2022 is finally over and now it’s time for new beginnings. January is sometimes considered the slow month for releases, but I have curated a list of Indie titles coming out this month that should catch your interest. From action-based titles to experimental ones, these indie games are ones to look out for. Don’t miss the train on January’s best indie games!
January Indie Games: Lone Ruin
You can’t spell Indie games without Roguelike and Lone Ruin seems to be another addition to the genre. Lone Ruin is a spell-based roguelike that has you exploring an ancient mystical city for answers at the center of the eponymous Lone Ruins. Your goal is to bash your head against a wall as you encounter bosses and tough enemy encounters.
The game is drenched in dark purples and blues that color the ruins in a dark mystery. The spell crafting and optimizing options seem interesting and could add a new twist to the formula. The game allows you to pick and choose spells that fit your playstyle. Lone Ruin also has a survival mode, where you can test your skills against tough waves of enemies. If you enjoyed the gameplay of games like Hades and Dead Cells, then I think this game will be right up your alley. Lone Ruin is releasing on January 12, 2023, on Steam and the Nintendo Switch.
January Indie Games: UnderDungeon
One of my more anarchic picks, UnderDungeon is a pixel art comedy adventure game that is a sendup of old dungeon crawler games. Taking inspiration from adventure game titles like the Legend of Zelda, UnderDungeon brings a new twist to the genre. The game follows Kimuto, a cat who has to clear dungeons as part of his job to make his town Kutopia safer.
Tons of references are present in the game and the whole title seems like a love letter to old adventure games. A very tongue-in-cheek adventure that doesn’t take its story too seriously. UnderDungeon is releasing on all major platforms on January 13, 2023.
January Indie Games: A Space for the Unbound
A Space for the Unbound is a slice-of-life adventure in rural Indonesia. I’ve had my eyes on this game for a while since playing the prologue demo on steam. The game gives off some classic 90’s anime vibes and seems to tell a story about youth and the anxiety & stress of growing up.
I also really miss classic adventure games where you run around talking to locals and collecting items. There are supernatural elements that have been described by the developers as “inception-style”, as you delve into people’s minds. A Space for the Unbound is arriving on All major platforms on January 19, 2023.
January Indie Games: In The Workplace of Madness
If you have an itch for survival horror game fixes this month, then have I got the game for you. In The Workplace of Madness is the debut title for Astrum Sensei Studio, where you explore a workplace gone mad. The game is presented in beautiful pixel art graphics combined with visual segments.
In The Workplace of Madness seeks to explore the mysteries of what happened to PrysmaCare Insurance and how the protagonist can survive the twisted monstrosities patrolling the halls. You are given options on how you want to approach the game with the ability to stealth around enemies or run and hide. The game currently has a demo available, giving a good appetizer to make you want more. Thankfully, you won’t have to wait long as the game releases sometime this month on Steam.
January Indie Games: Human or Not
Have you ever wanted to play Papers Please, but with aliens? Human or not is another addition to the bureaucratic paper-handling genre that Lucas Pope pioneered in 2013. The game follows Noah Stevenson, a human immigration officer, whose job is to find out who are the humans and who are extraterrestrial visitors. You get to ask them questions, use different tools, and investigate every pore and crevice to figure out who is an alien.
I enjoy these immigration officer games because they are a great outlet to explore complex themes. The game has multiple endings and allows you to converse with a wide cast of characters. This is honestly one of the more exciting games for me, but then again I am kinda weird. You can find out who’s a friend or an alien on January 20, 2023, on Steam.
January Indie Games: Gross
I have a soft spot for tower defense games, which probably originate from free flash games I used to play during classes. Gross is the debut title from hangry owl games and is a mix between classical tower defense and bombastic first-person shooters. The name of the game is Tower Defense as you create devious traps to defeat waves of zombies. The game also looks to give a huge arsenal of weapons to play around with if you aren’t as interested in the tower defense aspects.
Gross is nothing too revolutionary, as other titles have mixed tower defense with more real-time action like Orcs Must Die and Dungeon Defenders. Not every game has to blow you away, sometimes you need a podcast game. Killing waves of zombies while listening to your favorite podcast sounds like a good time to me. You can play the demo on steam if you can’t wait for it to be released on January 11, 2023.
