PAX West 2025 is right around the corner—less than 50 days to go! As one of the biggest gaming conventions in North America, PAX remains a celebration of everything we love about games. From the latest tech showcases to retro throwbacks, the event offers something for everyone. Whether you’re diving into freeplay areas, competing in tournaments, exploring the bustling expo hall, catching live concerts, or attending panels on panels on PANELS. The Penny Arcade Expo delivers an experience that is as diverse as the gaming community itself. Before we get swept up in this year’s announcements, let’s take one more look back at some of last year’s hidden gems. I’m talking about the indie titles—the ones made by small teams with bold ideas that deserve way more attention than they got.
Earthion is a stunning and stylish shoot-’em-up crafted by legendary composer and developer Yuzo Koshiro. While it feels like a spiritual successor to the 16 bit era, it’s making its debut on modern platforms including PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC & Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Visually, the game is an absolute treat — from weaving through floating space wreckage to dodging intense enemy fire, the action never lets up. The 2D side-scrolling space adventure spans eight levels, each packed with distinct environments, challenging foes, and screen-filling boss battles. And with 27 brand-new tracks composed by Koshiro himself, honestly, that soundtrack alone makes it a must-play.
Star of Providence isn’t just another twin-stick, top-down roguelite — it’s bullet hell at its most intense. Originally dropping back in 2017 under the title Monolith, it blew T.F. up thanks to BIGMODE Games, the indie-focused publisher known for being a contemporary tastemaker and spotting gems on the come up. With a new title, fresh ports, and a wider release, it’s finally getting the attention it deserves. Developed by Team 13, this one doesn’t hold back. At first glance, its short runs, retro visuals, and rapid pacing might suggest a breif experience — but don’t be fooled. The depth, variety, and high replayability prove there’s far more going on beneath the surface. It’s easily the most addictive thing I’ve played in recent memory.
Feltopia reimagines the side-scrolling shoot-’em-up as a charming “cute-’em-up,” wrapped in cozy stop-motion style. It’s the debut game from Andrea Love and her studio, Wooly Games — and it’s brimming with handcrafted personality. Known for her needle-felted animations across short films, and viral clips, Love brings her signature medium to gaming in a way that feels fresh and totally original. After playing through a few levels, it’s clear this isn’t just about looks — the gameplay is tight, responsive, and surprisingly deep. With rich textures, whimsical design, and tons of heart, Feltopia stands out as one of the most imaginative and delightful experiences in the genre.
Despelote is a quiet triumph — a reflective, two-hour journey through childhood, memory, and national pride, set against the backdrop of Ecuador’s 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign. You play as Julián, an imaginative eight-year-old obsessed with football, loosely based on co-designer Julián Cordero’s own experiences. Ecuador has just beaten Peru, but four crucial matches remain between the country and a historic trip to Japan and Korea. Told through a series of intimate, loosely connected scenes, the game places you in Julián’s shoes as he drifts between school, home, and the streets of Quito, surrounded by the everyday rhythms of life. Short in length but profound in impact, Despelote explores memory, identity, and the meaning of place with more grace and depth than many games ten times its size. It’s truly unlike anything else.
Time Flies turns existential dread into a clever and surprisingly touching arcade-style experience. You play as a tiny fly with a big bucket list and only seconds to live. Created by Michael Frei and Raphaël Munoz of Playables, this minimalist, hand-drawn black-and-white game drops you into a house filled with quirky tasks — some straightforward, like learning an instrument, others more abstract, like achieving wealth or getting drunk. The joy (and challenge) lies in how you figure out these goals in your fleeting life span — usually about a minute. At its core, Time Flies is a playful yet poignant reminder of life’s brevity, summed up best by its tagline: “Make the best of the time you have left, because we’re all going to die.” Grim? Maybe. But oddly life-affirming.
Iron Meat, developed by Ivan Valeryevich Suvorov and published by Retroware, is a ferocious run-and-gun shooter that proudly wears its Contra influence on its sleeve — but it doesn’t stop there. Across nine intense, carnage-filled stages, you’ll battle hordes of grotesque enemies corrupted by a mysterious biological force known as The Meat. Death comes with a single hit, and danger lurks from every angle. Your mission? Take down the twisted creations of rogue scientist Yuri Markov and bring an end to the madness. Backed by a blistering metal soundtrack and packed with fast-paced action, Iron Meat feels like a love letter to old-school arcade shooters, with just enough modern flair to make it fresh. Whether playing solo or co-op, it’s brutal, stylish, and surprisingly approachable for players of all skill levels.
