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Demo for weapon-building metroidvania Clockwork Ambrosia now available on Steam

Indie game developer Realmsoft, in partnership with OI Games, has unleashed a new demo for their upcoming weapon-customizing metroidvania Clockwork Ambrosia!

14 years in the making, Clockwork Ambrosia (previously known as “Ambrosia”) is a 2D metroidvania with an emphasis on building your own weapons. Part Metal Slug, part Borderlands, and all metroidvania, Clockwork Ambrosia is a steampunk fusion of classic 2D “search action” adventures with more modern modification options. Rig up endless combinations of powers from screen-filling shot splitters, to devastating missile strikes, to armor-piercing sniper rounds. There are countless ways to tailor your kit!

Players are placed in the boots of Iris, an itinerant airship engineer trying to escape the island of Aspida after a near-miss airship crash. Our plucky heroine soon finds herself caught up in a mystery spawning eons when the island’s populace disappears, seemingly replaced by deadly robots and monsters. It’s up to her to uncover the truth of what befell the island’s populace and restore the land to its former glory.

Exploration and discovery drive the world of Clockwork Ambrosia. Brilliant pixel art takes players above the clouds to the steampunk wonders of a sky city, through the lush and gorgeous mushroom forest, and down below to the moody underbelly of the sunken kingdoms. Aspida holds many secrets and undiscovered biomes, but Iris won’t work alone, as she’ll meet a cast of eccentric characters ranging from benevolent rogue AI companions to bumbling mushroom folk.  

“We’re big fans of Super Metroid, but one aspect of that seminal classic we felt could be improved upon is its weapon-building,” said Nathan Hiemenz, Founder and Developer at Realmsoft. “In Super Metroid the weapon modifications are additive and unlocked in a linear progression, stacking on top of each other. Once you get an upgrade there’s no reason not to use it. We wanted to let players mix and match their weapon mods, as they have different advantages and disadvantages based on the scenario and player preference. Clockwork Ambrosia offers massive room for experimentation as you kit your character for a wide variety of challenges. This demo only scratches the surface of this, but it teases the core mechanics and tone of Clockwork Ambrosia, whetting players appetites ahead of its April launch.”

Clockwork Ambrosia features:

  • Side-scrolling action platformer with an authored, interconnected world to explore
  • Six vastly different weapons, each offering unique mechanics
  • 150+ modifications for simple and intuitive weapon-customization, offering endless experimentation
  • Snappy crafting system lets players unlock new powers and abilities at their own pace
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art bringing the world and characters to life
  • Original score composed by Johnny Stixx
  • A story of mystery, friends, robots, and at least one mysterious robot friend!

For more information on Clockwork Ambrosia:
Wishlist Clockwork Ambrosia on Steam
Clockwork Ambrosiawebsite
Follow OI Games on Bluesky
Follow OI Games on Instagram
Follow OI Games on YouTube
Clockwork Ambrosia official Discord

About Realmsoft: 
Realmsoft is an independent Austin, Texas-based game studio that seeks to bring deep, engaging gameplay systems together with earnest writing and colorful game worlds. Realmsoft was established in 2011 by DigiPen graduate Nathan Hiemenz. Nathan worked on Clockwork Ambrosia since the studio’s inception in 2011 before bringing aboard pixel-artist Maciej Kuczynski and ex-DigiPen classmate Michael Betts. The project really took off when the group hired Ian Clark as their full-time game designer in 2016. The group has worked together ever since. 

About OI Games: 
OI Games is a games developer and publisher based in the Pacific Northwest. Founded by hobbyist game designers in 2002 to create custom StarCraft maps and RPG Maker games, OI Games was reborn in 2022 to bring the dream of game development back to life. As long-term fans of the 16 and 32-bit era, we knew immediately we wanted to return to our earliest dreams of inspiration and storytelling while still bringing our own designs and interests to the genre. Our games are  born of that legacy and include Devil Lift, Tower Song, and Clockwork Ambrosia. https://oi.games/

Spell-Crafting Roguelite Wish Me Well Launching Early Access soon

Adrian and Krzysztof from Starrow Castles are excited to announce that their debut title, Wish Me Well, will launch in Early Access on Steam on February 16th, 2026!

