B-side Gaming

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B-side gaming is a community focused on lesser-known games. Like FOSS games, indie games, hobby games, homebrew and anything else that could fit this community. Feel free to promote your own creations. NSFW content is allowed.

Rules

  1. Be polite and don't harass people that post their games or creations. If you do not like a game, explain in a constructive way what you do like about it. Do not just reply, "This game is crap."
  2. Promoting your own games is allowed, but do not spam the community with the same game over and over again. New updates are always welcome;
  3. The main focus of this community are Foss games, Homebrew games, demakes and indie or one-person hobby games. Demos or tech demos are also welcome.
  4. NSFW games are welcome as long as they are clearly marked as such.
  5. No spam.
  6. Don't be an asshole!

founded 2 weeks ago
MODERATORS
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Poll Do you think games mods and rom hacks belong in this community?

Foss Game News

Hexon (2025-03-15)

Website

Haxon Logo

This minor update restores the info panels which had been disabled since before Masons were added to the game. It tells the player what pickups and enemies are worth, and will be used in the future for purchasing modules. Also, the sun stone pattern that flashes when picking up the Chaoball has been replaced with one of which the source can be traced.

Ferris fair (2025-03-14) Website

Ferris Fair Logo

Some improvements have been made to the Ferris wheel. The shape key controlling its size has been fixed, and it is now possible to - using the Looker tool - ride its gondolas.

VoxeLibre (0.89)

Website

  • Map item expansion

Map items finally can be zoomed-out with the cartographer table, thanks to work of kno10, mirqf, AFCMS. Further fixes improvements to the system have been carried out by teknomunk and rudzik8. Map graphics when it is held in hand are now better thanks to work of rudzik8 and erle.

  • Mob spawning

The system of mob spawns got another large batch of improvements by teknomunk and kno10. It should work better, more reliably and more efficiently.

  • Structure generation

...is now finally more deterministic, thanks to kno10. This means that a new world generated with the same mapgen and field now should look way more similar, especially in terms of structures. Future mapgen changes will obviously still change the way the world looks, but on the same version, it should be actually predictable.

  • Sitting and more

The well-known mcl_cozy mod has been integrated into the base game by its author, rudzik8. Now you will be able to sit on stairs, slabs and blocks from mods supporting this feature (like chairs), and sit and lay anywhere with commands.

  • Node reworks

Signs got a grand rework by rudzik8 with assist of kno10, building upon work of cora, ryvnf, j-r, ellesheepy and goblin_mode. Now there's a partial UTF-8 support (Latin diacritics, Greek and Cyrillic), sign cleaning and other features, on top of more reliability! A new climbable hollow logs' variant with a ladder inside was added by Herowl, along with improvements to the hollow logs' code. Item frames got a large update by rudzik8, based on work of cora and Freedom, making them placeable on floors and ceilings, as well as adding new invisible frames to the creative menu. Tree growth code has been improved by kno10 and rudzik8, making tree growth a bit slower and more uniform.

  • Textures improvements

    • Stone and wooden hoe textures improvements – by kno10 • Cherry leaves, wood and some other items made from it got their textures remastered – by rudzik8 and NovaWostra • Hammer textures improvements – by rudzik8 • Redstone dust updated – by SmokeyDope • Hollow oak log texture fixed – by kno10 • Spider, squid and chicken got better textures – by XSSheep and rudzik8 • Raw ore items tweaks and crystalline drop rework – by rudzik8

..

  • Sounds improvements

    • Sound volume adjustments – by ryvnf and rudzik8 • Scaffolding placement sounds – by SmokeyDope • Bamboo placement and digging sounds – by SmokeyDope • More sheep, skeleton and iron golem sounds, along with sound usage fixes – by SmokeyDope • Sheep grazing sound volume increased – by Nicu

..

