Darkest Dungeon DLC, a BioShock-style shooter with clowns and other new indie games worth checking out

Plus, Mixtape on Mac, Tetris Effect-style pachinko and a platformer with randomized controls.

Atmos Games/3D Realms Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Gamescom is fast approaching , but there are still lots of new games you can check out before the tidal wave of announcements from that event next week. We'll take a peek at some games that are a little further out as well.

Before we dive in, let's take a look at some news from the last few days. Ternox Games says PlayStation is blocking a PS5 version of its stock market game, STONKS-9800 , which debuted on Steam in early access in 2023. Not only that, the developer claims Sony is delisting games it previously released on the company's consoles, including those from other indie developers that it published. Ternox says Sony scrapped its developer and publisher agreement without explanation. The developer still plans to bring STONKS-9800 to Xbox and Switch, ideally with physical editions.

I enjoyed this story from Rock Paper Shotgun about a developer who is creating an experimental RPG every week. To date, Sraëka Lillian has released 31 of these "sketches" on Itch and you can play them in your browser. While these games are, by nature, unpolished, I think there's a lot to be said for trying lots of ideas very quickly, making them public and getting feedback from players.

I've mentioned a co-op cult survival RPG called Join Us in a previous edition , and I was interested to read more about the background of the game . Just 12 people (some of whom have a background in Hollywood) are making it and, thankfully, they're not using generative AI to make the game. I was already interested in playing Join Us, but I'm even more likely to do that when it arrives in March after learning it features a gun that fires snakes.

Also, I just quickly want to note that the game I've enjoyed the most so far this year is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 14 (yes, yet another September arrival). Truck-kun is Supporting Me From Another World?! — a blend of visual novel and chaotic driving game — is a blast . It's currently on Steam, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox for PC.

Developer/publisher: Red Hook Studios Platforms: Steam (Windows, Mac, SteamOS/Linux; base game is Steam Deck Verified), Epic Games Store , GOG , PS4 , Xbox , Nintendo Switch Price: $7

It's been six years since the last Darkest Dungeon expansion. Red Hook has even released a sequel since then. So it was a bit of a surprise to learn recently that the studio (which is now under Behaviour Interactive's umbrella ) made new DLC for Darkest Dungeon .

The Fire's Edge brings The Runaway and The Duelist — two heroes who debuted in Darkest Dungeon II — to the original game. They each expand your roster of characters by one slot, so you won't have to worry about how to make space for them. The Runaway has a burn ability that's unique to that hero.