Indie gaming continues to thrive on personality and experimentation, and this latest batch of releases highlights that. From time-traveling point-and-click comedy in Whirlight – No Time To Trip to the strange candlelit horror of Middle Evil: The Priest and the minimalist platforming challenge offered by Little Things, these are games that lean heavily into distinct identities rather than blockbuster spectacle. None of them are without rough edges, but each project finds its own way to stand out through atmosphere, mechanics or sheer creative eccentricity. Whether revisiting the spirit of classic adventure games, experimenting with unusual horror concepts or refining precision platforming fundamentals, these titles serve as another reminder that the indie scene remains one of the most unpredictable and interesting corners of modern gaming.
Whirlight – No Time To Trip review (PC)
imaginarylab’s Whirlight – No Time To Trip wears its love for classic LucasArts-era adventures openly, channeling the absurd humor, cartoon energy and puzzle-driven structure of point-and-click staples from the nineties while still carving out its own personality. The story follows the perpetually unlucky inventor Hector as his latest breakthrough spirals into a bizarre time-hopping adventure alongside artist Margaret, and the game quickly establishes a playful rhythm full of eccentric side characters, ridiculous scenarios and knowingly over-the-top dialogue. That comedic approach lands more often than not, especially thanks to the chemistry between the lead characters, though the constant stream of jokes can occasionally feel a little too eager to entertain, sometimes undercutting emotional momentum or slowing the pacing during longer conversations.
The puzzle design largely sticks to traditional genre conventions, combining inventory interactions, environmental observation and conversational clues in ways that will feel immediately familiar to adventure game veterans. Most solutions follow a satisfying internal logic, and the game does a respectable job of keeping progression intuitive without stripping away the satisfaction of figuring things out independently. At the same time, a few puzzles drift into trial-and-error territory, and there are stretches where backtracking becomes more noticeable than the game probably intends. Fortunately, the streamlined interface and accessible controls help reduce frustration, making experimentation feel manageable even when the pacing briefly stalls.
Visually, Whirlight is arguably at its strongest. The hand-drawn presentation bursts with exaggerated animation, colorful environments and expressive character work that consistently reinforce the game’s comedic tone. Verice Bay and the various time-bending locations feel lively and imaginative, giving the adventure a genuine sense of place despite its deliberately cartoonish style. The audio complements this nicely with energetic music and voice performances that help sell both the humor and the more dramatic moments, although some players may find the vocal delivery uneven depending on the scene. Still, the overall presentation carries a level of polish that helps elevate even the quieter gameplay sections.
What ultimately makes Whirlight work is how enthusiastically it embraces its identity as a classic-inspired adventure without feeling trapped by nostalgia alone. It may not reinvent the genre, and some pacing hiccups and uneven puzzle moments prevent it from reaching the heights of its inspirations, but the combination of sharp visual design, entertaining characters and consistently inventive worldbuilding gives the experience a charm that is difficult to resist. For fans of old-school point-and-click adventures especially, this is an easy recommendation and a reminder that there is still plenty of room for imaginative storytelling within the genre.
Middle Evil: The Priest review (PS5)
Middle Evil: The Priest is one of those low-budget indie horror projects that immediately stands out because of how unusual its core idea is. Casting players as a wandering priest tasked with cleansing a demon-infested church over the course of seven nights gives the game a strong hook right away, and the combination of medieval folklore, religious imagery and survival mechanics creates an atmosphere that feels surprisingly distinctive for such a compact experience. There are clear inspirations from Slavic horror stories and films, particularly in the way the game mixes grim supernatural themes with moments of strange humor and exaggerated caricature work, which gives the adventure an offbeat personality even when the horror elements are front and center.
The gameplay itself blends action, survival horror and light tower defense mechanics in ways that are often rough around the edges but still compelling. Much of the tension comes from maintaining candlelight inside the church while defending yourself against waves of monsters, forcing you to constantly multitask between combat, positioning and environmental management. Darkness becomes a genuine gameplay threat, and the need to relight candles, close shutters and maintain prayer zones gives the action a layer of strategy beyond simply attacking enemies. Combat can feel hectic due to the number of systems competing for attention at once, but there’s also satisfaction in learning how the various tools, prayers and consumable items work together. The game doesn’t always explain these mechanics particularly well, however, so the early hours can feel confusing until everything finally clicks into place.
Visually, Middle Evil: The Priest embraces a stylized 2D cartoon aesthetic that works well alongside its gloomy medieval setting. The character designs and enemy sprites have a creepy-but-playful quality to them, and the cursed church itself becomes increasingly oppressive as the nights progress. While the production values are obviously modest, the presentation benefits greatly from strong atmosphere work, especially when combined with the game’s eerie soundtrack and ambient sound design. The audio does a lot of heavy lifting during combat encounters and nighttime exploration, helping maintain tension even when the visuals occasionally look simplistic. Boss fights also add some welcome spectacle, borrowing a bit from Souls-inspired design philosophy with larger enemies and punishing attack patterns.
Like many smaller indie projects, the game comes with a fair share of jank. Some controls and interactions initially feel awkward, combat can become overwhelming in cramped moments, and a few bugs and unclear progression triggers occasionally disrupt the flow. At the same time, there’s an undeniable sincerity to the project that makes those shortcomings easier to overlook. Middle Evil: The Priest succeeds largely because its ideas are memorable and genuinely different from the usual retro horror template, offering a strange mix of survival management, religious rituals and arcade-style action that sticks with you after the credits roll. It may not be polished, but for players willing to embrace its eccentricities, this is a creative and atmospheric little horror experience with far more personality than its modest scope might suggest.
Little Things review (PS5)
Little Things is the kind of precision platformer that immediately feels familiar, but it does enough with its color-based mechanics to separate itself from the endless wave of minimalist indie challengers on digital storefronts. You play as a small creature named Whis, descending through dungeon-like environments in search of its lost companion, and while the narrative setup is extremely lightweight, the cute presentation gives the adventure a bit of charm. The game never really develops its world or characters beyond that initial setup, though, which makes the experience feel more functional than memorable once the novelty wears off.
The gameplay leans heavily on short, focused platforming stages where timing and movement matter more than exploration. Jumping, dashing, and gravity manipulation all combine into a control scheme that generally feels responsive, especially during the later levels when hazards and puzzles become more demanding. The gradual introduction of mechanics helps keep the difficulty curve approachable for a while, although some of the more precision-heavy sections can still become frustrating because of how exact certain jumps require you to be. Its puzzle elements are fairly simple overall, but the color-switching ideas do at least add some variation beyond pure obstacle dodging.
Visually, Little Things keeps things intentionally minimalistic, relying on clean shapes, bright colors, and tiny animated creatures to create personality. It works well enough for readability during tougher platforming sections, but it also means environments can start to blur together after extended play sessions. The soundtrack fares a little better, providing a relaxed backdrop that contrasts nicely with the increasingly demanding gameplay, even if the music itself is not especially memorable. There is a pleasant consistency to the overall presentation, though the game never quite reaches the level where its aesthetic becomes a standout feature.
As a whole, Little Things succeeds most when approached as a straightforward, compact platforming challenge rather than a deeply inventive indie experience. The controls are dependable, the mechanics evolve at a decent pace, and the bite-sized levels make it easy to play in shorter sessions. At the same time, the lack of stronger visual variety, narrative depth, or truly original ideas keeps it from rising above the crowded genre it belongs to. For players who simply want a competent precision platformer with a cute exterior and a few clever twists, however, this PS5 release still manages to deliver a solid enough time.