Indie Selects for April 2026: Big on Building, Strategy, and Action Post a Comment Category: ID@Xbox April 2, 2026 Indie Selects for April 2026: Big on Building, Strategy, and Action Amy Connors, Oscar Polanco, Keith Muelas, Raymond Estrada, Deron Mann – ID@Xbox Lawn Care Specialists Every Wednesday, dive into the Indie Select Hub — your gateway to a fresh, curated indie collection plus four themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You can always find this collection hub in the Xbox Store and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects. April Indie Selects bursts onto the scene with a lineup that’s as bold and varied as the season itself. This month’s lineup spans cultures, genres, and generations—whether it’s a graffiti-fueled shooter steeped in Brazilian street art, a tactical game show imagining the future through a sharp strategic lens, or a serene galaxy restoration tale built around connection and care. From side-scrolling chaos inspired by beloved animation, to cloud-bound city building shaped by unforgiving climates, to stealth-driven WWII missions led by unconventional heroes, April’s picks prove that indie creativity knows no bounds. Here’s what we’ve got for you this month (in no particular order): Scott Pilgrim EX Scott Pilgrim is back, with Scott Pilgrim EX (EX as in ex ) a new entry for the beloved franchise which has already conquered comics, a cult movie, anime, and video games. The premise is simple: three gangs have decided Toronto is theirs now. The Vegans are aggressive about their dietary choices, the Robots are doing robot things, and the Demons are just classic demons being demons. To make matters worse, someone has kidnapped Scott’s bandmates who now must recruit the help of unlikely allies to save the city and rescue his bandmates from shadowy forces. Gameplay is a glorious beat ’em up in the tradition of Castle Crashers and Turtles in Time, meaning you will punch hundreds of unique enemies in a satisfying way. Up to four players can join locally or online, with drop-in support. The open world lets you explore shops, upgrade abilities that allow you to unlock new areas, and oh there’s also time travel because why not. The pixel art is gorgeous, packed with hilarious background details you’ll miss because you’re too busy roundhouse kicking a vegan. The soundtrack is solid. And my favorite part: you can finally play as a member of the former Evil Exes. Healthy! With seven playable characters, unique endings, and enough replayability to justify your life choices, Scott Pilgrim EX absolutely delivers. – Oscar Polanco Ghetto Zombies: Graffiti Squad We’ve been experiencing some smash-hits coming from Brazil lately, and Ghetto Zombies: Graffiti Squad absolutely follows that trend! In a post-apocalyptic world where our survival depends on a squad of mutant kids blasting away zombies with the weirdest guns, you can bet these heroes have got your back! From Ketchup blasters to a rapid-firing boxing glove on a spring, fighting zombies has never been so fun! Don’t get too confident though – for as much of an armory you’ve got on your hands, the zombies are well equipped to give you some trouble. Personally, I normally find myself pretty unstoppable in top-down shooters, but some graffiti-spawns and the first zombie boss gave me quite a challenge. Playing smart and strategic is highly encouraged here! As you clear out town from the zombies and place your mark with graffiti, you’ll start building up your collection of weapons to bring back to base and store for later. At base you’re able to reload, test your new guns, and level up your hero’s stats so that you’re ready to go back out and continue your zombie slaying! If you’re looking for some good ol’ zombie slaying fun in a top-down shooter, you’ve found it. Enjoy a unique blend of pixel graphics, top-down shooting, zombie-killing, indie goodness here and support a team that has made a game that is truly a great time ready to be had! – Keith Muelas Showgunners I’m a sucker for anything that channels the spirit of “The Running Man”: dystopian futures, deadly reality‑TV arenas, and ordinary people forced to survive for the entertainment of the masses. It’s a wild concept that fits games perfectly, as classics like Smash TV and Manhunt proved. Showgunners, from developer Artificer, carries that legacy forward with a brutally delightful, high‑stakes turn‑based tactics experience that stands out in all the right ways. Combat takes up most of the adventure, and its approachable style is reminiscent of Gears Tactics. As Scarlett, you lead a squad of characters with new allies joining as your popularity climbs, each with unique skills you unlock via branching trees. Mechanically, it’s familiar but polished. Each turn gives your squad a pool of action points, spent on