Players begin with a vulnerable exploration vessel and gradually transform it into a heavily armed warship packed with lasers, drones, lightning weapons, and other powerful systems. Each run involves scavenging derelict ships, collecting resources, battling hostile forces, and making choices that can shape the journey. Permanent upgrades also carry progression forward, giving players new opportunities to build stronger ships with every attempt.

Void Salvage offers both roguelike and incremental progression modes, with plenty of room for experimentation. Modules, augments, and drones can be combined and customized with socket bonuses, while a 62-node skill tree lets players tailor their progression and respec whenever they want. There are also 15 unlockable ships, each featuring unique perks or pre-equipped systems.

Survival requires more than simply building bigger weapons. Players must navigate asteroid fields, ion storms, pulsars, and solar flares while carefully managing fuel, hull integrity, and shield strength. Four enemy factions each bring their own tactics to the battlefield, requiring players to adapt their builds and strategies as they venture farther into space.

For players who prefer a more hands-off approach, Idle Mode allows resources to be earned while offline, while Windows players can activate Desktop Mode to keep the game running alongside other activities. There are also 60 Steam achievements to unlock, providing additional milestones for players determined to master every corner of the galaxy.

According to developer Myra D’Ann Boholst, Void Salvage began as a small solo project on Itch.io focused on a simple premise: salvage resources, upgrade a ship, and see how long it could survive. Early player feedback helped shape the project into the much larger experience available today, with improvements to progression, balance, accessibility, and ship-building options.

The developer says the goal was to make the early game approachable while creating a deeper experience for players willing to experiment with different builds and strategies. Now that Void Salvage has officially launched, players can put those systems to the test and see just how ridiculously overpowered they can make their ships.

Void Salvage is available now on Steam for £6.29 / €7.19 / $6.99, with a 15% launch discount.

After first appearing as a public demo in August 2024 and entering Early Access in March 2025, the game has spent nearly two years evolving with community feedback. The full release represents the culmination of that development process, delivering what the studio considers a complete experience while establishing a strong foundation for future expansions and updates.

Set in a dieselpunk world where magic and machinery collide, Vanguard Exiles blends the strategic depth of tabletop games with the flexibility of digital gameplay. Players take command of unique Squads led by powerful Generals, battling across dynamic battlefields that constantly evolve throughout each match. The game’s digital design allows for complex interactions and tactical possibilities that would be difficult to recreate in a traditional board game.

One of the headline additions arriving with Version 1.0 is the long-awaited Campaign Mode, giving players the chance to explore the game’s lore and experience a structured single-player adventure alongside its competitive multiplayer modes. The update also introduces progression systems, achievements, player rankings, milestones, unlockable content, and additional features designed to appeal to both newcomers and experienced competitors.

The full release also adds Spectator Mode, allowing players to watch matches, study advanced tactics, and learn new strategies from the community. According to The Tea Division, the creativity and variety of player-created strategies throughout Early Access inspired the addition of the new viewing feature.

Although Version 1.0 marks the end of Early Access, the developers stress that it is only the beginning of the game’s long-term journey. Future updates are planned to introduce new factions, units, actions, biomes, progression opportunities, and regular balance adjustments as the studio continues developing the game alongside its community.

Richard Garfield, who collaborated on the game’s design, described Vanguard Exiles as a unique blend of tabletop and digital game design that creates an engaging strategic experience filled with opportunities for experimentation and discovery. He praised the game’s depth and the variety of tactics available to players, comparing its sense of exploration to his work on Magic: The Gathering and KeyForge.

Players can purchase the current Early Access version of Vanguard Exiles on Steam ahead of the full Version 1.0 launch on February 4, 2027.

Cats in the Shell combines deep mech customization with roguelike progression, placing players in command of massive combat machines piloted by an eclectic cast of battle-ready cats. Players will choose from six distinct mech classes, each offering different playstyles and strategic possibilities, while recruiting feline pilots equipped with their own unique active abilities.

Customization plays a major role in the experience, with more than 1,000 equipment modules and components available to discover through random events. Players can experiment with different layouts by assigning modules across five equipment slots, balancing limited inventory space while uncovering powerful synergies that come together during automated battles.

The campaign spans four futuristic biomes filled with dangerous enemies and towering bosses. Beyond the story mode, players can test their creations against mech builds assembled by other players in asynchronous PvP battles, refining their loadouts after each encounter as they push toward a gauntlet of 10 consecutive victories.

According to Raven Studio director Alex Dong, the team’s goal is to create a mech-building experience driven by experimentation and replayability. With hundreds of modules creating countless build combinations, every run offers new opportunities to discover powerful strategies and unexpected interactions.

Cats in the Shell is scheduled to launch on PC through Steam Early Access in Q4 2026. The game will support English, German, French, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese at launch.

Developed by 8BitSkull, this roguelike auto-battler puts players in control of a floating skull necromancer out for revenge—against their own body. Yes, really. After being betrayed by your former flesh, you’ll command waves of undead minions to fight in your place, diving into procedurally generated dungeons packed with loot, enemies, and evolving challenges.

Each run lasts around 20 minutes, blending quick decision-making with strategic depth. Players can recruit and merge different unit types, stacking abilities to create wildly overpowered builds. From skeleton hordes to resurrected enemies, your army becomes a customizable force of destruction, enhanced further by perks, items, and dungeon-based boons.

Variety is a major focus here. No two dungeon runs play out the same, with shifting layouts, diverse enemy types, and unlockable challenges that keep things fresh. Multiple playable skull characters also add unique twists to each run, including one that doubles down on necromancy by raising both flesh enemies and skeletons.

