Highlights from The Mini Indie Showcase 23

Our pals over at Six One Indie have started a rad tradition of hosting a video showcase for indie games ahead of PAX events each year. This year was no different, with their Mini Indie Showcase highlighting dozens of titles right before PAX West 2023.

I narrowed the field a bit to highlight the titles that really caught my attention during the showcase.

Spirit Swap | Lo-Fi Beats to Match-3 To | Soft Not Weak

Spirit Swap key art featuring three of the characters and large versions of the spirit match three blocks — Image Source: Soft Not Weak

Spirit Swap is a game for queer gamers in their late-twenties to mid-thirties made by folks in that demographic. The whole design philosophy centers making the most of your time, allowing players to do every romance in one playthrough, while also offering options to keep playing in different ways, like zen and competitive modes.

After seeing its latest trailer in The Mini Indie Showcase, and going hands-on with it at PAX West, I can’t wait to get my hands on the full version of Spirit Swap.

Extra Coin | CINIC Games

Key art for Extra Coin showing main character Mika looking like a normal person standing in a crowd of pink and blue people with varying expressions but no other defining features — Image Source: CINIC Games

According to its Steam page, Extra Coin is a “narrative game with sports mechanics, set in a virtual social network.” It’s an adventure game where you take on the role of Mika, a young woman whose parents have given up their physical forms to live in this digital world. Mika dives in after them, determined to find them again, leading her to explore the virtual city and the stories of its inhabitants.

This is an interesting pitch, and Extra Coin stood out even more to me with its funky trailer that shows characters fading in and out of bright blue forms throughout. Plus, I’m a sucker for sports mechanics. Extra Coin seems poised to be weird in a great way, and I want to see it for myself.

Doggy Don’t Care | Rohan Nowell

Doggy Don't Care cover art showing the titular pug peeing on the title text — Image Source: Rohan Nowell

Doggy Don’t Care casts the player as a mischievous pug that has been left home alone for an afternoon. Your pal, Rocko the Parrot, has a list of tasks for you to complete while you have run of the roost, and completing them earns you his approval.

Watching a silly little pug get up to mischief in a house while egged on by a parrot definitely made me smile while watching The Mini Indie Showcase. Doggy Don’t Care looks like a great game to just chill with, especially if you have friends who want to watch along.

Phoenix Springs | Calligram Studio

Phoenix Springs is a mystery game that tasks you with exploring a desert oasis community in search of your missing brother Leo.

“Point and click your way through Phoenix Springs, a desert oasis, home to a mysterious community. Explore lush ruins. Meet a rich cast of characters. Reveal the truth about the place, the myths, and, ultimately, yourself.”

With such an obviously eerie concept, what’s not to like?

Crypt Custodian | Kyle Thompson

Crypt Custodian is about Pluto, a dead cat who has been sentenced to being the custodian of the afterlife forever. While cleaning, we’ll guide Pluto through a metroidvania where we will meet other doomed ghosts and fight beasts that lurk in the beyond.

Along the way, Pluto will gain new powers and access to different areas of the map that will allow them to set-up an ambush to re-enter the castle of the afterlife for a chance to change their sentence.

If this is anything like Acid Nerve’s Death’s Door, I can’t wait to try it out.

Bio-Gun | Dapper Dog Digital

Bio-Gun cover art showing Bek the vaccine dog in front of a cast of villainous germs — Image Source: Dapper Dog Digital

Bio-Gun is a side-scrolling shooter with huge Osmosis Jones energy. It has you play as a vaccine for dogs named Bek that is injected into them to fight the deadly Dooper Virus. As Bek travels through dog bodies, they meet friendly cells, absorb the abilities of fallen enemies, and hopefully save all of dogkind from extinction.

I never thought I would see a dog version of this idea, especially in a video game, but I’m here for it. Such a fun and funky concept definitely deserves a shot, so I’ll be looking forward to Bio-Gun’s full release.

The Black Pepper Crew | Quijipixel Games

Black Pepper Crew cover art featuring a frog, a racoon, a chicken, and a black cat — Image Source: Quijipixel Games

The Black Pepper Crew is a turn-based roguelite that has huge retro beat-em-up energy. You use the basement of the Black Pepper Jazz Club to assemble a crew of bounty hunters and take on jobs throughout the city. As you successfully complete jobs, you’ll earn money and loot that you can use to hire new crew members and kit them out with.

I love the idea of a beat-em-up roguelite, and the anthropomorphic animals in this game’s art style are really cool looking. When this game comes out, I’ll definitely be there.

Kristala | Astral Clocktower Studios

Kristala promotional art featuring a cat person looking up at a tree and a castle — Image Source: Astral Clocktower Studios

Kristala is an upcoming 3D action RPG from Astral Clocktower Studios that doesn’t feature any human characters. Instead, the denizens of this world are anthropomorphic felines and rodents. Your character is a fledgling warrior of one of the six clans who has been called upon to prove her worth by taking on the rising tide of mutated creatures that has rushed across the land.

I’m a mark for anything dark fantasy, and I’m intrigued to see how all of the different clan traits work for the critters you can play as. Kristala definitely has my attention.