Indie Monthly: April 2026

April was a bit of a slow month for Indie Monthly, but not for the indie market writ large. The dearth of AAA releases meant that a big share of the media focus fell on smaller games last month.

Perhaps the most hyped game (one that I didn't get around to, sadly) was MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. It's one of the first big Disney-inspired games to come out after last year's public-domain release. With more famous cartoons, comics, music, and art set to hit the public domain over the next few years, this could be a golden opportunity for small developers. We can only hope that they use their new gifts for good instead of evil.

REPLACED

REPLACED is a 2.5D action-platformer set in a dystopian mirror version of the 1980s. While it caught a lot of attention for its unique visual style, it also shines for its tight, fluid combat.

Set in an alternate timeline in which a nuclear disaster nearly led to societal collapse, REPLACED follows R.E.A.C.H., a computer designed to aid in the distribution of organs used for critical transplants. A mysterious explosion embeds R.E.A.C.H. in a human operator's brain, leaving the newly merged entity (simply called "Reach") to find a solution somewhere in the surrounding Phoenix-City. But the city isn't exactly the utopia it's sold as, leaving Reach in a desperate struggle to survive the violence of the outside world and the predation of his old bosses.

The action in REPLACED is divided between combat and platforming. Combat is melee-focused with an emphasis on counters and dodges. Starting with a simple combo, Reach eventually acquires other weapons and techniques, such as a heavy attack to break through armor and a powerful - if limited - sidearm that's charged by landing and countering attacks.

The flow of combat owes far more to the Arkham games than to any of the more recent parry-based titles. The way enemies telegraph different attack types, the wide window for counters, and the ability to quickly snap to a new target all make it feel like a Batman game in 2D. The mechanics of combat are very easy to grasp, and the challenge comes from the overwhelming odds against, with Reach always badly outnumbered and under attack from both sides by enemies with a variety of short-, medium-, and long-range weapons.

Most of the platforming in REPLACED combines parkour and stealth. Reach can climb, swing, and leap with more gusto than you'd expect from an engineer. The threshold to grab hold of objects is generous - close enough is good enough most of the time. A bigger challenge is identifying the objects that Reach can grab, which isn't always clear in some areas.

Since the platforming is mechanically easy, many platforming sequences add puzzle or stealth elements. The puzzles are generally very simple, requiring little more than moving objects to the right locations. Stealth platforming is far more tense, demanding precise movements to avoid instant death.

Let's now take a moment to touch upon the aspect of REPLACED that caught everyone's attention: the amazing graphical style. REPLACED accomplishes things with pixels that shouldn't rightly be possible. The combination of pseudo-3D pixel art with high-quality lighting and effects gives the game an aesthetic that feels both retro and modern, which fits the narrative perfectly.

Overall, REPLACED is a strong title that excels across the board. It comes highly recommended to anyone looking for a blend of action and story.

A Rat's Quest - The Way Back Home

A Rat's Quest is a narrative-focused 3D platformer set in a world of giants. It's a particularly ambitious game, the first in a planned series of titles.

Mat is one of many rats living in an isolated colony, walled off from the world by the authoritarian Governor as a desperate safety measure. As a newly minted Scavenger, Mat's job is to risk his neck retrieving food from a nearby house. But Mat has an ulterior motive to take on such a dangerous task: The house mouse Nat, his secret love. The two are close to escaping from their respective prisons, but life for Mat is about to become very complicated, and the path back to normalcy won't be a safe one.

Unlike many other modern 3D platformers, A Rat's Quest is not hearkening back to 90s-era collectathons. It is far more linear and narrative-driven, foregoing hub worlds and open set pieces in favor of more focused, discrete areas. It also lacks much in the way of combat. Levels are primarily platforming challenges to navigate a series of vertically-oriented areas to find a key item or reach the next area.

Mat's move set focuses on climbing and parkour-like free movement. A typical challenge has the player trying to reach a high perch using handholds, wire walking, long jumps, and even ziplining. Most of these challenges are forgiving, though some have a time limit or feature other complications to amp up the difficulty.

There are a few divergences from this core gameplay. Some areas switch to either a side-scrolling or top-down perspective to enable puzzle solving. There are a few boss fights and even the odd stealth section to navigate, but jumping and climbing are still 90% of the action.

A Rat's Quest is very plot-driven. The central story isn't all that complex, but it is compelling and works in some twists and turns. The characters are the real shining element. Mat is charming as the young, overconfident lunkhead with big romantic dreams, and the supporting cast has enough depth to maintain interest in the story.

Overall, A Rat's Quest is an unusually good indie 3D platformer that's best for those who want something other than the usual collectathon.

That wraps up our look at the indie games that caught our attention in April! As always, be sure to come back each month for more of those sweet, sweet indie games you need to know about!