It’s been a short month full of grand gestures and questionable heart-shaped candy treats, but they say nothing lasts forever. Before February leaves us sobbing alone on the couch with wilted flowers at our feet, we want to take a moment to lovebomb a few of this month’s newest indie games.
Each month, we round up five recently released indie titles that have our hearts aflutter. There are plenty of fish in the ID@Xbox sea, so whether you’re looking for commitment or just a quick, messy rebound, we’re sure there’s something here for you.
ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN
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What’s more appropriate for February than Romeo, Juliet, and some sweet cybernetic hack-and-slash action? Romeo is a Dead Man is the latest from Suda51 (of No More Heroes and Lollipop Chainsaw fame) studio, Grasshopper Manufacture. This third-person, hack-and-slash action game is centered around a young hero by the name of Romeo Stargazer, who finds himself at the brink of death only to be revived by the power of a nascent technology.
Romeo is recruited by the FBI’s Space-Time Police department as a special agent and tasked with wielding giant swords and powerful firearms while hunting down space criminals. All the while, Romeo’s trying to find his own missing girlfriend (Yup, you guessed it. Her name is Juliet.) With a single story campaign that’s fast-paced, chaotic, and filled with lots of quirk and charm, Romeo is a Dead Man is sure to get your blood pumping.
Romeo is a Dead Man is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and compatible handhelds. The game is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, but it is not included on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
AERIAL_KNIGHT’S DROPSHOT
There’s nothing wrong with riding solo, even in February. Aerial_Knight’s DropShot is a single-player fever dream packed with style and substance, created by a black-owned studio and launched during Black History Month.
The sophomore effort developed and published by Aerial_Knight is an action FPS where our protagonist has been bitten by a radioactive dragon and imbued with powers that are going to come in real handy when he’s forced to face off against dragons, tanks, cows, and so much more — all while free-falling from the sky and dual-wielding finger guns.
DropShot’s protagonist, Smoke Wallace, skydives through obstacles with each passing level, blasting away and collecting power-ups for his finger guns.
Aerial_Knight’s Dropshot is a delightfully bite-sized adventure perfect for the short month when you’re struggling for time. The game takes roughly 2 hours to finish for the 100% completion, and you can grab it to go on a compatible Xbox handheld, the Xbox cloud. It features Xbox Play Anywhere support between console, cloud, and PC, and you can play it right now as part of your Xbox Game Pass subscription.
MIO: Memories in Orbit
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Despite all of the focus on love in February, there’s still something to be said about self discovery. And nothing says self-discovery like awakening as a little robot all alone on a massive technological ark. That’s the premise of MIO: Memories in Orbit, developed by Douze Dixièmes and published by Focus Entertainment.
MIO: Memories in Orbit puts you in the role of the titular character, a nimble little robot with extraordinary abilities who awakens on the Vessel, an ark that has been unexpectedly abandoned by its AI caretakers. With shutdown looming, the player must help MIO save the memories of the Vessel and discover their own true past — as well as their destiny.
MIO offers players plenty of exploration and platforming opportunities alongside challenging, but rewarding, combat. For fans of metroidvanias like Hollow Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest, MIO: Memories in Orbit is a must-play.
MIO: Memories in Orbit supports Xbox Play Anywhere and is available on the Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud.
Crisol: Theater of Idols
These roundups feel wrong if they don’t include at least one horror game. Thankfully, publishers Blumhouse Games and developers Vermila Studios have us covered for February with Crisol: Theater of Idols.
In Crisol: Theater of Idols, you become Gabriel, a soldier who can use his own blood as a deadly weapon in this first-person horror action adventure set in the ghoulishly troubling world of Hispania. Set on the cursed island known as Tormentosa, Crisol: Theater of Idols reimagines Spain as a hellscape where ruins of once grandiose buildings dot the horizon, with labyrinthine streets drawing you in.
Crisol treats blood as both a weapon and a curse, setting Gabriel up to need it both for health and ammunition. But it is in short supply, and players must be careful with managing their blood as they attempt to survive on Tormentosa, solve puzzles, and experience a combination of events that blend historical horrors with religious undertones — all wrapped up in a little bit of blood sacrifice for good measure.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is available now on Xbox Series X|S consoles, but there is no Xbox Play Anywhere support for this one, nor is it on Game Pass.
Death Match Love Comedy!
February’s round-up all comes down to heartfelt confessions — with a twist. Death Match Love Comedy! Is a visual novel where confessions of love aren’t exactly what they seem. The game’s protagonist, Kei Yagi, has been cursed by a mysterious entity, and confessions of love can cause him to explode and die.
With that information at hand, players can experience this delightfully wild visual novel that blends slapstick comedy and the occult with classic visual novel gags where every female around our poor, cursed hero is madly in love with him.
Death Match Love Comedy! Is available on Xbox PC, the Xbox family of consoles, Xbox Cloud, and compatible handhelds with support for Xbox Play Anywhere.
