B-side Gaming #8 Originally posted on !Bside@fedia.io
Welcome
A much shorter issue for this month. Only a collection of news and nothing else.
Enjoy reading.
News
Open Source game news
Intricacy 0.9.1.0 (2025-09-04)
Intricacy is a mechanistic puzzle game. The player co-ordinates a pair of lock-picking tools to open a variety of locks. The game begins with an introductory single-player mode, followed by an open-ended networked multiplayer mode in which players design their own locks and solve others'.
0.9
- Switch from SDL1 to SDL2.
- Animate force conflicts.
- Rework default keybindings and click-to-move.
- Allow adjusting sound volume.
- Add tutorial lock and 3 initiation locks.
- Replace inefficient Read-based serialisation of user info with Binary.
Trackballs 1.3.5 (2025-09-06)
Gameplay
Warermelon ball
Traps
Trackballs is a marble game in three-dimensional space, inspired by “Marble Madness”.
This is a bug fix release, containing the following changes:
51380cf: should fix time distortion and inconsistent game speed when frame rates are faster than 500fps (as can occur with vsync disabled on newer computers)
1a63b4f: should fix a compile error with newer sdl2_ttf
2e252eb: allows building with newer CMake versions
b98125e, 8d8093f: code style adjustments and making some functions constWeb site
Phantom Overload 0.5 (2025-09-13)
Phantom Overload
A single player swarm-based first-person shooter where the player is pursued by phantoms and must take them out with a pistol. The game currently features an urban and forest environment, with placements procedurally generated.
Alpha release 0.5
Highlights:
Game setup menu for picking world type and game mode, plus a quickplay button to skip it
New world type: Darkness
3 game modes (standard, simple, walking sim) instead of 1
Ammo mechanics for the standard game mode
Gun model redesign
Phantom proximity effects now grow exponentially, hopefully giving a bit more time before becoming too strongOther fixes and adjustments include:
Project upgraded to Godot 4.4
Settings are now in proper English
Staring at your killer now happens quickly rather than instantly
Player position included in debug info display
Changed how the exposure (brightness) option is implemented
Fixed nearest phantom search creating orphan nodesWeb site
Shamogu 1.0.0 (2025-09-18)
Gameplay
Shamanic Mountain Guardian (Shamogu) is a coffee-break roguelike game with a focus on tactical movement and careful timing of totemic spirit invocation and comestible consumption. Visibility and noise stealth mechanics also play an important role.
v1.0.0 2025-09-18
New content:
- New secondary spirit: Fire Salamander. It features a fire retreat ability that makes the player retreat up to two tiles while leaving a fire cloud on the previous position, as long as there's room for the retreat. The new spirit also confers +1 attack and a chance of burning foes on hit (like phoenixes do) and the upgraded version confers fire resistance (delayed burning). As a drawback, it inflicts bad hearing on the player, making it difficult to hear creep and wing-flapping noises. If the Fire Salamander is combined with the Barking Hound spirit, hearing becomes normal again (neither good nor bad). Fire Salamander is hence a spirit that offers very good offense capabilities and some mobility, but it can impair stealth tactics.
- New unique monster: walking mushroom. It's less sturdy than a walking tree but releases lignifying spores on sight from afar, affecting other monsters too. Also, its melee hits are confusing.
- New unique monster: noisy imp. It performs music just for the player, attracting nearby monsters. It avoids fighting similarly to afraid monsters.
- New special monster: warping wraith. Its hits teleport the player away. It may be sent by the dungeon to investigate and protect the portal after you use a warping menhir.
New portal guardian monster: blazing golem. A sturdy magical golem that explodes on death. May occasionally guard non-portal vaults, too. - New totem guardian monster: totem wasp. Rampaging and venomous wasps that like to use totems as their nest.
New kind of static item: runic trap. They represent visible traps that are triggered when stepped on by the player or a monster. Wandering monsters avoid traps, but hunting ones do not. Effects depend on the kind of rune. Placement is designed so that there's always at least one path that avoids traps. - New static empty totem item on map levels without a regular totem. Its purpose is to make it so the player doesn't feel the need to explore all the map corners on those maps (feature suggested by @mlochbaum in issue #1). Normal totems now become empty totems once you've picked their spirit.
- New Clarity status effect, provided by “clarity leaves”. It protects against Confusion, Daze, and unvoluntary Berserk. It can now be used as a way to exit Berserk early with extra HP (healing applied after bonus is removed). Also, Clarity makes you sense monsters now for several turns, but in a shorter range (2 times view range, instead of 3).
