Kept you waiting, huh? Welcome back to the Neighborhood, folks! ...Yes, yes, Shaun and I have been gone for a hot minute. But not for nothing — we've been working on the debut issue of Indie Corner! A free digital magazine with all the usual insanity and ten times the visual spectacle! ...Which is why Volume 5 of the Neighborhood skips to 9 here. You get 6, 7, and 8 through the upcoming magazine at the end of this month! Speaking of, you may notice I'll be spotlighting two games instead of my usual three. Well, that's for two reasons. 1. I kinda do what I want. Could be two indie games, three indie games, four indie games — you never know! 2. I intended to feature three, but the third game will receive a standalone article soon. Yes, it's important. For now, I have two incredible demos to swoon over!

'Vampolitics: Vassals of the Void' Combines Narrative Depth, Tense Resource Management, And High-Stakes Space Battles

I'm not ashamed to admit the sci-fi genre as a whole isn't my jam. My experiences on Earth require so much upkeep, I don't really care about space. Hell, the only sci-fi game to hold my interest was Mass Effect. Until I downloaded the demo for Vampolitics: Vassals of the Void, that is. 

Created by WhiteVault Studio, Vampolitics calls itself a "space-vampire management RPG" prioritizing player choice. You're the newly minted Sovereign, taking the throne by force. The catch? You depleted most of your resources in the effort. Gold, Blood, your Troops — all nearly decimated. This leads to a nervous, unsteady start to your reign as you have one major obstacle in your way: Count Cev, the Corrupted (former) King. In other words, the living affront to your legitimacy to the throne.

The demo wastes no time, informing you that Count Cev has ransacked one of your two treasuries. You can ask your council questions, gaining advice, context, and reasons for your current predicament. Then, it's decision time. Do you send the remainder of your depleted forces to the other untouched treasury, or do you split your units to defend both? This not only drastically affects the opinions of certain stewards (factions), but it also enhances the stakes (heh) of the incoming space battle.

Sovereignty Ain't Easy

Various characters will give you similar choices until the big head-to-head. You watch the ensuing battle take place — the culmination of your decisions. If you play your cards right, you can call in reinforcements mid-battle if the situation is looking grim. Otherwise, winning early on consistently is your only option. Or death, I guess. But you're in this for the long haul, aren't you?

Vampolitics isn't fucking around in any regard, however. Every ship matters. Why? You have to cough up gold to replenish your troops if you took heavy losses, one ship at a time. Every steward matters. Why? They could easily turn on you or cost you precious resources. You have to make sure you're bringing in enough blood for your vampiric forces, and your human units need to be carefully handled, or they'll slack on providing food or fuel. 

That's what I'm talking about! A game unafraid to make me think and manage my "kingdom" properly or face the appropriate consequences. The demo ended right when I was getting invested, but there's a promise of wildly divergent narrative paths. Alliances made or destroyed. Unexpected allies or betrayals. And I'm here for every single second of it, baby. Vampolitics? Come, dark one. Entrust me with your dark secrets...

'Booster Pack Heroes' Is One Of The Most Engaging Tower Defense Roguelikes In Indie Town

I love myself a game of chance. A new fact I've come to terms with recently? Crazy tower defense games are awesome. When you combine the two, you get Booster Pack Heroes! It's exactly as the title says, but we'll get there!

Developed by zup, Booster Pack Heroes lets you purchase booster packs containing various heroes. When a run begins, you tap the pack to open it, and your new unit immediately attacks anyone threatening your tower. At first, you'll fail. Over and over. You'll get close to successfully defending your tower, and then a new enemy type obliterates your heroes. 

But a "loss" here is only an opportunity to strengthen your units and tomes (spells) between runs! The more you use a unit, the better it'll be. Your skill tree also contains new packs to work toward and, eventually, Daily Deals allow you to purchase one of three random units. Defeating a boss opens up deeper strategies and upgrades. Booster Pack Heroes shines brightest with its incremental progression system!

I never felt like I wasn't growing as a player. Every run made me better, giving me more insight into how I can best support my heroes. Really, it's almost a challenge to discuss the game because it gives you that perfect "flow state" where you hit a moment of "Ahhhhh, I understand!" If you give the game a chance, don't get frustrated! Pretend you're opening packs of Pokémon cards! ...Then again, some people take that entirely too far.