Beat-based dungeon crawlers, card-battling soccer sims and other new indie games worth checking out

## Summary
Terminal War is a 4v4 third-person shooter and it seems like the small team of developers is trying to keep things grounded. Albatross Interactive isn't shy about the inspiration behind Terminal War. “ They canceled The Last of Us Factions 2, " the team wrote on X . "So we're building it [sic] our version." Advertisement Advertisement In September 2019, nine months before the game’s eventual release, Naughty Dog confirmed The Last of Us Part 2 wouldn’t have a multiplayer mode. The team expects Terminal War to remain in early access for around 12-18 months, though it noted that "we're a small studio and we'd rather take the time to get it right than rush to a finish line. Publisher Annapurna Interactive is bringing it to Xbox Series X/S , PS5 , Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox on PC, Steam and Epic Games Store this fall.

## Article Content
Ridiculous Games/Acclaim, Inc.
Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As ever, we've got some new games for you to dive into this weekend, and a glimpse at some upcoming titles. But, first, a look at indie studio Albatross Interactive's take on a multiplayer mode from a much-loved blockbuster.
Terminal War
is a 4v4 third-person shooter and it seems like the small team of developers is trying to keep things grounded. Ammo and supplies are scarce, and there's an emphasis on melee combat with the promise of "brutal executions." The action is set in the late '90s, a few years after a global war, with three factions battling for control and survival in a collapsed version of the United States.
Albatross Interactive isn't shy about the inspiration behind
Terminal War. “
They canceled
The Last of Us Factions 2,
" the team
wrote on X
. "So we're building it [sic] our version."
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In September 2019, nine months before the game’s eventual release, Naughty Dog confirmed
The Last of Us Part 2
wouldn’t have a multiplayer mode. At the time, it
told players
"you will eventually experience the fruits of our team's online ambition."
That still hasn’t exactly come to pass. The studio formally announced
The Last of Us Online
in June 2022 and
canceled it 18 months later
. As such, the Factions mode in 2014's
The Last of Us Remastered
for PS4 remains the franchise's only remaining multiplayer mode.
Albatross Interactive, which says it's
building
Terminal War
from scratch, plans to reveal more gameplay soon. The game is slated to hit
Steam
in early access
as soon as this summer
.
The team expects
Terminal War
to remain in early access for around 12-18 months, though it noted that "we're a small studio and we'd rather take the time to get it right than rush to a finish line. The timeline will ultimately be shaped by community feedback, the scope of content we deliver, and the standard of quality we hold ourselves to." The studio plans to bring the game to consoles as well.
New releases
I’m into the current iteration of Acclaim as an indie publisher (albeit one with a plan to
revive its own historic franchises
). Its latest title,
GridBeat
from Ridiculous Games, is a rhythm-based dungeon crawler in which you're trying to escape from a corporate network after pinching a trove of valuable data. Malware and security protocols are on your tail. Navigating the mazes, interacting with objects and boss battles are all synced to a beat.
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GridBeat
is available on
Steam
and
Nintendo Switch
. It typically costs $20, but there's a 10 percent discount on Switch until April 2. It's 15 percent off on Steam until April 9.
Given how much time I spent playing
Football Manager 26
last year,
Nutmeg
is right up my alley. Getting veteran commentator Jim Rosenthal to pitch the soccer management sim in the launch trailer certainly doesn't hurt.
This is a card-battler take on soccer management and it’s set in the '80s and '90s. You can start out in the lower divisions and can work your way up to the top of the English soccer system. You'll hire and fire staff, and select your team and formation before taking on an opponent. Completing challenges and doing well in training will earn you more card packs.
The trailer reminds me of collecting Panini stickers as a kid as well as the smell of my friends’ Subbuteo figures. I would have said my favorite thing about this is that everything takes place at an era-appropriate desk with a TV that shows results and standings in the style of
Teletext
and an old computer that has some retro mini-games you can play. However, Sumo Sheffield and Publisher Secret Mode are
donating
a small portion of every sale of
Nutmeg
to charity, which is a nice gesture.
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Nutmeg
is out now on
Steam
. It'll usually cost you $25, but there's a whopping 40 percent discount until April 2.
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Devil Jam
is a metal-themed spin on the roguelite formula that
Vampire Survivors
popularized with a dash of
Hades
-esque characterization mixed in. It's been out on
Steam
since November and it hit consoles this week. It costs $8 on
PS5
and
Switch
, and $7.59 on
Xbox Series X/S
.
You'll wield a cursed guitar as you battle demonic enemies and bosses. As ever with this type of game, it's all about finding fun, powerful builds by synergizing abilities. You can put those together in a 12-slot gear system. I dig the art style and animation in this game from Rogueside too. I especially love that one character dashes by powersliding on their knees.
A couple of months after its
debut on Steam
,
Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator
landed on
Xbox Series X/S
for $20 this week. The latest game from prolific studio Strange Scaffold is a stock market simulator in which you speculate on the "simulated lives of babies" and how successful (or not) said alien sprogs will be in the future. It takes aim at real-life prediction markets wher

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Its latest title, GridBeat from Ridiculous Games, is a rhythm-based dungeon crawler in which you're trying to escape from a corporate network after pinching a trove of valuable data.
- Advertisement Advertisement Solo developer Mateo Covic (aka ZoroArts) is looking to follow up on the success of Paddle Paddle Paddle with another friendslop game.

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- At the time, it told players "you will eventually experience the fruits of our team's online ambition." That still hasn’t exactly come to pass.
- The timeline will ultimately be shaped by community feedback, the scope of content we deliver, and the standard of quality we hold ourselves to." The studio plans to bring the game to consoles as well.
- Completing challenges and doing well in training will earn you more card packs.
- The latest game from prolific studio Strange Scaffold is a stock market simulator in which you speculate on the "simulated lives of babies" and how successful (or not) said alien sprogs will be in the future.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers game, advertisement, steam topics. Notable strengths include discussion of game. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1493.