Gamescom the world largest gaming event of 2023 has come and gone. Many video game developers exhibited their upcoming games and game related hardware. The press and general public stood in line for the newest and coolest games from the biggest developers in town. But those games are a little bit to mainstream for us here at Retrolike, so we decided to shine a spotlight on 3 retro-inspired indie games that caught our attention on the Gamescom floor.
The last Faith
The Last Faith is described as a gothic fusion of Metroidvania and Soulslike. The game definitely took a lot of cues from Blasphemous, which immediately puts it on our radar. It thrives on merciless and precise combat, with a formidable arsenal of weapons, arcane spells and firearms. It seems to be a bit faster paced than most of the games in the genre, which is a nice change. The game got funded through kickstarter and raised a whopping £ 210.000, well surpassing it’s original £ 45.000 goal. The Last Faith has been in development since 2021 by Kumi Souls Games and it’s release has been eagerly awaited by its backers. A playable demo is already available on Steam and we encourage you to check it out yourself.
The demo is available on Steam right now. You can find it here.
The Last Faith will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One somewhere in October or November 2023.
Farlands
Farlands is still in the early stages of development but retrolike Reporter Fleaman got some hands-on experience with the game at Gamescom, not only that but he also got a swift exclusive interview with developer Eric Rodriguez while playing the game. Rodriguez teamed up with Spanish Indie publisher Jandusoft to get the project of the ground, with Jandusoft aiding with development resources. Eric described the game as a love letter to stardew valley and Harvest Moon (we also got earthbound vibes).
In other words it’s a farming sim BUT with a twist. Because instead of buying or inheriting some farmland in a distant land, you buy a entire planet! and for a bargain price, as well! It is an old agrarian rock that’s been abandoned for years in an outlying solar system. So, with little more than your worn out ship and your personal assistance droid you decide to embark on a new phase of your life in a lost corner of the galaxy. Besides the expected farming sim jobs like cutting weeds and clearing paths, you also explore other planets. You collect resources and use them to improve your farm, your tools and your ship. This game is certainly one to watch out for next year.
The Murder Hotel
The Murder Hotel was playable for the Nintendo Switch in the indie section on Gamescom and not only for display purposes. The developer Wegenbartho Games was actively looking for feedback from the Gamescom audience to improve the game. The Murder Hotel is still in early stages of development too and doesn’t have a release date yet. You can put it on your steam wishlist.
At first we thought that it was some sort of Clues game, you have to solve a murder in a hotel after all. But the real story of the game is much more intriguing. The Murder Hotel is not a Clues game but an interactive Murder Mystery Adventure with a huge twist: A scissors wielding demon is the murderer and you have to blame one of the human guests, forging a plausible theory how they could have done it. An interesting plot to say the least. It’s refreshing to see that wegenbartoho games didn’t take the dark, blood and gore route for this game. The went with manga like graphics and that seems like a good fit. The murder hotel will be available on Steam and Nintendo Switch. The demo is available on Steam right now. You can find it here.
