Friday Follow-UP #22 2025

Newsletter #22 of 2025 | Covering games to wishlist, a crowdfunding game, soundtracks, merch, and the latest indie game reviews.

May 30, 2025

Welcome to this weeks Friday Follow-UP covering games to Wishlist, crowdfunding game, soundtracks, merch, and a Good Game Lobby review. Subscribe to get the weekly newsletter and reviews straight to your inbox.

Wishlist XP | The Alters, Ruffy and the Riverside, PaperKlay

The Alters was plagued with delays, but I don’t see that as a problem. A delay is just an opportunity for the studio and publisher to polish the game and get it truly ready for the public. With that out of the way, I’m still surprised we’re finally getting The Alters. Check out the premise in the date reveal trailer—it packs everything into a concise two-minute preview of what’s to come. Only two weeks away!

Explore an emotional sci-fi game with a unique blend of survival, adventure, and base-building elements. Help Jan Dolski—the sole survivor of an ill-fated space expedition—create alternative versions of himself to escape a hostile planet and tackle personal turmoils with this unconventional crew.

🎮 The Alters | Steam
🗓️ Release Date | June 13th 2025

Coming next month is one of my favorite demos from Steam Next Fest—Ruffy and the Riverside. It’s one of the best-looking and most entertaining game demos I’ve reviewed this year, and I’m so excited to see how the full game comes together.

In Ruffy and the Riverside, you wield the magic SWAP to Copy & Paste textures - turn ice into lava or waterfalls into vines! Explore, fight, skate on straw bales, and unleash your imagination in this quirky open-world action game. Dive into an adventure that lets you literally change the world!

🎮 Ruffy and the Riverside | Steam
🗓️ Release Date | June 26th, 2025

PaperKlay looks like what happens when you mash up all of Nintendo’s 3D platformers. Combine that with the composer from Banjo and the voice actor from Sly Cooper, and you’ve got a nostalgic indie 3D platforming hit on your hands!

A classic 3D platformer with a tactile twist: Open, unfold, and rotate your way through a stunning world built with familiar crafting materials. Featuring the talents of composer Kirkhope & Melin (Banjo-Kazooie, Yooka-Laylee) and voice actor Kevin Miller (Sly Cooper)

🎮 PaperKlay | Steam | Demo available!
🗓️ Release Date | Out now!

Crowdfunding Checkpoint | Crescent County

Of course it was funded in under 24 hours! I shared the Kickstarter link for Crescent County two weeks ago, but I wanted to check in on the campaign—and things are going great. With 18 days left and over 142% funded, it’s full steam ahead. Make sure to try out the demo while it’s still up.

Crash headfirst into this witch-tech open world, drifting and driving on the back of your new motorbroom. Make deliveries, trick out your broom, and race your new friends (and crushes) as the sun sets. Get into gossip, sort your life out, and discover what it means to find home.

Quest Vibes | Quest Vibes Monthly June 2025

It’s just two days until June, and we’ve got a fresh playlist featuring over 35 minutes of music from game soundtracks. One of my favorites is the Playdate intro theme by Cabel Sasser and Simon Panrucker. The playlist includes tracks from Katamari Damacy, Wanderstop, Omori, Astroneer, and more! Be sure to save it on Spotify—I also curate the playlist on YouTube with a link below.

Speaking of the Playdate, next week I’m launching a brand-new series focused entirely on the handheld called Play Dates. Subscribe to learn all things Playdate: game releases, insights into the device, and even a short developer interview.

🎶 Quest Vibes Monthly | June 2025 | Spotify | YouTube

Quest Loot | The Art of Jusant - The Great Expedition - Pix'n Love

Jusant was one of the first games I got to play that was developed entirely in Unreal Engine 5—and it was an experience, to say the least. Relaxing, immersive, and full of discovery as you climb and uncover the world one milestone at a time. The visuals were incredible, which is why I wanted to highlight the Pix’n Love release of The Art of Jusant – The Great Expedition. It’s a 300-page artbook filled with illustrations and behind-the-scenes looks at the creative process. A must-have for fans of the game.

Intended to offer fans and the curious an immersive dive into the heart of Jusant's creative process, this exclusive large-format book contains 300 pages of hundreds of previously unpublished documents and illustrations used in the making of one of the most unusual games of recent years…

🎮 Jusant | Steam
🎮 Pix’n Love | The Art of Jusant - The Great Expedition