As we wind down this year’s Summer Games Fest / Not E3, something seemed to be clear to me, release dates and 2022 seemed to be a bit few and far between. Of course, there were still some excellent-looking games coming out for the rest of the year, so I thought I would round up a few indies that stood out to me during the Summer Games Fest that we should hopefully be getting our hands on later this year. 

Lost in Play

This year featured in the Future Games Show, and it is hard not to be charmed immediately by the art style and the hijinx on display in this trailer. I can confirm that this charm extends into the gameplay with a demo currently available on Steam. The characters I met were instantly engaging, as were the puzzles I was thrown in the short demo, showing that the quality in Lost in Play seemingly extends beyond the visuals. 

Self-described as a “feel-good adventure with a brother and sister as they explore dreamscapes and befriend magical creatures”, this Point and Click puzzler is out on August 10.

Tyrants Blessing

A turn-based tactics game slated for Q3 2022, Tyrants Blessing got its moment in the Freedom Games Showcase. Boasting a lovely pixel art style and an 8×8 playboard, I was instantly intrigued by this game from Mercury Game studio. Lucky for me, it was another game that featured a Steam demo as part of the current Steam Next Fest, and the demo definitely has me keen for more. The Into the Breach-inspired gameplay debuted well in the demo, with the point of difference being that you are unable to simply walk away from your enemies’ next attacks and instead must employ a number of different countermeasures, adding that extra layer to the tactical combat. The land of Tyberia is under attack by the Undying, a Zombie army growing in size the more they slay. This potential includes some of your heroes, with fallen heroes having the potential to show up in future encounters as part of the Tyrants army, an interesting twist for the RPG side of Tyrants Blessing. 

Necrosmith

On the other end of the spectrum to Tyrants Blessing is Necrosmith, a game in which you are the Necromancer, creating an army to explore the world and overrun the chosen ones. Necrosmith comes out as my most played game of the current Steam Next Fest crop of demos, and it instantly had me hooked. Playing mostly as an Autobattler, you create various monstrosities and send them from your tower to wreak havoc and find more parts for you to generate more monstrosities. This ended up being quite an addictive loop, with the option of taking control of some units, so they wander in the direction you wish. 

Boasting the potential for hundreds of different parts, Necrosmith seems like it will have me hooked for many more hours; and is currently set for July 2022 and was also a part of the Guerilla Collective Showcase.

No Place for Bravery

Mixing it up for this list is a game I actually played at one of last year’s Steam Next Fests! The IGN Expo gave us a release date of September 22 for No Place for Bravery, which will be the latest entry in both the ‘brutal 2D top down’ and ‘gruff dad’ genres. The developer Glitch Factory likens the combat inspiration to being Sekiro and promises that mistakes will be appropriately punished, with a “lingering sense of fragility while facing the dangers of Bravery’s world.” Topping this all off is another stunning use of Pixel Art that makes me incredibly interested in journeying through the various vistas later in the year. 

Serial Cleaners

Serial Cleaners is actually one that I have had my eye on for a little while, and I was very happy for the release date appearing at this year’s Future Game Show. Initially, I had been intrigued by the idea for the game, being a stealth game based around cleaning up some horrific crime scenes, but this trailer has sold me on the potential for there to be an interesting underlying story to the game, as we explore the story to these four Mob cleaners through their escapades in the 90s. Drawing inspiration from the cinema of the 90s, the trailer also nails the vibe for this kind of game. 

With promises of both a rich, genre-spanning soundtrack and a lot of freedom in how you approach the story and the obstacles within a mission, I am feeling good about Serial Cleaners for when it releases on September 22. 

What do you think? Did you find any other interesting-looking games in this year’s Summer Games fest that you are keen for in the back half of 2022? Let me know down in the comment section.