Trailer

Wish Me Well is a top-down roguelite where players craft customizable magical weapons by combining spells and scrolls discovered inside procedurally generated dungeons.

Set within the mysterious Magic Well, players descend into book-born worlds filled with ink creatures and powerful bosses.

Unlike traditional weapon systems, Wish Me Well allows players to make a “magic gun” by chaining and modifying spells. Create devastating single projectiles or cascading combinations tailored to your playstyle.

Main features:

  • Create a custom magic gun using powerful spell combinations
  • Procedurally generated levels ensure no two runs are the same
  • Fight ink monsters and challenging bosses
  • Unlock dozens of scrolls and magical items
  • Easy-to-learn combat system

The project has been in development for approximately 18 months and is entirely created by two developers.
 

Ahead of launch, gameplay videos from content creators have reached thousands of views with strongly positive feedback. The official trailer was also featured on IGN’s GameTrailers channel, placing the indie title alongside major studio releases.
 

The Early Access launch aims to expand the game with additional scrolls, items, dungeon rooms and balance improvements based on community feedback.
 

Wish Me Well will be available for $4.99, with a 10% launch discount for the first 9 days.
 

About Starrow Castles

We’re Adrian and Krzysztof, two friends from Cracow, Poland, who decided to create a small game and bring it to Steam. With 7+ and 11+ years of experience in the games industry, we’ve worked on numerous projects together, including game jams, where we even placed in the top 3 at Ludum Dare.

Adrian is the driving force behind the project. A programmer by trade, he also handles game design, marketing and company operations. But he couldn’t do it without the support of his best teammate, Krzysztof. Krzysztof is a sound designer and is responsible for shaping the game’s artistic direction. He creates graphics, logos, music and more, bringing the world of Wish Me Well to life.

Italian Pizza Simulator demo available on Steam

Italian Pizza Simulator, the charming and heartwarming pizza-making experience developed & published by Games Incubator, set in the sunlit hills of Tuscany now has a demo version available to play on Steam! See for yourself what has changed in the picturesque Tuscany and play it before Steam Next Fest!

STEAM PAGE

In Italian Pizza Simulator, you’ll revive Grandma’s once-famous pizzeria and restore joy to a small Italian village, one pizza at a time. From gathering the freshest local ingredients and following authentic recipes, to baking pizzas in a traditional wood-fired oven – every slice of gameplay is infused with the warmth and flavor of Tuscany.

Key Features:

  • Become a real pizzaiolo and manage your own Italian pizzeria
  • Gather and prepare fresh, local ingredients straight from the Tuscan countryside
  • Craft pizzas step-by-step from dough kneading to oven baking
  • Meet and serve colorful customers with unique personalities and requests
  • Restore your Grandma’s pizzeria to its former glory
  • Enjoy the cozy, sunlit atmosphere of a small Tuscan village

Join the community of pizza lovers and simulation fans today, play the free Italian Pizza Simulator Demo on Steam today, and have a real impact on the game’s development by leaving your feedback. Be one of the first to bring the authentic Italian pizza magic to life!

A slice of Tuscany awaits!

Get ready to roll up your sleeves, fire up the oven, and discover that in Italian Pizza Simulator – pizza truly is the key to happiness. 🍕

The Ultimate General: Civil War Demo Now Available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

Publisher Samustai is happy to announce that the demo version of acclaimed tactical strategy game, Ultimate General: Civil War, is available starting today on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Start today at 12 PM (your local time).

Your Feedback Matters

Samustai and the development team are committed to delivering the best possible strategy experience on consoles. As players dive into the demo, the team is actively seeking feedback regarding gameplay, controls, and technical performance.

Players are encouraged to share bug reports, suggestions, and general feedback — directly with the port developers on the official Samustai Discord server.

