For starters, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is an isometric, narrative-driven puzzle game that is set to release on July 15, 2025, for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is currently running its demo version during Steam Next Fest. Set in the fictional Nordic-inspired city of Eriksholm in the early 1900s, the game follows Hanna, a young orphan, and her allies Alva and Sebastian, as they unravel the mystery behind her brother Herman’s disappearance.

The stealth gameplay is solid and enjoyable

The demo for Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream lets us play through the first two chapters, introducing us to Hanna. She’s a nimble, slender protagonist who can take down police officers with poison darts. With a freely adjustable camera for scouting, you have ample freedom to approach stealth scenarios and learn enemy patrol patterns. The game balances slow-paced stealth, allowing you to explore and find collectibles, with fast-paced moments that demand quick reactions.

Environmental cues are crucial in this game. Noisy grates, breakable lights, and loud doors all demand your attention, while character abilities are key to remaining undetected. Levels, though fairly linear, offer multiple solutions. Context-sensitive elements, like guard chatter, provide vital hints for stealth routes: you can eavesdrop to learn patrol patterns or create distractions, like scaring off birds from a specific spot. The game’s deliberate pacing rewards patience and planning over direct action, but it does occasionally stretch out, making some levels feel a bit sluggish.

Eriksholm is far more than just gameplay; its narrative and story take center stage. This is brought to life through pre-rendered cutscenes featuring motion-captured performances, complemented by engaging in-game NPC interactions and rich environmental storytelling. Even the clothing in the game is handcrafted, and every visual detail is rendered with such care that the game practically begs you to pause and admire its world. The subtle facial shifts and fluid, human-like movements are a clear testament to the quality of the motion-captured performances.

Visually stunning, thanks to Unreal Engine 5

In-game dialogue also integrates into exploration, with NPCs providing casual banter or subtle quest hints. Townsfolk might crack jokes or simply chat with Hanna, suggesting a world where everyone knows her. While dialogue choices are limited, you can dive deeper into the lore by reading scattered letters and checking your journal. The English voice acting is great too, offering believable performances, though some secondary NPCs could use more vocal variety.

The game takes an unforgiving, stealth-first approach: detection means instant game over. However, lenient checkpoints help mitigate frustration. While repeating certain sequences can be a bit annoying, the game is fair, quickly getting you back into the action and better prepared for the next attempt. Additionally, Eriksholm is surprisingly forgiving with its detection cues. It feels more like a real-world experience than a UI-clogged screen, allowing you to play and strategize in your own unique way.

Eriksholm is visually stunning, thanks to Unreal Engine 5’s MetaHuman technology and Lumen lighting, which create cinematic cutscenes and incredibly detailed environments. The game’s Nordic-inspired city, modeled after 1900s Gothenburg, Stockholm, and Malmö, truly shines with its streets, dreary undergrounds, and atmospheric lighting. This is where the game excels, even though I did experience some FPS drops from time to time so optimization is decent for now.

Reasons to be cautious

Despite its promising visuals and decent stealth in the demo, I’m still quite cautious about Eriksholm. My main concern is that the gameplay might become repetitive or overstretched. It’s also unclear how significant other characters will be, or if our choices will genuinely impact the ending. Also, I didn’t stumble upon on any bugs during my playthrough.

While the demo is an excellent test drive, I’m still wondering how Eriksholm will perform on a wider range of PCs. Playing on maximum graphical settings was stunning, but I suspect it might be a challenge for lower-end systems. Regardless, with its Nordic inspiration and Nordcurrent Labs as publisher, this game clearly has immense ambition. I can’t wait to see the full product.

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Deltarune first appeared with free chapters in 2018 and 2021, while the release of Chapters 3 and 4 on June 4, 2025 transformed Deltarune into a fully realized title. Priced at 24.99 € for Chapters 1-4, the game has not only justified its cost but exceeded expectations. It’s now one of Steam’s top-selling titles and ranked among the top-ten most played games after its latest update.

The game’s success stems from several key factors. Firstly, tobyfox’s signature storytelling remains a cornerstone. The narrative, set in a parallel universe to Undertale, introduces new characters like Kris, Susie, and Ralsei, while reimagining familiar faces such as Toriel and Sans. Deltarune also keeps the turn-based RPG mechanics from Undertale but with significant change. Its bullet-hell inspired battles, now integrated into the overworld, offer strategic twist.

Players praise Deltarune for its “incredible storytelling, well-written characters, and wonderful soundtrack”. Many note that despite being unfinished initially, it had “a lot of potential” and has already surpassed expectations with its latest chapters. The free-to-play model for the initial chapters also built a dedicated fanbase, which then supported the paid release of Chapters 3 and 4.

