Several indie titles have caught our attention this week, offering a diverse range of gameplay experiences. Among these is "Quarantine Zone: The Last Check", a farming-based shoot-'em-up inspired by the likes of "Papers Please" but with a zombie apocalypse twist.
In this game from Brigada Games and Devolver Digital, players take on the role of a checkpoint operator during an outbreak, tasked with screening survivors for signs of infection. If unsure, they can send someone to quarantine or a lab for further observation, or let them in. However, get things wrong, and disaster could strike. Fortunately, there's always the trusty sidearm – and a weaponized drone to help deal with sticky situations.
In addition to "Quarantine Zone", Brigada Games is also behind another title, "Air Hares". This one appears to be more of a classic top-down shoot-'em-up, but with an unexpected twist: restoring farmland. Players fire seeds and water to turn barren land into fertile carrot fields, all while dodging enemies – including co-op partners who can join in on the action.
The game has a distinctly '90s-style cartoon aesthetic and features boss battles for added challenge. "Air Hares" is now available on Steam and PC Game Pass, with an initial discount until January 26.
Meanwhile, Luckshot Games' "Big Hops" takes inspiration from classic platformers but with a more joyous, playful vibe. As a young frog trying to find airship parts for a raccoon friend who's promised help in getting home, players will use their tongue to swing across gaps, hookshot through levels, and solve puzzles.
There are tons of movement mechanics on display here – expect a fun experience with a 10 percent launch discount until January 19 on Steam and the Nintendo Switch. "Big Hops" is also available on PS5 for $20.
Cassette Boy appears to be more than just your standard 2D exploration puzzler, though. The pixel-art world can be rotated to discover new secrets – but there's also an element of hiding enemies and hazards from view to move past them. With a runtime of about eight hours and a stellar voice cast that includes Ben Starr, Joel Fry, and more British comedy figures, "Cassette Boy" is available on Steam, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S for $13.
Looking ahead, we've got Aerial_Knight’s DropShot to look forward to, a single-player first-person shooter that involves skydiving with finger guns. Competition ensues as you drop from the sky with just one available parachute – can you grab it before your opponents do? Rounds are fast-paced, generally lasting under a minute.
The full game is set to release on February 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam, and Epic Games Store. A demo is currently available on Steam.
Next up is Point-and-click adventure "Earth Must Die", from Size Five Games and publisher No More Robots. With an art style that matches the show's cartoonish tone, this title promises a playable runtime of about eight hours and features a stellar cast including Ben Starr, Joel Fry, and more British comedy figures. The full game will land on January 27.
Lastly, there's something very silly-looking from Monster Shop Games: "Pie in the Sky". This Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-inspired action arcade game puts you in the role of a magpie terrorizing bystanders – knock people off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, ram kids off scooters, go skateboarding, or cause general chaos. And, of course, there are hidden areas to discover.
All we have to do is wait until February 2 for "Pie is the Sky" to swoop onto Steam and add some more colorful fun into our lives.
In this game from Brigada Games and Devolver Digital, players take on the role of a checkpoint operator during an outbreak, tasked with screening survivors for signs of infection. If unsure, they can send someone to quarantine or a lab for further observation, or let them in. However, get things wrong, and disaster could strike. Fortunately, there's always the trusty sidearm – and a weaponized drone to help deal with sticky situations.
In addition to "Quarantine Zone", Brigada Games is also behind another title, "Air Hares". This one appears to be more of a classic top-down shoot-'em-up, but with an unexpected twist: restoring farmland. Players fire seeds and water to turn barren land into fertile carrot fields, all while dodging enemies – including co-op partners who can join in on the action.
The game has a distinctly '90s-style cartoon aesthetic and features boss battles for added challenge. "Air Hares" is now available on Steam and PC Game Pass, with an initial discount until January 26.
Meanwhile, Luckshot Games' "Big Hops" takes inspiration from classic platformers but with a more joyous, playful vibe. As a young frog trying to find airship parts for a raccoon friend who's promised help in getting home, players will use their tongue to swing across gaps, hookshot through levels, and solve puzzles.
There are tons of movement mechanics on display here – expect a fun experience with a 10 percent launch discount until January 19 on Steam and the Nintendo Switch. "Big Hops" is also available on PS5 for $20.
