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OpinionA Low Poly Horror Game That Gets Under Your Skin
Paratopic is a horror game about cursed video tapes and horrible monsters lurking in the woods. Following an assassin, a smuggler, and a photographer, it’s a slow-burning tale of violence that uses film editing techniques to ramp up the tension. It’s a perfect, moody Indie Pick. Paratopic, available now for Windows PC, tells the story…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 23, 2018 -
OpinionThis Puzzle Platformer Is Giving Me Mario 2 Flashbacks
Uurnog Uurnlimited feels like a knock-off Super Mario Bro 2. It’s a blocky platform puzzler where you pick up and throw everything, from enemies to bombs. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but its freeform approach to puzzle design means that you’re able to come up with your own solutions. It’s a sneaky little…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 14, 2018 -
OpinionSecret Little Haven Is A Game That Captures The Feel Of Late 90’s AOL
Capturing the feeling of early AOL chats can be difficult, while crafting an engrossing LGBT narrative can be ever harder. Secret Little Haven nails both, transporting players to the earlier days of the internet and telling a story that is both empathetic and believable. It’s intriguing and a great choice for this week’s indie pick.…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 7, 2018 -
OpinionIs That Bear Driving A Car?
Enviro-Bear 2000 is an arcade driving game about a bear frantically careening through the forest to grab fish and berries before winter comes. Awkward controls and loose car physics turn foraging into a dizzying affair of hairpin turns and rabid possums. It’s a classic game and perfect Indie Pick. Released by Justin Smith in 2010,…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 28, 2018 -
OpinionTactics Game Lets You Possess Hapless Villagers
Ambition of the Slimes is a tactical roleplaying game where the player wrangles an army of vulnerable slimes. By themselves, these cute critters are squishy and easily defeated but they have a trick up their sleeve: they can possess enemy units. Created by altairworks, Ambition of the Slimes offers a quick blast of tactics action…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 21, 2018 -
OpinionPaintball Game Brings Out Your Inner Artist
Joy Exhibition is a freeform art game in which the player must communicate with a mute alien race by painting. They are given a blank canvas, a massive arsenal of procedurally generated paint guns, and free rein to create whatever art they can think of. Created by game developer Strangethink, Joy Exhibition is a celebration…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 15, 2018 -
OpinionIf You Like Metroid, Play Dandara
Dandara is an action game where you can’t run. Your character leaps from wall to wall across massive maps while battling bosses and collecting power ups. It takes the exploration of Metroid and adds a ton of style. Created by Brazilian developer Long Hat House, Dandara tells the story of a warrior who must save…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 7, 2018 -
OpinionYou Should Play Nuts
Nuts is a puzzle game where players must set up a series of surveillance cameras to hunt down a squirrel and find their hidden stash of food. Wandering through a hazy maze of trees to find the perfect space to drop a camera is a surprisingly tricky mind teaser that challenges memorization skills. The game’s…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 31, 2018 -
OpinionA Satisfying Platformer About Smashing Skeletons And Befriending Acrobats
Sometimes you need to punch a skeleton and use their severed arm to smack a ghost in the face. Long Live the Axe is an exciting action platformer about exploring crypts and finding keys. It mixes the sensibilities of Metroid with an arcade brawler, and it’s this week’s Indie Pick. Designed by Jesse Burnett, Long…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 24, 2018 -
OpinionArcade Runner Is The Perfect Relaxation Tool
Void Wisp is an arcade game all about soothing soundscapes and living life as close to the edge as possible. Players control a small mote of light floating through an obstacle course of shapes and laser beams that create noise the closer you get to them. In order to get the most points, players need…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 17, 2018 -
OpinionA Game That Got A New Level For Every Day Of 2017
A Road to Aweis an exploration game featuring hundreds of M.C. Escher-inspired digital worlds. Developer lectroniceadded a new location every day throughout 2017, creating a gorgeous series of mazes, monuments, and museums. It’s this week’s indie pick. Space in A Road to Awe shifts and contorts to form winding pathways. Each new map is a…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 12, 2018 -
Opinion
RPG Lets You Beat Up Monsters To Pay For Health Care
Rxcovery is an RPG about a hospital patient with only 30 minutes left on life support. Players explore a hospital full of monsters in order to raise enough money to save their character’s life. It’s a tense combination of turn-based combat and maze-like level design and this week’s Indie Pick. Sometimes all it takes to…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 3, 2018 -
Opinion
Santa Claus Flight Sim Is A Neon Cheer-Fest
Christmas has come and gone, but there’s still time to celebrate and spread some cheer. SantaCorps is an arcade flight sim and present delivery game by Ethan Redd all about zipping around and giving gifts. Fast and cheerful, it’s this week’s indie pick. It is the near future, 20XX, and Santa is getting tired. Worn…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 29, 2017 -
Opinion
A Game About Making A Socialist Society
Post Capitalism by Colestia is a short city-building and puzzle game about finding the weak links in capitalism and replacing them with alternatives in order to create a functional socialist society. It’s this week’s Indie Pick. Games like Sim City allow players to build block upon block of city streets and utilities to form a…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 14, 2017 -
Opinion
A Game About Cooking Eggs And Dealing With The Devil
Hell is a game about cooking eggs. Drop an egg into the pan and watch it sizzle before cracking another egg. But be careful: one wrong move will send you down a road full of demons, pirated DVDs, a Ruger pistol, and the devil himself. It’s bizarre, and it’s this week’s indie pick. Hell is…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 6, 2017 -
OpinionThe Fantastic Arcade Bundle Brings Together Six Amazing Games
The Fantastic Arcade 2017 bundlepacks a handful of awesome indie games together. You’ll play as an existential Mario fed up with the American healthcare system and a floppy clown dog just trying to eat some eggs. It’s imaginative, lush, and this week’s indie pick. The Fantastic Arcade 2017 bundle is published by Austin, Texas’ Juegos…
By Heather Alexandra Published November 30, 2017 -
Opinion
A Game Where You Play As An AI With Amnesia
Transfer is a short narrative game by Abyssal Uncreations focusing on artificial intelligence and discovery. Taking the role of an AI after the end of the world, you need to find out what happened and what comes next. It’s moody and intriguing. It’s this week’s indie pick. At the start of Transfer, you are assigned…
By Heather Alexandra Published October 18, 2017 -
Opinion
A Game For People Who Like Weird Hotels, Hidden Corridors And David Lynch
In The Norwood Suite, the chef asked me to go to his hotel room and pick up some pickles from the closet. Instead, I got lost in a hidden corridor that curved through the resort, dumping me out into the kitchen right next to the giant chess room. That’s just how it goes in The…
By Heather Alexandra Published October 11, 2017 -
Opinion
A Game Where No One Tells You Not To Play With Your Food
Nouris an art game about the beauty of food and playing with what you eat. With a few slaps of the keyboard, a ramen bowl gets packed with noodles while boba balls leap into tea cups. It’s silly but gorgeous. It’s this week’s Indie Pick. Made by TJ Hughes aka Terrifying Jellyfish, Nour seeks to…
By Heather Alexandra Published October 6, 2017