Indie Invasion V2: Crows, Bombs, and Difficult Metroidvanias

Welcome to Indie Invasion, your one-stop shop for all things creative, weird, or woefully underrated! On this week’s “episode,” the Waypoint folks round up their indie game obsessions for the week. Without further ado (as I can ramble), let’s see what the squad’s getting into!

let the indie invasion commence!

dwayne jenkins — managing editor

So, are games published by Devolver Digital still considered “indie”? If not, oh well! Death’s Door was a game nobody could shut up about for months after its release. However, the kid ain’t have no money, so it fell from my radar. That is, until Game Pass brought it to the forefront. Suddenly, I didn’t have a choice but to give it a try! And I’m glad I did!

Death’s Door is the smooth, satisfying action-adventure romp I hoped Tunic would be. It ticks off all of my favorite aspects of video games. It’s challenging, the visuals are striking and unique, the soundtrack is thematically appropriate and beautiful, and the overarching story is surprisingly thought-provoking!

Death’s Door grabbed me and didn’t let me go. The gameplay is fast and frantic without being overwhelming. You can mix and match playstyles between melee and ranged combat, which will change depending on the enemy you’re facing. Many people compared it to Zelda and Dark Souls when it came out. But, I only really agree it’s definitely Zelda-like with all the dark whimsy that’s typically in the average Zelda game!

If you have an Xbox, Death’s Door is still on Game Pass (as of this writing, anyway). Go on, take a chance on it! I did, and it would go on to become an all-time great!

anthony franklin II — contributor

In my internet travels, I kept seeing a game called Nine Sols pop up. And what I saw when I looked into it has me believing that we might have one of the next great Metroidvanias on our hands.

The combat system looks fluid and snappy, the art style is incredible, and the story seems like something with some real punch to it. Overall, I’m digging what I’ve seen and will be running to download it on Game Pass.

matt vatankhah — contributor

Jet Set Radio is one of my favorite games of all time. Once I heard that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, a spiritual successor set to bring back the visual swagger and bombastic attitude of the Dreamcast classic, was in the works? Including the return of legendary JSR composer Hideki Naganuma dropping new funky fresh beats for the soundtrack?! Yeah, it’s time to grind.

Surprisingly, I still haven’t had a chance to try Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. But with it being available in this month’s Humble Choice Bundle, there’s no better time to strap in and get on the groove.

shaun cichacki — contributor

After waiting for a proper sale on it, I finally jumped on the Grim Dawn train. Playing Diablo IV and getting bored with it very quickly, I was hoping to recapture the vibe of the classic I grew up with. Sure, I could have just bought Diablo II: Resurrected, but I was looking for something with a little more pizazz. Grim Dawn has been scratching every itch I’ve had in the isometric RPG genre for years. Especially after being disappointed by Torchlight Infinite.

It’s beyond moody. A dense and disgusting atmosphere comes to life before me as I crush through many abhorrent creatures. While I’m playing the Soldier class for maximum CLICK TO BONK gameplay, I had to throw in some Occultist action to make things a little more interesting. Now, my Crow familiar follows me wherever I may roam as I venture through this incredibly detailed and designed world. If you’ve been searching for something that feels like it’s from the Blizzard golden years, give Grim Dawn a try.

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Ah, another successful edition of Indie Invasion is in the books! You know, now that Path of Exile 2 is right around the corner, I may be interested to give Grim Dawn a shot myself! …And Nine Sols — even though I know it’s going to punish me. ………And Bomb Rush because you can’t beat those vibes.