Another month, another collection of awesome indies to get excited about! Here are ten that we think you’ll be curious to check out in May.
The Horror at Highrook
Developer: Nullpointer Games
Publisher: Nullpointer Games, Outersloth
Release Date: May 2nd
Platforms: PC
The Horror at Highrook is an occult card crafting narrative RPG. Explore a haunted mansion with your team of investigators, summon dark entities, craft powerful protections, uncover the fate of the missing family, and choose your own path through the darkness.
This game has so much going on! Aesthetically, it looks like Cluedo; with tabletop-style gameplay, this looks interesting enough for me, a horror avoider, to gobble this up. I want to see how they handle the gameplay of unlocking rooms bit by bit as you complete certain tasks. There’s a lot to be excited about with Highrook!
Freeride
Developer: Flightyfelon Games Inc.
Publisher: Flightyfelon Games Inc, Future Friends Games
Release Date: May 2nd
Platforms: PC
Freeride is a game about YOU. Board a train to the Spirit World in our oddball RPG where you make friends, use telekinesis, find secrets, consume ice cream and chart your own path. Each character is uniquely troubled, and in helping them find their way, you might just find yourself, too.
This game looks super weird, and I am so here for it! Mainly because I love games where your choices matter, especially when Freeride takes your choices and presents you with a personality overview. You can also replay and retry different scenarios to see if you can change your results. Another thing I love about Freeride is developers, Flightyfelon Games Inc. is a woman-run and mainly female team based in Canada.
Best Served Cold
Developer: Rogueside
Publisher: Rogueside
Release Date: May 5th
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Can you mix a cocktail while eye-to-eye with a criminal? Find out in Best Served Cold, a murder mystery set in a bustling speakeasy where you serve customers, make friends and enemies, and solve crimes. At the Nightcap bar, prohibition is a killer… and so are some of your customers!
This feels like Coffee Talk but with booze and a big scoop of Agatha Christie vibes. The art style in this is just gorgeous and really captures the feel of a murder mystery party. So if you love visual novels and getting your detective on, I wouldn’t sleep on this one!
Deck Of Haunts
Developer: Mantis
Publisher: DANGEN Entertainment, Game Source Entertainment
Release Date: May 7th
Platforms: PC
Deck of Haunts invites you to become a malevolent Haunted House. Lure humans into your cursed halls, manipulate their fears, and drain their essence to grow your power. Use strategy to build your mansion and expand your dark influence, turning your home into a terrifying, inescapable nightmare.
Playing as a house, a spooky one at that, is such an intriguing concept. You get to control the narrative and manipulate how far you take the horror aspects of Deck of Haunts. I just love that the game gives you all this power to mess with those who grace your halls as much as you want to.
Dino Path Trail
Developer: Void Pointer
Publisher: Void Pointer, Human Qube Games
Release Date: May 9th
Platforms: PC
Survive a Wild West where dinosaurs never went extinct. Fight off predators, outlaws, and the elements as you journey across deadly biomes to rescue your kidnapped sister. Hunt or be hunted in this ruthless survival roguelike.
This looks super sweet but also super complex in the best possible ways. Whilst you battle against dinos, you will also have to manage your health, hunger and temperature, build your own shelter, as well as craft your own weapons. Each map you’ll have to explore to find your way back to camp, meaning that exploration is a big part of the gameplay and also… I think I saw a Stegosaurus that you keep at your camp…
Creature Keeper
Developer: Fervir Games
Publisher: Graffiti Games
Release Date: May 9th
Platforms: PC
Creature Keeper is an action-adventure RPG where you Befriend Creatures and fight alongside them in real time. Explore a mysterious world and uncover the truth behind a strange sickness spreading across the land. Power up your team, fill out your Bestiary, and embark on your journey of destiny!
This game looks soooo cute! I’m obsessed with the pixelated animals and the little love hearts that emanate from them. With these furry buds by your side, how could you not have amazing adventures? I love that you can learn more about your party mates as well by filling out your Bestiary, and it will also award you with buffs and party items.
Spirit Of The North 2
Developer: Infuse Studio
Publisher: Silver Lining Interactive
Release Date: May 9th
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Unveil the mysteries of a beautiful ancient world in this breathtaking 3rd-Person Adventure, a sequel to the acclaimed ‘Spirit of the North.’ Take on the role of an isolated fox with a raven companion on a quest to restore the lost guardians and return home.
The sequel to 2020’s Spirit of the North, this adventure exploration game sees you inhabit a completely new fox to its predecessor, and you also get a very striking raven buddy as well! The world is larger, lore is more extensive, and there are a lot of visual improvements from the original. But also… who can say no to a buddy adventure between two very smart and cute animals?
Neon Heart City
Developer: Cosmic Void
Publisher: Dionous Games
Release Date: May 14th
Platforms: PC
A private investigator, tracking a missing person, uncovers a conspiracy between humans and androids and a secret that could change everything. Neon Hearts City is a retro point-and-click adventure that thrusts you into a grungy cyberpunk city of the future.
Point-and-clicks are one of my favourite genres, and Neon Hearts City seems to do an amazing job of making the world of this gritty cyberpunk environment come alive. The use of colours too reminds me of the old 90s point-and-click games I used to play as a kid, and who doesn’t love to have that nostalgia itch scratched?
Into The Restless Ruins
Developer: Ant Workshop Ltd
Publisher: Wales Interactive
Release Date: May 15th
Platforms: PC PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
A roguelike deckbuilder where you create the dungeon you fight through. Each night use your cards to expand the ruins then battle through them, harvesting Glimour from the lost souls and improving your deck. Can you reach The Warden and defeat it, so The Maiden will grant your heart’s desire?
This is a very cool gameplay idea – using cards to create environments such as corridors, hallways, etc, that when placed will let you move further throughout the world. Also, where you place these cards will determine what special skills and trinkets you receive. This looks like a lot of fun if you’re into puzzle deck builders, which I obviously am!
Deliver At All Costs
Developer: Studio Far Out Games
Publisher: KONAMI
Release Date: May 24rd
Platforms: PC PS5, Xbox Series X
Deliver At All Costs is a thrilling action game where destruction, absurdity and intrigue collide! Step into the shoes of Winston Green — a down-on-his-luck courier with a fiery temper and a mysterious past — as he delivers highly unconventional cargo, leaving a trail of havoc and chaos behind him.
Based in 1959, I can’t wait to get my delivery on amongst the amazing mid-century aesthetics this game has on offer! What I love about this one is that it is part destruction game (think of games like House Flipper 2), so you can literally demolish whole buildings if you want to! Pretty much this game lets you experience a lot of silly fun, and because it contains 50s fashion,n you get to look mighty stylish whilst doing so!
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That’s it for May, folks! Have a blast checking these games ou,t and I’ll see you next month for some more indie goodness!
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.
