Whew, I don’t know about you, but January felt intense, right? We need some awesome new indies to get us through the next month don’t you think? Well, here’s a list of ten February indies to keep you busy this month!
Brave Escape
Release Date: February 1st
Developers: Hit Start Studios
Platforms: PC/MAC
Brave Escape is a challenging 2 player co-op platformer where two players must work together to navigate through hundreds of hazard filled levels. Play as both Colin and Floyd in their bold quest that requires skilled synchronization with every step, jump and climb. Gather collectibles, uncover secrets, and experience the excitement of Brave Escape as you and your companion embark on an unforgettable journey.
Brave Escape has a lot of interesting things going for it. I love the combo of this Indiana-Jones-style dude with a robot; so random and quirky! I love a co-op game where you really need to work together with your partner and use your special abilities to help them out.
Rift of the Necrodancer
Release Date: February 6th
Developers: Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
The NecroDancer’s back in an all-new rhythm game! Dragged into a strange new world, Cadence must engage in musical combat with monsters surging through the Rift! Face pulse-pounding Rhythm Rifts where every beat is a battle, all set to an original soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky & friends.
Ten years after the original, and three DLCs later, devs Brace Yourself Games have gone from a 2-D top-down pixel art style to a 90s morning cartoon style that has Guitar Hero mechanics. I love it when a developer spices things up and doesn’t just repeat the same old game. The demo has had some great reviews, so hopefully this will live up to its predecessor!
While Waiting
Release Date: February 6th
Developers: Optillusion
Platforms: PC/MAC, Nintendo Switch
Presented by the team behind critically acclaimed “Moncage”, this is a transformative adventure exploring the art of waiting. Clear the game by doing nothing, but discover the power of acceptance and patience in numerous situations from birth to death. Learn to embrace life as you wait.
In a world of instant gratification, While Waiting may be one of the toughest games on this list as it’s all about what most of us hate doing… waiting. Sit back and watch the world of the game go by while you do… absolutely nothing. This would be a great game to use to teach the art of being patient.
Ailuri
Release Date: February 7th
Developers: Vivink Studios
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
A hand-drawn, 2D platformer following the breathtaking story of an endangered red panda, named Ailuri. Climb, explore and survive the intricate levels while trying to defeat enemies to restore balance of life in the world.
If it wasn’t for Elliot’s amazing feature on the 90+ best Aussie games coming out this year and beyond, I wouldn’t have found this little hidden gem. You play as a red panda, which is one of the most adorable animals ever and not only that but you get to explore a whole bunch of intricate levels where you can grapple, swing and throw things…. as a red panda!
Keep Driving
Release Date: February 7th
Developers: YCJY Games
Platforms: PC
An atmospheric management RPG about life on the open road. Pick up hitchhikers, work odd jobs, customize and repair your car, and map your route across the country. Use upgrades, skills and items to overcome challenges. And remember to take it easy. You’re young. You have time.
I’ve played the demo to Keep Driving and really liked how chill it was (it literally keeps reminding you to ‘take it slow, you’re young’) and how much it fits that grungy punk vibe with its dark pixel artwork. I loved how you can manage your car’s inventory via a Tetris-like management system, battle other cars on the road and decide what hitchhiker to pick up. Also, the car’s stereo is fitted with local Swedish indie band tapes that you can also collect as you travel towards a music festival on the other side of the country.
Dawnfolk
Release Date: February 13th
Developers: Darenn Keller
Platforms: PC
Dawnfolk is a charmingly dark and minimalist survival city-builder. Gather resources, rebuild your realm, and protect your people from oppressive shadows. Can you unveil the secrets of the monoliths to bring light back to the world?
Dubbed as a chill city-builder, in Dawnfolk you can raise up your city within an hour of playing, which is my kind of city-builder! Your actions will dictate what leader you will become via the many different choices you will have to make for your kingdom.
Urban Myth Dissolution Centre
Release Date: February 13th
Developers: Hakababunko
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5
Join forces with the psychic Director of the Urban Myth Dissolution Center and solve a variety of cases involving cursed relics, rental properties with shady histories, and dimensional anomalies. Monstrous oddities and otherworldly planes abound in this occult mystery adventure game!
I really like how this visual novel juxtaposes these super graphic (literally a scene with a room full of blood!) and gory visuals with beautiful anime character art. Also, love the idea of the characters encountering all these paranormal objects; I can’t wait to hear the story behind all of them and see how exactly they will scare the crap out of the Urban Myth team.
Afterlove EP
Release Date: February 15th
Developers: Pikselnesia
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
From the creator of Coffee Talk and What Comes After, comes a slice-of-life adventure set in modern Jakarta about love, loss and finding your own way forward. Step into the shoes of Rama, a young musician struggling to move on with life after the death of his girlfriend, Cinta.
The last project by Mohammad Fahrmi, his team Pikselnesia pledged to make sure that Afterlove EP was made after he passed away three years ago. This hand-drawn adventure and rhythm game discusses how all-consuming grief can be and how important it is to surround yourself with those who love you and things that bring you purpose and meaning. A bittersweet February indie.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
Release Date: February 18th
Developers: DON’T NOD
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Embark on a new narrative journey by the creators of Life is Strange. Film your summer of 1995 and create memories of a lifetime with your new friends. 27 years later, confront the dark secrets that made you all promise to never speak again after that fateful summer.
As a 90s girlie and a huge fan of the original Life is Strange I’m so excited for this game! You are given access to both 1995 and 2022 timelines and have the ability to alter both to reveal secrets hidden for 27 years. DON’T NOD wasn’t involved in the latest Life is Strange, which was considered to be pretty disappointing to a lot of fans. This may just be the game to fill that huge Life is Strange-sized hole in all of us!
HPL: Nyarlathotep Rising
Release Date: February 19th
Developers: Touched by Grace, Why Not AI
Platforms: PC
Dive deep into the twisted HP Lovecraft universe with this oversized narrative RPG. Slip into the intertwined souls of Mark, Anna, and Victor, surrounded by cult worshippers, as Nyarlathotep, the cosmic horror, strives to enslave humanity in 1929.
This looks like a weird and wacky ride! You get to choose which ‘intertwined soul’ you want to play as out of the three listed and get to guide them through some psychic and traumatic events. You’ll be able to upgrade your character’s unique abilities via the game’s RPG mechanics that will hopefully save your soul from losing their mind.
What a month of amazing February Indies! Hope you have a blast gaming this month and I’ll see you at the start of March for ten more to get excited about!
About the Author
Lisa Pollifroni
she/her
PS5/PC gamer with a passion for RPGs . Other obsessions include eating/making good food, reading, Queer history/theory and puppies, especially her own - a Beagle Staffy x rescue named Boo.
