The 5 Best Upcoming Indie Games of July 2019
The truth is out there, if you ever reach it.
Time to sharpen those survival skills this month, as our choice selection contains more than its fair share of hairy situations. If you’re still recovering from the swathe of games announced at E3 then you might want to strap in for this month as none of our best picks features calm or peaceful worlds. Turmoil boils at the heart of them all and it’s up to you to survive that conflict and, somehow, find your way out of an impossible situation.
5. Stranger Things 3: The Game
Before you ask, yes, this is the third installment in the video game series and not just a title to coincide with the release of the third season of the Netflix TV show. Maybe it was just us that was confused? People say that TV to video game adaptations never work – those people are wrong. If the previous entries in this series are anything to go by, Stranger Things 3: The Game will be every bit as enjoyable as the soon-to-be-released TV show.
You’ll play through familiar events from the TV show, uncovering the truth of The Upside Down with a few added bonus secrets for fans. Take control of your favourite characters, or even better, team up thanks to the local co-op, and play through the events of season 3 in this retro-styled adventure. Probably best to watch the show first of course, as it’s safe to assume this is packing some serious spoilers.
4. The Blackout Club
After releasing successfully into Early Access a few months back, The Blackout Club, a first-person co-op horror game centred around a group of teenagers on a paranormal investigation, launches this month. After realising everything is not as it seems in their weird little town, this small group of kids sets off on a dangerous mission to uncover the truth.
Featuring frantic, four-player co-op, The Blackout Club is like The X-Files meets Left 4 Dead. You’ll have to team up to explore this mysterious suburban neighbourhood, trying to gather the evidence you need. It isn’t all shadows glimpsed out the corner of your eye though – there’s a host of horrors, including the brainwashed residents themselves trying to stop you. So, it’s time to team up and uncover the secret of the blackouts.
3. Nowhere Prophet
Next up we have another fight for survival, but this time through a hellish wasteland left in the wake of a societal collapse. Nowhere Prophet takes us to the planet of Soma, and a once great civilisation brought to its knees by a complete technological apocalypse. Leading a convey of outcasts, it’s your job to scavenge for resources and survive the brutality of this broken world.
As a hybrid card game, Nowhere Prophet brings RPG and roguelike elements into play as you explore and battle your way through the wasteland. You’ll navigate procedurally generated maps, making no two runs the same, and fight depraved slavers or rogue machines to reach your goal. It’s a turn-based, tactical game that requires apt planning and strategy if you ever hope to survive out there. If you survive long enough you might just reach the Crypt – the last remnants of a doomed planet.
2. They Are Billions
They Are Billions is another game that’s just left Early Access into full launch, and it’s done so in style, with console releases to come this month. Managing a struggling human colony after a zombie apocalypse brought it to the brink of extinction, it’s now your job to help them survive. With only thousands left alive and billions of infected wandering this scorched world in swarms, that’s going to be no easy task.
Adding a bunch of new modes since its release into Early Access, They Are Billions now contains a full campaign mode, survival mode and over 48 missions. Mixing RTS action with strategic gameplay, including the ability to pause, it’s a desperate battle to fortify your defences against the horde. Live long enough and you might just uncover how the pandemic started and put an end to all this horror.
1. Sea of Solitude
Sea of Solitude has looked good for a very long time and, finally, it’s releasing this month. Setting sail across a surreal world you’ll encounter strange, mysterious creatures and learn their stories. Through this lonely tale, you’ll explore a flooded city that echoes the darkness lurking beneath it.
Attracting attention thanks to its beautifully striking graphics, Sea of Solitude is an intimate action-adventure experienced from the perspective of Kay, as she struggles to conquer her inner demons. As you explore deeper into this dark tale the environment evolves around you, transforming with light and colour. Water levels rise and fall, revealing new secrets to be uncovered and a sunken city full of mysteries. At the heart of this city are a collection of terrifying monsters, each with their own story to tell. Dare you look beneath the murky water, face its horrors, and find out what it truly means to be human?
As you can see, this month’s games hide dark secrets and promise salvation if you can endure and reach the end. Whether it be the vast expanse of the wasteland or dark waters of a forgotten city, the truth can only be achieved through sacrifice.
If you’re looking for some more indie games to play this month, then why not check out our latest countdown of the top 100 best indie games on PC.