Welcome to Indie Watch, a regular feature here at P2 where our Editorial team take it in turns to highlight 2 or 3 Indie titles that have them excited. It is our chance to show off some games that you may have missed and a way to help boost the things we love most about the industry. Join us each week for a new edition.
Indie Watch - Nikoderiko: The Magical World and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Nikoderiko: The Magical World
Developer: VEA Games
Release Date: December 6, 2024
Format: PC, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series
Buy Nikoderiko: The Magical World – Director’s Cut Here
I had heard about Nikoderiko: The Magical World. It was touted as one of the great 2024 games that countless millions of players slept on, so I was thrilled when the Director’s Cut release came about in 2025, because it provided me the opportunity to see what this Donkey Kong and Crash Bandicoot-inspired platformer is all about.
At its core, Nikoderiko is a 2D platformer with a mean streak akin to the modern Donkey Kong Country games. Though not quite as difficult as the game that inspired it, Nikoderiko relishes the opportunity to toss a nasty challenge at you, and punish your failure with minimal mid-level checkpoints. The platforming feels fantastic though, with Vea Studios nailing one of the genres greatest challenge, the weight of your jumps. Whether you’re playing as Niko or Luna, or both in co-op play, the pair of mongooses take to squashing enemies, and navigating environmental hazzards, slick handling makes the moment-to-moment experience a stack of fun.
The Donkey Kong Country comparisons continue with mine-cart style courses, barrel blasting, NIKO letters to collect, and bonus levels to explore via hidden barrels. The Crash Bandicoot parallels are drawn when the camera shifts and the player has a 3D plane to explore. Adjusting to the sudden depth of perspective can be a challenge but as a gameplay experience, it works quite well, and is nice change of pace too.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Developer: Sandfall Interactive
Release Date: April 23, 2025
Format: PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Buy Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Here
Am I stretching things a bit to call Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 an indie title? Absolutely not. This is a small independent team that partnered with a small-scale publisher to get their game out to the world. I’m claiming the game for the sake of this feature, damnit! I’ve also been needing to find another excuse to talk more about the game, and so here we are.
There’s little I can say about Expedition 33 that hasn’t been said by countless millions already, but I continue to be amazed by how good the parry and dodging mechanics feel, something that I’ve not necessarily been great at across other games and other genres – I’m looking at you Soulslikes.
This game looks and plays so well, and while my completion of the game has been interrupted by other games that I’ve needed to review, I cannot wait to get back to it. The story is one of the most intriguing that I’ve seen in gaming, and the lore of the world is fascinating to pick through.
Hopefully, by the time I write another one of these features, I’ll be finished and singing its praises even louder.