About Ultimate General: Civil War

Ultimate General: Civil War is a critically acclaimed tactical real-time strategy game that transports players to the bloodiest period of U.S. history. Experience over 50 historical battles & lead your army through a branching campaign, where every decision impacts the outcome of the war. Praised for its deep tactical gameplay and challenging AI, the game offers a unique blend of historical accuracy and intuitive command.

About Samustai:

We are a specialized studio focused on porting and publishing games across PS4/5, Xbox One/Series, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. Our track record speaks for itself: we have a core portfolio of over 20 titles and have helped ship 50+ games across all major platforms (including Steam, Epic, and Mobile) by partnering with indie studios to bring their creations to new audiences.

Samustai and its products can be found at https://www.samustai.com/

Clash of the Kingdoms launches in Early Access on Steam

Indie studio New Horizons has released its turn-based strategy game Clash of the Kingdoms in Early Access on Steam.

Clash of the Kingdoms is a tactical turn-based strategy where every decision can change the course of battle. Players command armies of unique units on a compact 7×7 grid, competing to destroy enemy forces or capture the opponent’s base.

Early Access allows players to:

  • get acquainted with the core combat system
  • test key mechanics of tactical battles
  • play against AI, in local mode, or online via Steam
  • influence the game’s development through community feedback


“We are creating Clash of the Kingdoms as a fast yet deep tactical game where strategic thinking truly matters. This playtest is the first step, where we want to see player feedback and suggestions. We want to build our game together with the players,” say the developers at New Horizons.

Matches last an average of 5–10 minutes, making the game ideal both for short sessions and for serious tactical duels. The final version will feature expanded visuals, new factions, battlefields, titles, frames, a seasonal ranking system, and tournaments.

🔹 Platform: PC (Windows)
🔹 Interface languages: Ukrainian, English
🔹 Status: Early Access
🔹 Steam page

Crimson Capes to launch February 12th, bringing the Souls Formula to 2D 

Studio Poor Locke has announced that Crimson Capes will be coming to PC via Steam on February 12. Crimson Capes is a sword-and-sorcery action adventure that reimagines the core pillars of the Souls formula in two dimensions, blending deliberate combat, non-linear exploration, and online multiplayer into a high-adventure fantasy world.

Players step into the role of Milon the Tempest, a witch-hunter tasked with dismantling a growing conspiracy of wizards across the kingdom of Amvros. Leading the Crimson Capes – a guild of elite witch-hunters – players will take on contracts throughout the realm, slowly uncovering darker forces at work and coming face to face with the true cost of power.

Combat in Crimson Capes is built around deliberate, animation-commit swordplay inspired by realistic fighting techniques, where feints, thrusts, cuts, and guards create a deadly back-and-forth defined by timing, positioning, and mastery. 

Each of the four playable heroes features a distinct weapon style, moveset, and skill tree, encouraging experimentation, while magic is woven directly into combat through elemental abilities such as wind, thunder, fire, and darkness.

Exploration follows a Souls-inspired philosophy, rewarding curiosity and player choice. Ruined towers, forgotten caverns, mystical forests, and ancient strongholds can be tackled in any order, with artifacts, abilities, and narrative threads waiting off the beaten path.

Crimson Capes also brings classic Souls multiplayer into two dimensions. Players can join forces in online co-op to hunt together as Capes, or invade another hunt as a Deathblade, introducing unpredictable PvP encounters that reshape each mission.

Visually, the game features pixel art animation and hand-drawn environments, with rotoscoped graphics. Inspired by classic pulp sword-and-sorcery tales such as Conan and Elric, Crimson Capes embraces a raw, mythic atmosphere rooted in classic fantasy adventure and discovery.

“From the very beginning, Crimson Capes was built around deliberate combat that rewards initiative, precision and quick thinking,” said Dimitris Tsatsis, programmer at Poor Locke.

“We wanted to bring the tension, discipline, and satisfaction of the Souls experience into 2D, by rethinking how the level design, vibe and multiplayer interactions work in a side-scrolling space.”

