Indie games roundup spotlights short, low-cost stories and puzzles

Forever Ago is the debut from Third Shift, published by Annapurna Interactive, the label behind a long run of emotional story games. Alfred revisits the places that shaped his marriage to Audrey, taking photos, solving light puzzles and meeting strangers along the way. A stray dog becomes a companion, a broken-down car sends him somewhere unexpected, and the story turns into one about grief, chance and getting older.

Critics were split. Some found the writing clumsy in places and the controls a bit clunky, with interaction prompts that vanished at times. Others felt its “back in my day” grumbling about modern life dated the game, which was first announced back in 2020. But several reviewers admitted it still got to them, and one called it soothing and honest enough to sit with afterward.

It is out on Steam (and verified for Steam Deck), the Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox for PC and Nintendo Switch 2. The usual price is $20, and it is also included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

If you watch The Traitors, Fusebox Games has turned the format into a single-player mobile game for iOS and Android. It is free to download with in-app purchases.

It works much like the show. You pick a character trait, then try to last to the end as either a Faithful or a Traitor. Each day you choose an outfit, take on missions that grow the prize pot, build alliances and vote out suspected Traitors, or quietly remove Faithfuls if you are one.

Because you play against computer characters rather than friends, it suits people who are bad liars in real life. The catch is the microtransactions, so parents may want to switch off purchases before handing it to a child.

Echo Weaver from Moonlight Kids and Akupara Games is a puzzle adventure where progress depends on what you figure out, not on new powers. You start with every ability you need but have to work out what they do, while managing a time loop in which time itself is something you spend to heal, trade or open new paths. It is on Steam (with a demo), Xbox, PS5 and Switch 2, usually for $20, and is included with Game Pass. PS Plus Premium members can try it free for an hour.

Shil is a moody puzzle platformer from OSM Games and Nuostabūs Žaidimai, drawn in silhouettes and two-tone art that hide secrets and dangers. It is out now on Meta Quest headsets for $15, with a Steam version promised very soon.

Three indie showcases aired in the same week, and the Triple-i Initiative show brought the biggest news. Among Us Story: On Guard, a single-player detective spinoff of the hit party game, now launches on February 17, 2027 on Switch, Switch 2, iOS, Android and PC. You play the ship’s security guard, interviewing crewmates and gathering evidence to unmask the Impostor before more of the crew die.

Triple-i also showed:

• Gods With Badges, a new strategy game in the style of XCOM from Strange Scaffold
• Lazare’s Sacrifice, a story-driven card game due next year, with help from Damien Monnier, who designed Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
• new gameplay from The Talos Principle 3, the next entry in the philosophical puzzle series
• updates for Windrose and the co-op climbing game Chained Together
• Militsioner, a strange, funny game about escaping a town watched by a giant policeman, now with a demo ahead of its release next year

The Out of Bounds show featured 16 lesser-known games, including the bingo roguelike Bingone and Draftula, a castle builder inspired by Tetris. The two-hour-plus Convergence stream confirmed that Kick will arrive on November 3.

You do not need a powerful PC or a big budget for any of this. Forever Ago and Echo Weaver run on Steam Deck and Switch 2, The Traitors runs on almost any phone, and the Game Pass titles cost nothing extra if you already subscribe.

Demos are the real bargain. Many games from the Triple-i show have free playtests, and Haunted Paws, a couch co-op game where two dogs rescue their owner from a haunted mansion, has a demo on Steam. The LudoNarraCon festival, which spotlighted 50 story-driven games with demos or full releases on Steam, ran alongside a sale that ended on October 15.

Warhammer Survivors, a Vampire Survivors-style game built on the same engine but set in the Warhammer universe, launches on November 10 on PC, consoles and phones for about $8, and is coming to Game Pass. Apple Crumble, a cozy murder mystery from the makers of Duck Detective, arrives on Steam on December 3. You have to work out who is trying to kill your grandma at her birthday party, and the whole game takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half.