A brilliant puzzle-platformer, Enter the Gungeon on mobile and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome back to our indie game roundup! This week has seen a wave of exciting new releases and popular titles expanding to more platforms. But before we dive into those, let me introduce you to one of my personal favorite games of the year.

Many RPGs struggle to hold my full attention. I’m rarely keen on optimizing characters, meticulously planning skill trees, or hunting for the perfect gear. Instead, I’m drawn to games that offer a focused toolset and ingenious level design, allowing for immense creativity with a limited number of abilities and power-ups.

This perfectly describes Öoo, the latest gem from Elechead developer Nama Takahashi, which launched on Steam last week. This puzzle-platformer is an utterly captivating experience you can comfortably finish in a single sitting.

In Öoo, you control a caterpillar armed with bombs (eventually two!). These aren’t just for demolition; you’ll use them for movement, like detonating a bomb you’re sitting on to reach higher platforms. The controls are deceptively simple: move, drop, and detonate bombs.

However, the game’s design is anything but simple. Öoo offers minimal text, even in its menus, encouraging players to learn through experimentation and clever navigation. You’ll find yourself backtracking to conquer certain puzzles, a testament to its incredibly tight mechanics.

Playing Öoo was a joyous experience for me. I smiled throughout, even during moments of brief confusion, and often let out a satisfied chuckle upon cracking a particularly tricky puzzle. The charming visuals by artist Hachinos and delightful audio further enhance the experience. Even the title, “Öoo,” is brilliant; the umlaut ingeniously mimics your caterpillar character trailing two bombs, showcasing the immense thought and detail Takahashi and their team poured into the game. This dedication extends to the end credits, which beautifully list the games that inspired Öoo.

Öoo evokes a similar feeling to Animal Well, though it doesn’t aim for the same expansive depth. It simply doesn’t need to; it’s perfect as it is. It also brings to mind the excellent Poinpy, especially with composer Tsuyomi’s fantastic musical contributions. While I lament Poinpy’s disappearance from Netflix’s catalog, Öoo has wonderfully filled that void in my gaming heart. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

In other indie news, you can grab the charming Hidden Folks for free on the Epic Games Store, available for PC, Android, and iOS (in the EU). This relaxing hidden object game by Adriaan de Jongh features beautiful hand-drawn environments and amusing, voice-generated sound effects. I’ve just started it but am thoroughly enjoying the experience. The Epic Games Store’s other free PC title this week is the ragdoll physics simulator, Totally Reliable Delivery Service.

Also, a quick heads-up: the gaming world is about to be flooded with news as Gamescom, the biggest gaming event, kicks off next week! Expect a flurry of announcements and showcases. Keep an eye out for potential news like a Hollow Knight: Silksong release date! We’ll be liveblogging through Opening Night Live on Tuesday, bringing you all the most exciting updates from the event throughout the week.

New Releases

This week, a true indie classic, the bullet-hell dungeon crawler Enter the Gungeon, made its way to mobile devices (iOS, Android). Its sequel, Exit the Gungeon (previously an Apple Arcade exclusive), also arrived on mobile. Both titles offer a free trial, with full access available via an in-app purchase.

These mobile versions feature optimized touch controls, allowing players to “swipe, tap, and poke their way through the Gungeon’s depths,” as publisher Devolver Digital noted. A long-awaited addition is online co-op, finally letting you team up with friends regardless of location. Plus, in a fun crossover, the Lamb from Cult of the Lamb joins the fray as a new playable character.

The mobile launch offers a great opportunity for Gungeon veterans to revisit Dodge Roll’s beloved series, and perhaps tide them over until Enter the Gungeon 2 launches on Steam next year.

Dorfromantik, another beloved indie, expanded its reach this week, launching on PlayStation and Xbox with support from Headup. Previously, this strategy puzzle game from Toukana Interactive was only available on PC and Nintendo Switch. It’s a delightful experience focused on building serene worlds using hex tiles—a concept that instantly appeals to any Takenoko fan. It’s a beautiful, relaxing game that still offers a satisfying cognitive challenge.

A mobile version is also in the works, but it won’t be a direct port. Toukana is collaborating with ClockStone to reimagine Dorfromantik specifically for touchscreen devices.

For the first time in its history, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise embraced turn-based combat with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown. Originally launched on PC in May, Strange Scaffold has now brought the game to Nintendo Switch (currently North America only) and Xbox Series X/S, with a European Switch release planned for later.