Ghosts is a bold, real-time full-motion video (FMV) game from Jed Shepherd, created in collaboration with Visible Games and Limited Run Games. It cleverly blends modern narrative horror with the campy charm of ‘90s FMV cult classics like Night Trap — but with a sharper, more immersive edge. You play as the producer of a supernatural reality TV show, monitoring live camera feeds as contestants roam a haunted house. But as the night wears on, eerie occurrences start bleeding into your own space — a van that suddenly doesn’t feel so safe — and a deeper, malevolent force begins to reveal itself. One of the game’s standout features is its commitment to real-time horror: it can only be played after 10PM in your local time zone, adding a layer of suspense you can’t fast-forward through. And if you decide to exit early? Let’s just say it won’t end well for the cast. High stakes, high tension — Ghosts is a creepy throwback with modern teeth.
Everdeep Aurora captivates from the first frame, its distinctive art style pulling you into a world you won’t want to leave. This is not a game about combat — it’s about discovery. You play as Shell, a quiet yet determined explorer on a journey to find her missing mother. Armed with nothing but curiosity and a desire to understand, you descend into a vast underground world, rich with strange inhabitants, secrets, and personal revelations. There’s no single path forward, no prescribed solution — just a gentle push to go down and see where your choices take you. Every conversation, every decision, feels like a thread in a larger, unseen tapestry. Everdeep Aurora doesn’t just tell a story — it reflects one back at you, a story about identity, connection, and the unseen impact of the paths we choose. It’s a quiet triumph, filled with heart, thoughtful exploration, and characters you won’t soon forget.
Rooster is an impressive, single-player point-and-click puzzle adventure that pays heartfelt tribute to Chinese culture, traditions, and storytelling. Immersed in folklore, stunning hand-crafted art, and a melodic soundtrack, players step into the role of Rooster, a zodiac proxy sent spiraling through time on a journey of humor, growth, and reflection. To return to the present, Rooster must engage with each of the Chinese zodiac signs through a variety of cleverly designed mini-games. While the mechanics are accessible and casual, the visual and thematic depth is anything but simple — every interaction brims with cultural detail and personality. Rooster isn’t just a video game — it’s a thoughtful celebration of heritage and the stories that shape who we are.
ChainStaff delivers a sprawling, high-energy take on the side-scrolling shoot-’em-up, packing far more content and variety than you’d expect at first glance. Within just thirty minutes, the sheer scale and creativity of the enemies make it clear: this is a game that refuses to play it safe. Tonally, it’s a wild ride — a tongue-in-cheek, explosive homage to video game and cinema classics alike. The premise? Earth’s under siege by a grotesque alien species known as the Star Spores, and you’re humanity’s unlikely hope — a soldier fused with a parasitic alien that grants you chaotic new powers, including the titular ChainStaff weapon. Loud, stylish, and gloriously over-the-top, ChainStaff is perfect for anyone craving relentless action and tongue-in-cheek storytelling.
The best of the rest:
Bad Cheese, Atari Asteroids Recharged, Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch, Toad Skater, Croak, Desktop Explorer and Mr Sleepy Man
And .. we can’t forget about the Playdate (which was SOLD OUT again at 2024’s show)
A quick word (or WORDS) from Vourbot: What the actual f#@%? Wait … What?! Well, that just happened! Awkward!..! My Bad, the master millennial machine, the only crank-able gameboy, the one that will work no matter what, either post-nuke or simply in-between plug-in’s, the one reminiscent of the tamagotchi, but more like an actual Pikachu, was on display, and also sold out again. This is the machine that captures the imagination of the layperson with its steampunk ethos, and also spans the imagination gap between the layperson and that computer programming degree-holder before the job with Amazon- especially if you’re a millennial! What an amazing machine! Personality abounds in this little yellow box.
I’ll see you in Seattle over Labor Day weekend. I got next on Quick & Crash. Put your quarter up.
-Dagobot
insta: @dagobot
