Myst and Riven remakes, the return of Bubsy and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As always, we've got some new games (as well as remakes) for you to check out this weekend if you're so inclined, along with news and updates for some upcoming projects.

Given how many games arrive every single week, we can't possibly cover all of them (not to mention all of the trailers and announcements for upcoming titles). However, I'd like to highlight a couple that previously slipped below my radar before we get into the incredibly busy Summer Game Fest period.

Fail Fail Succeed landed on Steam last week for $10. This is a puzzle platformer in which you'll have to sacrifice your character several times in order to clear a path to your goal, which is petting your dog. When you perish, your character transforms into blocks that help you on your way.

The pixel art look is charming and I dig the concept, but it's the backstory that really caught my attention here. Solo developer Martin Zetterman based the game on his "experience with mental health and with cycles of manic highs and depressive lows, turning 'failure' into literal progress," according to a press release. His dog, Eira, is said to have helped him through tougher times.

This reveal trailer for Ferra debuted a couple of weeks ago, but I simply had to mention this after it popped up for me. It looks so dang cool.

This is a first-person shooter set in a future version of Japan. You'll parkour your way through highly stylized environments and take out enemies using an upgradable arsenal that includes firearms and katanas. You'll also be able to morph into a kitsune (or fox-like) form and attack baddies with your claws. According to the Steam page, you can "use the Bite System to regenerate health by literally tearing into your enemies' throats." Sick. I love it.

Ferra is the first game from EllipsisWorks, which is said to be a small team working with no budget. At first glance, it reminds me of other high-octane shooters like Doom Eternal, I Am Your Beast and Ghostrunner. Instant wishlist addition.

It's been a long, long time coming, but remakes of two all-time classic puzzle adventure games hit PS5 and PS VR2 this week. Cyan Worlds released this version of Myst on Meta Quest headsets in 2020; PC, Mac and Xbox in 2021; and iOS in 2022. PlayStation had been an outlier until now. It's available for Sony's console and VR headset (usually $35, 20 percent of for PlayStation Plus members until May 26)

The remake of the sequel, Riven, debuted on PS5, PS VR2, Xbox Series X/S and the Microsoft Store on PC as well (also $35, but with a limited-time discount). The PS5 Pro versions of both games have "better view distance, foliage, textures, post-processing and shading," per the PlayStation Blog.

I've never played Myst, but Riven was one of the first games I had on PC as a kid. I remember it looking very pretty back then, unlike any game I'd seen before.

Alas, I never made much progress. If I recall correctly, I couldn't figure out what some of the various handles and levers I found in the opening section actually did and I quickly gave up. Perhaps I'd have more success in Riven (and Myst) now, even if puzzle games aren't necessarily my forte.

Speaking of being an idiot as a child, I spent a lot of time playing Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind when I was young. I really liked it at the time, but in hindsight that game is not good. I mention this because Bubsy 4D — the first Bubsy game since 2019 and the first one in 3D in 30 years — dropped this week.

The quippy bobcat is back thanks to Fabraz (Demon Tides) and publisher Atari. In this platformer, Bubsy sets out on a mission to recover a Golden Fleece from the technologically enhanced sheep that stole it — I'm not going to try to explain the lore beyond that.

Bubsy has some new tools at his disposal, like being able to roll into a ball form and move faster. That should help players who want to finish levels as quickly as possible as claw their way up the online leaderboards.

There'll be a nostalgia factor for a lot of players here. Honestly, it's strangely comforting to me that Bubsy sounds as annoying as ever.

Bubsy 4D is out now on PC (Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It'll typically run you $20, though there's a 10 percent launch discount on GOG.

Thick as Thieves is a game that we've had our eye on for a while, and it's had an interesting journey toward hitting Steam this week ($5). This was originally planned as a multiplayer heist game from a team that includes two stalwarts of the immersive sim and stealth genres in Thief and System Shock 2 veteran Paul Neurath and Deus Ex creator Warren Spector. The idea was that players would battle each other to steal valuable items in a 1910s setting that featured magic and nascent technology.

However, during development, OtherSide Entertainment pivoted after realizing that the solo and two-player co-op mode was more fun than the original vision of competitive heists. The developers said they may add a PvPvE mode down the line.

To begin with, Thick as Thieves features two thieves, two maps (which can be altered by adjusting the difficulty settings), 16 contracts and half-a-dozen pieces of gear. At the outset, the campaign is said to last for around four hours.

Amanita Design's latest game is Phonopolis, which looks utterly gorgeous in this trailer. It's a puzzle adventure set in a 3D world made from hand-painted cardboard. The developers animated it at 12fps to mimic the style of stop-motion films.

Here, the residents of the dystopian city of Phonopolis are bossed around by a leader who issues commands via loudspeakers. But one young resident is immune to these orders and starts to fight back against The Man. As Felix, you can rebel by manipulating the loudspeakers to solve puzzles with the help of other characters. You'll be shifting the environment around as well.

Phonopolis is hitting all the right notes for me and I'm eager to check it out. It's available on Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store. It'll usually run you $25, but there's a 10 percent discount until June 3.

After Yacht Club Games of Shovel Knight fame locked in a May 29 release date for the long-awaited Mina the Hollower, some other developers and publishers moved their games out of its way. Doinksoft and publisher Devlover Digital have done just that with Dark Scrolls (I still adore that title), which had been set to arrive on May 28. It will now hit Steam and Switch on June 22.

This is a roguelite action platformer in which the procedurally generated levels automatically sidescroll outside of the locked arena fights and boss battles. I played a little of this in a preview and dug my time with it. You won't have to go it alone in Dark Scrolls, as there's a two-player co-op mode.

This week, there was an event that showcased a bunch of Warhammer games, including Warhammer Survivors, an officially licensed riff on Vampire Survivors. A demo just hit Steam and it was confirmed that Warhammer Survivors is coming to mobile this year alongside PC and consoles.

Developer Auroch Digital is using the same engine that Poncle used to make Vampire Survivors. That's immediately evident, since much of the visual language is the same (you collect pill-shaped gems to level up, for instance). As you might imagine, Warhammer Survivors features characters, weapons, abilities, enemies and environments from the broader Warhammer universe.

Auroch is also making Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. A Steam demo for that game arrived this week as well.

Six One Indie returned to shine a spotlight on dozens of indie games with its latest showcase this week. Among those was Mouseward, from Finite Reflection Studios. This is a very different prospect from the developer's last game, the top-down Soulslike Void Sols.

Mouseward is also a Soulslike, though it's in the vein of N64-era collectathon platformers with low-poly visuals to match. You play as a Royal Mouse Guard on a mission to save a kingdom from a curse.

Finite Reflection hasn't announced a release window for Mouseward as yet. However, it offered up a fresh trailer and released a new demo on Steam.

The latest edition of the BitSummit indie games festival is taking place in Japan this week and some news is emerging from there, such as a new trailer for Kidbash: Super Legend. This is yet another roguelike action platformer and it's from Authentic Remixes and Fat Raccoon, along with publisher Acclaim.

The premise of Kidbash is pretty compelling. The eponymous would-be hero wakes up "in a world of forgotten game characters with no memory of his past," according to a press release.

As you make your way through this diorama-inspired world and (hopefully) take down large bosses, you'll be able to meld two weapons together to craft a more potent one. You'll also pick up randomized mods that can be combined with other tools to create powerful synergies.

This trailer makes me think of Mega Man action and Bomberman aesthetics, which is a killer combo. Expect Kidbash: Super Legend to hit Steam, PS4, PS5 and Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox for PC in early 2027.