movement, attacks, reloads, grenades, and more. Choices matter, as moving too far or firing first can burn your AP quickly, but the challenge always feels fair as long as you think before you act. Arenas feature varied objectives, usually centered on wiping out enemies, with optional timed bonuses and occasional “Plot Twists” introduced by the showrunner to keep you on edge. Between missions, you retreat to a hub area where you can chat with teammates or record confessionals, pushing the narrative forward and giving downtime between tense encounters. While it’s not the deepest tactics game on the market, Showgunners delivers a consistently fun 12-15-hour ride, backed by sharp design and a strong variety of characters that keeps strategy fresh. It’s accessible, violent, stylish, funny, and surprisingly vibrant for a blood‑soaked hellshow. If you want a welcoming entry point into turn‑based tactics, or just love dystopian game‑show chaos like I do, I highly recommend it. – Raymond Estrada Laysara: Summit Kingdom I never expected to get so into city builders, but the genre has been leaning into cozier experiences lately and that’s exactly my vibe these days. Laysara: Summit Kingdom fits perfectly: a challenging-yet-relaxing mountain city builder where you construct settlements atop snowy peaks, juggle vertical production chains, build bridges and lifts, and prepare for avalanches. It delivers all the satisfaction of efficient planning without the stress of invading armies or monster hordes. The game offers five modes: Campaign, Scenario, Sandbox, Challenge, and Free Build; with Campaign serving as the natural starting point thanks to its tutorials. Here you are tasked with building a series of settlements by making the most of each mountain’s unique terrain. Each settlement is divided into 3 castes: laborers, artisans, and monks—plus yaks, which function almost like a fourth caste and core resource. Each group has distinct needs and roles that shape how you design your layout. Supply chains are the heart of the game. Roads, bridges, and lifts all determine whether your goods move properly, and every building needs to be directed to send its output somewhere specific. Managing space becomes a puzzle, and you’ll repeatedly rebuild and reorganize as your settlement grows and your room to expand shrinks. Population management is also key. More citizens mean more donations to your treasury, but upgrading homes raises their living standards. Failing to meet those needs can lead to steep financial penalties. Thankfully, mountains offer resources that let you upgrade buildings and keep your population stable. I’ve never seen a city builder like this. Its compact layouts, vertical terrain, and stunning Himalayan-inspired aesthetic make it truly stand out. The art, UI, character designs, and music are all beautifully crafted, and the color-coded castes make organizing your settlement effortless. If you enjoy city builders or puzzle-like design challenges, Laysara: Summit Kingdom is a thoughtful, polished, must‑have addition to your library. – Raymond Estrada Bubblegum Galaxy Bubblegum Galaxy is a 3D cozy narrative puzzle game that puts players in the role of planet architect Haco, an anthropomorphic cat with a house for a head. After scoring an internship at a planet‑architecting company and arriving for their first day, a snafu during what should be a routine onboarding session somehow deletes the entire galaxy, throwing the office into chaos. Now faced with guilt, a bit of “new guy” scrutiny, and rising performance expectations, it’s up to Haco and their coworkers to rebuild the galaxy—or risk the company’s collapse. While I was already charmed by its low‑poly, retro‑inspired aesthetic, it was the game’s silly tone, world‑building, expressive characters, and intuitive gameplay that kept me hooked. At its core, players tackle levels built around placing hex‑based tiles on a grid to form planets. This consists of grouping matching colors, aligning tile edges, and connecting environmental features to maximize scores while completing planet‑specific quests. Each level supports multiple solutions, leaning heavily into player expression and encouraged mastery rather than overwhelming complexity. In other words, the game is as chill or challenging as you want it to be. You can finish levels early to score more points once objectives are complete, or simply vibe out and continue designing the planet with your remaining tiles. If I had to recommend one reason for anyone to pick Bubblegum Galaxy up though, it would be the characters. Apart from the narrative and as part of the core loop, you’re incentivized to forge bonds with your coworkers to learn more about them and earn new abilities. You get a mix of crazy, oblivious, caring, serious, and self‑centered personalities—but