Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor
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Another great month for indie games! This is the sixth set of Indie Selects and we’re happy to report that we had no problem finding some real gems again this month. Starting with the return of a classic Xbox Live Arcade title, the Indie Selects for June also includes a hysterical clown asymmetric horror title, a breakout hit starring your favorite action figures, a truly mesmerizing story that’s as funny as it is disturbing, and more. Here’s the list (in no particular order).
Braid: Anniversary Edition
The original Braid came out 16 whole years ago and was a landmark release that helped define the Xbox Live Arcade era, demonstrating that indie games, artistic games, and digital only releases can succeed on consoles. Repainted “pixel by pixel,” the new Anniversary Edition puts you in control of the flow of time once again, and features a new world of puzzles and an incredible amount of developer commentary.
Braid, Anniversary Edition
Thekla, Inc.
$19.99
Control the flow of time to solve subtle platform puzzles in this update of the indie classic “Braid,” featuring refreshed artwork and seriously in-depth creator commentary. Travel from a city house through a series of interconnected worlds where time behaves strangely, searching for an elusive Princess. Along the way you’ll explore memories and regrets that still haunt you. This Anniversary Edition remaster of the award-winning platformer contains fully repainted high-resolution graphics, new sound effects and extensive audio commentary.
MANIPULATE TIME TO MOVE FORWARD
Rewind, pause and use the strange properties of time in each world to run and jump through beautifully painted environments. Avoid hazards, unlock doors and collect jigsaw puzzle pieces to assemble. If you get hung up on a particular puzzle, feel free to move on and return later.
A FRESH COAT OF PAINT
This is the game you remember, with all the original challenges and the same haunting, evocative score — but repainted pixel by pixel so that each carefully rendered world comes to life in high resolution. New visual details, animated brushstroke effects and revamped sounds add to the immersive experience.
GO (DEEP) BEHIND THE SCENES
Explore the most extensive developer commentary ever put into a game, with over 12 hours of recorded insight and conversation from developer Jonathan Blow, artist David Hellman and more members of the “Braid” creative team. Navigate it by visiting a new in-game world, which also contains new puzzles and redesigns of classic puzzles. – Created by Thekla, Inc.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is a delightfully quaky mystery detective game that puts you into the webbed feet of a down-on-his-luck duck with amazing powers of “deducktion.” But it’s not all duck puns. As the story unfolds, the narrative takes on a more complex and, at times, serious tone that will keep you hooked until the very end. Great animation and writing really bring the experience together.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
Happy Broccoli Games
$9.99
SOLVING CRIME IS NO WALK IN THE POND.
Aggretsuko meets Return of the Obra Dinn in Duck Detective, a cozy mystery game about a down-on-his-luck duck searching for answers in a sinister sausage-based conspiracy.
THIS MIGHT RUFFLE SOME FEATHERS.
Join the Duck Detective on his latest, greatest case:
Inspect and interview suspects to learn their hidden secrets, then use the information you’ve gathered (plus your own de-duck-tive reasoning) to locate the suspect and bust the case wide open!
Hypercharge: Unboxed
Major Evil is coming for your hypercore! If you lose it, humans will forget about you and you’ll be relegated to the eternal dustbin of forgotten toys! You see, you’re an action figure. And so are your friends. In Hypercharge Unboxed you defend your hypercore against wave after wave of enemies in various rooms throughout the house. Between waves you can build up defenses such as glue traps, walls, and turrets. It hits a perfect mix of childhood nostalgia and frenzied action that is challenging but forgiving. Created by a tiny, indie studio the game has taken Xbox by storm.
HYPERCHARGE Unboxed
Digital Cybercherries Limited
$29.99
HELP SGT. MAX AMMO TO DEFEAT MAJOR EVIL AND SAVE THE HYPERCORE!
There was once an ancient line of action figures, who created a magical power source that would allow humans to keep their favourite childhood memories of their toys. This ancient power source is known as the Hypercore.
Inside the Hypercore are the beloved memories of our favorite toys. If Major Evil destroys it, these memories will disappear forever. Defend it with everything you’ve got, or see our cherished toys turn into lost treasures of the past!
Hypercharge is a first and third-person shooter action figure game you’ve always dreamed of! Grab your friends, complete objectives, defend the Hypercore against waves of weaponized toys, and defeat Major Evil together in the story campaign!
PLAY CO-OP WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Work together as a team to defend the Hypercore. Grab a friend, break out of your toy packaging, and get ready to fight waves of classic toys. Prepare for each wave by searching for weapons, resources, and even hidden secrets.
OFFLINE PLAY FOR SOLO PLAYERS
Not everybody likes to play online. Hypercharge supports Offline, Split-Screen and Local play. You can progress and unlock everything in-game while playing solo.
PLAYER BOTS
Don’t have a team to play with? Don’t worry, we’ve got you solo players covered. Player bots listen to your commands, collect resources, and even help to build defences.
UNLOCK ACTION FIGURES
In Hypercharge, hundreds of unlocks are available, all of which can be earned directly in-game without any microtransactions.
PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER MODES
Go head-to-head against other action figures as you fight to become top of the scoreboard! Classic PvP modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Battery, Infection, and King of the Hill.
Indika
Indika is a narrative adventure set in an alternative Russia in the 19th Century. You play as a young nun who sets off on a journey of self-discovery in a story that explores themes of faith, human morality and religious extremism. Sounds pretty somber, right? It’s not, though. It’s darkly humorous, and features a diverse combination of “walking sim” like exploration in both first and third person, mixed with light puzzle solving, some action sequences, and a thematic or maybe symbolic RPG-like point system that doesn’t affect the gameplay. And then there are flashbacks that are told through retro, arcade-style minigames. It’s an absolutely fascinating game that pushes the boundaries of what we expect in gaming in a number of different ways.
INDIKA
11 bit studios
$24.99
MEET A NOT-SO-ORDINARY NUN
INDIKA is a third-person, story-driven game set in a strange world where religious visions clash with harsh reality. It tells the story of a young nun who sets off on a journey of self-discovery with the most unusual, horn-headed companion by her side.
On the outside, Indika seems to be a typical nun attempting to adjust to a difficult and monotonous monastery life. Humble and innocent in her appearance, do not be deceived as this young girl has also made a highly unlikely acquaintance—as she speaks with the devil himself.
Indika’s unusual connection with the Evil One leads her on an errand beyond the safe walls of the monastery. The world she discovers can only be described as a wild combination of comedy and tragedy straight out of the novels by Dostoyevski and Bulhakov.
ENJOY AN INDIE GAME WHERE EVERYTHING GOES
The subjects of religion and authority are prevalent throughout Indika’s journey and she’ll be faced with many questions along the way. Guide her to find the answers one by one before she can finish her life-defining odyssey.
Odd Meter is a small, independent studio formerly based in Moscow and now operating out of Kazakhstan. Its members put aesthetics at the forefront and aren’t afraid to tread the fine line of ethical norms. Their game is a great testament to that, as INDIKA constitutes an open challenge to the industry’s established approach to creating video games.
Killer Klownz From Outer Space: The Game
If you haven’t seen the 1980s cult classic horror (sort of) film Killer Klowns from Outer Space, you should probably just stop what you’re doing right now and go watch it. Yes, it’s cheesy and silly and not-very-scary, but it’s also hysterical and delightful. Seriously, it’s great. And it’s the basis for this new asymmetric horror game. There has been no shortage of those recently, ranging from Friday the 13th, to Evil Dead, to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to the long list of famous killers that have been featured in Dead by Daylight. KKFOS takes that tried-and-true formula and makes it, well, Klowny. The Klowns themselves are absolutely hilarious and really fun to play, with their squeaking Klown feet, and balloon animal tracking dogs. But it’s also a blast to play as a human, with a large variety of props, tools and weapons to discover as you try to stay a popcorn blast ahead of the Klowns. Beyond just the humor, though, KKFOS has almost perfectly balanced the various roles players can embody, and it’s a visual treat that any fan of the movie (or just of asymmetrical gameplay) is going to love.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game
IllFonic Publishing
$39.99
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror based on the iconic ‘80s film. In the battle between Killer Klowns and citizens of Crescent Cove, team up and use your wits to harvest humans or save them from the alien invasion!
Crescent Cove is a sprawling arena for these unique multiplier fights between Klowns and humans – boasting various locations, and various tactical opportunities for both teams. Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game provides a unique approach to hide-and-seek gameplay, customization, PvPvE, and dynamic objectives leading to multiple match results. This game evolves the online horror formula in new ways.
Take on the role of the iconic Killer Klowns – cooperate in a team of three players, utilize unworldly abilities, hunt humans with zany weapons, and plan your alien invasion to harvest the population of Crescent Cove successfully.
Fight back as a team of seven brave citizens of Crescent Cove – explore the city for valuable loot and weapons, avoid getting captured by Klowns, and try to survive the alien invasion.
Paper Trail
Paper Trail is not the first “folding-based” puzzle game (check out A Fold Apart as another excellent example) but it’s really well done. The principle game mechanic seems simple enough: each screen is laid out like a piece of paper and you need to fold it from the side or diagonally to solve each puzzle. That can involve simply getting the character from one side of the screen to the other over, say, a broken bridge, or finding a key, or moving a boulder out of the way. As you might expect, the puzzles get more sophisticated and complex as you progress, with many involving multiple layers that must be completed in the correct order. Fortunately there’s a robust hint system to get you through any puzzles that might prove too difficult. The soundtrack is fantastic, and the saturated visuals are stunning, all adding up to make this a stand-out puzzle experience.
Paper Trail
Newfangled Games
$19.99
Paper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a foldable, paper world. You play as Paige, a budding academic, leaving home for the first time to pursue her studies. On the journey, you learn to fold the world, merging two sides to solve puzzles, explore new areas and uncover long-lost secrets.