- New kind of player's knowledge about terrain: “unknown passable terrain”. Hearing footsteps and Clarity provide clues about terrain passability, so optimal play could encourage boringly memorizing (or even writing down) that information. Revealing the terrain and anything it contains would have solved the issue, but it would have been unintuitive from an immersion perspective. The new “unknown passable terrain”, shown as uncolored footsteps, solves the issue without having to leak any extra information.
Indie game news
Gumball in Trick-or-Treat Land Announced For PC & Game Boy
Gumball in Trick-or-Treat
- Gumball in Trick-or-Treat Land is a retro JRPG coming to Steam and physical Game Boy Color cartridge soon.
- Embark on a lighthearted quest as a stranded gumball to restore Trick-or-Treat Land from the Chaos Sweets.
- Recruit quirky allies, solve overworld puzzles, and master turn-based Trick-or-Treating battles.
- Explore a candy-filled world, unlock magical abilities, and tackle main quests and surprising side missions.
This Minimalist Mirror's Edge-Style Parkour Game Will Soon Have a Demo
Gameplay
MOTORSLICE, a post-apocalyptic parkour adventure developed by Regular Studio, will receive a demo this September. The game is scheduled for launch in 2025, though a specific release date has not been disclosed yet.
UE5 Indie Shooter Inspired by the 1920s Cartoons
Rod3dArt, the Solo Developer of an indie third-person shooter, CannonHead, unveiled the first game's trailer after a year of development. The trailer showcases the game's diverse locations, which include a castle's ruins and an industrial workshop with boiling lava, and gameplay mechanics.
Bloodthief Announces Late September Steam Release Date
Bloodthief
- Bloodthief launches on Steam in late September, blending boomer shooter and melee slasher action.
- Play as a lightning-fast vampire, using blood to power your parkour moves and devastating abilities.
- Explore branching medieval dungeons filled with shortcuts, secrets, and powerful magical loot.
- Momentum-based combat rewards speed, mastery, and competition for leaderboard dominance.
Dead Pets Unleashed
Dead Pets Unleashed
- Killer Soundtrack – A punk rock EP recorded just for Dead Pets and a ton of indie game crossover tracks.
- Minigames for Days – Including working a shift at a diner (diner dash), rhythm games, and making hot dogs.
- A Demon City Filled with Life – New Void City is filled with lively friends and foes, all with their own inner lives.
- Success is in Your Hands – Gordy’s future and the band’s fame rest in your hands. Choose your ending!
- Cartoonish Inspirations – For fans of Bojack Horseman and Tuca and Bertie. Inspired by their colorful, surreal worlds, complicated, dynamic friendships, and zany, offbeat humor.
Restaurant Management RPG The Hearth & Harbour Announced
The Hearth & Harbour
- The Hearth & Harbour is a new restaurant management RPG from Saltstone Studios and Fellow Traveller.
- Restore The Silver Spoon and shape its fate through menu, decor, and community-driven choices.
- Turn-based tactical gameplay blends managing staff, sourcing produce, and building relationships.
- Set in the world of The Pale Beyond, every decision impacts the narrative and your Lewthport legacy.
RoadOut Releases Free Steam Demo With Launch Plans
RoadOut
- RoadOut demo is free on Steam, with full launch planned for PC and consoles in Q1 2026
- Immerse in a post-apocalyptic action RPG with racing, sabotage, and faction-based quests
- Customize Claire's body and car with cybernetic upgrades and skill trees for unique survival
- Battle, race, and explore The Dead Zone, powered by synthwave tunes and intense combat
Ayasa: Shadow of Silence Confirmed For Late-September Launch
Ayasa: Shadow of Silence
- Ayasa: Shadow of Silence launches late September on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
- Dark hide-and-survive gameplay where every choice shapes the fate of the world.
- Explore six symbolic lands of Faith, Hope, Love, Greed, Indifference, and Betrayal.
- Experience a dialogue-free story told through pantomime, surreal art, and emotional music.
Little Rocket Lab confirmed For Early October Launch
Little Rocket Lab
- Little Rocket Lab launches on PC via Steam and Xbox in early October with a confirmed release date.
- Play as Morgan, an aspiring engineer, turning her childhood home into a thriving rocket factory.
- Build clever machines, automate processes, and help restore the sleepy town of St. Ambroise.
- Try out the free demo now and experience cozy, inventive factory-building gameplay before launch.
Joey The Duck Demo Is Now Available on Steam
The indie game developer Sikor is delighted to announce that the free demo of Joey The Duck is now available on Steam. You can dive into this open-level type platformer game and begin your journey. The game will be coming out sometime this year, so make sure to keep an eye out.