KEY FEATURES

  • Souls-like, 2D combat with tight reads, punish windows, and build variety
  • Boss fights that will test your mettle
  • Sword-and-Sorcery adventures in a fantasy world filled with secrets
  • Online Co-op & PvP: Play online with a friend, or invade other witch hunters
  • Optional Dynamic Hunts with unique enemies and bosses, randomly generated each time (reminiscent of Bloodborne’s Chalice Dungeons)


AVAILABILITY
Crimson Capes will launch on February 12 at 10am PT / 6pm GMT for PC via Steam
Price : 15$
Launch discount: 10% for 9 days
Instruction Manual & Game Guide PDF files along with a printable world map will be included in the game files
Console versions will release at a later date

About POOR LOCKE
POOR LOCKE is an independent game studio led by programmer Dimitris Tsatsis, with art by Kostas MacFarlane and music by David Wurczel. The studio focuses on crafting hand-made, mechanically rich experiences driven by strong artistic identity and player agency. Previous titles include Windmills and Unbeliever. Crimson Capes represents the studio’s most ambitious project to date, merging classic sword-and-sorcery fantasy with modern Souls-inspired design.

Indie developer Tom Daly reveals upcoming game Protect the Pit

Indie developer Tom Daly has revealed their upcoming incremental tower defense game Protect the Pit. Their previous games Tranquil Isle (“I enjoyed every second.” – Thumbculture) and Little Aviary (“Little Aviary is a companion worth keeping” – Ladies Gamers) released in April 2025 and November 2025 respectively.

About the Game:
A short incremental clicker game that blends tower defense with the depth of sprawling upgrade trees. Build your own winding mazes to repel the oncoming hordes!

It’s up to you to stop the hordes of the forest from destroying your glorious pit!

Play your way
Build your own mazes to guide the hordes of oncoming monsters and fill them with as many traps as you possibly can! Upgrade towers, traps, economic buildings, and your cursors auto attack to defend your PIT!

–

Links:
Steam page
Reveal trailer

Veteran Indie Duo Announces School Janitor Simulator, coming soon to Steam

Veteran Argentine developers José Luis Scolari and Sebastián Gioseffi announce their first game as a duo: School Janitor Simulator, a cozy and deeply relaxing job simulator about the everyday life of a school janitor. 

The game channels the methodical, restorative gameplay of titles like House Flipper and PowerWash Simulator into the uniquely atmospheric setting of the Ford-Taylor School, a pretentious institution that’s seen better days and has decided to outsource its janitorial duties.

The core experience is built around a satisfying, varied task loop. A subtle progression system and quirky collectibles reward the player’s work, while a deeper narrative unfolds organically through the environment itself.

Some of the key tasks that players will be in charge of are:
 

  • Paint walls: Make sure to maintain the pristine state of the walls by regularly applying a new layer of paint when the old one peels off.
  • Unclog pipes: Sometimes, the plumbing overflows with the enthusiasm of youth. Make sure it flows smoothly again.
  • Clean up floors: The minds of our students are so often into the high realms of learning that they forget about the material reality of garbage. Clean their oversight.
  • Remove graffiti: The artistic inclinations of some of our more sensitive students take them to express themselves on many surfaces. Remove this unauthorized expression of individuality.
  • Fix electrical fixtures: This spark is not of genius, but of dangerous voltage! Prevent costly accidents by replacing and rewiring broken electrical fixtures.
  • Repair broken furniture: Nothing escapes entropy. Deal with its effects, before someone gets hurt.
  • Keep the greenery alive: A green, healthy yard might use a lot of water, but it looks really good in promotional pictures.
  • Tidy up messy areas: Look, there is only so much we can do to force the kids to put away everything at the end of the class. You take care of the rest.


School Janitor Simulator is scheduled for release on PC via Steam and itch.io by the end of 2026, with a public demo coming soon. The game is now available to wishlist.


