Xbox Game Pass is adding a ton of indies this month

By Otto Kratky September 14, 2021

Xbox Game Pass’ library of games is getting an infusion of a different sort in September. While other monthly updates for the subscription service have tended to focus on AAA releases, this one’s all about the indies. September’s update for Xbox Game Pass includes both established indie hits and unreleased titles that have earned their share of early attention.

Starting September 16, Game Pass users can download a slew of sizable indies, including I Am Fish, Skatebird, and Superliminal. The two animal-themed games are fairly straightforward, with I Am Fish having players help an aquatic pet escape to the ocean, while Skatebird is, naturally, about a bird that can skateboard. Superliminal, meanwhile, is a perspective-bending puzzle title that requires players to think outside of their typical notions of scale.

Just days later, on September 23, another sizable group of titles will launch on Game Pass, including the incredibly stylish Sable, in which players adventure across a cel-shaded world to guide Sable through an ancient rite of passage.

Also coming on September 23 are Lost Words: Beyond the Page and Tainted Grail: Conquest, a roguelike deck-builder filled with grotesque monsters and strange allies. The Subnautica sequel Subnautica: Below Zero will likewise be making its Game Pass debut on September 23, taking players from a tropical alien planet to one that’s frozen over.

As always, a select group of titles will also be leaving Game Pass at the end of this month. On September 31, Drake Hollow, Ikenfell, Night in the Woods, Kathy Rain, and Warhammer: Vermintide 2 will all be leaving the service. Anyone who isn’t ready to say goodbye just yet can purchase any of those titles for 20% off.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…

Gaming

Your Xbox Live Gold subscription will turn into Xbox Game Pass Core this September

Microsoft finally made the decision to move on from its monthly online-access subscription service Xbox Live Gold. On September 14, Xbox Live Gold will transform into Xbox Game Pass Core, with current Gold subscribers automatically gaining a Game Pass Core subscription.

An Xbox Live subscription tied to online play has existed in some form since Xbox Live launched in 2002, but Xbox Live Gold as we now know it truly came into form in July 2013 when Microsoft started the Games with Gold program that gave subscribers free games each month in addition to that online access. Although Microsoft rolled back some online restrictions in 2021, Games with Gold continues to this day. That will all end when Game Pass Core launches.

Gaming

We ranked all the best (and worst) video game system startup sounds

The GameCube startup screen appears mid animation.

First impressions are important. That’s true both in people and video game consoles.

The first time you boot up a new gaming system can be a magical moment when done right. There’s always a built-in bit of tension anytime you get a new video game console, as you gingerly unbox it and set it up. That prelude can feel like an orchestra tuning its instruments, building anticipation for the moment where you’ll finally get to power it on and hear the opening notes of a long symphony. And I’m not just speaking in metaphor here; I’m talking about the all-important console startup sound.

Gaming

Xbox Game Pass’ latest addition is a must-try multiplayer shooter

Barrage Exosuit in Exoprimal.

Capcom is known for making excellent single-player adventures, while its history with multiplayer shooters is much more spotty. Exoprimal changes that.
Since the mid-2010s, games like Resident Evil 7, Devil May Cry V, Monster Hunter World, and Street Fighter 6 cemented Capcom as one of the best game publishers out there. Though one area where the company has always struggled is in the lucrative multiplayer shooter market. Titles like Resident Evil Re:Verse, Resident Evil Resistance, and Umbrella Corps just weren't that fun to play and failed to leave much of an impact. That's why I was hesitant following the announcement of Exoprimal, a multiplayer-only PvPvE game about fighting hordes of dinosaurs with Exosuits. Thankfully, after playing it a lot during its betas and some more after its official July 14 launch, I'm happy to say that Exoprimal is Capcom's best modern multiplayer shooter.
It's a game that's full of personality in both gameplay and the entertaining narrative moments spread out between matches. Its tone feels like a cheesy 1980s cartoon in the best way, while its gameplay blends elements of Anthem, Overwatch, and Left 4 Dead to craft an experience that's as satisfying as one would expect from a game where players fight dinosaurs with mechs. It's on Xbox Game Pass, so give it as shot if you've enjoyed Cacpom's recent games and want to see those skills applied to a multiplayer game.
Multiplayer mayhem
The narrative of Exoprimal actually feels somewhat relevant right now due to the rising prevalence of AI. The premise is that Leviathan, the AI behind a giant megacorporation that hires Exosuit fighters to defeat dinosaurs invading from another dimension, goes rogue and forces the player to participate in an endless series of wargames against those dinos and other Exosuit fighters. Fold in some time-travel and dimension-hopping shenanigans, as well as a quirky crew of characters helping players between matches, and you have a game that pokes fun at corporate greed, AI, and questionable workplaces with Capcom's trademark wit. These narrative elements weren't in the prelaunch betas of Exoprimal that I played, so they served as a pleasant surprise now that I'm playing the final version of the game.

Playing Exoprimal at launch affirmed how enjoyable its combat is. Players have 10 Exosuits (and their variants) to choose from, which are separated into Support, Tank, and Assault classes and have distinct abilities, like the heroes in Overwatch. Players can swap between them freely during matches, which have two teams competing to complete a series of objectives at the same time before a final showdown. While I could toggle whether or not I wanted that final objective to feature PvP combat, another team's progress always looming over me added an exciting sense of urgency to each match that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
Shooting down hordes of zombies with the Deadeye Exosuit or slicing through them with the Murasame Exosuit's sword was a ton of fun, as were the rare moments where I was able to turn into a dinosaur attacking the enemy team and stall their progress. In a preview of the game last July, I called Exoprimal "a much more robust and inspired multiplayer shooter than I expected." Now that Exoprimal is out, that statement still holds up.
Even just the one Dino Survival mode that's in the game now is doing plenty to keep me entertained as I play to progress the story. Then, once that's done, I'm sure that the progression systems tied to each Exosuit and post-launch editions, like the upcoming cooperative Savage Gauntlet, will keep me coming back to Exoprimal. I haven't even had the chance to play the game with friends yet, which will probably enhance the experience further.