indie.io is a video game publishing platform that works with lots of different developers and publishes games in a variety of genres. They’ve published dozens of games, several of which are discounted on Nintendo Switch right now as part of a sale that will run through July 30.
As with indie.io’s library as a whole, the sale includes a wide range of genres. There’s cozy adventures, tactical RPGs, creature collectors, management sims, and more. You can check out the full sale here, but we thought we’d highlight six games that showcase the diversity of titles that are available. Let’s get started:
Echoes of the Plum Grove
Sale: 20% off
The cozy farming sim genre has been thriving in recent years, and Echoes of the Plum Grove adds to the formula by letting you experience multiple generations. Initially, you wash up on an island shore and start with a modest plot of land. Over time, you can expand your homestead, start a family, and grow that family. You can befriend or insult your neighbors, form an alliance with a local witch coven, or poison people who cross you. As the generations pass, these decisions will shape your descendents’ experiences and ultimately define your legacy. The game world is fully hand drawn, with 2D characters in 3D environments that heighten the cozy feel. And while forming relationships through the generations is the central core of the game, there are also mysteries across the island for you to uncover.
Dark Deity
Sale: 75% off
Dark Deity is a strategy RPG that was clearly inspired by classics of the genre. You build up an army, lead your soldiers in turn-based combat, and choose what classes to promote them into as they grow stronger. There are 30 playable characters, and if one of them falls in battle, they’ll suffer grave wounds that drop their stats. So you need to be careful and strategize as you lead your squad from rookies to heroes. The main story is told across 28 chapters that take more than 20 hours to complete, and the “Suns Out, Swords Out” DLC is also available for 20% off as part of the current sale. It adds seven additional levels, each telling a story from before or after the events of the base game.
Coromon
Sale: 50% off
Another modern game that takes inspiration from and builds upon the classics of the genre, Coromon is a monster tamer with more than 100 monsters to catch and train. Each monster is defined by its element, traits, and skills. The battle system is stamina-based and every skill costs SP, so you need to be strategic about when you use your most powerful skills. Meanwhile, traits are inherent to a monster and can trigger when certain conditions are met. They don’t sap stamina when they trigger and differ between monsters of the same species, so they can be an important factor of building your perfect team. The story of Coromon takes you across six biomes as you try to stop a mysterious threat, and there are more reveals and plot twists than you might expect in a typical monster tamer.
Cat Cafe Manager
Sale: 40% off
Game titles don’t get much more clear than this one. In Cat Cafe Manager, you … manage a cat cafe. You inherit an old, rundown cafe in the town of Caterwaul Way, and you’ll need to rebuild and renovate it to give the local stray cats a proper home. You can decorate and expand the space to fit your personal tastes, as well as hire new employees and refine their skills. You can make plenty of feline friends, but you’ll build relationships with humans too. It is a cafe, after all. The villagers will want to stop by and take a load off after a long day, and you can travel across the town to chat with the locals and discover new recipes and other opportunities for your cafe. Who knows, you might even uncover a mystery or two in need of solving.
9 Years of Shadows
Sale: 35% off
And now, for something completely different. 9 Years of Shadows is a side-scrolling Metroidvania where color has been drained from the world for almost a decade (hence the name). You play as Europa, a warrior bent on fighting her way to the mechanical giant Talos and stopping the corruption seeping out of it before everything is swallowed in darkness. You’ll befriend a cute floating bear called Apino who has the ability to bring back color, and together you’ll wield elemental armors, restore vibrant hues, and try to free the world from the colorless curse that plagues it. And as you do, enjoy a soundtrack from composers Michiru Yamane and Norihiko Hibino, known for their work on Castlevania and Metal Gear Solid, respectively.
Mail Time
Sale: 30% off
Our list ends by circling back around to a cozy, relaxing game. Mail Time is a cottagecore adventure set in a whimsical forest where you’re a courier who uses light platforming to deliver letters. You can customize the look of your character and run, jump, and glide your way across the forest to make deliveries to the critters who live there. Relaxation is the focus of the game, with gameplay that doesn’t saddle you with anything stressful. There’s no time limits, pressure, danger, or fall damage. You can just chill, make your deliveries, upgrade your gliding, and do it again. Simplicity can be nice sometimes.
