Indie Games 101, pt. 2

 Website: https://frogdetective.net/

Release Date: 2018

Developer: inkle

Platforms: PC & Mac (Steam, itch.io)

Price: $4.99

Game Length: 45min

Recommended if you like: Hard boiled detective stories, Scooby Doo, talking to strange people, Wayne’s World

The Haunted Island, A Frog Detective game is short and hilarious. Visit a haunted island and piece together the mystery by helping the people on the island. The writing is super good and I promise you will laugh!

Website: http://ashorthike.com/

Release Date: 2019

Developer: adam robinson-yu

Platforms: Mac & PC (itch.io, Steam)

Price: $7.99

Game Length: 1-2 hours

Recommended if you like: Cute animal characters trying their best, nature, birds and animals, encouraging people

Claire is on vacation at her aunt’s and needs to get to the top of the mountain to get a cell phone signal. Gameplay is really simple: as you walk, climb and glide your way to the top, meeting various characters along the way, who you can choose to chat with, play games with, or help with errands. I found the controls a tiny bit awkward, but it didn’t really hamper my experience of the game. Overall it’s just really fun and cheerful!

 Website: http://monsterprom.pizza/

Release Date: 2018

Developer: Beautiful Glitch

Platforms: PC & Mac (Steam)

Price: $11.99

Game Length: 45min – 1 hour (for one playthrough – but multiple playthroughs is what makes it fun!)

Recommended if you like: High school drama, party games where it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, hilarious laugh-out-loud writing, surf guitar

Monster Prom is a “dating sim” style game, which means you interact with characters through dialogue options and try to say the right thing to catch your crushes’ eye. In this case, you’re at a high school for monsters (although all of your romantic options are older than 18!) and decisions revolve around weighing in on their various exploits like running internet scams or how to break into the principal’s office to change a grade, as well as totally unexpected situations like suddenly being on an episode of “The Intergalactic Bachelor.” It’s unique for a dating sim in that you can play online with up to 4 players. There’s nothing too inappropriate but the language gets a little salty so I’d recommend it for teens or older.

 Website: http://www.herstorygame.com/

Release Date: 2015

Developer: Sam Barlow

Platforms: Mac & PC (Steam, Humble Store), Apple & Android phones

Price: $4.99 – $9.99

Game Length: 3 hours

Recommended if you like: Murder myseries, true-crime podcasts, reading people

In Her Story search through a database of clips from various interviews with a suspected murderer. You choose different keywords to see video clips pertaining to them, and slowly piece together the story as you discover more of them. It’s completely unlike any game I have ever played before or since! I don’t think the above trailer really does justice to how compelling it is – you basically hang on every word looking for new search terms. It’s a few years old at this point and the developer has just released another game called Telling Lies, which is also available on Steam and Apple Phones.

 Website: https://abzugame.com/ 

Release Date: 2016 

Developer: Giant Squid 

Platforms: PC (Steam), PS4, XBox One, Nintendo Switch

Price: $7.99 – $19.99

Game Length: 2-3 hours

Recommended if you like: Scuba diving, aquariums, Blue Planet, conflict-free exploration

In Abzu you play as a diver swimming through the ocean and encountering various sea life and mysterious underwater ruins. The gameplay is relaxing with simple controls that make you feel comfortable and cool zipping around the water. It’s a cinematic, emotional experience with beautiful cinematic music. It’s heavy on mood and light on narrative, so don’t expect much in the way of answers to what you’re doing swimming around the ocean – just drink it in.

That’s all for now! I have many more recommendations to come!!