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I found this video yesterday and wanted to share it with you all, as well as the Jam link itself.

Here is the itch.io link.

The idea and theme of the game jam was to make a silly and enjoyable game. Because of this, not only was the game jam massively popular (it has 408 entries!), but a large amount of the developers were first-time game devs. There's a lot of really fun, and very silly, games in here. In the video, Jerbob highlights a few he really enjoyed, but you should definitely browse the itch.io page yourself and play a few!

i_like_the_stars

Just wanted to share a quick video I thought y'all would appreciate.

Watch on YouTube

REALLY interested in Sinker Sound. Big, big fan of fishing games and rhythm games. I can't believe I never thought to have them in the same game! The other two that interested me were RUBATO and Mr. Sleepy Man. Did any games catch your interest?

This is the first video I've seen by sl1ppey, but they're incredibly fun to watch while giving honest and legitimate reviews of the games they're showcasing.

i_like_the_stars

I think a lot of folks can relate, but I have... quite the game backlog LOL. I buy a couple things on sale and then the games tend to collect some dust. Well, hopefully not anymore! Here's some of the indie games I have in my library and why I decided to buy them over something else! Hopefully I'll be back soon with some commentary on game play and the such.

AER: Memories of Old || (Steam Page)
This is an open world exploration heavy game. This game has been in my Steam library for a while. Oops...! I got it because it's supposedly very similar to the game Sky: Children of the Light, which I thoroughly enjoyed back in high school. I was looking for a similar experience, and here we are. This game is very small (roughly over one GB).

Journey || (Steam Page)
Another game similar to Sky:COTL--it's made by the same exact people, actually! This is Sky's spiritual predecessor, so the choice to get it was obvious. This game is small (roughly over 3 GB).

Limbus Company || (Steam Page)
A quick internet search is telling me this game is indie--please correct me if I'm wrong! This game is literally free to play, only roughly over 9 GBs, and has been in my library since the very beginning of my account. It was recommended to me by a friend. I'd still like to give this game a try one day, I do enjoy turn-based combat quite a bit.

Z.A.T.O // I Love the World and Everything In It || (Steam Page)
This game was partially developed by a vocal synth producer, Ferry. Obviously I was going to check it out. This one hasn't been in my library for ages, but I still would really love to play it. The game is incredibly small, only just under 400 MB. It is also free.

Okay, that's all for now. I have plenty more indie games (and games in general) in my library, but I wanted to touch on ones I've yet to play, and especially ones that have been there for a while now. Have you played any of these games before? What are your thoughts? Do you know any games similar to these? I'd love to hear all your thoughts!

ysabetwordsmith

A friend tipped me to this campaign: Take Us North is a video game about migrants trying to cross the border into the United States of America. If you're interested and jump fast, you may be able to catch the Early Bird reward in the first 24 hours at $25, after that it jumps to $35 minimum. I backed it because I want to project to exist -- tell ALL the stories, and poke a bigot in the eye!

Take Us North description
A narrative adventure/survival game that follows the journeys of migrants and asylum seekers on their way to cross the US-Mexico border

$6,056 pledged of $30,000 goal
95 backers
29 days to go

🎮 [Early Bird] Take Us North!
$25
Backers 52
Estimated delivery Dec 2026
🚨FIRST 24 HOURS DISCOUNT!🚨 Receive a digital copy of Take Us North (PC/Steam) and digital wallpapers!
3 items included
Digital Copy of the Game Quantity: 1
High-Resolution Digital Wallpapers Quantity: 1
Invitation to Virtual Community Launch Party Quantity: 1

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

stepnix

Big ol' sheet of games curated by Dominic Tarason. Several games on here I was pleasantly surprised to see, like Hat World and Ruina.

Current Mood: impressed

nqn

Hi friends! I recently helped organize a bundle on Steam with some other indie devs in the Midwest area!

Midwest Narrative Devs Bundle

Five games are in it, 2 of which are my visual novels, The Whisperer in Darkness, and FLIES FLIES FLIES!

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Chicago

nqn

Hi y'all! A while ago I posted to share my new visual novel, FLIES FLIES FLIES. Now I want to post again to let you know it's in a bundle with 8 other indie games made in Chicago, and 2 zines by Indie City Games! The price is $15.

And, if you already have FLIES FLIES FLIES, I released episode 3 last month! Be sure to check it out. I hear it's good.

https://itch.io/b/2737/indie-city-games-community-bundle-2024

elf

I'm working on a database for the itch.io megabundles and other bundles I've bought. I have a spreadsheet! I have Google sheets! I have lists! I have something like 10,000 games I have acquired through bundles.

...I need help figuring out how to collect all the info into useful database categories.

I would love to brainstorm with someone(s) who
1. Has something like database experience
2. Has some understanding of video games
3. Has played some TTRPGs; has some idea of the TTRPG industry/hobby area
4. Ideally, has bought at least one bundle and browsed the contents.

