It's not every day you see a game as beautiful as indie project All Living Things – but it's also not every day that you meet a beautiful woman. And that's just what this stunning gem's indie developer has gone and done. Of all the new games I've seen coming this year and beyond, All Living Things stands out as one of the most unique, with its gorgeous stop-motion storybook aesthetic and its animated mysteries. Playing on the mythic substance of the philosopher's stone and drawing inspiration directly from The Ripley Scroll, a 15th-century alchemical manuscript, it pits players against cryptic poetry, ever-changing hand-crafted visuals, and 12 mind-boggling puzzles. It's basically everything my medieval history-loving self has ever wanted – but there hasn't been an update in nearly a year on its progress. It turns out that we have one "beautiful woman" to thank for that, as Saint Vulture – as the All Living Things dev is known online – admits in a new post. "Game development is going slow," they write. "I've met a beautiful woman." Valid, I guess, Saint Vaulture. Very valid. Former Stardew Valley dev has to delay adorable new life sim for the second time, shortly after adding the most perfect piles of snow: "I've been working very hard on the game" Upcoming indie games for 2026 and beyond After a 97% "Very Positive" Steam launch for his platformer about a tortoise and a duck, indie dev says it took fans 1 week to pay for his wedding and dog's future medication, but it's barely been enough to break even harsh gamedev truth is im first off the boat if i hear a siren songFebruary 8, 2026 harsh gamedev truth is im first off the boat if i hear a siren songFebruary 8, 2026 harsh gamedev truth is im first off the boat if i hear a siren songFebruary 8, 2026 "Harsh gamedev truth is I'm first off the boat if I hear a siren song," the dev follows up in a reply to their original thread – and unsurprisingly, folks are loving all of this. One person responds, "Understandable. I hope you enjoy every day." Another says, "Disappointing, but I cannot fault you." Who can, really? This is the sort of dev-to-audience honesty I live for, and I'm evidently not alone, judging by the comments. Somebody dubs this "the most legit reason for delay announcement I've ever seen in a video game industry," for example – and I, for one, agree. If you do, too, you can give All Living Things a wishlist on Steam and support a budding romance. Looking for more small developers to support? Browse through our roundup of the coolest upcoming indie games to wishlist now.