Undead co-op shooters, gorgeous hack-and-slash action and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As ever, if you're looking for something new to play this weekend, we've got several games that are worthy of your attention. We'll also take a look at some news about upcoming games, including word of a Steam port of an excellent Playdate title.

I realized recently I've been playing a lot of roguelites lately — such as Minos and Titanium Court — and that I should balance that out by dipping into other types of games. I checked out one I wrote about recently called The Day I Became A Bird. This is a narrative game based on a children's book. It's about a young boy who falls in love with a classmate who's really into birds. So, in a bid to get her attention, he builds and wears a bird costume.

With that story, a hand-drawn, painterly art style and lines like "The day I started school, I fell in love" and "All I see is her, but she doesn't see me," it captured my heart. It's a very sweet and gentle game about the near-universal experience of young love.

The Day I Became A Bird is a game that parents might want to consider playing with young kids to explore ideas like how to express one's feelings. The gameplay, which features exploration and some light puzzle solving, is straightforward too. It only took me around an hour to complete the game and find all the collectibles, so if you're a PS5 trophy hunter, The Day I Became A Bird is a solid way to snatch an easy platinum too. It's available on Steam, PS5 and Nintendo Switch for $20.

On a completely different note, I really like that there's such a broad variety of events on Steam. There's a neat one called InterfaceX26 that's running until May 4. It features games with simulated operating systems and other kinds of custom interfaces.

Meanwhile, artist and designer Brad Smith is trying to put together a Punk Games Fest, which is tentatively planned for this October. Submissions are open until July 23. I really hope that comes together as I love the idea.

Far Far West is off to a strong start after it hit Steam in early access this week. The co-op shooter from Evil Raptor and publisher Fireshine Games sold more than 250,000 copies in its first 48 hours. It typically costs $20, but there's a 10 percent launch discount until May 5.

As a robot cowboy, you can play solo or form a squad with up to three friends and go bounty hunting. You'll hunt down elusive, dangerous targets in order to take them out and scoop up the rewards.

You'll encounter undead enemies such as skeletons and vultures, as well as haunted mines and ghost trains.