Another year, another Gamescom. Although Nintendo was notably absent from Gamescom 2024, many other video game developers showcased their upcoming titles. The press and general public eagerly lined up for big names like FIFA 25—sorry, FC 25—and other popular games. But those are too mainstream for us here at Retrolike. Instead, we decided to shine a spotlight on three indie games that caught our attention at the Indie Area of Gamescom. Personally scouted by our own illustrious reporter, Dennis Fleaman.
The Edge of Allegoria
A retro-inspired, 2D turn-based RPG adventure that feels like the love child of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Pokémon Yellow—that’s how I would describe The Edge of Allegoria. The green-tinted Gameboy-style graphics immediately grabbed my attention in the Indie Area.
This game began as a Kickstarter project and successfully raised CA$ 25,066, surpassing its CA$ 20,000 goal. It’s currently still in development by Button Factory Games and is slated for publication by Cobratekku Games in the last quarter of 2024.
After a brief gameplay session on the Gamescom floor, we were pleasantly surprised by the tone of this charming-looking game. The Edge of Allegoria is self-aware, standing out by subverting video game stereotypes with a mature and sarcastic tone. It seems needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway: this game is intended for older gamers who grew up with Nintendo’s Gameboy and are looking for something nostalgic yet fresh and non-kiddy.
The only downside? The Edge of Allegoria is currently planned for release only on Steam. This game screams for a real Gameboy cartridge release—yes, I’m talking about the original Gameboy.
Chantey
The Indie Area featured many retro-inspired games for PS5, Xbox, Switch, and Steam, but Chantey is something truly unique. For the first time ever, Gamescom showcased an original indie game for the Nintendo Gameboy (DMG).
Chantey is a top-down adventure game that pays homage to Link’s Awakening (especially the opening cutscene) while mixing in a pirate metal theme. The Dutch/Greek developer, K.C. Apostolakis, described his game as “Link’s Awakening meets Guitar Hero” in an exclusive interview with Retrolike.net at Gamescom—and I couldn’t agree more.
Chantey offers an open-world adventure with rhythm mini-games that feature old chiptune pirate songs, adding an interesting twist to this pirate-themed adventure.
K.C. Apostolakis is a one-man indie dev army, responsible for the graphics, music, and programming of Chantey—an impressive feat. He found a publisher in ModRetro, which is set to release Chantey in 2025.
Drova – Forsaken Kin
While Nintendo was absent from this year’s Gamescom, indie developers didn’t miss the chance to showcase their Nintendo Switch games. One of these developers was Just2D, who had a Nintendo Switch demo kiosk in the Indie Area, proudly displaying Drova – Forsaken Kin to the Gamescom attendees.
Drova – Forsaken Kin is a dark action-RPG/adventure that offers a fresh take on the open-world concept. One of the developers handed me the Nintendo Switch controller, pressed the reset button on the demo kiosk, and said, “This is Drova, an open-world game. There are no maps or clues—figure it out.” I couldn’t help but laugh at this unconventional introduction.
Most developers are serious about their games, often overloading you with information, so this was a refreshing change of pace. It reminded me of the old man in the original Zelda game who said, “It’s dangerous to go alone!” but offered nothing to help.
The game itself is dark—literally and figuratively. Both the graphics and the open world of Drova are shadowy, and the same goes for its story. It’s rare that a game’s narrative grips me from the get-go, but Drova pulled it off. While it may not be for everyone, I can’t wait for this game’s multi-platform release later this year.
