

So, not a remake, but a throwback. The thing that really stood out to me was how bland the music was though. The HoMM series has such incredible music in every entry (maybe not in 6, haven’t played it), but these songs sound super generic. Still, the games are great and it’s awesome there’s a new entry.
My friend and I played split screen for years in high school on a tiny 12" CRT. I’ll never forget finally beating the Ruins on extreme difficulty. He had to revive me 10 times during the boss fight because one attack would always 1-shot me. It was a 15-minute white-knuckle struggle, and it was incredible.


Love the writeup on Bastion. I have very similar feelings about Aquaria, an indie metroidvania from the beforetimes. The entire game is centered around the soundtrack, weaving the motifs into the game’s narrative. Even moreso than Bastion or Undertale, Aquaria makes it’s soundtrack a key narrative driver.
Eh this lawsuit actually sounds like it has grounds… Tencent asked to make a spinoff, got rejected, then made it anyway.
Sony states that during the pitch meeting, Tencent did not disclose it was already working on Light of Motiram. According to the lawsuit, Sony rejected Tencent’s Horizon pitch in April 2024, stating that while it “greatly appreciated Aurora’s level of passion and the effort put into the pitch,” it would not be pursuing the partnership.
When Tencent did announce Light of Motiram in November 2024, Sony states in the lawsuit that its gameplay trailer did not feature any of the “Eastern-inspired clothing, aesthetics, and backdrops that Tencent pitched and instead copied Horizon whole cloth.”


The new contract ensures “safety guardrails” around AI, which includes “consent and disclosure requirements for AI digital replica use and the ability for performers to suspend consent for the generation of new material during a strike”.
Great to see. Now we’ll see if this actually ends all of the voice actor strikes in the industry. I know there were a bunch that started due to this strike but actually hinge on the company’s stance on allowing non-union members to remain non-union.


We’ll have to see how Beast of Reincarnation turns out. Gamefreak’s other side games weren’t anything spectacular, except for Smart Ball.
Hello fellow tiny indie enthusiast! Here are a few I hold dear:
Beyond All Reason - FOSS RTS game about robots destroying each other. Pick one of 3 factions and build up your army to crush the opposition. Great for multiplayer co-op or PvP, even has modes to face off against boss factions. Surprisingly robust and balanced.
PictoQuest - Picross is a pretty niche genre, but it’s a very rewarding puzzle system. This title combines the classic puzzles with real-time RPG combat, adding some frantic tension to the puzzle solving.
Smushi Come Home - Crazy cozy platformer about a mushroom dude trying to return to his family. If “Chill Vibes” was a game.
Aquaria - You’ve probably played this one; was a standout indie back in 2008, even getting a crossover in Super Meat Boy. It’s a Metroidvania with fantastic music, unique combat, and a heartfelt story. It perfected leitmotifs years before Undertale.
Miasmata - Survival horror game that focuses on plant sample gathering and cartography. Yes seriously, you literally have to triangulate your position with landmarks to fill out your map! It sounds like work, but it’s actually awesome to experience.
Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor - 3D pixel sci-fi urban sim in which you play a street urchin dreaming of a better life. Its depiction of hope amidst abject poverty is heart wrenching, but the game is absolutely brimming with charm.
The Void - Otherworldly resource management sim from the studio behind Pathologic. You’re a soul in purgatory struggling to remain extant amidst a war between two factions. You have to travel between nodes to collect Color, which is the fuel of survival. Monstrous Brothers roam around stealing all of it they can, and helpless Sisters plead you to offer what you can, with the promise they can help you ascend.
Legend of Grimrock - Oldschool dungeoncrawler RPG. Pick a group of four prisoners chained together and traverse the prison dungeon of Grimrock. Classic hack and slash, sword and sorcery; comes with a map editor and has a lot of community maps.
Knytt Underground - Metroidvania minus the combat. It’s all about exploration, platforming, puzzle solving, and glorious aesthetic. You may have heard of Within A Deep Forest from the same dev.
Honorable mention: Dreamfall Chapters - Not as indie as the others, but not nearly as well known as it deserves. Adventure game set between two worlds - a dystopian fascist sci-fi and… a dystopian fascist fantasy. You swap between worlds discovering not only the secrets destroying these places, but also to learn about your own past. Actually the third title in the series, but acts as a standalone.


SOMA is also fantastic