Over the last decade, the video game industry has seen a rise in prominent indie games on platforms like Steam and Xbox Live Arcade. It signaled to developers everywhere that ideas could be created by nearly anyone wanting to make them. Black developers have taken advantage of this as well, home-brewing games that feature their own takes on various genres. African Americans may only make up only 2.5 percent of all video game developers, but that doesn’t mean they’re not putting time and effort towards building their own development studios.

In celebration of Black History Month, we look at games created by Black developers that are out now (or soon) that you definitely want to keep on your radar.

Developer: MABManZ

Release Date: 1/10/2019

Platform(s): Steam / Nintendo Switch

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Tiny Bird Garden

While Super Smash Bros. may hold the crown for multiplayer fighting, those interested in something more along the lines of Capcom’s Power Stone may find the Waldorf, Maryland-based developer MABManZ’s Combat Core a title of interest. Each of its distinct characters offers dozens of customization options, and the multiplayer brawler supports both offline and online multiplayer, with crossplay between Steam and Nintendo Switch. Combat Core is also the first fighting game to offer native support for VR headsets like the Oculus Rift.

Developer: Super Retro Duck

Release Date: 11/ 15 / 2017

Platform(s): Steam / iOS / Android

Tiny Bird Garden is the perfect title for families. Initially released in 2017 as a virtual pet simulator featuring a customizable bird garden, Tiny Bird Garden has evolved into something fans of the genre should enjoy, with its wide range of over 100 collectible birds. The following year, a deluxe version was released for Steam, which also features a twelve chapter story mode told in a visual novel style.

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Treachery in Beatdown City

Developer: Nuchallenger

Release Date: Spring 2019

Platform(s): Steam / Nintendo Switch

Set to launch sometime before the end of 2019, Treachery in Beatdown City already made a cameo appearance in No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Back as customizable clothing options featuring characters from the game. Inspired by 8-bit brawlers like Double Dragon and River City Ransom, Treachery in Beatdown City (developed by New York City-based Nuchallenger) utilizes a “tactical brawling system,” making it more like a turn-based RPG. It features a hilarious story about saving “President Orama” from Ninja Dragon Terrorists, all set to an awesome soundtrack featuring alternative hip hop notables Open Mike Eagle and 2 Mello. Anyone looking for a homage to classic brawlers with a unique combat system, comical story, and soundtrack catering to the modern rap purest should have much to enjoy.

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Hex Gambit

Developer: One Man Left Studios

Release Date: 10 / 5 / 2018

Platform(s): Steam

According to the Entertainment Software Association, strategy games account for 4.3 percent of overall gaming sales. That doesn’t mean Black gamers aren’t fans of the niche genre, though, and Hex Gambit serves as a great example. Developed by One Man Left Studios, the quirky turn-based-strategy game feels like a combination of Monday Night Combat and BattleChess, using a bouncy checker piece-like movement called “crowd surfing.” Hex Gambit is out for PC now with a Nintendo Switch version on the way soon. It offers 1v1 and 2v2 competitive multiplayer that’s available for online play in either real-time or asynchronous mode.

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Chrono Ghost

Developer: NiteTime Studios

Release Date: 1 / 4 / 2019

Platform(s): Steam

Remember that time bootleg console seller/rapper Soulja Boy made a hilarious and flawed review of Braid despite its overwhelming critical love? Well, fans of that style of puzzle-based platformers should look into Chrono Ghost. The game is a time-bending platformer featuring an art style similar to Ori and The Blind Forest. Stepping into the shoes of the Chrono Ghost, players progress through a series of challenges that are all based around the Chrono Ghost’s ability to stop, speed up, and slow down time, each getting more intricate as the game goes on. The budget title is just ten bucks, and runs smoothly on older PCs that may lack the processing power to play bigger AAA titles.

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Hair Nah

Developer: Momo Pixel

Release Date: November 2017

Platform(s): Web

To many, touching a Black woman’s hair without permission is one of the ultimate forms of disrespect. Art designer and recording artist Momo Pixel went viral after creating a simple browser-based game about exactly that experience, called Hair Nah. The simple game involves creating a custom avatar, picking a travel destination, and using directional keys to swipe away intrusive hands. Those looking for a real message of inappropriate racial attitudes with style can look no further.

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SwimSanity!

Developer: Decoy Games

Release Date: 2019

Platform(s): Steam / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One

SwimSanity! is an underwater side-scrolling shooter in the vein of Metal Slug and, most recently, Cuphead. Developed by Decoy Games, SwimSanity! puts players in the shoes of Mooba, who uses various abilities and weapons to survive a dangerous world filled with a large onslaught of underwater enemies. The shooter has over 150 challenges spread across eight modes, which lends itself to some serious replay value. SwimSanity! Also supports both online and local play. A private beta is coming February 28th for those interested in checking the game out early, and anyone in need of a quick action shooter with some interesting underwater physics and multiplayer should most definitely give SwimSanity! a shot.

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Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan

Developer: KIRO'O Games Studios

Release Date: 4 / 17 / 2016

Platform(s): Steam

The first game from a Central African developer, Cameroonian studio KIRO’O Games’ Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan was launched after a successful Kickstarter in 2015. The action RPG was praised for its fairly interesting take on real-time combo-driven combat similar to Bandai Namco’s Tales series and a rich story rooted in African mythos.

Black developers have a long ways to go before finding recognition within AAA spaces. However, games like these prove the creative drive is there to make an impact on the future. Have any suggestions for games created by Black developers that should be listed? Reply below in the comment section.

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Ural Garrett is an Inglewood based writer, photographer, and content curator. Follow him on Twitter.