features: The big ones
The bread and butter
The Legacy of SomaSim
When it comes to independently developed simulation games, a name that comes up often is SomaSim. The Chicago-based studio has been at it for over 10 years, and in the wake of a less-than-satisfying launch, they’re looking for a new direction.
Retrospective: Princess with a Cursed Sword
I designed the original Princess with a Cursed Sword in 2020 to solve a critical problem: I have too many tarot decks. Over the next five years, Princess with a Cursed Sword expanded to encompass four self-contained games using the same system and a System Resource Document that walks creators through making their own games.
Deconstructing the Deindexing
Gamers, we have a sitchuation on our hands.
On July 24, Itch.io unlisted all NSFW and adult content on their site in response to “scrutiny from [their] payment processors.” To say the response was overwhelming would be an understatement.
Fear and Lust
Horror and eroticism often share a fairly blurry line. Body horror, cannibalism, rape revenge, and the incest themes common in Gothic horror are only a few of the many examples of how sex, sensuality, and the disturbing intersect in horror media.
The recent payment processor bullshit that has been circling the internet for years has now…
The State of Gaymes in 2025
To be blunt about it, indie games are pretty fucking gay. However gay you think they are, make it gayer. Trust me.
Queer art has a tendency of finding its way into subculture and mediums off the beaten path, a side effect of creators often being pushed out of mainstream spaces and seeking both community and…
Now Playing: Reviews from the back alley
games we love, games we hate, everything in-between
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved
The Nintendo DS’ influence is felt on all levels in Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved, from the carefully pre-rendered and blurred 3D backgrounds to the larger than average text size.
Spring itch.io roundup
The five best things we played on itch.io this spring, brought to you by our editor-in-chief
MiO: Memories in Orbit
MIO: Memories In Orbit is a game about hope lost, about the moment in the journey where the crush of the world wins and you curl up and wait for the end. About a tiny robot. About a little spark of hope?
Everything Next Fest: Feb. 2026
If you were curious what you should be looking forward to on Steam this year, look no further. Here are eight of the best demos we played this fest alongside our (objectively) correct opinions.
Creature Kitchen: Charmingly Retro
Heart, humor, and horror are balanced expertly with the stupid simple cooking mechanics and delightful Dreamcast-era graphics. In short, this game cultivates a vibe.
Editorials: Columns and critiques
From our intrepid editors and erstwhile friends
Get busy “gud”ing or get busy dying over and over
For as long as the series has been a thing, Dark Souls and its spiritual successors have led the conversation around difficulty. Whether the conversation is held in bad faith or not, any Soulsborne fanatic will tell you the highest barrier of entry for the series is difficulty, after which you’ll likely hear any number…
Bleeding trees and ballet
There is a force in the city that weighs me down. A force that until recently I had blamed on living in a metropolitan area. A weight I suspect we all feel. I am referring to the churn – the hustle and bustle, the work work work – that seems to define much of the…
It’s Peak all the way down
Every upcoming indie game is friendslop. Or at least, that’s the impression that certain corners of the internet will give you.
A new old way to play music
A few weeks ago, I spent the better part of an evening or so putzing around the utility apps on the Nintendo DSi and 2DS I grew up with. It was like a weird time capsule from a pre-algorithmic era where interactions with music meant something.
Onstage couple’s therapy: catharsis and breakup songs
Breakup songs are one of the best vessels for exploring the feeling of catharsis, even more so when the subject of that heartbreak (or ire, or ambivalence) is sharing the stage with the author.
Dev Logs: Interviews and Developer notes
From developers of in-progress or completed indie projects
Bloodlusters
In Bloodlusters, the most recent effort by a loose collective Pham calls “Crowseeds and friends,” players control ghosts that have kidnapped a vampire princess. In order to repel the sparkly bloodsuckers that come to find her, they must haunt various household items to act as their towers.
Requiem
From Castlevania to Resident Evil, the horror genre is full of gothic castles, incomprehensible living horrors, and cryptic notes. So many notes.
Requiem, the latest effort from solo developer Justin Herrick, is no exception.
Sudden Soul
In upcoming card-collector RPG Sudden Soul, players take control of a party of civilians that have woken up with powers after a blackout in the city of Oasys. None of them are supposed to be heroes, but they just might become them in order to save themselves and their city.
Linguini’s Mansione
One of horror’s greatest strengths is its ability to mirror societal anxieties and force its audience to come to terms with the real horrors that surround them. Many scholars and critics have written pages upon pages about the links between society and the horror it creates, forcing readers to consider that they themselves could be…
Intrigue on Vesta Station
Vesta Mandate is the sci-fi political thriller tabletop roleplaying game for one shots or long-term play with a group of 2-4 players. On Vesta Station, you play the conniving mastermind with a secret agenda that will either bring the station to its knees or uplift it to a new era.
Archive: Icg Zine (2024)
Writing and event coverage from the ICG Zine
The Neutral Triangle in Action Games: Why Hotline Miami Hits Different
12 years after the release of Hotline Miami, there isn’t anything else like it in spite of its popularity and influence.
Community feature: Lunar Psychosis
In this interview, Dani Orizaba describes the process and inspiration behind their newest single, “Lunar Psychosis.”
CIGS Delivers Jam-Packed Celebration of Chicago Gaming
Jonah White covers all the games and talks that attendees of CIGS 2024 may have missed.
Interview: Party on Hallow Grove
Solo dev vaaasm (or Nattie) created a charming Halloween RPG where players throw a party for Death. Seb Galvez talks to them about it.
Interview With the Creator: Bit Bash
Bit Bash Chicago co-founder Brice Puls sits down with Seb Galvez to talk the past, plans for the future, and what they love about the community.
Interview: The Old Gentleman
Seb Galvez interviews one of the creators of The Old Gentleman, a Morse Code-based horror experience set in a submarine.
What You Missed at Bit Bash
Man About Town Jonah White details the most Xtreme Games from Bit Bash 2024.