It’s showcase season with more to come in the next few weeks! Today, I had a lot of fun watching the Indie Quest Showcase, presented by The Gaming Shelf and Retrovibe. With shiny new indie titles added to my wish list, these are the top five that caught my eye.
Full showcase below:
The Grey Elegy: Under the Cursed Wings
This game is PRETTY. It instantly caught my eye because of the stunning art. The Grey Elegy: Under the Cursed Wings is a turn-based JPRG that leans heavily anime, with a fantasy story revolving around goddesses and sun magic. There are two protagonists, Grey and Aria, who get caught up in the fate of the land. A lot to like here!
Accompanying the visuals and neat combat system, Grey Elegy promises to deliver an experience so memorable that it will be an ‘unforgettable journey’ for players.
Planned release date: TBA
Sunny Trails
Who doesn’t love a cosy RPG? I reckon this game was the cutest in the whole showcase. It made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. The voiceovers were adorable too. I’m sold on the whole look and feel.
Sunny Trails features a story of friendship, starring three goddesses, who head to an enchanted island and find themselves entangled in a strange mystery. I think I also just have a soft spot for trios of female protagonists. Side note: just finished FFX-2 last night, what a GAME!
The demo is out on Steam for those who are interested!
Planned Release Date: TBA
Crystal Project II
More often than I would like, I find myself drawn to a game that is a sequel, and I think to myself, curses, how many do I have to play before this one? Luckily, for Crystal Project II, the answer appears to be none. Although Andrew Willman, the developer, released Crystal Project I back in 2022, Crystal Project II is said to be a stand alone game (good news for me).
Crystal Project II presents itself like a nostalgic JRPG, but with a non-linear narrative, and in a blocky sandbox-like world. The world of Sycamore has plenty of mysteries in need of discovering, and I know that if I eventually pick this one up, I’ll need to dedicate a good amount of time to it.
A huge feature of the game is that there are no randomised encounters, so each fight is intentional in this open world, and can be explored at your own pace.
Steam page is here.
Planned Release Date: TBA
Alabaster Dawn
I’d heard of Alabaster Dawn before the showcase, but I found myself impressed once again with the trailer for it. The top-down 2.5D style is gorgeous and well suited to the action RPG. From the same developers of Cross Code, it boasts all the best features of that game, with an epic narrative, a rich combat system and engaging exploration.
Alabaster Dawn follows Juno, the protagonist, who finds herself alone and with an impossible task to save the world after it becomes a wasteland. Radical Fish Games has recently released the game in early access earlier this month.
If it weren’t for the other games on my list, I would’ve downloaded the demo already. Each time I see it again, though, I do get one click closer to checking it out.
Planned Release Date: out in early access, 1.0 release TBA
Full Circle
Last but certainly not least on my list is… actually the first game that was showcased (not intentional, either, I would never make puns that come full circle). JRPGs have come a ways since the earlier days, and yet, I appreciate how many studios in this day and age return to the classics or stylistically set their game in the older era.
Full Circle, developed by 2nd Player Games, is a game that is inspired by the PS1 days. It looks both anime, and 3D, and retro and new at the same time. There’s voice acting, over-the-top ultimate cut scenes, a retro soundtrack, to name a few things. The heroes are part of humanity’s last stand in a post-apocalyptic world against mutated beasts, when one day, a mission makes them question everything they’ve ever known.
Planned Release Date: TBA
That concludes my Indie Quest Showcase list!
Look after yourself,
Elena
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