everyone is hilarious. Tonally, the game is so unserious and self‑aware that I often found myself laughing more than pressing buttons. – Deron Mann Sumerian Six Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. This is the second Artificer title in our lineup, and they’ve earned it. Sumerian Six sets a new high bar for stealth-focused real‑time tactics. In an alternate World War II, you lead a team of scientist/commandos trying to stop Nazis from harnessing occult power. You’ll infiltrate sprawling castles, bases, bunkers, and labs while slipping past layers of vigilant guards. Every squad member has unique abilities for silent takedowns, but expect to get caught and die often. Failure is just part of the learning curve. The controls feel instantly intuitive. Enemy vision cones have two zones—a solid area where they’ll spot anything suspicious, and a shaded area where they’ll only detect you if you’re standing or performing obvious actions. A pause-and-queue system lets you stack commands, enabling slick maneuvers like distracting a guard with a thrown bottle while another character sneaks in for the takedown. Levels are large but broken into smaller, distinct sections with their own challenges. Quick saves are essential; use them generously. Alarms don’t automatically mean failure, but hidden bodies and avoiding sightlines become crucial to prevent things from spiraling into unwinnable firefights. Abilities are a highlight. Some characters offer precise tools like paralytic darts or position swaps. One guy can literally turn into a bear—less subtle, very effective. As you progress, you’ll discover efficient ways to clear rooms, like swapping with an isolated enemy and delivering them straight into your bear ally’s claws. Character availability shifts each chapter, which often leads to wishing you had just one more absent ability for the perfect solution. Unlike Showgunners, this isn’t turn‑based, and timed challenges encourage mastering fast, quiet execution. Artificer delivers another polished 12-15-hour experience. It’s challenging and niche, but packed with excellent design, smart UI, inventive abilities, and an engaging story. If you enjoy the genre and want a rewarding challenge, this one’s outstanding. – Raymond Estrada The post Indie Selects for April 2026: Big on Building, Strategy, and Action appeared first on Xbox Wire. source https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/04/02/indie-selects-id-xbox-april-2026/ Location: Share : Post a Comment for "Indie Selects for April 2026: Big on Building, Strategy, and Action"
Category: ID@Xbox April 2, 2026 Indie Selects for April 2026: Big on Building, Strategy, and Action Amy Connors, Oscar Polanco, Keith Muelas, Raymond Estrada, Deron Mann – ID@Xbox Lawn Care Specialists Every Wednesday, dive into the Indie Select Hub — your gateway to a fresh, curated indie collection plus four themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You can always find this collection hub in the Xbox Store and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects. April Indie Selects bursts onto the scene with a lineup that’s as bold and varied as the season itself. This month’s lineup spans cultures, genres, and generations—whether it’s a graffiti-fueled shooter steeped in Brazilian street art, a tactical game show imagining the future through a sharp strategic lens, or a serene galaxy restoration tale built around connection and care. From side-scrolling chaos inspired by beloved animation, to cloud-bound city building shaped by unforgiving climates, to stealth-driven WWII missions led by unconventional heroes, April’s picks prove that indie creativity knows no bounds. Here’s what we’ve got for you this month (in no particular order): Scott Pilgrim EX Scott Pilgrim is back, with Scott Pilgrim EX (EX as in ex ) a new entry for the beloved franchise which has already conquered comics, a cult movie, anime, and video games. The premise is simple: three gangs have decided Toronto is theirs now. The Vegans are aggressive about their dietary choices, the Robots are doing robot things, and the Demons are just classic demons being demons. To make matters worse, someone has kidnapped Scott’s bandmates who now must recruit the help of unlikely allies to save the city and rescue his bandmates from shadowy forces. Gameplay is a glorious beat ’em up in the tradition of Castle Crashers and Turtles in Time, meaning you will punch hundreds of unique enemies in a satisfying way. Up to four players can join locally or online, with drop-in support. The open world lets you explore shops, upgrade abilities that allow you to unlock new areas, and oh there’s also time travel because why not. The pixel art is gorgeous, packed with hilarious background details you’ll miss because you’re too busy roundhouse