Evidently the cinema chains want to reserve flex room for Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman’s Thors, because it’s a rare weekend where there are no new big screen releases. But speaking of rare events, next Tuesday, 19 July, three notable indie games are all arriving on the same day. The titles in question: Stray, As Dusk Falls and Endling – Extinction is Forever.

Let’s take a closer look at each. Afterwards, tell us in the Comments which game of the three you are most looking forward to playing.

Stray

I mean, at this point what more is there for us to say about Stray, AKA The Backpack Cat Game?

Unveiled back in June 2020 as part of PlayStation’s Future of Gaming showcase, fans have been waiting eagerly for two years now to get hold of this puzzle platforming adventure. Stray centres on a ginger cat who ends up lost in a decaying cybercity, entirely populated by robots. The cat is aided by a little drone, B-12, in their attempt to solve the mysteries of this ominous place, overcome its many dangers, and escape back home.

Published by Annapurna Interactive (or Intercative, if you like), Stray is the debut title from BlueTwelve Studio, a small team from the south of France. The game promises to feature authentic cat animations and behavioural options, from the nimble to the stealthy to the silly.

Stray releases for PS4, PS5, and PC through Steam. For PlayStation Plus subscribers on the higher tiers, i.e. Extra and above, you’ll be able to play the game day one as part of your membership benefits.

As Dusk Falls

Microsoft has invested a lot of energy in spotlighting As Dusk Falls, the first project from London-based studio INTERIOR/NIGHT, comprising of Quantic Dream and Sony veterans. This original interactive drama, told in a distinctive motion graphic style, tells the story of ordinary people entwined in three decades of secrets. The action kicks off with an robbery-turned-hostage situation at a desert motel.

Clearly publisher Microsoft Game Studios is trying to lure in fans of similar branching narrative adventures like Life Is Strange, or Supermassive Games’ mo-cap efforts (like recent The Quarry). At the same time, the developers have stated that they’ve also tried to create something for players who aren’t experienced gamers but love intense, twisty dramas like Breaking Bad and Fargo – which are listed as inspirations for As Dusk Falls.

One further thing about the game is that it can be played solo, or as up-to-8-person multiplayer, where decision-making is a social experience, and a case of majority rules.

As Dusk Falls is coming to Xbox consoles, and PC, including through Steam. It will also be playable day one with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.

Endling – Extinction is Forever

They say that foxes are just dog hardware running cat software, so maybe Endling – Extinction is Forever can be considered a distant cousin of Stray. Some basic similarities are there.

A first effort from Spanish development house Herobeat Studios, and published by independent game specialists HandyGames, Endling looks like it’s going to be tough on the heart. Another tale of animal survival and platforming in ominous, unfamiliar surroundings, you play as a mamma fox who, as the last adult of her species, must protect her baby kits and shepherd them to adulthood.

Endling has an obvious ecological message inspired by real current issues, as our couragous protagonist must contend with environments ravaged by the human race to find food and shelter for her family. With its strong, stylised aesthetic, right now the game is also calling to mind eco-conscious adventure Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, which we reviewed earlier this year.

Endling – Extinction is Forever is coming to PC (through Steam, Epic and GOG), PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.