It’s been a while since we’ve heard from ID@Xbox. Perhaps that’s a good thing since the first few months of 2022 have been marked by blockbuster releases one after the other, culminating in Elden Ring of course. Now that we’re in a relative lull, it’s time for Xbox to bring forward its indie showcase event.
ID@Xbox returns on Twitch next Wednesday, March 16 at 10 AM PT. Expect to see "updates, new trailers, and gameplay from Finji and Whitethorn, as well as the first game from iam8bit’s brand-new publishing label.” We’ll also hear from Shredders, Roblox, and “some new games that you need to tune in for to see!"
Judging by the splash image over on Xbox Wire, Finji's game is likely to be Tunic. Made by solo dev Andrew Shouldice, Tunic tells the story of a tiny fox armed with a sword and a shield as he makes his way through a dangerous magical world. A Zelda/Soulslike with an isometric camera, expect big boss fights, secret relics, and audio design by Power Up Audi, the same folks who did Celeste, Darkest Dungeon, and Subnautica: Below Zero. Tunic arrives March 16, the same day as the ID@Xbox presentation.
WhiteThorn Games is likely to show off Onset Master, a casual management game where you play as the owner of a hot spring. It's like a cooking sim, only instead of cooking soup, you're cooking people. And instead of cooking people, you're just lightly basting them in medicinal herbs, oils, and ointments. Plus you're cleaning out the hot springs when you're done.
You can check out a demo of Onset Master on Steam, and hopefully we'll get a release date during Wednesday's presentation.
Trek to Yomi is also shown in the art for ID@Xbox, which means we might finally get a release date for that game too. There Is No Light is another game to be featured, which is a grim action-adventure title with isometric pixel graphics. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity survives underground, you must defeat monsters, demons, and worse as you quest to retrieve your lost son.
There'll undoubtedly be more games to see on Wednesday, so tune in on Twitch to ID@Xbox. Co-streaming instructions can be found here.