Indie game roundup: GoldenEye, Star Fox and Kingdom Hearts tributes plus a breakout hit
This week's indie game scene features several new titles inspired by '90s and 2000s classics, while party game Meccha Chameleon has already sold more than 20 million copies.
Despite years of turmoil in the games industry marked by layoffs and studio closures, indie developers have several success stories to celebrate this summer. Hide-and-seek party game Meccha Chameleon, where players paint a blank character to blend into their surroundings, has sold over 20 million copies in just two months and could become one of 2026's best-selling games behind Grand Theft Auto VI. Machine Party, a more violent party game from the creator of Buckshot Roulette, has sold more than a million copies since its late-July debut and recently added couch co-op. Previously covered titles Big Walk and ReStory have also seen strong early sales.
New releases
Several new titles released this week draw heavily on older classics. Agent 64: Spies Never Die, five years in the making by a solo developer, echoes GoldenEye 007 with blocky visuals and split-screen multiplayer. Wild Blue Skies is an anime-styled on-rails shooter reminiscent of Star Fox, arriving on Switch this fall. Duskfade is a 3D platformer featuring a transforming clockwork sword, visibly influenced by Kingdom Hearts, Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank. Meanwhile, Bully spiritual successor Agefield High: Rock the School has drawn poor reviews from both IGN and Steam users. The charming hidden-object game Finding Polka, made by a solo developer as a tribute to his late dog, stands out with its ballpoint-pen art style.
Upcoming titles
September brings Wardogs, a tactical military shooter supporting up to 100 players with a persistent cash system, which has already gathered more than 800,000 Steam wishlist adds. Little Kitty, Big City is coming to mobile platforms this year with an added augmented-reality feature. Tiny Flock, a VR puzzle game from the makers of Human Fall Flat, tasks players with creatively guiding a flock of sheep through physics-based obstacles. Cyberpunk detective game A Permanent Echo, visually compared to Marathon, offers a Steam playtest running through the end of August.
