Our Top Picks from INDIE Live Expo 2025
The INDIE Live Expo never fails to deliver, and this year’s lineup of upcoming titles is packed with magical girl energy, rebellious strategy, rhythm-fueled psychosis, and dice-driven drama. Here are our favorite reveals from the show—get your wishlist buttons ready.
HYKE: Northern Light(s)
Platforms: PC (Steam), PS5, Nintendo Switch | Release: Summer 2025
If Studio Ghibli made a survival RPG, it might look something like this. HYKE: Northern Light(s), from BLAST EDGE GAMES and co-published by Akatsuki Games and Aniplex, is a witchy 2D top-down pixel adventure that blends cozy camping vibes with magical combat.
You’ll step into the boots of Hyke, a young spellcaster journeying through the wilderness in the shadow of a devastating war between humans and witches. By day, fight off twisted forest foes and uncover the Forbidden Areas’ arcane secrets. By night? Set up camp, cook hearty meals with wild ingredients, hang out with your party, and deck out your campsite with adorable gear. There’s even a customizable playlist. This one’s for the nature-loving witches and cottagecore dreamers.
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily
Platforms: PC (Steam) | Release: July 24, 2025
False accusations? A corrupt empire? A time-traveling livestreamer with a propaganda blimp? Yes, The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is that kind of strategy game.
Developed by One or Eight (LOST EPIC) and Alliance Arts, this crowd-controlling turn-based gem puts you in the heels of Scarlet, a wrongly convicted noblewoman sentenced to death. With the help of a mysterious streamer from the future, you'll spread rumors, sow rebellion, and manipulate troop movements from above. It’s a chess match meets media warfare, complete with war generals you can persuade or outwit. Plus, building bonds with allies unlocks new strategies—and juicy drama.
🎶 Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis
Platforms: PC (Steam) | Release: October 20, 2025
Denpa beats, delulu dreams, and full-blown brainrot—Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is a wild ride through the internet’s weirdest corners.
In this psychological rhythm adventure from WHO YOU and Alliance Arts, you play as Qtie, a shut-in spiraling into obsession with an online idol who… might not exist. Tap through 30+ chaotic tracks while spamming fanposts, warping reality, and questioning what’s real. Expect surreal vibes, glitchcore aesthetics, and multiple endings that explore the parasocial minefield of digital devotion. It’s part rhythm game, part fever dream, and all kinds of unhinged.
📖 Marisa of Liartop Mountain
Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch | Release: September 18, 2025
Touhou fans, gather round: Marisa of Liartop Mountain reimagines the iconic bullet-hell universe as a digital tabletop adventure with dice rolls, branching paths, and a literal storybook aesthetic.
When Marisa goes missing, shrine maiden Reimu sets out to find her, rolling dice to decide her fate along the way. Each chapter plays like an interactive gamebook, with gothic circuses, mystical ruins, and other fantastical realms to explore. Your choices (and the whims of luck) shape the journey—and Reimu won’t be alone. Touhou favorites like Remilia and Patchouli chime in with commentary, advice, and sass as you uncover what happened atop Liartop Mountain.
Which of these indie darlings are you most hyped for? Whether you're into digital dice rolls, rhythm-induced breakdowns, or magical girl campfire chats, 2025 is looking bright for weird, wonderful indie games.
Stay tuned to Colin Magazine for more indie spotlights, developer chats, and hands-on impressions as we get closer to launch.