Looking ahead, Deltarune’s future is bright. With Chapters 5 and beyond still in development coming as free updates, players are eager to see how the story unfolds and what new challenges await. Perhaps this new model of integrating and finishing a game could be worthwhile, but maybe only in tobyfox’s case, given he’s already a well-received developer.

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You step into the shoes of Tobias, a young guy from a sleepy fishing village whose life gets turned upside down when he and his little brother discover a strange crystal. When his brother mysteriously falls ill, Tobias sets off on a desperate quest for answers, plunging into a world of shadowy forces. The story, which is expected to unfold over five to ten hours, is packed with twists and emotional weight, drawing inspiration from classics like Black Mirror and Kathy Rain.

What truly sets Two Realms apart is its dedication to making point-and-click adventures feel new and, more importantly, frustration-free. The developers Jaromír Janisch and Tomáš Létal have focused on puzzles that actually make sense, all rooted in logical character choices. Whether you’re solving a riddle or chatting with characters like Thaddeus, the law-obsessed mage, or Severin, the scruffy mystic who’s loyal to a fault, the gameplay feels intuitive yet still challenging.

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With over 2,000 positive Steam reviews and more than 50,000 copies sold, this charming narrative game arrives on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 later this month, on May 29. It introduces the unique “catventure” genre, exploring themes of love, identity, and loss from a cat’s perspective.

Guided by a documentary-style narrator, Dawn prowls through sunlit backyards, shadowy alleys, and national parks, navigating a three-act story that delves into the true meaning of “home.” The game’s vibrant visuals and intuitive cat-like controls—climbing trees, knocking over objects, and meowing at passersby—immerse you in Dawn’s world.

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The partnership started after Galla Studio’s initial Kickstarter for Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo didn’t succeed. When funding was tough, a “scout” from Fellow Traveller saw promise in their work and reached out. Following positive meetings, they made a deal, which was a big turning point for the game. Paulo and Pavel were very thankful, calling Fellow Traveller a “blessing” and a “game changer” for their vital support with money and marketing, letting them concentrate on making their creative ideas a reality.

Reflecting on the indie gaming industry, the Lara brothers noted its challenging nature. They highlighted the scene’s diversity, where developers from different backgrounds bring unique ideas. However, they also noted that the market’s saturation makes it difficult for individual studios to gain attention amidst the numerous competitors.

While development tools and platforms have become more accessible over the last two decades, the brothers acknowledged that reaching audiences and achieving financial stability remain significant hurdles. They expressed admiration for anyone pursuing their passion projects in this unpredictable landscape, recognizing the considerable resilience needed to succeed.

Regarding Xbox Game Pass, Paulo and Pavel view it as a viable model, especially for smaller indie studios like theirs. They believe the service offers crucial visibility by making games seem “free” to subscribers, thereby greatly improving discoverability on the Xbox platform. For developers with less established profiles, this can create a beneficial situation, providing a consistent income while simultaneously introducing their creations to a wider player base.

You can read the full interview here. Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is currently available on PC via Steam, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

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Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is a 3D adventure game where you embody Kulebra, a skeletal snake, in a Latin American-inspired afterlife called Limbo. Under the guidance of a mysterious Old Lady, you’ll explore papercraft-style settings, solving puzzles, gathering clues, and using stealth to aid the residents in moving on. Crucially, these souls are trapped in a 24-hour time loop, repeating their days due to unresolved regrets, trauma, and loss.

We explored brothers perspective on Game Pass and the indie gaming scene, what players can expect from Kulebra, and the core message they hope players will take away. You can find Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo on PC via Steam, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Can you share the origin story of Galla Games? What inspired you both to leave the Dominican Republic and pursue game development in the United States, and how did that journey shape Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo?

Originally we started the studio in the Dominican Republic, over the particular coincidence of me (Paulo Lara) being an artist, who had a strong affinity for video game art. And Pavel Lara developed a strong interest in programming at the time, completely focused on video games. 

Besides us being huge video game “nerds,” we had very similar tastes when it came to media in general. So we decided that this was a great opportunity to explore the idea of developing games. And so we gave it a chance, starting with something fairly simple. 

Then through our mother, the opportunity to come to the United States became a possibility. It seemed like a great place to expand as developers, since the video games’ market in the Dominican Republic was non-existent back then. So we decided to take the opportunity and continue with our project here in the United States. And after some failed projects, reinventing ourselves in many ways, and some good surprises… Here we are!

An important question, as brothers, did you ever have disagreements or arguments when you were working on the game together?

