Silence Of The Siren is a name I'm perpetually going to get mixed up with fellow strategy games Songs Of Silence and Songs Of Conquest over the next couple of years, but there's certainly no mistaking what this sci-fi, tactics explorathon looks and plays like when you see it in the flesh. Made by the same team behind 2018's Project Hospital, Silence Of The Siren is an homage to Heroes Of Might And Magic where several different alien races are fighting to control a distant alien planet. It's a little bit 4X-y, but not massively so, and I had a very fun time indeed with its EGX demo over the weekend, which I think I played for almost a solid hour and completely forgot about the growing queue of folks behind me. Sorry about that…

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Every weekend, indie devs show off current work on Twitter's #screenshotsaturday tag. And every Monday, I bring you a selection of these snaps and clips. This week, my eye has been caught by podracing, parrying a grappling hook, seeing your own legs as you parkour about, and heaps more attractive and interesting indie games. Check 'em out!

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The EGX demo for magic school adventure Leximan was perhaps only ten minutes long, but that's all it really needed to confirm that this wordy spell-caster is a riotous delight of a thing that should absolutely be on your radar. Built out of a game jam prototype from 2020, Leximan casts you (sorry) as a would-be wizard who's struggling to make an impact compared to his more verbally proficient schoolmates. In this particular demo, he's woken by a friend to go and assist the school cook with preparing breakfast, but things go horribly awry when a pesky fire elemental turns up to spoil it all.

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I'll admit I've been a bit sceptical of Loco Motive since it was first announced a little while ago. Any point and click adventure game that makes a bid trying to be funny like the good old days has a very real chance of being painfully un>funny in my experience (looking at you, Deponia), and I was worried that Loco Motive would fall into the same try-hard pile as other so-called comedy adventures that have come out recently (see also Turnip Boy - yeah, I went there, fight me). But having played a timed 20-minute demo of it at this year's EGX, I'll hold my hands up and say, yep, I'm the one who's been slapped in the face with a giant custard pie here, as Loco Motive is genuinely really quite good, folks, and I'm pleased to report the good old days are still very much alive and kicking. Well, except poor old Lady Unterwald, who carks it within seconds of the game starting, and whose murder you end up getting framed for.

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Ever since rocks and sticks formed the first proto-drumkits, mankind has understood the uplifting power of a good bop. So too does Billie Bust Up, an upcoming 3D platformer that’s just as much of a Disney-style cartoon musical.

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When I see dirt, I know what I must do: clean. Whether it's in my own, real-life home or in a game, I am compelled to scrub, wipe and tidy - and the oily, purple globs of gunk clogging up Loddlenaut's appropriately named region of Flotsam Flats are just begging to be zapped by my little diver's handy laser gun. With just a single squeeze of the trigger, he sets to work, moving his arm automatically to neatly attack each neighbouring blob without any further prompting or manual aiming. All I need to focus on is getting him close enough to the gunge and he'll take care of the rest. Sure, it's perhaps not quite as involved as your PowerWash Sims and other polish em ups, but the combination of Loddlenaut's lo-fi visuals, comforting score and surprisingly soothing controller rumble all work to give it its own kind of zen-like charm - and it was enough to make me forget the surrounding din of the EGX Rezzed Zone for a very enjoyable 20 minutes or so.

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Sometimes, the ability to push over a tree was inside you all along. Retrieving woodland traversal skills from the depths of memory is key to Pine Hearts, an easygoing adventure/exploration game that I've spent a very relaxing half-hour with in the EGX 2023 Rezzed Zone.

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Sundays are for trying to identify beige biscuit crumbs on an oat-coloured carpet. Before you squint, let's read this week's best writing about games (and game related things).

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Pitched as "a racing game for people who don’t like racing games," Resistor shows an immediate disinterest in tracks, time trials, or even really the cars themselves. This> racing game, I’m told as I sit down to play a demo in the EGX 2023’s Rezzed Zone, cares about the person behind the wheel – and their burgeoning camaraderie with a roughneck pit crew.

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No chit-chat. This is serious. If you survived Friday the 13th, you'd be wise not to push your luck. I mean this: Tell us your weekend gaming plans and I won't egg your windows. You heard me. Hop to.

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