Top 5 Best Upcoming Indie Games of December 2019
The last indie games before Christmas.
With winter setting in and Christmas well on its way, we’ve dug out our five favourite upcoming indie games to keep you entertained over the holiday period. There’s a nice mix this month, with a good selection of genres represented, so there shouldn’t be any Christmas disappointments. So, grab your lists and get ready to update them with what we think are the best indie games out this month.
5. Dead End Job
We’ve all had one, but have you ever played one? Dead End Job is a stylish twin-stick shooter that thrusts you into a world that looks like a cross between Ren & Stimpy and Ghostbusters. As a paranormal pest control operative – which, for the record, doesn’t actually sound like a boring job – you’ll be strapping a vacuum to your back and hoovering up the wayward ghouls infesting local businesses.
Packing co-op support and procedurally generated challenges, this fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek shooter will have you on the edge of your seat, sucking up spectres on the path to a promotion. It’s got a real evocative ’90s cartoon vibe to it that adds even more reason to play. We checked it out at EGX 2018 and thought it was great – hopefully, you will too.
Dead End Job is coming to Steam on the 13th December.
4. Mosaic
As we hurtle towards the corporate dystopia that is our future, Mosaic serves as a welcome reminder of where we are heading. The bleak, minimalist art style sets the tone for what is an atmospheric adventure game that claims to have the power to ‘change your perspective on life’ as only great content can.
Set in a sterile, overcrowded city, you live out a monotonous existence until a surreal experience changes your life forever. Themed around a sense of isolation and the fear of the ever-encroaching march of technology, Mosaic explores a dark representation of the future where adults live lonely, bleak lives. The Orwellian worlds video games have been warning us about for years seem more topical than ever.
Mosaic releases onto Steam on the 5th December.
3. Shovel Knight Showdown
It’s finally here, the Shovel Knight-themed brawler fans have been waiting for. If you’re not much for platforming action and straight-up fighting is more your thing, then Shovel Knight Showdown will not disappoint.
Set in the Shovel Knight universe, you can take control of all your favourite characters from the series in a crazy punchup for the ages. Better yet, if you already own Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, it’s totally free. Can’t argue with that. It’s got a bit of a Towerfall meets Smash Bros feel to it, so rest assured there’s still some platforming involved.
Showdown will even feature its own story mode that sees the heroes of the world enter an endless battle, trying to discover the source of the magical catastrophe that kicked it all off. We’re never going to turn away the chance to play more Shovel Knight, so this one is a must.
Shovel Knight Showdown releases on Steam on the 10th December.
2. Arise: A Simple Story
Arise: A Simple Story tells the story of a beautiful and reflective journey through living memories. You’ll travel through stunning, ever-changing landscapes littered with feelings of love and loss in equal parts.
Arise has something of a Journey vibe to it, with a striking art style and melancholic message. You can control the flow of time and change your surroundings through the seasons as you explore the forgotten memories you inhabit. You can also share the journey with a partner, so they too can experience this cathartic adventure.
Arise: A Simple Story releases on the Epic Store on the 3rd December.
1. Phoenix Point
Coming from the original creator of X-COM, Phoenix Point aims to take the series back to its roots, thrusting players into a desperate struggle to reclaim Earth from a deadly alien menace. Featuring turn-based, tactical combat you’ll have to manage your squad through humanity’s greatest challenge yet.
Featuring some brutal difficulty, this tactical shooter adds some new layers to the genre in an effort to offer fans endless replayability. The story follows a global environmental disaster that heralds a new race of aliens to begin creating vile mutants. With much of human civilisation wiped out, it’s down the Phoenix Project to save humankind from extinction. Explore this gripping sci-fi story with a range of new technologies at your disposal. The aliens may have the advantage, but humanity still has one last card to play.
Phoenix Point releases on the Epic Store on the 3rd December.
Hopefully, that’s all your stocking fillers sorted – if not then you can always check out our best Christmas themed indie games from last year. We’ll have some more festive content coming for you over the holiday period, so stay tuned!