Tiny Teams Fest May Be Over But These Games Should Be Wishlisted Now

Indie publisher Yogscast Games just had their annual Tiny Teams Fest for the year 2024 and I can’t get over how amazing the demos have been. Having the opportunity to be a part of the festival, I was able to try so many games and wanted to highlight some of them for you.

The Guardian of Nature

One of the games that I had the privilege to try was The Guardian of Nature, developed and published by Inlusio Interactive. The game begins with Henry in his hobbit style home. It is a very whimsical adventure with lots of interesting puzzles. Henry, a botanist, uses his magical abilities to change size between small and big to be able to overcome a number of obstacles in his path. This concept was adorable, because depending on the situation, you would utilize items in your inventory to get through blocked paths and put Henry on his magical journey. As Henry embarks on his adventure, the Tree of Life and its vital mycelium network that connects the entire forest are in danger. The story is about shifting your perspective and utilizing your proportions to bypass the puzzles. Some of the neat features of the game is wandering through giant forests, flying on birds, solving solarpunk puzzles and diving into the magical world of mycelium, the underground networks of fungi to eventually save nature and the Tree of Life.

The next game happens to be one of my favorite type of genre’s on my laid back cozy games list. Developed by Kylyk Games and published by Assemble Entertainment, Urban Jungle is a mix of previous games like Unpacking and A Little to The Left. You start the game in a square single room and begin to get a list of tasks to do within the room, like finding a bear, putting a plate on the table, and turning on the lights, until you progress and begin purchasing plants to decorate the space. The plants have to be places based on the requirements so it becomes pretty fun to work with them while accumulating points and still maintaining organization. In Urban Jungle, you decorate small houses and apartments with plants and transform them into a green haven. The game has a story, and through the environment you will follow the story of the protagonist who will grow up before your eyes, change places and grow as a person and plant lover.

The Game Features:

• A lot of plants in tiny spaces
• Narrative told through environment
• Relaxing and intuitive puzzle
• Cozy and chill vibes
• Plants collecting

Urban Jungle entertained me for a long time, keeping in mind that this was only a demo, there is no release date as of now but you can check out their Steam page and wishlist their game to support them.

Kaiserpunk

I am a big fan of city-builders and when I discovered this game during Tiny Teams Fest, I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. Developed and published by Overseer Games, Kaiserpunk, is a city-builder that takes place in an alternative 20th century world. Some of the first key features I noticed in this game was that you can build anywhere you like by following a story of the game. Each building that is built, tells a story of the strategic decisions you make. Forge allegiances, protect your homes by adding military equipment and arsenal, and watch how all the decisions you make impact the economy, the fuel and the growth of population. I really love that you unlock logistics as you progress through the game. One of my favorite features is that you do have to build multiple of the same logistics to get various different materials to help you progress and defend the population. You can also ally or invade over 100 regions, so there is plenty to do in this survival citybuilder.

Game’s Features:

• 100 various resources to mine, farm, refine and manufacture
• Keep the production going and your workers happy
• Use your economic power to subdue your rivals and emerge as the ultimate victor
• Spin up your mighty war machine and start chugging weapons and military vehicle
• Even experienced armies lacking supplies will get you nowhere
• Trade with passing merchants and smugglers or sign large-volume trade deals with other factions
• Keeping production up and running smoothly is only possible with happy and qualified workers. Make sure your city-state is desirable enough
• Your decisions carry weight across time. Every building you construct, every region you conquer and every action you take weave dynamic stories spanning the entire playthrough
• If you’re not careful, you might end up stripped of your power

The game is set to release in Q3 of 2024, so while we are waiting, why not wishlist the game on steam and keep up to date.

Mirthwood

One game that took me by complete surprise during Tiny Team Fest was an RPG life sim that reminded me of Echoes of the Plum Grove, called Mirthwood. Developed by Bad Ridge Games and published by V Publishing, this game reminds me that cozy games can also have a bit of darkness and light to them and still touch your heart. When you first start the game, you are running from a village with some pretty gruesome images, so my thought was this was just a normal medieval times game with gore and fighting, but once I began to journey into my own homestead, wow I was wrong. The exploration of this game was my favorite part. With every turn into a different part of the map, the more I enjoyed discovering more of the lore of the game and its people. There was crafting, base building and you do have a sword and shield to defend yourself from bandits.

The Game Features:

• Homestead – build a farm, plant and harvest crops, rear animals, and upgrade your facilities to craft items and gear
• Explore – explore an open world comprised of six diverse regions and three distinct towns, with much to discover
• Fight – take up a sword or ready your bow in real-time combat, Mirthwood will pit you against a variety of enemies
• Adventure – embark on quests, encounter dynamic events, and investigate mysteries across the world
• Socialize – meet and befriend (or insult) any NPC, and unlock new social interactions as your relationships grow

The game comes out on September 11, 2024, so you should check it out on Steam and wishlist it to get that release notification. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

That wraps four of the games that I played during Tiny Team Fest. I played several more games live during my streams and felt this event was an amazing way to show gamers some of the talent our indie developers create. Whether you are a developer, a content creator, and/or a gamer, this event shows us the different array of genres you can play, demos of games that haven’t been released yet, and titles that are not available anywhere else but this event. Just remember to tune in next year for 2025 by following Tiny Team’s Twitter page to support and get updates. And I hope you check out some of these amazing games mentioned above.