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Indie Game Releases of the Week: August 16 to 22, 2021

This week in indie games, we have the adventure Road 96, thriller Twelve Minutes, Zelda-like action-adventure Arietta of Spirits, and more.

We’re just past the middle of August, and we’ve got a full slate of indie adventures on deck this week. There’s procedurally-generated road trips in Road 96, Zelda-style actioning in Arietta of Spirits, hacking and exploration in Recompile, action role-playing in Greak: Memories of Azur, and thrilling time loops in Twelve Minutes.

Be sure to check out the other original releases while you’re at it, including Ambition: A Minuet in Power, Mayhem Brawler, Yuoni, and Space Scavenger.

Road 96

August 16 on PC, Switch

Road 96 is an adventure game about a procedurally-generated road trip in 1996, in which you hit the road to escape the authoritarian regime in Petria. In this adventure, no road is the same, and you’ll encounter new characters and events along your journey, requiring you to make decisions that will affect you and the people you meet.

Greak: Memories of Azur

August 17 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Greak: Memories of Azur is a side-scrolling action-adventure game about three siblings as they escape the lands of Azur from the invasion of a faction called the Urlags. The game features hand-drawn animations, fast-paced combat, and also puzzles and exploration.

Recompile

August 19 on PC, Xbox Series X/S

Recompile is an action-adventure game with Metroidvania-style exploration elements in which you play as an AI gaining sapience within the ruins of ‘the Mainframe’. You’ll discover new ways to traverse the environment, fight hostile inhabitants of the Mainframe, and hack all kinds of objects and elements to your advantage.

Twelve Minutes

August 19 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Twelve Minutes is a thriller adventure game about a man stuck in a time loop. The twelve minutes the man is stuck in involve a romantic evening that turns into chaos as a police detective accuses your wife of murder and beats you to death. You must break the loop by figuring out what’s coming, or live through the terror indefinitely.

The game is published by Annapurna Interactive and features voice acting by James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe.

Arietta of Spirits

August 20 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Arietta of Spirits is a Zelda-like action-adventure game in which you control young Arietta, who finds herself with the ability to see spirits while on a visit to her deceased grandmother’s cabin. The game features an island to be explored, reaction-based combat, and intriguing characters you’ll encounter over your adventure.

Original Indie Releases

August 16

• Volleyball Challenge (Switch)
  • Arcade sports game
• QB Planets (PC)
  • Puzzle game
• Spellthief Erinn (PC)
  • 2D Puzzle platformer

August 17

• Descent Vector: Space Runner (PC, Mac)
  • Arcade game

August 18

• Ambition: A Minuet in Power (PC, Mac)
  • Adventure game
• Hell Architect (PC, Mac)
  • Management game
• The Rescue Squad (PC)
  • Side-scrolling arcade game

August 19

• Mayhem Brawler (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
  • Beat ’em up
• Wall of Insanity (PC)
  • Third-person shooter
• Blackout: The Darkest Night (PC, Mac, Linux)
  • Adventure game
• Metal Tales: Overkill (PC)
  • Action-adventure game
• Yuoni (PC)
  • Survival horror game

August 20

• Ultimate Bumper Cars: Dodgems (PC, Switch)
  • Bumper car simulation game
• Space Scavenger (PC, Switch)
  • Roguelike action game
• Wrestledunk Sports (PC, Switch)
  • Multiplayer arcade sports game
• Endings (PC, Mac, Linux)
  • Puzzle platformer
• Universe 25 (PC, Mac)
  • Point-and-click adventure game
• WoodHeart (PC)
  • Action-adventure game
• Psycron (PC)
  • Metroidvania-style platformer

Ports and Other Indie Releases

August 17

• Pile Up! Box by Box (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
  • Co-op 3D platformer

August 18

• Swords & Souls: Neverseen (Switch)
  • Role-playing game
• Rogue Explorer (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
  • Roguelike action game
• Out of Line (Switch)
  • Puzzle platformer adventure

August 19

• Monster Train First Class (Switch)
  • Roguelite card battler
• World Soccer Strikers ’91 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
  • Arcade sports game
• Rush Rally Origins (Switch)
  • Top-down racing game
• Zombo Buster Advance (Switch)
  • Tower defense game
• Buissons (Switch)
  • Multiplayer hide-and-seek game
• Thea 2: The Shattering (Switch)
  • Strategy / RPG hybrid
• Where’s Samantha? (Switch)
  • Platformer
• Metal Commando (Switch)
  • Action platformer

August 20

• Heart Chain Kitty (Switch)
  • 3D platformer
• City Driving Simulator 2 (Switch)
  • Simulation game
• Checkers for Kids (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Board game
• Rise Eterna (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Japanese-style RPG

August 22

• Adventure Field 4 (Switch)
  • Japanese-style RPG

Interested in learning more about the best free indie games on Amazon Prime and how to play Amazon Prime games for free, check out this article on Into Indie Games.