It’s an exciting (and scary) week for new indie game releases

It’s another amazing week for gaming releases, and I’m really excited to talk about this week’s titles because I’ve been absolutely waiting on pins and needles for some of them. We’ve got a new 2d Souls-like (Tails of Iron 2), a new adventure RPG by a brand new studio (Eternal Strands), and two indie horror titles (DEAD LETTER DEPT. which releases this week, and Home Safety Hotline which isn’t new but I want to spotlight it anyhow).

New 2D Souls-Like: Tails of Iron 2

Tails of Iron 2 is the sequel to Tails of Iron, a 2021 indie Souls-like by OddBug studios. While Tails of Iron dealt with the great war between the rodents and the frogs in the south (I’m not kidding), Tails of Iron 2 deals with the giant, deadly beasts that have suddenly appeared in the northern kingdoms. You play as Arlo, the Warden’s heir, as you cut your way through the monstrous forces of the Dark Wings to bring safety and security to your home, all while the game is narrated by Doug Cockle (better known as Geralt in the Witcher game franchise). The first title received multiple free DLCs post launch, so we’ll see if the same happens here!

Get Tails of Iron 2 for $20 on Steam. Honestly, just grab the Tales of Iron 1+2 Bundle for $3.83 ($23.83) more here.

New Adventure RPG: Eternal Strands

Eternal Strands is the first game released by Yellow Brick Games, a new studio made up of AAA developers (including the former creative director over the Dragon Age franchise, Mike Laidlaw) and it’s really good! You play as Brynn, a Weaver, who is the newest member of a group of traveling Weavers attempting to figure out the mystery of the Enclave — a magical kingdom that had a disaster years ago and just closed up its walls and was never heard from again. Part Fable, part Shadow of the Colossus, you can mix magic for spectacular effects and climb up giant bosses to reach their weak spot. An interesting magical interaction I had early on had me using fire to melt the ice on a wall; however, what I didn’t notice was the flames falling off the wall weren’t just graphical, and next thing I knew the entire surrounding landscape was a gigantic inferno I was standing in the middle of. Whoops.

With an interesting cast (Dahm is the best) and fun gameplay, Eternal Strands is a game you should definitely check out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Get Eternal Strands for $40 on Steam or play it for free on GamePass.

New Indie Horror: DEAD LETTER DEPT.

Did you ever wonder what happens to the mail that can’t be delivered? Either because it’s too damaged to be read properly or the address is wrong? Well in DEAD LETTER DEPT. you take on the role of an employee who is working to enter those letters into a computer system, archiving the data for future use. Sometimes those letters are fairly mundane, and sometimes those letters are very strange, creepy, and seem to be addressed somehow directly to you. Perhaps even worse, the building you work in is starting to feel like a tomb…

Get DEAD LETTER DEPT. for $XX on Steam. (Price not available at the time of this writing)

Indie Horror Part 2: Home Safety Hotline

While not a recent release, DEAD LETTER DEPT. made me think a lot about one of my favorite horror titles, Home Safety Hotline. In Home Safety Hotline, you are a new employee to a company that has you working as a call center agent for a company that helps with all sorts of pests: from insects to goblins to mimics, your job is to make sure your caller can deal with the problem at hand. Yet something seems to be off at this new job; you are getting odd calls from random numbers and messages from someone claiming to be a previous employee, all while upper management seems to be keeping a close eye on you. Home Safety Hotline is one of my favorite analog horror titles, and while we’re no longer in Spooktober, it’s still worthy to look into at any time of the year.

Get Home Safety Hotline for $12 on Steam.

There’s plenty to play here, but if you’re looking for some console deals Sony has just put up their Critics Choice sale until February 12th. There’s some really good titles on sale right now (hello Bloodborne), so check it out if you have a PlayStation and are looking for something new. See you next week, Watchers!