If I had to pick a gold medal, it would be Closer the Distance
Play more indies, y’all. Thanks for reading.
Closer the Distance – August 2 (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation)
Hopefully, I’ll have a review for this within a few days of publishing this column, but Closer the Distance, from Osmotic Studios, is a stunning narrative-driven life sim about life, death, and what it means to be a community. Don’t sleep on this one.
Fields of Mistria – August 5 (Steam Early Access)
I love a good farming/life sim RPG, and I know I’m not the only one. Fields of Mistria is coming to Steam Early Access on August 5, where it will stay for about a year, according to the dev team. There won’t be any shortage of content in this version, as you’ll be able to grow 50+ crops, raise a variety of animals, different seasonal festivals, and numerous opportunities for friendship and love with over 30 NPC characters.
The demo for this game was a great time, and I’m glad they’re going the Early Access route.
Creatures of Ava – August 7 (Steam, Xbox Series, Game Pass)
A game where you’re just focused on saving creatures instead of collecting them? Sign me up. You play as Vic, an explorer on an expedition to the planet Ava, who realizes that the creatures inhabiting the planet are in danger from an infection called “the withering.” Combat mechanics are non-aggressive and are focused on healing instead of defeating. You’ll even have a flute that will help you tame creatures.
Cat Quest III – August 8 (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)
Yaaaaaar! Cat Quest III has all ye need to be the most meow-nificent Captain of the seven seas. Beware the pi-rats, though, as they’ll be looking to send you to Davy Jones’ locker.
(That’s all I got for pirate speak. Friends, the demo is delightful and you’re a cat in a wonderfully colorful 2.5D world hunting treasure. Cat puns abound!)
Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers – August 8 (Steam)
After being the last person to jump on the Balatro bandwagon, I wasn’t going to miss this one. (It’s Balatro Blackjack, really.) Most of the D&D characters I’ve created would be at home here. It’s Blackjack with a twist; some cards can come into play and change card values, make it so you have to ante to 22 instead of 21, and a whole bunch more things I haven’t discovered yet. I enjoyed the demo during Steam Next Fest this year, and hopefully they’ve done the work to address balance issues.
Preserve – August 8 (Steam Early Access)
I played this one during Steam Next Fest and it has my full recommendation for those looking for a cozy nature game. You create the world you see, and there’s different biomes and ecosystems to play around with. So calm and relaxing, not to mention the visuals were gorgeous.
The Crush House – August 9 (Steam)
I found the TV show UnREAL during those few months I was furloughed during the early stages of the pandemic. I was hooked on the behind-the-scene production view of a reality show, and to hear that Devolver would be publishing a game where you were also the BTS people? SOLD.
Love, Ghostie – August 14 (Steam)
In a world full of adorable creatures, you’re an equally adorable ghostie matchmaker. Janbeh Games created a game where every character in the manor they live in can be in a relationship with every other character, and each pairing has their own unique story. The game even has replay value after you’ve paired everyone you want to pair – New Game+ will give you the opportunity to progress relationships faster.
DREDGE: The Iron Rig – August 15 (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)
This second expansion for DREDGE adds a constructable destination, a brand new side-story, 50 new fish to catch, and another 2-5 hours of gameplay that you can experience any time in your playthrough of the game.
Nightfall Hollow – August 21 (Steam)
I’ll admit I wishlist games based on vibes. Nightfall Hollow has those small-town, paranormal, supernatural vibes (dare I say almost X-Files-esque?) all wrapped up in a pixel art package, and I’m here for it.
Aestik – August 26 (Steam)
Some people are knocking this one because the art style looks similar to a game with the initials HK, but I think it stands on its own after playing the demo. I’ve said this before, but I don’t normally do Souls-like games (if the dev team reads this, thanks for the assist mode!), but this one has a lot of character and the soundtrack is great.