We’ve had our minor differences here and there, but honestly, nothing outstanding. And thankfully, none of those have come from a bad place. We always try to push our ideas in the belief that  will increase the quality of the project. And as time goes on these disagreements have become less common and less impactful when it comes to game making decisions. It’s important to be flexible and open to each other’s opinions in order to have a proactive flow as developers. 

Which games, films, or other media inspired Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo? Were there specific titles that shaped its cozy yet emotional tone or its focus on helping others?

I can surely mention games like Ace Attorney, Paper Mario, and Professor Layton. But our main inspiration for the game was The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask. Especially the side quest elements of said game. They set a level of immersion that we can only hope to achieve.

From the changes in the environment as the time goes by, to the characters’ many surprises around this same schedule. One that may surprise you is Resident Evil as an inspiration source. A lot of the puzzle elements in Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo come from Resident Evil, believe it or not! I’ve personally noticed that once you remove the horror elements from this puzzle structure, it can make for a very cathartic experience when solving puzzles.

So we try to achieve a similar result through our game. Having difficult puzzles is not our goal in this case, but to make them engaging and fun as the player uncovers the story of the game.

Latin American folklore, particularly Day of the Dead aesthetics, plays a big role in the game’s world. Were there specific cultural elements you wanted to highlight?

I wouldn’t say so, the elements are there, but we’d much rather prefer to use the cultural elements as a vehicle to flesh out our characters and how each one of them have their own worlds within this shared environment and culture.  Although most of the game’s cultural influence has a Day of the Dead theme, we take some elements from the Dominican culture as well! I won’t spoil anything, but I sure hope some Dominican players get to spot these!

What is the game’s core message, and can you briefly introduce us to the main mechanics?

The game’s core message focuses on both the power of empathy and kindness, and the importance of doing the right thing, despite the sacrifices that it may bring. As for the main mechanics of the game, we have the time-loop and your trusty notebook.

Each soul trapped in Limbo has a set routine throughout the day, and you can gather information and items by talking with them and exploring the world. At the end of a day, everything resets, but you get to keep your knowledge and most of your items. Your goal will be to use everything you gather to figure out what’s needed to help the souls with their issues. You can think of it as doing some “detective work” in the afterlife.

There will also be many extra challenges on top of what I mentioned before that will give each of the game’s chapters their own flavor.

How challenging will the puzzles be, and what kind of stealth gameplay can players expect?

As briefly mentioned in a previous question, I would say that the puzzles do not focus on being challenging, but they’re more about having fun while you uncover the mysteries around Limbo. But I’m sure that our puzzles will have some cool twists to keep the experience fresh and interesting.

The stealth is a fairly common element in the game, more than we would have ever expected during the early days of development. The stealth is quite varied, in the sense that you may find some stealth sections to be very casual, but others may be the difference between “life or death”. So you can’t always let your guard down when exploring the world of Limbo! 

How does the day/night (or time) cycle impact gameplay?

A lot! In fact, most puzzles, and probably all the detective work that the player will be doing will in one way or another roll around the time mechanics. In order to properly understand how to progress and help the souls of Limbo, you have to truly understand their schedule, and what elements of these you may manipulate in order to make them move closer to your goal. 

I can think of many examples, in which in many cases in which the problem in hand, requires you to experience the cycle of a character in order to understand what leads them into breaking their respective patterns. 

You may see a character stuck through the day looking for an important item to solve a problem, but as it turns out, they would only come to find the item they need when it’s already too late to address the issue. The player may see this as a chance to instruct them early in the day’s cycle on where to find what they’re looking for, and so this breaks part of the pattern that keeps the character stuck in a loop. It’s all about creating cracks in the cycle of each character to help them get out. 

But instead of me going into obsessive detail, I can surely say that a lot of this is present in chapter one of the game. Which is available as a free demo, in case anyone is interested! 

The papercraft aesthetic gives Kulebra such a distinct look, what inspired this visual direction?

Earlier in production the 2.5D aesthetic came from certain limitations. We wanted to have a 3D environment that felt natural to explore, with a substantial amount of elements to interact with. So, in order to achieve this within our small team, we decided to simplify the complexity of character assets to 2D to make sure they wouldn’t become a detriment to the development of the game.

With that, we also wanted to make the character renders to stand out, leading us to sacrifice some level of 2D animation to have more complex renders for our characters. Then with these limitations in mind, we centered all the visual elements into a “Pop-up book” like visuals. Emulating a subtle feeling of storytelling throughout the whole game.

How did your partnership with Fellow Traveller come about?

