These past few weeks have given indie fans banger after banger. Most recently, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes joined 2024’s greatest game competition. But with so much coming out demanding our attention, it can be easy to lose focus on every launch. That’s where this On The Radar comes in. Here, you’ll find a list of games you might have missed in the shuffle.
Cozy Caravan
A butterfly rests on a log abloom with red mushrooms. Encouraged by a gentle breeze, it floats over a sunny, verdant landscape to finally reveal my adorable protagonist. In this case, I’ve decided the main character should be a red panda, but I was sorely tempted to pick the axolotl or frog. My adventure revolves around helping my new community with farming while many members have been called away to deal with a big issue. Boiled down, my experience with Cozy Caravan has been bopping to lo-fi farming beats to carrying cabbages and petting a giant, sleeping honey buss whose snoring sounds like adorable little buzzing. If that sounds like your jam, the game is out in early access right now.
Pool Party
Pool Party just launched today and it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Summer is nearly here, so when I hear pool, I pictured water and floaties. Not that those things don’t appear in the game, but the title derives its name mainly for the characters, which are billiard balls. That kind of pool. But that’s not the only game at hand in the lighthearted mini-game multiplayer. I jumped into the sumo ring to knock competitors off of an ever-shrinking platform and attempted to avoid being the last one holding a purple curse in a tag-like challenge. Its local play option might be a good choice for a few laughs with friends.
Roman Sands RE:Build
And because I like to keep the most unhinged for last, I present to your radars, Roman Sands RE:Build. This off-the-rails title landed in my top three favorite bizzare games from PAX West last year, and it has a demo up on Steam right now for you to experience it for yourself. Here are some of my observations of the game: “Being stuck in a looping simulation with no clue how you got there or how to get out is bad enough, but this game goes the extra mile by forcing players to deal with the outrageous demands of entitled customers.” The “service industry adventure with an apocalyptic flavor” comes to PC this summer and plans to hit consoles later in the year.
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