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Windows Central

Technology

Brendan Lowry

Surprise! Microsoft shadow dropped 2 new Xbox games, including one of this year's biggest indies and an FPS that reminds me of a Halo mode

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What you need to know

During Microsoft's 25-minute October Xbox Partner Preview showcase, two new Xbox games were shadow dropped onto Xbox Series X|S: Blindfire and Animal Well.
Blindfire is a new Early Access PvP shooter from developer Double Eleven in which eight players compete to be the last one standing in dark, gloomy environments "beneath a neon skyline." Uniquely, defeated players can control cameras and traps in the arena to influence match outcomes.
Animal Well is a Metroidvania released earlier this year on Windows PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch, and quickly became one of 2024's biggest indie titles. It has a ridiculous number of creative and complex secrets, with solo developer Billy Basso asserting that "players will be discovering hidden puzzles for years."
Blindfire is $8.99 and has a free trial, while Animal Well is $24.99. Both games are available to play now, though something to be aware of is that neither of them are on Xbox Game Pass.

The majority of the announcements from Microsoft's October Xbox Partner Preview event were about upcoming games scheduled to come to Xbox and Windows PC in 2025, but a few of the titles shown are actually available to play on Microsoft's Series X|S consoles right now thanks to a few shadow drops. One has launched into Early Access through the Xbox Game Preview program, and the other is one of 2024's best PC games that's gotten a surprise Xbox port.

The former is Blindfire, an $8.99 (there's a free trial) indie first-person shooter developed and published by Double Eleven in which players are pitted against one another in a dimly lit underworld "beneath a neon skyline." Aesthetically, it reminds me a lot of the competitive Breakout mode from Halo 5: Guardians and its dark, stylized maps, though mechanically it seems to emphasize twitchy Counter Strike-style shooting and cleverly using environmental traps to your advantage.

Matches can have up to eight players at once, with everyone fighting to be the last man standing in both solo and team-based modes. Uniquely, defeated participants can take control of night vision cameras and traps in the arena as spectators, influencing the outcome of the game by trying to aid or sabotage individuals still in the fight. That aspect of the FPS calls the oft-forgotten 2020 battle royale Darwin Project to mind — in that game, stream spectators could vote to give players helpful powers and boosts — and will hopefully lead to lots of interesting instances of emergent gameplay.

The latter title is Animal Well, which quickly blew up and became one of 2024's biggest indie games when it launched on Windows PC (via Steam), PS5, and Nintendo Switch in May. Created by solo developer Billy Basso with help from YouTuber Jason "videogamedunkey" Gastrow's game publishing label, it's a Metroidvania platformer that starts off relatively simple, but rapidly opens up into something shockingly complex and creative as you figure out how items and creatures can be used "to manipulate your environment in surprising and meaningful ways."

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(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central)

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Though Animal Well's main story will only take you about six hours to finish, its countless hidden secrets and puzzles are where the real meat of the game lies. Its description confidently asserts that "players will be discovering hidden puzzles for years," and indeed, its fans always seem to be unearthing a new find when I check in with the community. One particularly wild puzzle even required 50 players to work together in order to complete an art mural.

That isn't to say it's purely an exploration game; in fact, it can have stealth and horror vibes at times, as the little blob character you play as can't fight directly and has to rely on hiding from or tricking predators to survive. Still, exploration and puzzle-solving is definitely at the heart of the $24.99 indie.

DEAL: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-month pre-paid cards are just $29.29 at CDKeys, giving you three months for the price of two even after the recent price increase to $19.99/month

Something worth noting is that Blindfire can be played on Windows PC as well as Xbox Series X|S through the Microsoft Store, though Animal Well only PC version is still on Steam. Also, neither game is on Xbox Game Pass, though I can see both — Blindfire especially — heading to the service in time. The FPS doesn't have a roadmap or expected final release date of any kind right now, and Double Elven says to "purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game."

Having played it myself earlier this year, I can personally recommend Animal Well wholeheartedly, and I imagine I'll be checking out Blindfire through its free trial with some friends this weekend. Even though neither of these shadow drops are massive releases, I have to say that it's nice for Xbox players to have something new to play now as they wait for all the other games shown during the Xbox Partner Preview.