As far as I recall, it all happened little after our First Kickstarter for the game. We did not meet our goal, so we were looking into ways to continue the development of the game. Thankfully, soon enough one of the scouts from Fellow Traveller discovered our team, and they proposed a partnership. After a few nice meetings, and getting into an agreement, everything was pretty much set!

Thankfully we couldn’t have asked for a better partnership. Fellow Traveller has been a blessing in the development of the game, and we can’t stress enough how much of a game changer this has been for us! 

What’s your perspective on the current state of the gaming industry, especially the indie scene?

That’s a very interesting question, but when it comes to the indie game industry, things get a bit complicated. Since it’s hard to pin the things into a specific state or category, given the flexible nature of it. Composed of countless backgrounds, budgets, and personalities developing all sorts of ideas. Anything goes in the indie market, and this makes for a very fertile environment for creative ideas of all kinds.

But one thing hasn’t quite changed throughout the years, and our opinion may not be uncommon, but we can certainly say that the current state of the industry brings its own sort of challenges. As you may know, there are more ways than ever to become an indie developer, and in the past two decades that has only become more prominent, but so is the constant struggle that comes with trying to reach an audience in such a rich and saturated industry.

All this makes up for a fairly volatile and hostile market when it comes to trying to establish a sense of stability, for any studio. So given these factors, to anyone willing to give this industry a chance, even if it’s just to make a dream project come true, they have our respect.

As developers, how do you view Xbox Game Pass? Do you see it as a sustainable model for games like yours?

As the model sits currently, yes. It can guarantee a decent degree of success within the Xbox platform, especially for low profile studios. All this while maximizing the exposure of the game to new players, since it would be the equivalent of a “free game” to the players in the program. It can be a win-win depending on the position of the studio. 

In the end, do you want players to walk away feeling like they’ve had a cozy experience, or an emotional journey they’ll reflect on?

We would say the latter. Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is a game that sets a platform for introspection. In the end we want the players to experience the power of empathy, and what this can bring to their lives, and others. While understanding the sacrifice that may come with it, but knowing that despite it all, it is still worth it.

The post Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo: Paulo and Pavel Lara Share What Makes This Game Unique first appeared on IndieGames.

It’s hard not to feel emotionally attached to Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo. This isn’t just a video game, it’s a profound work of art with impactful storytelling that touches your heart and soul in unexpected ways. While the gameplay isn’t groundbreaking, the game brilliantly explores themes like trauma, guilt, and the struggle to move on, reminding us we’re never truly alone in our suffering, while offering a gentle push to keep going forward.

Paper Mario inspired graphics with amazing world-building

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo features cartoonish graphics inspired by Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, with a rich color palette of bright pinks, greens, and oranges that enhance its tactile, emotional world. The Latin American influence, rooted in Día de los Muertos, also shines through festive details like confetti, masks, and decorations, complementing the game’s themes of trauma and healing. Three distinct times of day: morning, evening, and night each bring unique visual flair, seamlessly tying the environments to the heartfelt storytelling.

The game’s characters, from Kulebra with its heart-shaped spine to the messenger bird and others, are simple yet charmingly animated and truly stand out. You’ll likely find many to connect with, as the game expertly portrays each one without overwhelming you with information. What’s particularly engaging is how each character subtly provides details that can prove useful later in your journey. Although the art style isn’t as polished as a Nintendo title, its “passive beauty” is quite appealing. This is further helped by the detailed and well-integrated world-building; everything feels thoughtfully crafted and surprisingly cohesive.

This 10-12 hour singleplayer adventure focuses on exploring a time-looped Limbo, solving puzzles, and engaging in narrative interactions as you help souls overcome their regrets in towns and cities. While the initial prologue effectively introduces us to the game, the experience becomes somewhat repetitive and lacks deeper gameplay evolution as you progress.

“But no good deed goes unpunished”

Gameplay might not be impressive, but every dialogue matters

The core loop involves exploring connected areas and talking to NPCs to learn their stories. As mentioned, Limbo has a day-evening-night cycle, and a curse makes residents forget their actions each day. However, Kulebra remembers everything and uses a notebook to keep track of quests, NPC schedules, and clues. You manually advance the time cycle to influence events, like timing meetings with NPCs or solving puzzles that depend on the time. Paying close attention while exploring is key, as you can find items hidden in breakable objects or by talking to NPCs.

Clear quest system and dialogue hints make helping souls genuinely enjoyable. Most of your time involves reading and solving puzzles to achieve this goal. While the notebook eases memory, remembering details is crucial for boss fights. These encounters feature a fun mini-game where bosses quiz you on your knowledge, with a bar indicating your accuracy. Interestingly, they might even try to trick you with mismatched questions and answers.