Key Highlights:

• Play as multiple skull-based necromancers, each with unique abilities

• Build and evolve your undead army through merging and upgrades

• Procedurally generated dungeons ensure every run feels different

• Unlock new perks, items, and challenges as you progress

Skull Horde will support a wide range of languages at launch, along with Steam Deck and Linux compatibility.

If you’re into roguelikes, auto-battlers, or just the idea of commanding an army of the dead with a grudge, this is one to keep on your radar when it hits PC this April.

The 1.0 release marks a major milestone for the project, expanding its reach beyond PC and delivering its signature loop of chaotic dwarven combat to handheld and pocket-sized screens. Designed for quick, pick-up-and-play sessions, the Switch and mobile versions let players dive straight into the action wherever they are.

Solo developer Rafael Weilharter of Hamma Studios reflected on the journey to launch, describing the game as a product of years of iteration, community feedback, and creative experimentation. What began as a passion project has evolved into a full-fledged homage to dwarves, disorder, and the joy of watching carefully planned systems spiral gloriously out of control.

To celebrate the 1.0 launch and platform expansion, Sidekick Publishing has also released a brand-new trailer created through an impromptu collaboration that perfectly matches the game’s rowdy tone. According to Sidekick’s co-founders, the trailer was built around “pure dwarven energy,” complete with a Scottish accent and a creator partnership that came together organically through shared enthusiasm for the project.

Bringing Dwarves: Glory, Death and Loot to handhelds and mobile wasn’t without its challenges. ATEO worked closely with Hamma Studios to translate the scale and chaos of large-scale auto-battles onto smaller screens, ensuring the experience retained the personality and intensity that players loved on PC.

At its core, Dwarves is all about building the ultimate bearded warband. Players assemble a fully customizable army from ten distinct dwarf classes, including tanks, assassins, mages, and more—dwarves who, quite literally, eat rocks for breakfast. Each run follows a familiar roguelike loop, pitting your army against orcs, elite enemies, and dragons in fast-paced, auto-battling carnage.

With millions of possible army and loadout combinations, strategy revolves around smart gear choices, unit synergies, and long-term meta progression. Every run feeds back into the next, encouraging experimentation and rewarding players who master the loop. As the game proudly puts it: gather gear, muster the troops, and master the loop—for glory, for death, for loot.

Dwarves: Glory, Death and Loot also continues Sidekick Publishing’s growing catalog, following the recent Early Access launch of Deadly Days: Roadtrip in September 2025.

The dwarves have marched out of Early Access at last—and they’ve brought their axes, their loot, and their chaos with them.

Available now for $16.99 USD (with a 15% launch discount for a limited time), Become the Moon is a tactical roguelike where failure is inevitable—and part of the fun. You’ll draft a team of minions, stack relics, and unleash wild spell combos as you climb your way through a gauntlet of chaotic encounters. Every battle brings you one step closer to the moon… or back to square one.

“Our team has come a long way since announcing the game in March 2024,” said Jarvis Crofts, CEO of Alibi Games. “We can’t wait for players to dive into this world of broken magic and cosmic nonsense.”

At its core, Become the Moon challenges you to pick one of ten arcane Magistars—each with their own playstyle and quirks—and build a team that syncs with their strengths. With over 140 different units and spells, more than 50 powerful relics, and a staggering 40+ enemy encounter types, every run is a new puzzle to solve (or break wide open with some ridiculous synergy).

The game also offers a seeded daily challenge with online leaderboards, as well as six hidden difficulty modifiers that change how you approach your run—and conceal the “true” ending waiting at the top.

Whether you’re a fan of autobattlers, deckbuilders, or just really like the moon, this one’s weird, wonderful, and well worth a look.

Become the Moon is out now on Steam. Grab it while the discount lasts—and see if you’ve got what it takes to reach lunar ascension.

Dive into Tactical Auto Battles
In Deadlock Station, you command a unique squad of heroes to eliminate alien invaders through precise strategic planning. This pixelated tactical roguelike features indirect controls, allowing you to position your units and queue abilities before each battle. Your success hinges on your ability to turn the battlefield to your advantage.

Key Features

• Strategic Auto Battles: Carefully plan your attacks by positioning your units and queuing unique abilities.
• Environmental Tactics: Utilize the environment by leading heroes into damage-boosting anomalies, luring enemies into traps, and erecting barricades.
• Base Building: Develop your base between expeditions to unlock new items, characters, and factions, ranging from the ruthless Order to the all-knowing Past and Future Society.
• Squad Upgrades: Combine weapons, armor, items, and mutations to create unique fighters. Use resources collected in battle to unlock new abilities.
• Mysterious Artifacts: Use strange alien artifacts during combat to gain an advantage and secure victory in challenging battles.\

Download the Demo and Stay Updated!
Download the demo and wishlist Deadlock Station on Steam today. Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates by following Luxorix on Twitter/X.

About Luxorix Games
Luxorix Games is an indie game development team that came together by chance and continues to create together. They are currently working on Deadlock Station, developed using GameMakerStudio2. Learn more at luxorixgames.com.

About CRITICAL REFLEX
CRITICAL REFLEX is an indie game publishing label dedicated to finding exceptional games, ensuring they are at their best upon release, and promoting them to a wide audience of gaming fans. With a team experienced in successful indie projects and crowdfunding, CRITICAL REFLEX aims to publish games they are passionate about. Visit criticalreflex.com for more information.