Cassette Boy appears to be more than just your standard 2D exploration puzzler, though. The pixel-art world can be rotated to discover new secrets – but there's also an element of hiding enemies and hazards from view to move past them. With a runtime of about eight hours and a stellar voice cast that includes Ben Starr, Joel Fry, and more British comedy figures, "Cassette Boy" is available on Steam, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S for $13.
Looking ahead, we've got Aerial_Knight’s DropShot to look forward to, a single-player first-person shooter that involves skydiving with finger guns. Competition ensues as you drop from the sky with just one available parachute – can you grab it before your opponents do? Rounds are fast-paced, generally lasting under a minute.
The full game is set to release on February 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam, and Epic Games Store. A demo is currently available on Steam.
Next up is Point-and-click adventure "Earth Must Die", from Size Five Games and publisher No More Robots. With an art style that matches the show's cartoonish tone, this title promises a playable runtime of about eight hours and features a stellar cast including Ben Starr, Joel Fry, and more British comedy figures. The full game will land on January 27.
Lastly, there's something very silly-looking from Monster Shop Games: "Pie in the Sky". This Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-inspired action arcade game puts you in the role of a magpie terrorizing bystanders – knock people off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, ram kids off scooters, go skateboarding, or cause general chaos. And, of course, there are hidden areas to discover.
All we have to do is wait until February 2 for "Pie is the Sky" to swoop onto Steam and add some more colorful fun into our lives.
! quarantine zone: the last check sounds like such a unique blend of farming and shoot-em-up action, and air hares has that 90s cartoon vibe that's just so infectious 
! big hops seems like an absolute blast to play with its tongue-swinging frog mechanics 
. cassette boy's pixel art world sounds super intriguing, and i love the twist on 2d exploration puzzlers.
! The concept of "Quarantine Zone: The Last Check" sounds like a thrilling mix of farming and zombie apocalypse - I can already imagine the stress of making tough decisions to save survivors 
. Brigada Games seems to be on fire with not one, but two cool titles this month.
! The idea of restoring farmland by firing seeds and water is genius - it's like a match made in heaven for farming sim fans.
It looks like so much fun, especially with all those movement mechanics on display!
So I'm thinking what's up with all these new indie games dropping at the same time? Like, can't they space them out a bit? We've got Quarantine Zone: The Last Check this week and "Air Hares" next month 
. It feels like there are just so many great options out there right now that I'm having trouble choosing which one to play first 
.
. 10% off Big Hops until January 19? That's a great start, but what about the rest of us who aren't as lucky as those who snagged it early 
?
. Like the idea of rotating levels in Cassette Boy, or using finger guns in DropShot 
. It's always exciting to see developers pushing the boundaries of what we expect from a game 
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, but it's still just a relatively unknown title. Where's the love for smaller devs like Luckshot Games? 
and i need to get my hands on air hares ASAP its '90s cartoon vibes are giving me life 
. Air Hares is also super cute with its '90s aesthetic and carrot farm-shooting action 
. And Big Hops is just too joyful to resist - who wouldn't want to play as a frog swinging around with their tongue? 
. And don't even get me started on Pie in the Sky... a magpie causing chaos in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater style? Yes, please 
. And Earth Must Die looks like a blast with its cartoonish art style and British comedy cast 
. Bring on February 2nd and all these awesome games! 
anyone else tried this game yet? its gameplay seems pretty intense with those checkpoint screening decisions 
can't wait to see if the carrot fields are as satisfying as they sound 
I'm definitely going to check out "Air Hares" too - restoring farmland sounds adorable and a great way to teach kids about sustainability. And "Pie in the Sky" is just plain hilarious 
Can't wait for all these games to drop! 
. "Quarantine Zone" sounds like a total chore, but hey, who doesn't love playing dead guy all day? And don't even get me started on "Air Hares", farming and shoot-'em-ups, what's next, cooking and baking? 
It's just too much for my eyes. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to have co-op partners try to kill you while you're trying to grow carrots? 
A frog with a hookshot tongue, how original. I'm sure it'll just be another shallow experience that'll leave me feeling empty. And what's up with the long discount period on Steam? Just trying to get rid of games as fast as possible, am I right? 
. Eight hours of puzzle-solving with voice cast royalty sounds interesting, but we'll see about that.
The art style on Cassette Boy also caught my eye - I love how they've incorporated rotation mechanics to reveal secrets, adding a new layer of depth to exploration.