Summary
Kepler Interactive is a gaming publisher collective co-owned by some of the development studios that launch their projects under the publisher. Seeing this type of co-ownership is rare and quite remarkable, and the games under the Kepler Interactive banner are often must-plays.
With the diverse selection of games under its belt, it’s clear that Kepler Interactive puts originality in storytelling and gameplay above all else. All the titles exhibit some of the most novel mechanics, worlds, and lore like you won’t find anywhere else, and are quite underrated. Here’s the best of what Kepler Interactive has to offer.
Though not met with the best reviews for an RPG, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is absolutely one to consider. Like Kepler’s Clair Obscur, the RPG story feels very fresh, the environments and bosses very exciting, and the characters also fight Gods, who are besieging the city of Dawn.
The main protagonist is a female soldier of the Coalition Army named Nor Vanek, who has an axe, a flintlock pistol, and a fox companion named Enki who will help take on enemies in battle. The developer is A44 Games, which previously launched Ashenwith Annapurna Interactive, and Flintlock has that same unique fantasy Soulslike feel at the heart of it.
Another unique game from Kepler, this one being in the sci-fi horror genre, is Scorn. It remains one of the most underrated games due to its emphasis on puzzles over combat and more vague and complex storytelling. However, one of the best aspects Scorn has going for it is its graphics, disturbing body horror, and visualsinfluenced by H.R. Giger’s biomechanical art.
Scorn is a gory and visual treat with some great creature designs, weapons that feel reminiscent of Cronenberg’s Existenz, and well-crafted, challenging puzzles, all found within an atmospheric, mysterious, and unsettling Lovecraftian story unlike any other.
Tchia originally launched exclusively on the PlayStation 5 and becamea hidden gem within the PS5 librarybefore hitting other consoles. It’s a vibrant and colorful visual feast of a game that blends music and physics-based gameplay with the culture of the Indigenous Kanak people from New Caledonia, a Pacific island archipelago where developer Awaceb’s founders are also from.
The game’s aesthetic is cute and wondrous and is perfect for the whole family. The story is a coming-of-age tale about the eponymous young girl, Tchia, who explores the sandbox archipelago in a quest to rescue her father from an evil ruler, with the amazing gameplay hook being that she can transform into any object and creature seen in the game.
Ultros is a psychedelic Metroidvaniathat also falls into the sci-fi genre and is full of cool and frightening alien creatures and stellar art direction. The main location of the game is the Lovecraft mythos-inspired Sarcophagus, described as “a cosmic uterus,” which, you guessed it, holds a demonic extraterrestrial being called Ultros.
Take the elements of Doom, the original Metroid series, Hollow Knight, and The Artful Escape, and Ultros is the Frankenstein’s monster of those aforementioned games. The game also mixes in a roguelike element, with The Sarcophagus putting you in a loop and requiring you to regain your skills each loop.
After creating the ‘greatest of all time’ action roguelike Metroidvania, Dead Cells, developer Motion Twin then delivered its follow-up, Windblown, in 2024,a game that launched in Early Access. Instead of a single-player 2D game this time around, Windblown is a co-op 3D isometric roguelike in the vein of Hades that you can play with up to three players.
The art style is gorgeous, and the environments have that feel of Cocoon but with a barrage of enemies known as Sentinels for you to fight around every area. Windblown’s story sees you as a warrior called a Leaper residing on the Ark, a village made up of islands in outer space orbiting a Vortex that sends enemies your way.
One of the best cat gamesyou can play also happens to come from Kepler Interactive. The Cat Quest series has three installments, each featuring the famous, adorable magic-wielding cat warrior protagonist in an RPG adventure reminiscent of Tunic and Tails of Iron, but with a whimsical and colorful world design.
The first game is a solo outing in Felingard, and then the sequel introduces the Lupus Empire of dogs and allows you to play the adventure co-op with a dog character joining your cat protagonist. Cat Quest 3 is a new adventure with the cat protagonist now being a pirate, or a ‘purrivateer,’ where combat and traversal are now taken to the high seas.
A survival game set in the ’90s, rooted in a science-fiction premise, and just being about you and your car is the experience you’re in for playing Pacific Drive.It’s akin to the Stalker series, but instead of the events being set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Pacific Drive is set in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, which has now become the Olympic Exclusion Zone.
The mood and vibe are very similar to the Stalker series, and it’s also a first-person game, but the emphasis lies more on world-building and venturing into the unknown rather than using weapons to fend off anamolous enemies, as most of the gameplay entails exploration, crafting, driving, andfixing up your station wagon.
Pacific Drive’s composer isWilbert Roget II, who also composed the soundtracks for Helldivers 2, Mortal Kombat 1 and 11, Call of Duty: WW2, Dead Island 2, Star Wars Outlaws, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.
Here’s something really different but equally amazing from Kepler Interactive’s library. Bionic Bay is one of the most innovative 2D puzzle-platformers in recent memory, featuring very intense gameplay reminiscent of Super Meat Boy and incredible physics, and it’s set in a sci-fi world of ancient biomechanical landscapes.
The main protagonist is a scientist equipped with a teleportation device that achieves the game’s unique swap mechanics. When trying to survive the various deadly traps placed throughout each level, you can use the device to swap your position with that of an object nearest to you in the environment, and it also factors into the puzzles and placement of certain pathways, creating trippy experiences.
Sifu is from developer Sloclap, and it combines a martial arts and Soulslike experience with one of the most interesting revival progression systems. Each time the main character dies, they get resurrected by a talisman and age up, going from a young martial artist to an old man or woman, depending on how frequently you perish to enemies.
The game’s premise is a revenge thrillerwith Kung Fu-driven beat ‘em up mechanics and combat system, and Sifu also takes clear inspiration from cinema, particularly Oldboy’s iconic corridor fight sequence. The game is also quite challenging as far as Soulslikes go, combining the action-packed fun of John Wick and the pain and misery of Elden Ring.
Sifu had the honor of being featured in an episode of Prime Video’s animated video game anthology series, Secret Level,in the Season 1 episode, Sifu: It Takes a Life.
Kepler Interactive’s biggest and most pleasantly surprising hit is 2025’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s a turn-based RPG with one of the most stunning and mind-blowing intro sequences and original worlds since probably the BioShock series. The intro is very emotional and cinematic, and the dialogue, characters, and world-building get only more impactful from there.
Expedition 33 is a game to play if you’re a fan of Metaphor: ReFantazio, BG3, and Final Fantasy, bringing stylish turn-based combat mechanics and visuals to what can certainly be considered one of 2025’s best-written stories. It’s received universal acclaim from critics and players alike, and even earneda five-star review from our very own Ryan Thompson-Bamsey. Daredevil’s Charlie Cox even voices the protagonist, Gustave.
Clair Obscur was made by Sandfall Interactive, a studio founded by former Ubisoft developers and comprised of 34 core team members,including a cute doggie named Monoco(the team’s Happiness Manager).
