8 Must-See Indie Game Trailers from Triple-I Initiative

Main points

• The Triple-I Initiative Showcase focuses on independent games and will debut on April 10, 2024.
• “Slay the Spire 2,” “Dinosaur Lords,” and “Prince of Persia” were mocked at the showcase.
• Kill Knight, Cataclismo, Hyper Light Breaker and Streets of Rogue 2 were also highlighted.

Every few months, we can look forward to some big reveal looking at upcoming big-budget games. While E3 used to be the focus of the year, with every publisher and developer making the biggest announcements, now we get a smattering of news throughout the year. While this does make it easier for us to keep track of all these games, it does make it harder for indie games to find a place where they can get noticed.

Enter the Triple-I Initiative Showcase. This new showcase is made by indie developers for indie developers and will hold its first showcase on April 10, 2024. As the name suggests, this showcase is designed specifically for indie developers to come together and showcase upcoming projects in a larger event that attracts more eyeballs than any single team could ever do. When the Triple-I Interactive Showcase debuted, there were 30 developers participating, so a lot was revealed. If you missed the live show and want to catch up on the most important announcements, I personally recommend checking these out.

1 Slay the Spire 2

strong hand

Among its fans, Slay the Spire is considered a near-perfect deck-building roguelike. It features several different characters who have their own set of cards that you can use to defeat monsters and bosses as you climb the tower. The formula has proven addictive enough, catapulting the game into one of the top indie games in recent years. Naturally, this makes the announcement of the sequel the perfect way to showcase it. The trailer doesn’t show off gameplay, but it does reveal at least two returning characters in Flaw and Observer, as well as a new class called the “Necrobinder.” The game will first be available in early access in 2025 and is expected to be officially released soon.

2 dinosaur lord

Dungeons and Dinosaurs

At first looking like a somewhat normal medieval isometric role-playing city-building game, things take a radical turn when enemy troops show up riding dinosaurs. You play as an English Lord who needs to gather resources to build a kingdom that will eventually come under attack. You can train a variety of soldiers to help you defend your land against common spear, sword, and bow enemies, but it’s the dinosaurs that are the real threat. The trailer shows off a T-Rex breaching a stone wall, an armored Stegosaurus being used as a mobile archer platform, and a co-op mode. “Dinosaur Lord” will first enter the early access stage, but no specific date has been given.

3 rogue prince of persia

The prince is back again…

Even though we kicked off the year with the stunning Wages of Persia: The Lost Crown, that doesn’t mean we can’t get another 2D action game in the series. Thanks to its striking art style and reputation as being produced by Dead Cells developer Evil Empire, Prince of Persia isn’t in danger of being overshadowed by its predecessor. This lineage was on full display in the gameplay we saw, and it looked like a perfect blend of the two games’ core mechanics. Combat looks very fluid, with free-flowing movement and fun 2D wall-running gameplay. This will also be in the roguelike genre, so expect a lot of replayability when the game launches. You can find out what’s coming in Early Access on May 14th.

4 Killer Knight

Barrage hell heaven

Sometimes the simplest name is the most appropriate. “Kill the Knight” tells the story of a knight who kills a large number of enemies with a gun and sword. Imagine the speed, brutality, and raw visceral carnage of Doom, but played from an isometric perspective, and you can see what Kill Knight is going for. Based on the trailer’s musical and visual style, this is a game that will get your blood boiling and never give you a chance to breathe unless you or something else on the screen is dead. Although there is no specific date, Killer Knight will be released on all platforms this year.

5 Cataclysm

Build and defend

Catastrophe is an interesting hybrid of genres. On the one hand, it’s a small-scale city builder where you create your own castle by placing individual blocks, much like Minecraft. On the other hand, it has RTS elements where you need to place and manage units to defend said base. In this seemingly mythical and inspired story, you are tasked with defending the land of Hogar from monsters emerging from the mists. You won’t have to wait too long either, as Cataclismo will be released on July 16th.

6 super light destroyer

slashes and dashes

The sequel to Super Light Drifter has been a long time in the making, but this trailer really got me excited when it was finally released. The original had a lot of style and action, but retained the 2D perspective. The sequel has higher ambitions, not only using 3D technology, but also using an open world. From what’s been shown, none of Neon’s charm, speed, or difficulty seems to have been lost in translation. This is another game that will be entering Early Access for the first time this summer.

7 thieves street 2

be anyone or anything

Plenty of games claim that you can “do anything” in them, but I’ve yet to play one that truly delivers on that promise the way Rogue Fist does. The only minor issue is how closed-ended it is, something the sequel aims to address. Just like the original, you can play as almost any character you can imagine, from a firefighter or soldier to a gorilla or a werewolf. Each character has different abilities and interactions with all other character types in the world. This game truly lets you play however you want, so your only limit is your creativity. If you missed the first game, don’t miss Streets of Rogue 2, which will be available in Early Access in 2024.

8 mouse

1930s animated shooter

Do you like the art style of Cuphead but find the gameplay a little too challenging? Mouse more directly references the rubber hose animation style of the 1930s, but it’s not a 2D run-and-gun game, but a first-person shooter. Everything from the animation, black and white visuals, effects to the music feels ripped off from the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon. You play as a private detective working in a city full of evil characters and gangs. There is currently no specific date other than 2025.

FAQ

Q: What is a Triple-I Initiative showcase?

The first Triple-i Initiative kicked off on April 11 with a 45-minute showcase of independent games. The crowded feed highlights art styles from a variety of genres, from both known and unknown developers. There are over 30 announcements in total, but the 8 listed here are the most noteworthy.