  • Performance optimizations

Lightning attractor search has been optimized by teknomunk, which should decrease lag during thunderstorms if you were experiencing it. Complex player spawn position search code removed by kno10, because it caused unnecessary load and lag on certain seeds. Based on cora's work. Floating kelp appearing in water during generation has been fixed by teknomunk and kno10. The amount of dropped items would severely hamper performance, now it works properly at last! Various code related to mapgen and node manipulation improved by kno10. It may not bring significant performance improvements, but it should get easier to further work with. LuaJIT parameters setting and an optional core function extraction optimization (requires vl_trusted being set as a trusted mod) conducted by kno10. New hashing functions have been added by kno10, along with improvements to how randomness is being used and how seeds and UUIDs are being generated. It should be more robust, even if performance gains aren't noticed.

And much more

Harmonist (0.6.0) Website

Screenshot

Fix v0.4 regression when falling in abyss after levitation.

  • Make G enter examine mode and select nearest stairs. Previous behavior with G was buggy and not suited for Harmonist's stealth gameplay.
  • Disallow swapping from a cramped place (like a table)

Tanks of Freedom II (1.0.7) Website

Tanks of Freedom II Logo

Version 1.0.7 of the game is now available! More multiplayer goodies to help with an upcoming onFOSS tournament. New additions • Multiplayer host can now kick players from lobby • Added configurable turn time limit to multiplayer games • Added configurable turns limit to multiplayer games • Added points summary in multiplayer games in case of a turn limit draw • Added Online join code copy button • Added tilt-shift blur toggle to Settings Improvements • Moved UI elements in map picker and load/save interface

Space Nerds In Space (1.0.2) Website Now there's a new options screen on the launcher screen in snis_client with various network options

FlightGear (2025-02-27) Website The 2024.1 release series will only receive relatively minor updates, as development efforts are being focused on the next major release that includes a new rendering pipeline! As always there’s also internal improvements to the flight models and other simulation systems, bug-fixes, and performance improvements. To get started straight away, visit the download page. Feature highlights

Screenshot

There’s been a ton of changes since the last release, but here’s a few particularly interesting ones: • Real-time dynamic shadows and lights • Added preliminary support for VR headsets using OpenXR • Added a preview of World Scenery 3.0, a new scenery system that uses multiple levels of detail to provide higher frame-rates and lower memory occupancy at higher visibility ranges • Fixed a large number of crashes, bugs, and memory leaks, as well as a high-severity security vulnerability (CVE-2025-0781).

Shattered Pixel Dungeon (v3.0.0) Website

Gameart

What’s new in v3.0.0Permalink v3.0 includes Shattered’s second new playable character! The Cleric is a divine spellcaster who learns and upgrades spells via the talent system! They’re releasing with 2 subclasses, 3 armor abilities, and over 30 different spells! There are also visual improvements, a new title graphic, and loads of smaller changes!

Full Changelog

Mr Wendigo's Journey (v0.3d) Website

Version update

AAAAXY (1.6.0) Website

AAAXY Logo

Changes since v1.5.256: • Assets: map and demo updates to use the new slopes feature. • Engine: early preparations for having multiple level files. • Engine: support slopes. • Engine: update Go modules. • Engine: update to Go 1.23. This ends support for Big Sur. • Physics: allow stepping up when barely clipping a corner.


Indie and Hobby games news

Preview: Tides of Tethys

Tides of Tethys by Black Rust LLC Tides of Tethys is an underwater strategy game with roguelite elements and procedurally.

[Canadian Game Awards 2025 Recap](Canadian Game Awards 2025 Recap)

The 2025 Canadian Game Awards covered by David Carcosole, who braved a winter snowstorm to attend the Toronto event at TIFF Lightbox

Indie Game Reviewer's Top 10 Indie Games of 2024

Our Top 10 Indie Games of 2024 are set apart by novel mechanisms, joy-inducing visuals, emotional outcomes, and exemplary design. https://github.com/AntonioND/ucity/blob/master/screenshot.png Humble games showcase 2025 round-up

ShuffleComp 2024: Shuffle Harder huffleComp is a musical interactive fiction competition where you make games based on songs, which are submitted by other entrants. The last ShuffleComp occurred in 2023.