kicking a vegan. The soundtrack is solid. And my favorite part: you can finally play as a member of the former Evil Exes. Healthy! With seven playable characters, unique endings, and enough replayability to justify your life choices, Scott Pilgrim EX absolutely delivers. – Oscar Polanco Ghetto Zombies: Graffiti Squad We’ve been experiencing some smash-hits coming from Brazil lately, and Ghetto Zombies: Graffiti Squad absolutely follows that trend! In a post-apocalyptic world where our survival depends on a squad of mutant kids blasting away zombies with the weirdest guns, you can bet these heroes have got your back! From Ketchup blasters to a rapid-firing boxing glove on a spring, fighting zombies has never been so fun! Don’t get too confident though – for as much of an armory you’ve got on your hands, the zombies are well equipped to give you some trouble. Personally, I normally find myself pretty unstoppable in top-down shooters, but some graffiti-spawns and the first zombie boss gave me quite a challenge. Playing smart and strategic is highly encouraged here! As you clear out town from the zombies and place your mark with graffiti, you’ll start building up your collection of weapons to bring back to base and store for later. At base you’re able to reload, test your new guns, and level up your hero’s stats so that you’re ready to go back out and continue your zombie slaying! If you’re looking for some good ol’ zombie slaying fun in a top-down shooter, you’ve found it. Enjoy a unique blend of pixel graphics, top-down shooting, zombie-killing, indie goodness here and support a team that has made a game that is truly a great time ready to be had! – Keith Muelas Showgunners I’m a sucker for anything that channels the spirit of “The Running Man”: dystopian futures, deadly reality‑TV arenas, and ordinary people forced to survive for the entertainment of the masses. It’s a wild concept that fits games perfectly, as classics like Smash TV and Manhunt proved. Showgunners, from developer Artificer, carries that legacy forward with a brutally delightful, high‑stakes turn‑based tactics experience that stands out in all the right ways. Combat takes up most of the adventure, and its approachable style is reminiscent of Gears Tactics. As Scarlett, you lead a squad of characters with new allies joining as your popularity climbs, each with unique skills you unlock via branching trees. Mechanically, it’s familiar but polished. Each turn gives your squad a pool of action points, spent on movement, attacks, reloads, grenades, and more. Choices matter, as moving too far or firing first can burn your AP quickly, but the challenge always feels fair as long as you think before you act. Arenas feature varied objectives, usually centered on wiping out enemies, with optional timed bonuses and occasional “Plot Twists” introduced by the showrunner to keep you on edge. Between missions, you retreat to a hub area where you can chat with teammates or record confessionals, pushing the narrative forward and giving downtime between tense encounters. While it’s not the deepest tactics game on the market, Showgunners delivers a consistently fun 12-15-hour ride, backed by sharp design and a strong variety of characters that keeps strategy fresh. It’s accessible, violent, stylish, funny, and surprisingly vibrant for a blood‑soaked hellshow. If you want a welcoming entry point into turn‑based tactics, or just love dystopian game‑show chaos like I do, I highly recommend it. – Raymond Estrada Laysara: Summit Kingdom I never expected to get so into city builders, but the genre has been leaning into cozier experiences lately and that’s exactly my vibe these days. Laysara: Summit Kingdom fits perfectly: a challenging-yet-relaxing mountain city builder where you construct settlements atop snowy peaks, juggle vertical production chains, build bridges and lifts, and prepare for avalanches. It delivers all the satisfaction of efficient planning without the stress of invading armies or monster hordes. The game offers five modes: Campaign, Scenario, Sandbox, Challenge, and Free Build; with Campaign serving as the natural starting point thanks to its tutorials. Here you are tasked with building a series of settlements by making the most of each mountain’s unique terrain. Each settlement is divided into 3 castes: laborers, artisans, and monks—plus yaks, which function almost like a fourth caste and core resource. Each group has distinct needs and roles that shape how you design your layout. Supply chains are the heart of the game. Roads, bridges, and lifts all determine whether your goods move properly, and every building needs to be directed to send its output somewhere specific. Managing space becomes a puzzle, and you’ll repeatedly rebuild and reorganize as your settlement grows and your room to expand