[Poland – July 18, 2025] – Indie solo developer KovalGames, in partnership with publishing platform indie.io, announces the launch of Forgotten 23, a narrative-driven sci-fi adventure set aboard a failing space station locked in a relentless 23-minute time loop. The game is available now on Steam, priced at USD 12.99 with a 20% launch discount.
Check out Forgotten 23 on Steam
Check out Forgotten 23 on Steam
A distress signal echoes from The Forgotten, a remote research station orbiting Proxima Centauri b. When engineer Max Novak arrives to investigate, he finds no crew—only flickering lights, corrupted logs, and the eerily calm voice of the station’s AI. Moments after arrival, the unthinkable happens: the station begins its terminal descent toward the planet below. With just 23 minutes before impact, every second counts. And then, everything resets.
In Forgotten 23, players are trapped in this cycle, forced to relive the same doomed sequence over and over. Each time the station falls from orbit, Max is hurled back to the moment he arrived, carrying with him any knowledge, discoveries, and insights gathered before the crash. The goal is deceptively simple: prevent catastrophe. But accomplishing that means understanding exactly why the eight researchers stationed here vanished, what hidden systems are failing, and whether the AI onboard is truly helping.
Gameplay unfolds in tense, looping intervals that challenge players to adapt and improvise. Each cycle requires scouring the station for clues, piecing together fragments of data, and solving complex environmental puzzles. Players must repair malfunctioning subsystems, debug broken robots, and craft essential tools with extremely limited supplies to keep the station operational just a little longer. As the minutes tick away, the stakes rise, and the station itself begins to change in subtle ways, introducing new variables to every attempt.
No two loops are exactly the same. Each reset provides fresh opportunities to learn and fresh obstacles to overcome. The tension is constant and psychological, as players race against an unyielding countdown that ends in a catastrophic impact with the planet below.
With no combat and no clear enemy, Forgotten 23 is an experience that demands observation, experimentation, and resilience. Inspired by the science fiction of Stanisław Lem, the game offers a uniquely Polish perspective on survival, memory, and the hidden costs of knowledge.
“Bringing Forgotten 23 to players today is incredibly exciting,” says Lucas, solo developer at KovalGames. “Game development has always been a passion for me—and it’s one I now share with my daughter, who’s studying game design herself. She created hand-drawn 2D graphics for some of the objects players will find during their time aboard the station. This project has been years in the making, built late at night after long days at work, and I’m proud to finally share this atmospheric, narrative-driven adventure with players everywhere.”
Forgotten 23 is available in English and Polish for PC via Steam. Players can enter the loop starting today and see how many resets it takes to finally avert disaster. The station is silent. The clock is ticking. Follow KovalGames on X/Twitter for updates and announcements.
Assets
Streaming Trailer
ABOUT KOVALGAMES
KovalGames is the solo studio of Lucas S. Kowal, a Polish game developer, designer, and programmer dedicated to creating original, self-developed games. Experienced in graphic design, board game design, online and video games development, Lucas has been working as a graphic designer and programmer since 2000 and in the gaming industry since 2010, working independently in all areas of development—from coding and UI to visual design. His daughter, also part of the games industry, contributes drawings and artwork to KovalGames projects, including Forgotten 23. Find out more on the developer's official website.
ABOUT INDIE.IO
indie.io is home to hundreds of the world’s most innovative independent video games and developers. Founded in 2020 by Donovan Duncan and Ben Robinson - industry veterans with a collective 40 years of experience across the video game landscape - our mission is to provide support to independent developers and set the standard for gaming creation, management, and promotion. Our tools and services include marketing, QA, playtesting, partnership deals, and distribution to all major platforms to maximize your visibility, revenue, and engagement to ensure long-term success – with no upfront costs. You may know us from Echoes of the Plum Grove, HumanitZ, the Dark Deity franchise, and Coromon!
We’re powered by a worldwide team of 35 remote employees; a mix of semi-professional esports players, developers, and gaming enthusiasts whose passion and technical know-how fuel the company’s mission. As industry experts, we dedicate ourselves to providing innovative marketing support services and integrations; as players, we want to discover and elevate the creators of exceptional, inspiring, and unexpected games of every genre. Join us on our quest to cultivate a vibrant global community of players and creators alike!
indie.io is home to hundreds of the world’s most innovative independent video games and developers. Founded in 2020 by Donovan Duncan and Ben Robinson - industry veterans with a collective 40 years of experience across the video game landscape - our mission is to provide support to independent developers and set the standard for gaming creation, management, and promotion. Our tools and services include marketing, QA, playtesting, partnership deals, and distribution to all major platforms to maximize your visibility, revenue, and engagement to ensure long-term success – with no upfront costs. You may know us from Echoes of the Plum Grove, HumanitZ, the Dark Deity franchise, and Coromon!
We’re powered by a worldwide team of 35 remote employees; a mix of semi-professional esports players, developers, and gaming enthusiasts whose passion and technical know-how fuel the company’s mission. As industry experts, we dedicate ourselves to providing innovative marketing support services and integrations; as players, we want to discover and elevate the creators of exceptional, inspiring, and unexpected games of every genre. Join us on our quest to cultivate a vibrant global community of players and creators alike!