount until July 8

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 Mini AirHockey, a two-player experiment that makes use of the handheld's touchpads.

It works best when the players are positioned at each end of a Deck, as if they'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.

There's no real depth to Mini AirHockey and it's a bit janky — much like the Scotland team that has deeply disappointed me at the men's World Cup. Still, it'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 Pong. It could also be a fun way for Deck owners to show their family and friends what the system is capable of.

Dart Racer

Developer: LubSoft
Publisher: Proteus Interactive
Platforms: Steam (Windows, VR; Steam Deck verified). Also available on Meta Quest
Price: Usually $10, with a 20 percent discount until July 7

I was already looking forward to Star Wars Galactic Racer 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, Dart Racer could be a decent way to tune up.

This is an arcade podracing game with a Nintendo 64-era look from solo developer Piotr Jastrzębski aka LubSoft. You can customize the design and capabilities of your ship (or "dart"). 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.

Dart Racer is initially available in early access. Jastrzębski estimates the full version is at least nine months away. The plan is to add more darts, tracks, upgrades, customizations and a campaign mode.

Deer & Boy

Developer: Lifeline Games
Publisher: Dear Villagers
Platforms: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck verified; demo available), PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch
Price: $20, with a 10 percent launch discount

Here, we have a narrative-driven platformer akin to Inside and Planet of Lana. A young runway and a fawn (who grows during the game, like in Neva) forge a bond as they help each other navigate the wilderness and a variety of obstacles. Along the way, they'll be confronted by shadowy threats.

Lifeline Games and Dear Villagers say Deer & Boy is a family-friendly game that has "no graphic violence or complex text." There'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'm hoping to check it out at some point.

Tears of Metal

Developer and publisher: Paper Cult
Platforms: Steam (Windows), Xbox on PC (available via Game Pass)
Release date: July 22 (early access), coming to Xbox Series X/S later in 2026

I really enjoyed Paper Cult's previous game, Bloodroots, so I'm all about a follow-up that sees you rally Scottish troops to cut down hordes of enemies. Tears of Metal is a hack-and-slash game with online co-op support. There are several heroes to choose from and, since this is a roguelite, you'll pick up powerful skills to use during each run.

Between runs, you can expand your settlement to unlock more shops, from which you can buy permanent upgrades and take on tougher challenges. These can open up access to new characters, boons and combos, among other things.

Paper Cult plans for Tears of Metal to be in early access for up to 12 months, with the release date for the full game depending on player feedback, and how much the team decides to add or change. New heroes and upgrades will be added in the coming months. Additional voice acting, support for more languages, and balance, performance and stability improvements are all in the pipeline.

Tears of Metal looks chaotic and bloody, which is just my cup of tea. There is a demo available on Steam, but Paper Cult says "it no longer reflects the current state of the game." Progress won't carry over either, so the studio will remove the demo on July 6.

Erosion

Developer: Plot Twist
Publisher: Lyrical Games
Platform: Steam
Release window: Early 2027; playtest live until June 30

Erosion has been on my radar for a while and although we'll need to wait until early next year for the full game, there's a playtest running on Steam for a few more days. I dig the aesthetic of this Western roguelike with its bouncing voxel characters. The conceit is interesting, too. You set out to rescue your kidnapped daughter from a warlord. Each time you die, time lurches forward by a decade, making your child older and changing the landscape.

The playtest has around two or three hours' worth of things to do, though the dungeon runs are replayable. You can dive into two dungeon tiers and a pair of boss battles, along with two overworld biomes, a couple of branching timelines and some quests. This is an early build, of course, so you may run into some bugs. Still, it's something to dive into this weekend while you're deciding what to pick up in the Steam sale.

Dinoblade

Developer: Team Spino
Publishers: Team Spino, Boltray Games
Platform: Steam (Windows; demo available)
Release date: July 23

Let's wrap things up for this edition with Dinoblade, another game I've had on my wishlist for a while purely because it looks absolutely bonkers. We now have a release date for this action RPG, which is coming your way on July 23.

The game is set in a prehistoric world and you play as a Spinosaurus that wields a sword in its jaws. Some enemy dinosaurs also carry weapons and there are, of course, bosses to dodge and parry. You'll unlock more skills along your journey and learn how to put together effective combos in a way that suits your playstyle.

It's an ARPG with sword-wielding dinosaurs. That's all I needed to know. I somehow missed that there was a demo, so I'm off to download that immediately.