Gamescom Asia 2025 Bangkok: Indie Highlights From the Show Floor
In October 2025, Gamescom Asia teamed up with Thailand Game Show to bring Southeast Asia’s largest gaming event to Bangkok. The vast Queen Sirikit National Convention Center was packed for four days of world premieres, hands-on demos, cosplay contests, esports tournaments, and exclusive merch. I only had one day to explore it all, and it absolutely was not enough. That said, here are the best indie games I played during my time there, along with a glimpse at all the big booth action throughout the event.
HellHeart Breaker (BattleBrew Productions)
My first stop was HellHeart Breaker and it delivered. From Singapore’s BattleBrew Productions, this hack-and-slash action roguelite isn't just another Hades clone, although it certainly makes a few nods to Supergiant's classic. The unique twist here is the way it mixes an isometric action-RPG with Asian mythology and a light dating sim. Set in a mystical underworld inspired by 1920s Shanghai and East Asian folklore, you battle through procedural dungeons and meet monsters from across the region. Not content with just fighting them, you can choose to romance the baddies for power-ups, or snub them instead and face their wrath as bosses.
The combat feels great with fluid animation, flashy elemental attacks, and a strong mix of melee and ranged weapons. I didn't get enough time to really check out the dating elements, but the combat flow was very responsive, and the dev said there are more than 35 weapons on rotation. The art pops with vibrant colours and crisp anime-style characters, and the underworld village hub is gorgeous. The BattleBrew team was a friendly bunch, too, handing out stickers and chatting as we played. HellHeart Breaker adds literal heart to the roguelite formula and was one of my favourite games of the show. It's slated for release in 2027.
Wild Woods (OctoFox Games)
Next, I jumped into some co-op action with Wild Woods from Hamburg's OctoFox Games. Already in early access, this one's an action roguelite designed for 1-4 players where teams of weapon-wielding cats defend a wooden wagon as it travels through an enemy-packed forest. Think Overcooked with a wagon and goblins, and you're getting close. By day, you gather wood and food, and by night, you fend off waves of creatures trying to wreck the wagon. While that's all going on, you must keep the lantern alight; otherwise, you'll be fighting hordes in the dark.
In our demo, we juggled keeping the candle ablaze, repairing bridges with planks, and smacking gremlins and wolves in the dark. The art is charming, the cats are adorable, and it really shone with two players, though it clearly would be a hit with four (I need more friends!) I hope Wild Woods hits consoles too, as it would be perfect on a big TV.
Combo Critters: Battle Checkers (Twitchy Finger Ltd.)
Ever heard of battle chess? Combo Critters: Battle Checkers asks "Why not battle checkers?" Developed by Hong Kong's Twitchy Finger Ltd., a studio moving from mobile over to Steam to escape all that free-to-play baggage, this game is fast, addictive, and one of the most original I tried at the show. Boiled down, it's a strategic, combo-driven twist on checkers. The board looks somewhat familiar, but your pieces are cute koalas facing off against an army of ninja enemies. Now, I’m no checkers expert (I actually have no idea how to play it), so the dev walked me through the basics, which I picked up in no time.
Moves play out like classic checkers with jumps, but the twist is setting up multi-jump combos. Long chains wipe out packs of ninjas in a flurry with a rising combo counter. Levels often limit your moves, which adds a puzzle layer, while power-ups and special abilities deepen the strategy. Once it clicked, it was super satisfying to slice through enemies and get a nice 'PERFECT!' at the end. The demo is on Steam now, with final release TBA. If you like strategy or want to see checkers reinvented in a cute but much more violent way, keep watching this one.
TaKhon: Into Spirit’s Realm (PlayAlone Team)
This was a treat. TaKhon is an unreleased student project from PlayAlone Team, inspired by Thai folklore and the 'Phi Ta Khon' ghost festival in Thailand. It won First Prize in the Software Game category at the Thailand Game Festival 2025. Here, it was highlighted in a special 'Thai Games' indie section, and it drew me in with its striking art of ghost masks and spirits.
The game plays like a 2D Metroidvania in the vein of Hollow Knight, with tight platforming and melee combat in a world full of spirit houses and ghosts, which are a big part of traditional Thai culture. As a prototype it felt polished. Controls are smooth, the hand drawn art is beautiful, and the music is haunting. It's the kind of early slice you only find at shows like this. As a fan of Hollow Knight and Thai folklore, I loved the concept.
Cat Girl Survivor 2: Beyond the Veil (Minimum Studio Corp.)
The most kawaii title on the show floor goes to: Cat Girl Survivor 2: Beyond the Veil. While the original leaned towards a 'Vampire Survivor-esque' roguelite loop, the sequel instead shifts to a 2D beat ’em up with very cute art style and local co-op, kind of like a fantasy-styled River City Girls. I swooped in and parked myself on a stool, playing co-op with the dev as magical cat girls against waves of monsters. Combat is snappy and old school with light and heavy attacks, jump kicks, dashes, and big flashy special moves.
Elemental magic adds flavour too; I picked an ice build and it was very satisfying to freeze mobs into blocks and shatter them into ice cubes. Stages throw waves of enemies at you while you collect XP and power-ups, and between stages, you unlock upgrades. The pixel art is cute and colourful with chibi characters and detailed animation. There is a Steam demo available now, and it's slated for a full release in May 2026 on PC, with a possible console release later. If you love classic beat ’em ups or couch co-op with cat girls, check it out.
Woodo (Tiny Monk’s Tales)
After all that intense action, Woodo was the perfect cool-down. From a small dev team of three people, it's a cosy 3D puzzle game with diorama art, all built in Unreal Engine 5. It feels like exploring an interactive wooden toy world with photo-realistic graphics. In the demo, I explored a miniature scene, searching for items such as glasses, a hat, and a tiny toy duck, then placing them in the right spots to trigger little animations and sounds.
In true cosy-game fashion, there is no timer and no enemies, only soft music, gentle discovery, and a warm, comforting glow. Everything looks handcrafted and just plain lovely. A Steam demo is already available, with the full release for PC and consoles, including Switch, coming at a later date. Easily the coziest game of the show.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the atmosphere of Gamescom Asia was huge and buzzing. Massive crowds with cosplayers in all directions was definitely the order of the day. I was surprised to see Xbox showing a strong presence despite its small market share in Asia. Fans could go hands-on with the new ROG Xbox Ally X handheld, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
At the other end of the hall, PlayStation drew long lines for Ghost of Yotei. Nintendo’s area was pure delight with Switch 2 titles like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World, although I didn't see any sign of a playable Metroid Prime 4. HoYoverse drew massive queues for Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero. There were cosplaying Genshin characters all over the place, showing how popular the game is across Asia.
On the esports stage, Konami’s eFootball and EA Sports FC packed out separate arenas with loud, high-energy tournaments. Capcom kept the fighting game crowd engaged with a strong Street Fighter 6 presence and live matches. Elsewhere, newcomers like Mecha Break were pulling serious attention too, and dozens of other games and competitions kept every corner of the hall bustling.
My only regret was not having more time. Next year, I’m blocking out two full days minimum, and possibly cosplaying as a cat-eared Genshin character just to earn some free merch.
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