Puzzles vary from simple item hunts to multi-stage challenges tied to NPC routines or the environment. Many puzzles are also connected to the story. Stealth sections, where Kulebra avoids enemies using light and music, create approachable but tense moments, though the repetitive “wait-and-move” can become tiresome. Kulebra’s rolling is key for fast travel and smashing pots to collect currency, which is also found hidden or falling from the sky and used to buy items.

“What hurts me the most… Is that I can’t see why he’d go without even a goodbye”

An unforgettable emotional journey

While avoiding spoilers, it’s worth noting that beyond the main story, there are engaging “side quests” crucial for completionists. To experience everything, exploring the entire map and entering each building to trigger dialogues is recommended, though you can skip some non-essential moments without affecting the main narrative. Another surprising aspect is how easily the game hooks you, making it difficult to stop playing. The cozy and casual atmosphere likely contributes to this, as you don’t need to do overly demanding tasks to progress, often leading to the urge to finish just one more chapter.

Ultimately, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo delivers a truly unique emotional journey. If you enjoy games with well-developed characters, surprising plot twists, and a blend of cozy atmosphere with proper mystery and storytelling, this title is for you. Its beautiful visuals and memorable moments shine, though those who dislike detailed exploration might find the repetitive puzzles and backtracking a drawback.

“I’ll forever be grateful… Thank you.”

Review copy provided by the publisher

4.3

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This year’s official selection of 21 unreleased titles collectively gained over 200,000 wishlists during the event, averaging 10,000 per game, more than doubling the wishlist numbers from 2024. With over 1.8 million visitors to the LudoNarraCon 2025 Steam fest page, a 50% jump from 2024, the event underscored the popularity of narrative gaming.

Besides the Steam fest, LudoNarraCon 2025 also had a main show with talks and interviews. These were made with help from Remap Radio, Noclip, The Besties, and Lucy James from Friends Per Second. You can watch these discussions about game stories and how games are made on a YouTube playlist, so you can see them again or if you missed them. The event also had more than 50 game companies showing their games. Demos for games like Wanderstop and Afterlove EP were very popular.

Since it started in 2019, LudoNarraCon has become a big worldwide event for games with great stories. It helps developers by letting them join for free and promoting their games directly. The 2025 event was even more successful, with 30% more demo downloads than last year. This shows that people really like indie games that have touching stories.

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I AM RIPPER puts you in the shoes of a detective hunting a serial killer, confirmed by forensic evidence, in a gripping investigation. Your choices shape the branching story across multiple timelines, forcing you to tackle tough moral dilemmas that decide others’ fates while chasing the killer and uncovering secrets. Told through varied perspectives, the game builds on White Paper Games’ knack for award-winning storytelling and immersive world-building.

Gameplay focuses on hands-on interactivity, like the stitch-cutting sequence shown in the trailer. You’ll collect forensic evidence, navigate tough moral choices, and make decisions with lasting impact. Blending puzzle, horror, and detective elements, this fast-paced thriller feels rewarding and grounded, diving into themes of power and moral judgment in a decaying industrial world.

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Picture this: you’re in Bukovie, a fictional city in an alternate 1920s Europe, where war looms, labor strikes simmer, and prohibition has driven everyone to secret bars like yours. You’re not just pouring drinks, you’re a detective, roped into solving five murder cases by a pushy cop who could shut your bar down. The vibe is pure noir, with jazzy tunes and hand-drawn art that feels like stepping into a smoky, sepia-toned film. What got me was the cast of 22 characters, from crooked cops to heartbroken singers, each with secrets to spill if you play your cards right.

You serve cocktails to loosen tongues, using a simple minigame where you trace a symbol to mix drinks. It’s fun at first, but I’ll be honest, it gets repetitive fast. The real meat is in the dialogue. You’ve got to read your customers’ moods: drunk, angry, or flirty and decide whether to charm, threaten, or serve them a bad drink to get them talking.

Each of the five cases, taking about an hour or so each, flows into the next, and characters you meet early on evolve in surprising ways. I was moved by a regular who went from a one-note drunk to someone grappling with loss, and I felt invested in helping them find hope. But the game’s not without hiccups. The dialogue can also feel static at times, with characters forgetting key moments, which dulled some choices.

Should you give it a try? If you love visual novels, murder mysteries, or just want a game that feels like a good book with a jazz soundtrack, I say yes. It’s not the deepest detective sim, and the drink-mixing could use more spice, but the characters and atmosphere make it worth pouring a few hours into. The game’s 17.99€ price tag on Steam feels fair for its 5-7 hour runtime, and with console versions planned for PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Switch, more folks will get to try it soon.

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