The much-anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally arrived, meaning everyone and their mother is immersed in a dark and spooky world. What does that mean for everyone else? I hope to answer that question with a couple of hidden gems. Zodiac Mountain and Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Story are two new indie games hitting the scene, trailing Silksong's shadow. Let's shed some light on couple indie titles that you may have missed.
Zodiac Mountain
Announced on September 4th, 2025, indie developer Mystic Road shared their roguelike deck-builder Zodiac Mountain. Set to release for PC, a demo will be available on September 29th. Mystic Road features a yin and yang battling system tied to the cards you play. The art style is colorful and matches with the Chinese folklore theme. With many other studios delaying their release due to the above-mentioned blockbuster, the 29th feels like good timing.
Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Story
Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Story, developed by Posh Cat Studios, has you solving little mysteries for your main character. While you're not solving major crimes, you do have to solve who broke your favorite coffee cup. The game is composed of different puzzle-like missions as you go about your day. Posh Cat Studios started out with just one designer (Melisa). In an interview posted on the Guardian, she mentioned that originally this game was meant for a Twitch Game Jam, but she ended up spending two years refining the game, meanwhile adding two people to her team in the process. Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Story is out now on Steam for $9.99. They made the choice to release along the same time as Silksong, showing that they're not concerned with getting lost in the noise.
Conclusions
These two games are gaining traction. Zodiac Mountain has a fresh take on a deck-building game with Chinese culture intertwined, while Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Story shares a fresh look on a point-and-click mystery. Their trailers alone make them worth looking into. While there are other indies being released soon, these are two I'm most excited for.
