6 indie games you might have missed from Opening Night Live

Today was the start of gamescom, which means Geoff Keighley hosted Opening Night Live, the first major showcase of the gaming event. There was a full two and a half hours of video game trailers if you count the pre-show, so it’s not surprising if some of the huge AAA games caught the most attention. Game Science revealed the sequel to Black Myth: Wukong, Silent Hill f had a new trailer, and even Hollow Knight: Silksong was mentioned. But here’s a quick look at some of the best indie games you might have missed from Opening Night Live.

• Six promising indie games you might have missed from Opening Night Live
• Zero Parades
• Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault
• Absolum
• Unbeatable
• Denshattack!
• Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven

Six promising indie games you might have missed from Opening Night Live

There were tons of great announcements during ONL, and there are several more shows throughout this week, including the Future Games Show and two Xbox presentations. Today, though, we were treated to release dates, sequels, and a major update to a massively popular indie title. Don’t forget to add any game that looks good to your wishlist, it goes a long way to help out these smaller teams! Here are six indie games you might have missed.

Zero Parades

After the development of Disco Elysium, the development team has split into several studios. Out of this chaos, there are now several spiritual successors to the highly praised RPG. Today, we got the first look at Zero Parades from team ZA/UM.

Following in the footsteps of the game that brought the developers to prominence, Zero Parades is a CRPG where your choices make a difference. You play as a “brilliant but tormented” espionage agent on a desperate mission to restore your network. Zero Parades appears to be set in a Cold War-esque world, or a retro-inspired future, and visually has a color palette similar to Disco Elysium. ZA/UM did not reveal a release date for Zero Parades, so we’ll likely have to wait to learn more about this exciting RPG.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

The long-awaited sequel, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, from developer Digital Sun, finally has a release date: October 23rd, 2025. This trailer also revealed that Moonlighter 2 will be launching in Early Access, which was a surprise for some excited fans, including me. But there is an encouraging comment from the team on the YouTube video, explaining that the valuable feedback fans gave them through the Steam demo was “a key factor in our decision to move into Early Access… We can’t do this without you guys.” It sounds like the Early Access period will be a good back-and-forth between players and developers.

Moonlighter 2 is a clever combination of action roguelike and shop management. Travel out into the world, gather loot, and then bring it back to the shop to sell it. The Steam demo is no longer available, but if you missed your chance, you’ll only have to wait about two months to jump back into the world of Moonlighter.

Absolum

If you skipped the Opening Night Live pre-show, you probably missed the release date for Absolum, a fantastic beat ‘em up roguelike game from Dotemu, the same team behind the recent Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and the upcoming Marvel Cosmic Invasion. This team is known for utilizing licensed properties, but Absolum is an original concept. I’ve had the chance to play this game at Summer Game Fest, and there is still a free demo available on Steam.

Today’s trailer showcased the last of the four main characters that have been teased so far, and yes, it’s a floating wizard frog. The characters in Absolum are all well-designed and stand out from each other in their combat style and mechanics, but I’ve been waiting impatiently for the chance to try the wizard frog.

Unbeatable

D-Cell Games and Playstack finally revealed the release date for Unbeatable, the upcoming narrative-focused rhythm game about a world “where music is illegal and you do crimes.” Unbeatable is planned to be released on November 6th, 2025, and there’s still a demo available on Steam if you want to check it out for yourself.

Despite the dark concept of a world where music is illegal, Unbeatable immediately catches the eye with its colorful world and characters. Gameplay revolves around exploring this city, engaging in various rhythm-based mini games. But in this world, you can’t just host a concert. Unbeatable’s cast is quite literally a band of outlaws.

Denshattack!

When I first saw this trailer in the Opening Night Live pre-show, I thought it was a new spinoff of Crazy Taxi called Crazy Subway. But no, it’s even crazier. From Undercoders, Denshattack! is described as “a fast-paced, off-the-rails ride through a colorful Japanese dystopia,” and I can’t think of a better way to describe it. “Outmatch rival gangs, wreck a shady megacorp, and take back the tracks with nothing but skill, speed, and style.” While it might seem like there’s nothing but a train car here, there is a cast of colorful characters that play into this somehow.

Unfortunately, Denshattack! will have to wait until 2026 for a release date, and there’s no playable demo on Steam. This is very disappointing, because of course I want to grind down a hill in a subway car, fly into the air, and land on a Ferris wheel, only to continue riding the wheel off into the city. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long to give this game a try.

Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven

Sometimes I forget that Cult of the Lamb came out all the way back in 2022, the way it still receives significant regular updates. Today, during Opening Night Live, we got a look at Woolhaven, the newest upcoming expansion to this massively popular indie cult management roguelike from Massive Monster. Fans will have to wait until early 2026 to try this new expansion, but it promises to be “massive,” so hopefully, it will be massive enough to justify it not being free.

Woolhaven does promise to introduce a lot of content, based on the Steam page for it. The cult will have to survive blizzards, harsh temperatures, and “a creeping Rot,” with a capital “R” for some reason. Besides that, there is a new realm to explore, the Mountain, and at least two factions that look like they will cause trouble. If you’re a fan of Cult of the Lamb, this looks like an expansion worth waiting for.

Look forward to more gamescom coverage on Gamepressure. There are plenty of showcases left to be seen, and they will likely be packed with new game announcements, release date reveals, and more. But don’t forget to pay attention to the awesome smaller games that can slip under the radar. Anything you read about here or saw in a showcase deserves a wishlist on Steam or any other platform. It really helps out these small developers. Happy gamescom!

Cult of the Lamb

August 11, 2022

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• indie games
• Digital Sun Games
• Disco Elysium (franchise)
• gamescom 2025