Everything You Need to Know About Humble Games’ New Indie Titles

Humble Games is a small publishing team with a love of video games. This translates into a strong shared passion for indie developers. They want to get fun, good, wholesome games out into the world for players to enjoy, focusing on positive experiences that bring smiles to the faces of every gamer. From cartoon graphics to classic pixel styles, Humble Games puts out a ton of experiences that are inclusive, adventurous, and bold enough to challenge video game norms.

At Gamescom this year, Humble Games showed off several new titles that coming out later this year and into 2024, and each fit the Humble Games model perfectly. CBR was able to a hands-on demo with several of these games in order to see what’s in store for gamers when they launch. Each game brings something fresh to the table that makes it stand out among others, presenting zesty gameplay, beautiful graphics, and witty dialogue.

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Billie Bust Up

Giddie Goat GamesRelease Date: Coming Soon

Billie Bust Up puts a musical spin on the traditional 3D platformer. The basics of the game resemble other platformers — attacking enemies, jumping, navigating levels to get to the end, finding items, and defeating a boss after certain levels. However, this imaginative game gets players’ toes tapping and heads bobbing while engaging with its creative songs and musical elements. Players control an adventurous goat named Billie as she heads out on a quest to reclaim an ancient magic.

Along the way, Billie meets up with new characters both friend and foe, and finds new challenges in this darkly fantastical world that is vibrant and full of life. What sets Billie Bust Up apart from others is the musical score. Not only do levels feature catchy tunes, but there are rhythm-based battles where attacks fall to the beat of the song. Lyrics can even clue in the player as to upcoming attacks, so players should listen closely. Main characters all have their own show-stopping numbers that show off their personality and drive the story forward, revealing their motives within the game and why they are challenging Billie.

Composed by Emmy-nominated musician Daniel Ingram, these songs are extremely catchy, especially when players get defeated by a boss and must restart the battle, and the song, over and over. Billie Bust Up is a fresh and fun game full of character. For those who just can’t help but sing along, there is a sing-a-long mode for every song, so players can really get into the groove. There isn’t a release date yet for Billie Bust Up, but developers Giddy Goat Games say it’s coming soon, so players will want to warm up their vocal cords for opening night.

#BLUD

Exit 73 StudiosRelease Date: 2024

If players threw Saturday morning cartoons, beat-em-up games, and vampires in a blender, they’d get #BLUD. Exit 73 Studios has taken the flair and aesthetic of classic 90s cartoons and merged them with dungeon crawler gameplay. The result is a fun and zany game bursting with nostalgia. The hand-drawn visuals really capture the feeling and atmosphere, taking something macabre and making it fun and pretty hilarious at times.

In #BLUD, players control Becky Brewster, a new kid in town and freshman at Carpentersville High. Becky makes new friends as she progresses through the story, living her teenage school life complete with selfies, social media posts, and awkward school interactions. Yes, players control selfies, and they auto-post to an in-game social feed that plays on the popular apps out there today. Becky will gain new powers, abilities, and weapons through the game to help her fight off monsters, possessed townsfolk, mutated animals, and, of course, vampires.

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Combat is fairly straightforward, but with each new ability comes a different way to tackle enemies and bosses. Becky is the latest in a long line of magical vampire hunters, but even she isn’t ready for the mysteries and secrets that her new home is hiding. #BLUD has some slice-of-life game elements like going to field hockey practice and visiting the mall, all between battles with monsters. Gamers will want to sharpen their stakes when this delightfully zany game releases in 2024.

Bo: Path Of The Teal Lotus

Squid Shock StudiosRelease Date: 2024

Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a beautiful 2.5D action platformer. From the characters and settings to the items and weapons, it draws inspiration from and is full of references to Japanese folklore. The aesthetic is gorgeous and combines paintings, hand-drawn elements, and papercraft to create a stunning world full of life, mystery, and depth. Players embark on a mystical journey as Bo, a celestial blossom (fox tentaihana) who uses a bo-staff and many abilities players learn along the way. Jumping, dashing, floating, and climbing through levels, players challenge enemies and big spirit bosses. The game’s dialogue stands out as clever, charming, funny, and heartfelt. Similarly, each character Bo comes across has their own flavor to add to the story.

In order to regain health, Bo fills a spiritual teapot and, when the level is calm, players can quickly brew up a cup to restore their health. It’s a fun way to health regeneration that fits the game’s world extremely well. Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus itself is full of clever mechanics like this that make it an engaging adventure. Players can collect Daruma dolls which act as companions that can be summoned during battle to provide assistance. Part of the game’s wonderful aesthetic is the glow created by abilities and certain elements, echoing Ori and the Blind Forest’s style. The original score is composed by Moisés Camargo, combining modern orchestra with traditional Japanese instruments. The result is a spiritual journey through notes and chords that perfectly accompanies Bo on this mystical journey. Developer Squid Shock Studios hasn’t given a specific release date yet, but players should keep their eyes out for Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus when it launches in 2024.

Mineko’s Night Market

Meowza GamesRelease Date: September 26, 2023

Mineko’s Night Market is a simulation adventure game driven by a strong narrative full of whimsical characters, funny conversations, and intriguing mysteries. Players control Mineko, the new girl in a Japanese-inspired village that has been struggling to survive. Residents have been leaving to find work elsewhere. Mysterious men in suits are popping up all over parts of the town. There are even mysterious sightings of the Sun Cat Nikko, a long-told mythical being the townsfolk have always praised. Gameplay comprises exploring the town gradually as new places unlock through the story, collecting items, and crafting peculiar items with the strange array of resources found throughout the town.

Mineko can learn new recipes for crafting by interacting with townsfolk and completing quests for them. This often entails buying, finding, or crafting a specific item. Mineko can craft all kinds of items to be sold at the Night Market, a once-a-week night-time market event. The controls are simple, and the cartoon/anime-esque aesthetic fits the game’s voice wonderfully. The town is also full of cats that, on occasion, need rescuing. Once they are rescued, they roam freely around the town. Even better, players can pet the cats, which is the most important part of the game. Mineko’s Night Market looks to be a fun slice-of-life adventure with fantastical and whimsical elements that will charm players when it releases on September 23rd of this year.

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While The Iron’s Hot

Bontemps GamesRelease Date: November 9, 2023

After his boat sinks and he washes up on the shores of a new land called Ellian, a journeyman blacksmith must hone his skills and improve if he is to help the people he encounters on his way to becoming a master blacksmith. That is the story in While the Iron’s Hot from Bontemps games, a charming and wholesome crafting and adventure game. The pixel graphics give the game a classic retro feel, combining an isometric view with a 2D side-scrolling view for most levels. Gameplay comprises venturing out into the world and visiting different locales to meet people with requests and to forage and fine resources for crafting.

While the Iron’s Hot doesn’t force combat onto the player’s blacksmith character. In fact, combat isn’t an element. The blacksmith simply crafts and creates with skill and intellect. However, his journey to reach the level of Master is not easy. There are plenty of challenges along the way, including traversing caves, finding the right tools and resources to craft the perfect item, and puzzles to solve. The crafting mechanic is fairly simple using timed button-presses but lining up a moving bar or following prompts. Where other games just have players adding ingredients to a recipe and pressing “create,” these little micro-games are fun and add a little flavor to the crafting. Players get to feel a little more like their blacksmith character as they partake in every part of their life, from foraging to smelting to shaping items. The land of Ellian has many hidden secrets and the people that populate it are charismatic and quirky. Some may even have secrets of their own, so players must keep a watchful eye out on their journey. Gamers will want to get their forge nice and hot for when While the Iron’s Hot releases on November 9th this year.