Homebrew games showcase

Dango Dash Website

Help Dango make the people in his village happy in this light-hearted retro platformer for the Game Boy Color.

dangan GB Website

Dangan GB is a short simplistic boss-rush/bullet-hell shmup released for the Game Boy to celebrate the console's 30th anniversary. Some features: • 6 unique bosses with multiple phases • no bullet flicker • no slowdown • no tearing • plenty of bullets

uCity Website

Screenshot

The open-source city-building game for Game Boy Color.

Apotris Website

Screenshot

Apotris is a free multiplatform open-source block stacking game! What sets Apotris apart from other block stacking games is its extensive customization options, complemented by ultra-responsive controls that let you execute your moves with precision. With 14 unique game modes and a plethora of settings, you can tailor the game to your preferences, ensuring a fresh and challenging experience every time you play. Whether you're a casual player or a hardcore enthusiast, Apotris has something for everyone. You can even battle your friends using the Gameboy Advance Link Cable or Wireless Adapters in 2-Player Battle! While Apotris was originally designed for Gameboy Advance, it now supports all kinds of platforms, so between the ports and emulation you can play Apotris on almost anything. The game is still actively maintained and new features are added constantly.


Featured article

Solarus Screenshot

Solarus is an ARPG engine and game authoring tool. Solarus games are called "quests", and can be made with the Solarus Quest Editor. The project also has in-depth tutorials for using the tool.

Using Solarus, aspiring game developers can make sophisticated Zelda-like games, and other types of games. Virtually every aspect of the game engine is customisable via the Lua API, and the authoring tool has graphical editing of several aspects, such as map making.

The latest version of Solarus is 1.4.5, and was released November 22nd. The Solarus team are currently hard at work with version 1.5, which comes with lots of improvements and bug fixes. For now, you can download version 1.4.5 from the Solarus website. See Solarus for more information about this great engine and authoring tool.

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Name of the Rose meets Dune in a point and click murder mystery.
On a distant desert planet, a crime has been committed. As Mother Tiabata and Sister Ava set out to solve the mystery, they soon find themselves facing an impossible conundrum: how does one murder a god?

Shards of God is a retro hand-painted point and click murder mystery - I’ve been pitching it as Name of the Rose meets Dune, but there’s a lot of Agatha Christie and some Discworld in there as well. It was originally started as part of AdvJam2023, and the full game was then finished within two months.

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Isleward (www.isleward.com)
submitted 5 hours ago by falseprophet@fedia.io to c/Bside@fedia.io
 
 

Explore
A huge open-world lies before you and where you go is entirely up to you.

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I want out! (i-want-out.itch.io)
submitted 13 hours ago by falseprophet@fedia.io to c/Bside@fedia.io
 
 

A short and retro style 'escape the room' game.

He's trapped in this mysterious place and wants to get out. Will you help him?

I Want Out! is a retro pixel art point and click adventure game, using a 9-verb-interface like some 80's and 90's titles. But it's also a modern game with state of the art effects! :-P

It's a short game that should require about one hour of gameplay.

Story :

The kid is trapped...
Why? He doesn't even know... so you've got to find him a way to get out.
Along the way, you may find the explanation for all this.

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Delve with Shovel Knight into the depths of the Pocket Dungeon in an action-packed puzzle adventure mashup like none other!

Join your mysterious guide Puzzle Knight as you shovel through scads of foes, procure new equipment, and battle bosses both familiar and new.

Explore a tale with endless twists and turns, quest as your favorite heroes, and even challenge a friend for fast-paced head-to-head competition in Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon!

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Vindefiant on Steam (store.steampowered.com)
submitted 1 day ago by falseprophet@fedia.io to c/Bside@fedia.io
 
 

A disgruntled employee is fired from his job, sparking a path of rage and destruction. Lead Alyx through his journey of vengeance and creatively kill enemies in this pixel-art adventure where you, are the villain.

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ONKEY.SMS is a homebrew game for Window, Linux and Master System inspired by the game DONKEY.BAS that shipped with MS-DOS back in 1981!

This game was remade a few times for various platforms (DONKEY.NET, DONKEY.APP...) and languages (DonkeyPy), but never for Master System!

DONKEY.SMS is more fun and more challenging than the original, not to mention more colourful! Difficulty (speed) progressively increases, best scores are saved, and there are two new game modes to unlock!

