HERMIT AND PIG
Developer/publisher Heavy Lunch Studio Format PC Origin US Release TBA
Indie RPGs inspired by the Mario &Luigi and Paper Mario series are ten-a-penny, but this tale of an elderly recluse and his porcine pet distinguishes itself in several ways. Here, attacks require you to pull off distinct input combinations before a timer runs out, while choosing the right move is crucial: stamping on a cockroach works better than punching it. Conversations for our introverted hero are equally fraught: you must pick the right answer to avoid damaging embarrassment. There’s a nod to cult DS favourite Contact, too, in the way you, the player, are a visible observer, with the old man addressing you directly.
HOME SAFETY HOTLINE
Developer/publisher Night Signal Entertainment Format PC Origin US Release Q1 2024
This intriguing entry in the expanding analogue horror genre offers subtler chills than most. As a call centre operator, you’re charged with identifying pests afflicting panicked customers via a database on a ’90s-era PC. As you’ll soon discover, not all of these peculiar nuisances are of this world.
CRYPTMASTER
Developer Paul Hart, Lee Williams Publisher Akupara Games Format PC Origin New Zealand, UK Release 2024
Bringing a new meaning to ‘spellcasting’, this monochromatic dungeon crawler asks you to guess letters to identify items for your host, a skeletal necromancer whose scornful tone reminds us of ’90s video-enhanced board game Atmosfear. These ‘remembered words’ grant you skills to use
