It’s October now, and you know what that means – weird and scary things abound! There’s no better time to dive into some experimental and stylish survival horror than this month’s Halloween and PlayStation Indies spooky season delivers on that front. As for the “monsters” – yes, we’ve got a bunch of very strange creatures and some beastly warriors straight out of the barn. Oh, and a geometrical object so terrifying that alien predators tremble. Let’s see what you can expect on PS4 and PS5 this month.
Eternal cylinder
The imaginative minds at the ACE Development Team (Rock of Ages, Zeno Clash, Abyss Odyssey) are back with an otherworldly adventure. A majestic planet exists far in the universe, full of strange life forms, all struggling to survive. However, even in this harsh environment, one threat persists above all others: the destructive, crushing power of the Cylinders.
You control Trebhum, a quirky herd-travelling creature endowed with the power to transform and adapt to its environment by eating. Explore four beautiful alien biomes – savannah, tundra, desert and an area infested with strange mutants – all while mutating your herd of Trebhums in response to dangers posed by environment and other organisms. Grow more legs to increase your stamina, eyes can widen for a better view of your surroundings and body stretch for more luggage space. Explore, evolve, and uncover Cylinder’s secrets before it destroys everything.
Release date: October 13 | Publishing company: Good Shepherd | PS5
Their Fightin
Cute, small animals deliver epic, pounding action in this unorthodox one-on-one fighting game from Mane6. Created by and for fans of the genre, Them’s Fightin’ Herds is a beautiful, funny cartoon creature fighting game with character designs from acclaimed animator Lauren Faust . These furry, scaly warriors may run on all fours, but they have as many skillful combat skills as their comrades, aided by magical energy that can be used on enemies. Each character’s unique move and attack skills. If beating the barn doors with your local friends isn’t enough, you can battle your friends both on and off the net, thanks to the smooth recovery netcode.
Release date: October 18 | Publishing company: Game Modus | PS4, PS5
Saturnalia
Some historians theorize that the Roman holiday Saturnalia customs were incorporated into the Christmas holiday. But in the case of Saturnalia, a game from the popular Italian indie studio Santa Ragione, Halloween is a much more appropriate season because this survival-horror roguelite is anything but carnival.
You will travel to Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy and home to the village of Gravoi, where a strange ritual takes place every winter solstice. As you take control of four different characters, you’ll explore eye-popping corridors and creepy, twisty passages as you struggle to keep the unrelenting darkness over you.
Saturnalia’s stunning and unique graphics, mixing bright colors with high-contrast pencil shadows, perfectly enhance the distinct otherworldly atmosphere. Gravoi’s winding, maze-like structure also changes radically with each playthrough, providing a whole new set of thrills each time you play.
Release date: October 27 | Publishing company: Santa Ragione | PS5, PS4
Signalis
In a distant future at the edge of space, a ship crashes on a barren, cold planet. As android technician Elster searches for her missing crewmate, she discovers what appears to be an abandoned “re-education” camp. As terrifying images and unfamiliar memories flash through her mind, the answers to many of her questions lie in strange radio transmissions. They point to something mysterious deep beneath the planet’s surface that Elster must journey to discover.
Signalis combines intense, scary survival-horror combat and resource management with a blend of 3D polygons with 2D drawings creating a unique, exceptionally detailed pixel art look. Explore the surreal environment, the mood of the planet from a top-down perspective as you piece together the psychological horror story. Can you overcome both unseen and unseen evil forces long enough to come to a great conclusion?
Release date: October 27 | Publishing company: Modest Game | PS4
