June 13, 2026 - 10:49

Last week, I checked out more than two dozen new and upcoming video games in Los Angeles. Let me quickly tell you about a lot of them.
Read on for:
A game that came to its developer in a dream
A game made by someone who worked on God of War's yak
A game by a developer who may or may not still have my surround sound speakers
A game about dinosaurs that kill you, a game about you killing dinosaurs, and a game where it could go either way
A game where you can play as Sonic or Tails
And so many more...
First up is a batch of games I checked out at the Indie Mix last Friday evening, on the roof level of the Grammy Museum in downtown L.A. This annual meetup is always great for spotting some niche titles and hearing from scrappy developers.
Don't Let It Starve [demo]
Developer: Eduardo Scarpato
PC | June 12
This is a puzzle game about carefully filling the spaces in bento boxes to feed some weird creature who reaches out from what I think is an air shaft. You score bonus points for food combos, for filling every slot in the box, etc. The pitch is that it's like Resident Evil 4 inventory management turned into a full game, and with food. I played it for a few rounds, found it creepy and fun, figured I'd wait for release to play it more. Then their PR rep sent me a review code but I got too busy to play it. Whoops. But it's out today and there's a demo.
Neighborhoods
Developer: E-Line Media
PC | TBA release
A Sim City riff about fixing up a city. It's got a squishy, claymation art style and is meant to be cheerful and cozy. Instead of building up cities, as I understand it, the player is improving neighborhoods. With a computer mouse in hand, I spruced up one dilapidated block by opening up a bakery, planting trees, picking up trash and adding some pretty banners.
Entropy
Developer: Lovely Hellplace
PC | August 18
This is a turn-based RPG, and I don't have a super strong memory of playing it. But it stuck with me because it was one of several games at the show flaunting low-polygon PS1-era art. I liked the retro look. Dungeon Lurker (13AM Games, PC, TBA) also had good throw-back visuals...
Ball & Gun
Developer: NVZN Studios
PC | June 5
This game was ridiculous in all the right ways. "You're playing basketball during the zombie apocalypse," developer Art Grayson told me as I walked up to play it. He and his brother made the game and had released it just that morning. In your left hand, you've got a basketball. Hold a shoulder button just long enough to shoot it precisely. In your right is a gun, which is used to clear the court of zombies. As you play, you can upgrade your basketball shots (so you can also dunk, for example) and your guns (to wield a rocket launcher, among other things). Very silly. Why play NBA 2K or Call of Duty when you can play a game that combines the two?
Deckcrawler
Developer: Outside Joke Games
PC | TBD
Here's a first-person tactics game with a fun origin story. Developer Leslee Sullivant woke up in the middle of the night, having just dreamt it. At 2am, she envisions a person in a fantasy setting holding cards instead of a sword or magic wand. She immediately tells her husband, Chris, and they decide they've got to make it. At the Mix event, Leslee and Chris describe Deck Crawler as Slay the Spire meets Skyrim. It's early.
Poly Fighter [demo]
Developer: Heartloop Games
PC | TBD
Game developer Osama Dorias waved me over to try Poly Fighter, a 2D fighting game roguelike that he thought would primarily appeal to fans outside of the fighting game community. Instead, he says the team's heard a lot of enthusiasm from fighting game fans and they're now working to make the game's moves a bit more complex. They're also taking the game to this month's Evo fighting game tournament, making it one of the only single-player games ever demo'd at the show, Dorias said.
Gunstoppable [demo]
Developer: CAGE Studios
PC/Xbox | August 5
This is a first-person shooter where the pitch is "speed = damage." You're meant to zip through its levels, eyes on a speedometer that you want to push past 100%. I did my best, but I wasn't able to gain much excess speed. It might be
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