Spring is over but it had some heated moments to get us ready for summer. Now that we’re already a little over a week into it, we’re starting to get used to the sun bearing down on us. Although we may not always have a way to beat the heat, games help provide escapism so we can try to forget just how hot we’re feeling and how much sweat may be pouring down. The good news is that there are plenty of great indie games in July 2023 to help provide a distraction. Though they might not take place in cold or refreshing places, these indie games can hopefully provide a digital sanctuary from the heat.
Testament: The Order of High-Human
Although evil villains and cataclysms have targeted more fantasy worlds than you can count, it doesn’t mean that they’re immune to post-apocalyptic flair. This is what’s been applied to Testament: The Order of High-Human by Fairyship Games. It’s a 3D action-adventure first-person RPG set in a ruined fantasy world. It came to be this way because your brother is a jerk, and now you have to punch him in the face really hard. Thankfully, you’re the immortal last hope of the people who can master a variety of weapons and magic to save the world!
Testament: The Order of High-Human will release on July 13 on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Gravity Circuit
Welcome to the future, where humans are a distinct memory and robots are walking around like people used to. You can see it for yourself in Gravity Circuit by Domesticated Ant Games. It follows the journey of a stylish robot named Kai who has gained amazing abilities due to something called the Gravity Circuit. Use these abilities to fight your way through the 2D platforming excitement that the game has to offer. It combines the feel of classic platform games with the arcade-level difficulty found in other popular indie games.
Gravity Circuit will release on July 13 on PC, Switch, and PlayStation.
Full Void
Hey, you know that fear that people have been having since the mid-20th century about an AI turning rogue and taking over the world? Well, it’s come to fruition in Full Void by Out Of The Bit Ltd. Yep, the future is bleak and dystopian once again due to an AI that has become so powerful that it controls and imprisons all of humanity. Luckily, you’re a plucky young human who has all the guts and gumption to overthrow a digital dictator. It’s a slow-paced 2D pixel platformer where everything is dangerous and puzzles are your main obstacle.
Full Void will release on July 18 on PC.
PuPu’s Adventure Park
Amusement parks are always on the menu of the day during the summer, even though you would think all those metal rides would heat up something fierce. You could learn what it was like to run one in Rollercoaster Tycoon, and now you can do so in a totally different way with PuPu’s Adventure Park by Plum Tree Studio.
You are leading the PuPu clan in this colorful management game where they have managed to get a piece of land from the ominous-sounding dark goblins. That being said, you decide to turn the land into a strange and mystical amusement park that travelers from across the universe can visit for a thrill… that doesn’t involve interstellar travel.
PuPu’s Adventure Park will release on July 19 on PC and Switch.
Homeseek
There’s been a lot of speculation as to what the earth will look like in the future, and when it comes to indie games, some of the visions are pretty bleak. One of these frightening perspectives plays out in Homeseek by Traptics. You are leading some of the humans that remain as you try to make a functional settlement and society in a world that is mostly dead. Water is the most valuable resource out there, but pretty much anything that can be used has some value. Your goal is to find as many resources as possible to sustain your place and population as you manage what little remains.
Homeseek will release on July 20 on PC.
Great Ambition of the Slimes
Across so many fantasy and indie games, slimes are seen as fodder enemies meant to make you feel confident about slaying monsters. However, the slimes are deciding to fight back in the Great Ambition of the Slimes by Altair Works. That’s right, this pixel game puts you in command of one of the weakest monsters in gaming: Slimes. The catch is that these slimes have evolved an ability to absorb and control human bodies, thus gaining their strength and abilities. Lead your slimy forces to victory in this turn-based strategic campaign.
Great Ambition of the Slimes will release on July 27 on PC.
Mega City Police
Thanks to movies like RoboCop and Judge Dredd, there are ideas that law enforcement can solve crime with excessive violence. This is the inspiration behind Mega City Police by Undreamed Games. It’s a top-down pixel experience where you control enhanced law enforcement officers in a dystopian future filled with crime. As a result, there are no rules and suits to stand in your way as you “enforce the law” with overwhelming firepower. The criminals have organized themselves into huge waves of crime under even larger bosses that you have to “bring to justice”.
Mega City Police will release on July 28 on PC.
Greedland
Greed is a sin, but everyone experiences it in one form or another. It’s a well-known concept, but it’s unknown how it comes into play in the upcoming Greedland by VaMP He. This early access title is showing off a 3D top-down shooter which has some bullet-hell elements and takes a few pages out of the book of Vampire Survivors. The story and setting don’t seem to be clear just yet, but it probably goes something like this: You are a futuristic soldier in a desolate world with a population that consists of 99 percent horrible monsters.
Good thing that you’re equipped with defense and weapons to defend yourself and that your character is built to gain experience by slaughtering every single monster that comes their way. Use this to improve your passive and active abilities while also upgrading your weapons or adding new ones to your arsenal. The more you get, the more clear paths that you can carve through the ever-advancing hordes of enemies. Maybe you’ll be able to take down the boss or destroy the source if you’re persistent enough.
Greedland will release in July on PC.
