Indie video games characterize a beautiful world of distinctive experiences, however generally might be overshadowed by the large blockbusters of AAA gaming. Fortunately, unbiased initiatives are nonetheless capable of finding an viewers and have a presence at occasions like Tokyo Recreation Present. An organization within the area that I had the prospect to fulfill with at this 12 months’s TGS is Pink Dune Video games, which co-develops and publishes indie titles. At their sales space, Pink Dune was showcasing quite a lot of upcoming video games, offering an area for these smaller initiatives to get the invention and a focus they deserve.
The primary recreation on the Pink Dune sales space I demoed was Nightmare Circus. It’s being developed by FairPlay Studios, which relies in Bangkok, Thailand. On this action-adventure recreation, you play as a cute puppeteer who has develop into trapped within the Nightmare Realm, a whimsically darkish circus-themed world. The puppeteer can struggle with regular hand-to-hand fight however his strongest skills come from utilizing his string-equipped x-shaped puppet stick.
With the puppet stick, you may defeat enemies in numerous methods utilizing the puppet string. Wrapping the puppet string round enemies then pulling the string, clashing them collectively is a good way to defeat a number of unhealthy guys rapidly. You may also pull enemies nearer to you or into falling into holes with the puppet string, or launching the puppeteer right into a headbutt assault. Moreover, your puppet string is used to unravel puzzles and for traversal, too, prefer to grapple and zip throughout holes and trenches.
Nightmare Circus’ artwork fashion was equally charming, with a easy but cute fanfare aesthetic. It’s a visible fashion that feels harking back to the LittleBigPlanet video games or The Superb Digital Circus internet sequence. Coupled with recreation mechanics that’s truthfully a number of enjoyable, I found myself desirous to proceed enjoying whereas I demoed it. The gameplay would lend itself to a co-op journey expertise nicely for my part, so I’d like to see the builders strive their hand at that in an replace, growth, or sequel. Nightmare Circus releases someday in 2026 for PS5 and different platforms as nicely.
Talking of co-op video games, the opposite Pink Dune title I demoed was LightSup! This one is a co-op beat ‘em up being developed by BugBlio Studio, one other unbiased developer based mostly in Thailand. You’ll be able to play this fantasy journey with as much as 4 gamers, with native sofa co-op supported (you like to see that). Collectively, your heroes defeat enemies in randomly generated battles and paths to save lots of Lumineia Kingdom.
In LightSup!, there are a variety of characters to select from, every with their very own skills so it’s primarily like choosing a category to play as. You’ve bought a number of your traditional fantasy story archetypes together with the sword-wielding fighter, magic spell-casting mage, and the benevolent healer. With this class selection, cooperation finally ends up being key to surviving. Whereas I performed, I had one other human participant with me and it was a number of assist as we progressed by way of areas.
I discovered LightSup! to be an pleasant co-op recreation that’s straightforward sufficient to select up and play that I can think about it wouldn’t be onerous to get your much less gamer mates to affix in. The 2D artwork fashion may be very colourful and expressive and jogged my memory of the 00s and 10s period of animation and flash video games, particularly on Newgrounds. The randomly generated nature of the battles and journey paths in all probability ought to add good replayability as nicely, so no playthrough shall be alike. LightSup! Is seeking to launch sooner or later subsequent 12 months.
Pink Dune’s most buzzed about upcoming launch must be Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Previous! I’m a lifelong anime fan, with Samurai Pizza Cats being certainly one of my first anime ever, so this can be a venture I’m trying ahead to. The Samurai Pizza Cats recreation is an action-RPG being developed by Netherlands-based studio Blast Zero, which beforehand made the sport Jitsu Squad.
The sport is seeking to seize the 2D hand-drawn animation fashion and anime look of the sequence. I used to be advised the event group has been working with Tatsunoko Manufacturing, the studio behind the unique Samurai Pizza Cats anime, on the sport. Whereas not obtainable to demo, there was numerous supplies on show together with art work. Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Previous! may even launch in 2026.
Thanks to Pink Dune Video games for having me at Tokyo Recreation Present 2025. All demos had been performed on PC {hardware} with a PS5 DualSense controller.
