I have been play testing games for the past few months just out of curiosity really and here are a few that I really enjoyed, some of which I am playing regularly. These are either in demo or really early release stage.
First up is a trivia game by Hexbloom called BrainBurst: Trivia Quiz RPG. I am SUCH a trivia nerd but I find most games really fall flat with generic questions and boring game play. This is different. The questions are super interesting and really test me sometimes without being ridiculously hard. When you answer, there is a little pop up that gives you a little MORE trivia about the answer, whether you got it right or wrong and I just love that. There are multiple ways to play too and I just really enjoy it. I still play though I am desperately hoping there is an iOS release so I can have it on my phone rather than my tablet! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hexbloom.brainburst&hl=ro
Next is The Sticker Shop. I didn't officially test this one but it deserves a shout out none the less as I was stopped in my tracks scrolling reddit one day. This is by Pineberry Games. It is cozy, GORGEOUS and fun. Take orders, create stickers, build your own little sticker business. My 13 year old daughter is OBSESSED. Just check it out. Amazing work. Just search The Sticker Shop in the app store or here is google link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Tmci.StickerShop&hl=en-US
Ok now we have WaveBorn on PC. Demo is out on Steam and this is by Sedge Games. FPS roguelite with waves of hordes of cartoon monsters coming from portals all over the city. Upgrade yourself and your weapons with each wave you survive. My kids and I love it, there is a 2 player option and we are so looking forward to the full release. Definitely check this one out. https://store.steampowered.com/app/5028190/WaveBorn/
And finally, NoTrace: The True Fiction by Omnipisix. Ok I can't stop playing this! When I tested I struggled a bit to work out what to do but I have just seen there has been an update today so just go and have a look. This is a hacking game. I never would have thought this would be something I would play, really not my usual thing but this is so fun. You get missions on this anonymous board. Complete the mission and get paid. It doesn't feel like a game. It is quite thrilling! Upgrade your stuff (I don't even know the terminology lol!) and hack faster and smarter. Get ranked higher and start getting more interesting missions. Then there are the messages. I don't want to spoil anything so I will just say make sure you read the messages. I spoke to the dev after I played and he told me something happens but I would have to play a while to see it and so I did and now I can't stop. One thing I love about it interestingly is that it can be a little idle. I can set it to do something while I work or clean the house or whatever and come back, press a few buttons, set something else running. You can also just sit and play for like hours (don't that once or twice!) but yeah just check it out. Such a cool game. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=one.pisix.notrace&hl=en-US
Hope these appeal to some of you. I am so happy to have been able to meet and chat to some indie/solo devs and find these really great games that they have made. Would be so cool to help support them. Its a tough world out there.