Steam Page


About The Developers


A duo of veteran game developers, José Luis Scolari and Sebastián Gioseffi have a combined experience of more than 30 years, both in big companies and small indie studios. In their first foray as a team of two, they decided to venture into the job simulation genre they always loved.

Demo for incremental city builder Urban Ascend Launches on Steam

Urban Ascend is an incremental city-building game focused on long-term growth, layered upgrades, and systemic expansion. Players develop a city over time by unlocking buildings, scaling production, and responding to changing conditions as the city grows.

A demo is now available on Steam, allowing you to experience the game’s core incremental systems ahead of its full PC release.

The demo introduces the primary progression loop, including building placement, resource generation, and upgrade paths that persist across play sessions. As the city expands, new systems and constraints are introduced, emphasizing planning and prioritization.

Unlike traditional city builders with fixed scenarios, Urban Ascend is structured around incremental progression. Growth is driven by accumulated upgrades and unlocked systems, with each session contributing to the ongoing development of the city.

The demo reflects the intended structure and pacing of the full game and is designed to communicate how its incremental systems interconnect.

Platform: Windows
Release Date: 2026
Pricing: TBA
Engine: RPG Maker MZ

Developer & Publisher : BitQuest Studio

BEING & BECOMING REVEALS 2026 RELEASE WINDOW & NEW STEAM PLAYTEST OUT NOW

The collective dream calls to you! Publisher CRITICAL REFLEX (Mouthwashing, No, I’m not a human) and developer Ichthys have released a new open playtest on Steam today for the atmospheric, pixel-art metroidvania Being and Becoming, alongside the reveal that the game will officially launch this year! Play through the game’s intro, explore multiple locations, learn to use several types of weapons and abilities, meet different NPCs, and fight two epic bosses plus a wide variety of enemies.

You are a would-be martyr, rescued from a watery grave and plunged into the Collective Dream: defy the prophecy of The Word, defeat the corrupted, gain new weapons and abilities from those who came before, and save the Dream by breaking the other dreamers free of The Word’s tyranny. Don’t let beauty dull your vigilance: the deeper you descend, the more treacherous the world becomes.

Key Features

  • Discover Echoes of the Past: Follow in the footsteps of the divers who came before you and take what they no longer need. Find new weapons and abilities to help you explore the Collective Dream.
  • Expand Your Arsenal: Assemble an array of weapons wielded by noble spirits ensnared within the torment of The Word. Weave intricate combinations of attacks to annihilate your foes.
  • Explore an Interconnected World: Venture across a vast, interconnected world which unfolds with unique visual style and mechanics.
  • Gorgeous Pixel-Art Aesthetic: From picturesque to grotesque, each location has its own ambience and feel, decorated with detailed handcrafted backdrops. Each boss has a distinctive personality, emphasized not only by the story, but with dozens of unique animations and environmental interactions.
  • Fully Voiced-Over Characters & Atmospheric OST: A diverse cast of charming and terrifying voice-acted characters and bosses. The soundtrack is filled with dynamic and atmospheric tracks that are both shaped by and directly shape gameplay.

Play the Being and Becoming playtest now on Steam and wishlist the game today! To dive deeper into all things CRITICAL REFLEX, visit www.criticalreflex.com, and follow along on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube!

About Ichthys

Ichthys began as a single man’s dream and grew into a collective dream encompassing a team of talented people with a shared goal in mind: to live by the rule of cool and tell meaningful stories. Working diligently for The Word, this team of dreamers put their heart and souls (literally) into creating visually stunning games that awaken spirits.

About CRITICAL REFLEX

CRITICAL REFLEX is an indie game publisher obsessed with genre-blending, rule-breaking, brain-melting games. We help devs polish the weird, sharpen the wild, and launch their projects loud. Known for titles like Buckshot Roulette, Lunacid, Mouthwashing and No, I’m not a Human, we champion the unforgettable experiences. Genre is a prison and we ate the warden.

About CR Channel

CR Channel is the CRITICAL REFLEX publishing label focusing exclusively on indie horror. Join the Discord here

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