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Grow Pompeii into a prosperous city before Vesuvius erupts

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The Award-winning detective saga returns in this standalone sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol. Uncover the truth behind 20 strange cases of crime, death and depravity in the 1970s. The world has changed dramatically - the sins of humanity have not.

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A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.

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Flip gravity, and save the universe!
Help! Everyone has been teleported away randomly! As the heroic Captain Viridian, it's up to you to find your friends, bring them back to safety, and save the universe!

VVVVVV is a platform game all about exploring one simple mechanical idea - what if you reversed gravity instead of jumping?

The game is designed not to artificially gate your progress. In VVVVVV there are no locks, no power-ups, no switches, nothing to stop you progressing except the challenges themselves.

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In this world, corporations reign supreme, all human life is infected with nanomachines designed to oppress them, and the terrifying White Knights ensure that everyone obeys the laws.

But, this is not about those people.

You are a bartender at VA-11 HALL-A, affectionately nicknamed "Valhalla." Although it is just a small bar downtown, it attracts the most fascinating people this side of dystopia. Keep your clients lubricated and you will be made privy to the most interesting stories.

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Welcome to Pride Park, the idol school where stars are born!

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Surge the Rabbit is a fun retro platformer bundled with the engine. You can play it and use it as a base to create your own games!

  • Play on amazing levels!
    
    
  • 360° physics system
    
    
  • Local multiplayer
    
    
  • Easy to MOD
    
    
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Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation wass announced along with the release of a free demo, which you can play right now on Steam

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Discover the best new indie games of April 2025. From emotional adventures to sci-fi strategy, here are 15 must-play indie titles launching this month.

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A fun, cute, magical adventure on the Gameboy Color.

pre-production image, final product may vary
STORY

Every 500 years the stars align with the lunar eclipse creating the fabled Monster Moon. The moon turns green and Curses the land turning the animals into MONSTERS.

It's up to you to save all your friends and remove the Curse of the Monster Moon.
THE GAME

You play as Sofia, a plucky little witch that will do whatever she can to save her friends from their terrible curse.

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In Alwa's Awakening you play as Zoe, a heroine sent from another world to bring peace to the land of Alwa. Equipped only with a magic staff she awakens in a distant land and must set out to help the people. Traverse dangerous dungeons, meet interesting and fun characters and explore the world in this 8-bit adventure game. Just like the old classics you won't have a flashing arrow telling you exactly where to go and what to do next. Instead you are free to find your own way and by using your magic staff you can progress through the over 400 unique challenging rooms in the game.

Alwa’s Awakening is a game that tries to stay as close as possible to the authentic 8-bit look with sweet pixel art, a soundtrack filled with catchy chiptunes and so much charm it’ll bring you right back to the NES era. With easy to understand controls the game is easy to learn but tough to master, just like how games were in the old days!

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Greetings, valued employee. You have been tasked with sorting the Ringo CorpoNation's genetic samples. With the credits that you earn, you can shop, game and pay your bills on time. Rogue workers may try to entice you into betraying your beloved employer, but we know you'll give 110%.

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Nikoderiko: The Magical World – Director’s Cut has been confirmed for release in April, giving you the most complete version of the game

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The next Indie Live Expo takes place in just over two weeks, and with it will come over 100 game reveals and announcements

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Freeciv (freeciv.org)
submitted 1 week ago by falseprophet@fedia.io to c/Bside@fedia.io
 
 

Freeciv is a Free and Open Source empire-building strategy game inspired by the history of human civilization. The game commences in prehistory and your mission is to lead your tribe from the Stone Age to the Space Age.

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We revisit the white chamber to celebrate the game's 20th anniversary. PC players can check it out on Steam and itch.io.

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n 1820 Captain William Thompson was put in charge of transporting Spains riches from Lima to Mexico. Unable to resist the treasures temptation they turned pirate. Heading for Cocos Island off the coast of Costa Rica Thompson and his men allegedly buried the treasure. Thompson and the crew were eventually captured and put on trial for piracy. The treasure has forever lain dormant. Now the hunt begins...

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