Have you ever been late to the party on a game? What about early? This week you can be both! I didn’t give our first recommendation enough love when it came out, and the others are both currently in development. Let’s dive into the recommendations.

Futuregrind

This one came out a few months ago, but my excitement for Futuregrind is fresh. I saw the neon grinding platformer at events over the years and never really understood until I got my hands on it. Sure, the team is done everything they can to entice you with its futuristic style, but the real draw of the game is just how good it feels.

If you’ve ever played an endless runner you’ll know the general locomotion mechanics here --you’re constantly moving forward and navigating obstacles-- but where Futuregrind sets itself apart is its two rail trick system. As you’re wheeling your way down the track you have to swap between rails, switch which of your two vertically aligned wheels is hitting which track, and do sweet tricks along the way. It feels like a neon-soaked cannonball run through a skatepark and I loved every minute of it.

Roll, Die, Go Home

What is up with dice being put into places they don’t normally belong? First it was Dicey Dungeons and its rpg delights and now it’s Roll, Die, Go Home with its unique take on the twin-stick shooter. Initially set up as a fairly standard “circle around things while shooting at them” type of game, RDGH really steps into its own with its head tossing mechanic. At any point while you’re running around your character can chuck their dice-shaped head somewhere in the room and then you pick up shooting again from there. It may not sound like much but it makes the game both quicker, and the enemies are able to behave a little more deadly as a result.

It is worth throwing out a bit of a caveat with RDGH’s recommendation: The game is in beta right now. This means that there aren’t as many features as you’d expect in a fully released game and that there are several bugs present, but it’s still a game worth messing about with for a while.

Far Blade

I was pretty sure I was going to like Far Blade from the first gif I saw. This low-poly hack and slash takes the best parts of Zelda, dips it into its gorgeous artstyle, and then slams you into some gigantic bosses. Much like Roll, Die, Go Home, Far Blade is also in beta so there isn’t a ton of content in the game so far, but the gamepage claims that the mechanics are finalized, and all that’s left is to do is build out more bosses.

Honestly, if the image above doesn’t do anything for you I’m not sure how to get you excited about this game. Yes the combat is chunky and satisfying and the bosses are unique and interesting but so much of what makes me excited about the project comes from just how good it looks.