Smell it? That’s crisp, angelic indie gaming air, baby! Today in the neighborhood, I have some wild shit to spotlight. I discovered a Kickstarter campaign for a game swearing it’s a Fighting/Role-Playing hybrid. Then, I beat the gooner allegations by playing a demo of an anime girl rhythm/fighting deckbuilder I’m affectionately calling “Crack Obscur”, since that’s what it felt like I was on the entire time! Finally, we light some candles and prepare to summon demons beyond our comprehension in an occult deckbuilder that now has complete ownership over my mind, body, and soul!

‘A Fighter’s Nova: Mindara’ Promises The Exploration Of A JRPG With The Bones Of A Fighting Game — And It Needs Your Help!

Screenshot: BadRez Games

I’m a weird motherfucker, okay? Everyone who knows me knows this. So, a dear friend sent me a link to check out the Kickstarter for A Fighter’s Nova: Mindara, created by BadRez Games — comprised of AAA veterans from the likes of Bethesda and Ubisoft. Mindara can only be described best by–

NOW WAIT JUST A FUCKIN’ MINUTE

BadRez released a demo for A Fighter’s Nova: Mindara, which I found out in real time as I was checking the Kickstarter campaign. As a Jester Journalist, I had to indulge. I can’t believe I was about to imply I couldn’t string the words together to explain what’s going on here. Mindara. Is fucking. AMAZING. Outside of the usual slate of issues you’d expect from a game in its pre-alpha stage, what BadRez is building is undeniably special.

I enjoy fighting games quite a bit, even though I’m awful at them. In the genre, I’m the guy who plays the story mode, beats the CPU on easier difficulties to feel a sense of accomplishment, and I’m gone. I’m not going online so my feelings can get hurt. But Mindara achieved something monumental: it made me feel like a mid-tier, “Eh, reliable enough” FGC demon. I was stringing together easy-to-learn, intuitive combos and tagging in my partner to clean up. The fighting felt good, and the animations — while choppy because, again, pre-alpha — were endearing.

There’s fun voice-acting, and the RPG mechanics keep the moment-to-moment thrills flowing! Between fights, you explore an overworld filled with collectibles, currency, and small, interesting puzzles! In conclusion: SUPPORT. THE. KICKSTARTER. NOW. Here, if you’d be so kind (and have the disposable income, of course)! This future indie superstar is only a few days into its Kickstarter campaign and, as of this writing, has amassed over $20,000 out of its $50,000 goal! If you don’t believe me, you can download the demo and believe that.

‘Witch the Showdown’ Isn’t A Gooner Game, Dammit — It’s A Wild Rhythm-Centric Indie Deckbuilder!

Screenshot: Perp Games

I know better than to imply Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 “invented” real-time dodge-based RPG battling systems. However, since E33 “re-popularized” such systems? I’m comfortable saying Witch the Showdown is “Crack Obscur” because it’s alarmingly addictive and will mess you up if you aren’t careful (don’t do drugs, kids). Simple in explanation but complex in execution, you’re going to want to play the tutorial even if you think you might know what’s going on. You either choose pre-made decks or build out your own and have high-octane duels with anime girls.

The fascinating part, though, is that card usage is mapped to the face buttons. Your directional skills? Focused solely on dodging and parrying attacks! Successful dodges and parries yield mana, allowing you to use your cards/skills. Your reflexes have to be sharp to come out of a heated 1v1 alive. Understanding each card and its elemental effects intimately is crucial. Otherwise, you’ll be frantically pressing buttons in a blind panic. There’s an optional turn-based mode that makes the game a more “traditional” experience. I actually recommend the turn-based mode so you can experiment with playstyles and cards. Then? Embrace chaos. That’s why indie games are here, after all!

‘Burn With Me’ Is A Narrative-Driven Indie Deckbuilder Focused On The Occult And Made In A Lab For One Dwayne Jenkins

Screenshot: Nozomu Games

Burn With Me is destined for greatness, full stop. It’s a frame-by-frame moving painting. It understands its identity and audience. As a hardcore deckbuilder fiend (somehow, it always comes up), I’ll be real: this has that intangible “It Factor.” I’ll explain:

As far as the demo is concerned, your ultimate goal is throwing hands with your Personal Demon. But to get to that Big Bad, you need to amass your own army of demons first to have a snowball’s chance in hell at retaining your soul! You do this by choosing demons with an array of various effects. A five-point pentagon needs to be filled with five demons with the hope of passing a number-based threshold to become worthy of adding a devilish fiend to your collection. I want so badly to talk about the game’s unique Burn mechanic, but that would ruin the joy of discovery! Indulge your curiosity and trust me. I’d never lead you astray!

Let’s ignore the adorably morbid aesthetic and top-tier voice-acting between chapters. Burn With Me gives you plenty of chances to elevate yourself beyond humanity. You have to be smart enough to take one step closer to accomplishing immortality… Beyond my silliness, if Burn With Me retains the high quality it displayed during the demo, it’ll be one of indie gaming’s greatest dark achievements. (A shorter entry, I know, but part of the blissful dopamine cycle is testing and experimentation. …That makes me sound as insane as some of the characters. Hmm. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, summoning an odd demon or two as a natural advantage…)