shrinks. Population management is also key. More citizens mean more donations to your treasury, but upgrading homes raises their living standards. Failing to meet those needs can lead to steep financial penalties. Thankfully, mountains offer resources that let you upgrade buildings and keep your population stable. I’ve never seen a city builder like this. Its compact layouts, vertical terrain, and stunning Himalayan-inspired aesthetic make it truly stand out. The art, UI, character designs, and music are all beautifully crafted, and the color-coded castes make organizing your settlement effortless. If you enjoy city builders or puzzle-like design challenges, Laysara: Summit Kingdom is a thoughtful, polished, must‑have addition to your library. – Raymond Estrada Bubblegum Galaxy Bubblegum Galaxy is a 3D cozy narrative puzzle game that puts players in the role of planet architect Haco, an anthropomorphic cat with a house for a head. After scoring an internship at a planet‑architecting company and arriving for their first day, a snafu during what should be a routine onboarding session somehow deletes the entire galaxy, throwing the office into chaos. Now faced with guilt, a bit of “new guy” scrutiny, and rising performance expectations, it’s up to Haco and their coworkers to rebuild the galaxy—or risk the company’s collapse. While I was already charmed by its low‑poly, retro‑inspired aesthetic, it was the game’s silly tone, world‑building, expressive characters, and intuitive gameplay that kept me hooked. At its core, players tackle levels built around placing hex‑based tiles on a grid to form planets. This consists of grouping matching colors, aligning tile edges, and connecting environmental features to maximize scores while completing planet‑specific quests. Each level supports multiple solutions, leaning heavily into player expression and encouraged mastery rather than overwhelming complexity. In other words, the game is as chill or challenging as you want it to be. You can finish levels early to score more points once objectives are complete, or simply vibe out and continue designing the planet with your remaining tiles. If I had to recommend one reason for anyone to pick Bubblegum Galaxy up though, it would be the characters. Apart from the narrative and as part of the core loop, you’re incentivized to forge bonds with your coworkers to learn more about them and earn new abilities. You get a mix of crazy, oblivious, caring, serious, and self‑centered personalities—but everyone is hilarious. Tonally, the game is so unserious and self‑aware that I often found myself laughing more than pressing buttons. – Deron Mann Sumerian Six Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. This is the second Artificer title in our lineup, and they’ve earned it. Sumerian Six sets a new high bar for stealth-focused real‑time tactics. In an alternate World War II, you lead a team of scientist/commandos trying to stop Nazis from harnessing occult power. You’ll infiltrate sprawling castles, bases, bunkers, and labs while slipping past layers of vigilant guards. Every squad member has unique abilities for silent takedowns, but expect to get caught and die often. Failure is just part of the learning curve. The controls feel instantly intuitive. Enemy vision cones have two zones—a solid area where they’ll spot anything suspicious, and a shaded area where they’ll only detect you if you’re standing or performing obvious actions. A pause-and-queue system lets you stack commands, enabling slick maneuvers like distracting a guard with a thrown bottle while another character sneaks in for the takedown. Levels are large but broken into smaller, distinct sections with their own challenges. Quick saves are essential; use them generously. Alarms don’t automatically mean failure, but hidden bodies and avoiding sightlines become crucial to prevent things from spiraling into unwinnable firefights. Abilities are a highlight. Some characters offer precise tools like paralytic darts or position swaps. One guy can literally turn into a bear—less subtle, very effective. As you progress, you’ll discover efficient ways to clear rooms, like swapping with an isolated enemy and delivering them straight into your bear ally’s claws. Character availability shifts each chapter, which often leads to wishing you had just one more absent ability for the perfect solution. Unlike Showgunners, this isn’t turn‑based, and timed challenges encourage mastering fast, quiet execution. Artificer delivers another polished 12-15-hour experience. It’s challenging and niche, but packed with excellent design, smart UI, inventive abilities, and an engaging story. If you enjoy the genre and want a rewarding challenge, this one’s outstanding. – Raymond Estrada
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