The world of indie games is always full of surprises and titles that generate a great stir, whether due to their innovative gameplay, their impressive art or the palpable passion in their development, which players can perceive.
On May 9, a new indie gem landed on Steam, Animal Well. It is an exploration metroidvania with charming pixel-art graphics that has captivated and surprised the gamer community since its launch, especially due to the curious dissemination it had, since those in charge of the studio behind the title even entered lobbies of CS2 and VR Chat to promote it.
With over 1,400 user reviews so far, of which 97% are positive, this game has generated notable enthusiasm among players. Additionally, Animal Well marks an important milestone as it is the first title released by debut distributor Big Mode.
Big Mode founders Jason Gastrow and Leah Gastrow, best known for their videogamedunkey YouTube channel with 7.5 million subscribers, have taken an unconventional approach to promoting their first title. In a recent video, Dunkey gathered with friends in games like Counter-Strike 2 or VR Chat to introduce the game to players in each lobby, being a clever way to reach a wider audience, taking advantage of YouTube's huge audience.
The video has been a resounding success, accumulating more than 745,000 views in just three days, a figure that far exceeds the expectations of any conventional trailer for an indie game and reaching almost 8,000 simultaneous users two days after its premiere. This strategy seems to be a safe bet, especially on a channel as influential as Dunkey's. However, contrasting this success with the current situation of the triple-A industry can provide an interesting perspective.
While indies are finding new and creative ways to reach their audiences, industry majors are facing challenges such as rising development costs, rising expectations from gamers, and pressure to generate revenue at a faster rate. big scale. This divergence in approaches and results highlights the versatility and innovation that characterizes the world of independent games.
Hades 2 allows you to take a bath with your companions
Continuing with the indie world, the surprise launch of Hades 2 on Steam and Epic Games forced players to take advantage of the game and one of the aspects that caught their attention the most is the fact that Hades 2 allows you to enjoy baths at alone with your companions, even if not all of them are romantic.
As you progress through Hades 2, you'll unlock more spells that can be cast in the cauldron, which activates various mechanics, such as allowing you to plant seeds and trade with a broker. Later in the game, you'll be able to unlock a public bath, which allows you to purchase bath salts from the Wretched Broker to give to your companions.
