CounterSpy, Hohokum, and Doki-Doki Universe announced for the PS Vita

Over on Sony's EU PlayStation Blog, three new indie titles have been announced for the PS Vita, further cementing Sony's commitment to getting smaller games and studios noticed.

The trio are certainly a mixed bunch, and feature stealth action, flying worm-like kite beasts, and an alien that looks like a green hot dog.

First up, there's CounterSpy. This is a side-scrolling espionage thriller with a Cold War aesthetic. In it, you are dropped into the sneakers of an agent of C.O.U.N.T.E.R., who needs to curtail the plans of two insane superpowers.

Cue lots of creeping into bases, finding prototype weapons, and blowing up rockets before they wipe out the population of the earth.

There's talk of Cross-Play, multiplayer that goes beyond leaderboards, and a mobile version of the game through which you can unlock new stuff for the Vita version.

With a list of influences that reads like a who's who of side-scrolling adventures and a gorgeous art style that pops off the screen, CounterSpy, which is only a working title, looks set to make side-on stealth cool again.

Snakey

Next up, we have Hohokum, which is a co-production between Honeyslug (the developer of the Silver Award-winning Frobisher Says) and artist Richard Hogg.

Here, you'll play as a "technicolour, calligraphic, worm-like, kite-like being" swooping around and exploring a world that's been built as a playground.

Gameplay details are thin on the ground, though we do know that creativity and expression are prioritised here over high scores and rules.

According to Hohokum's creator, "the usual pressures of video games - constantly being told to do things, fearing failure, and being challenged to earn progress" are all absent from this gaming experience.

It's set to land on PS Vita next year.

Finally, there's Doki-Doki Universe, an ambitious project from Human Nature Studios in which the dev is trying to put the humanity back in gaming.

You play a robot who's scheduled for decommissioning. Well, unless he can prove to an alien hot dog called Alien Jeff that he has the requisite amount of humanity in his circuitry.

This leads to bizarre personality tests on asteroids and to confrontations with a dizzying cast of utterly bonkers characters.

Full of charm and whimsy, Doki-Doki Universe looks set to be one of those games that is forever described as 'unique'.