PC players have a reason to revisit the sewers: Strange Scaffold has updated the game with a new Remix Mode. This mode introduces a wider variety of enemy types with fresh moves and attack patterns, offering tougher challenges.

Ra Ra Boom, a co-op, side-scrolling beat-’em-up from Gylee Games, launched this week on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X/S, and PS5. I’m captivated by its unique premise: ninja cheerleaders from outer space arrive on Earth to liberate it from a climate-controlling AI that perhaps overachieved, eliminating humanity in the process. Each of the four characters boasts distinct abilities, including a ranged weapon.

While the concept is fantastic, Ra Ra Boom hasn’t quite clicked for me in my initial 30 minutes. I might give it another try, but the sheer volume of other exciting games means my time is limited.

I always appreciate games that offer more than just entertainment, particularly those focused on language learning. This week saw the Steam release of Wagotabi: A Japanese Journey, which first launched on mobile last year.

This slice-of-life RPG from Wagotabi Limited invites you to explore Japan and its rich culture. Designed specifically for beginners, it aims to help players embark on their Japanese language learning journey through mini-games, tests, and full Japanese voice acting. The developers proudly state that over 300 teachers from more than 60 countries have reviewed the game, ensuring the accuracy of its lessons.

The Dark Queen of Mortholme, long available on Itch.io, made its Steam debut this week, bringing new features like controller support, Steam Cloud saves, and achievements. This unique, short experience from Mosu and publisher Monster Theater casts you as the final boss of a video game, tasked with repeatedly fending off an annoying hero. Your dialogue choices shape the multiple endings, making The Dark Queen of Mortholme sound quite intriguing—I’m definitely looking forward to trying it.

Upcoming

CrisisX, an ambitious survival crafting project from Hero Games, boasts an expansive 1,200 km² open-world map featuring 12 diverse terrains and biomes, from snowy mountains to clandestine labs. Players can form teams, groups, and communes to fend off threats like the infected and other players. What truly sets it apart is its potential to support an astonishing 5,000 players on a single server.

CrisisX is slated for release on PC, iOS, and Android in Q2 2026. If you’re attending Gamescom next week, you’ll have a chance to play it at the show, with a beta test planned for later this year. I’m highly intrigued, especially as CrisisX might be the closest we get to a game like The Last of Us Online.

It feels like I’ve been hearing about Henry Halfhead for ages, so I’m thrilled this charming sandbox adventure finally has a release date! It’s set to launch on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC on September 16.

True to its name, Henry is literally half of a head. This unique protagonist can transform into any nearby object, allowing you to play as over 250 different items. It also includes local co-op support. Henry Halfhead looks absolutely adorable and is brought to you by Lululu Entertainment and co-publisher Popagenda.

Were it not for Öoo, The Way of the Tray might just be my top pick right now. This game puts you in the shoes of a waiter in a Japanese spirit world, where your task is to catch and balance orders on your tray before serving them to various spirits. It sounds like a perfect fit for fans of the restaurant management aspects of Dave the Diver. The Way of the Tray, developed by Who is Terry and published by Targem Games, arrives on Steam on August 25.

CloverPit, a grungy, slot machine-based horror game, immediately caught my eye. Pitched as the “demonic lovechild of Balatro and Buckshot Roulette,” it had me hooked. Your goal is to accumulate enough cash each round to pay off your debt, or face dire consequences in the pit. It’s less about traditional gambling and more about cleverly manipulating slot machine rules to achieve your objectives.

This game from Panik Arcade and publisher Future Friends Games is generating significant buzz, boasting over 700,000 demo downloads and ranking among Steam’s most wishlisted titles. CloverPit is slated for release on Steam on September 3.

To cap off this week’s roundup, let’s look at Zoe Begone!, a game with an incredibly cool aesthetic. This bullet-hell shooter features distinctive hand-drawn visuals. The premise cleverly frames the action as playing out on a film strip, with a mischievous animator constantly drawing and painting new enemies for our protagonist, Zoe, to conquer. Unsurprisingly, solo developer Retchy drew inspiration from 1930s drawn-on-film animation, particularly the works of Norman McLaren. As a fan of Stan Brakhage, this visual style truly resonates with me.

Zoe Begone! is launching on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch on September 17. A demo is currently available on Steam.