(If you haven't, I can suggest the currently-active Palestinian Relief Bundle, 373 items for $8, or TTRPGs for Trans Rights - West Virginia, 529 items for $5.)

( Clarifications under the cut )

I would love to chat, either in comments here (although that's very slow) or on Discord where I can screenshare and say "this is the main spreadsheet... here's my 350 edge cases which are too many..."

elf

After receiving 18 emails in the 18 days since I bought Solo But Not Alone 4, all by or connected to a creator team that's doing some kind of fundraiser, I have a new policy: A single not-related-to-this-game email means unsubscribing from that game's list.

I don't like this "creators using bundles as a way to get access to people to advertise their upcoming paid games."

I REALLY don't like them sending out emails to every game they have when they've got half a dozen or more in the same bundle. Yes, it's technically one email per game. But in practice: I've been getting 2-3 emails per day (some days get skipped), all from the same people, with the same content in the email. (Basically, "check out our crowdfunding campaign and our patreon!") And looking through my records... they did this last November as well, staggering the promo emails across a handful of games. Makes sense for people who've bought one of their games; for people who got several in a bundle, it feels like a barrage of spam.

I have established that they don't use the "notify buyers" option to tell me when there's a new version available; they're using it to say "come give me money on this other platform." I don't need that, so I'm shutting off my subscriptions to all of their games.

I don't mind, "hey did you like [Game]? I'm doing a print run on Kickstarter!" I do not like "Did you like [Game]? Well, I am publishing a new game you might also like!"

My game bundles collection is more than 10,000 items; I am going to be damned ruthless about unsubscribing from game emails.

Current Mood: annoyed

nqn

Hi all!

I didn't see any forum rules against self-promotion, but if I missed them, sorry. I hope by linking to my devlog which provides an abundance of tell-all informational content about the gamedev process that this post is not just a shameless plug.

I'm Nat. I wrote, designed and programmed a visual novel which some of y'all might know because it was in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality -- The Whisperer in Darkness, a kinetic novel* adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft short story. That bundle brought, and continues to bring, lots of views and downloads to the project, which is cool, in addition to being part of raising money for a great cause.

Anyway, I have a new project out--another kinetic novel, but an all-original story instead of an adaptation. It's called FLIES FLIES FLIES and the first 2 episodes are available on Steam and itch.io. Teaser trailer here:

Watch on YouTube

It's a queer labor of love and I maintain a brutally honest devlog including the sometimes devastating realities of making such a niche, personal project within the hit-driven industry of indie gamedev. I hope that some people in this community would be interested in checking out the VN, or the devlog.

*kinetic novel = visual novel without choices or branching

Current Mood: artistic

flowersforgraves

Hi all, I'm looking for recs for point and click puzzle games with little to no combat that I can play with someone in person.

Preferred criteria:
- No first-person games. I personally loved games like Manifold Garden, The Witness, and The Room, but the person I'm playing with finds first-person games dizzying. (Third person games are slightly better, but sidescrollers or static scenes would be best.)
- No graphic violence. Investigating a murder, or cartoony violence, is fine!
- Something with built-in stopping points

Examples of games we've played and enjoyed already:
- The Darkside Detective (1 & 2)
- Puzzle Agent (1 & 2)
- Baba Is You (currently in progress)

Anything you can point me to would be helpful!

elf

TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida - 505 games for minimum $5 donation; if you donate $10 or more,

Action Fiction have a special gift for our supporters! Donate to the TTRPGS for Trans Rights in Florida at 10$ or above, and they'll send you a PDF copy of the 100% queer led, and queer-designed 5e supplement "Monsters of Murka: Chromatic Gamut."

Proceeds go to Zebra Youth and Transinclusive Group. TIG is also a recipient of this year's Florida AIDS Walk, and as such, funds donated through this bundle will be matched by the AIDS Walk, up to $500,000.

Chaosium is also offering a copy of Alone Against the Dark (solo rules for Call of Cthulhu) to anyone who donates; it takes a special form because they're not putting their stuff on itch.io.

Bundle is available for another 24 days, so until April 7 or so. (Plus or minus a few hours for time zones.)

Notable games:
* Wanderhome (Original system)
* Thirsty Sword Lesbians (PBTA)
* The Fae Team (review) (Lasers & Feelings)
* Dear Great Cthulhu, PLEASE Stop Giving Me Superpowers! (No dice, no masters)
* Boondock Cartomancy (PBTA)

Also swarms of 1-2 page solo TTRPGs, which I love, but are too numerous to list.

elf

Next game for the game club, inspired by Play Like a Feminist's gaming circles:
Cromwell: King In All But Name, which was included in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, but is free. (Not even "pay what you want." Actually free.)

On January 10 (...or so), I'll make the reactions post - before then, reactions here are okay, but please use spoiler formatting to hide details. And hopefully over the next month I'll participate more in the discussions; I've been caught up in NaNoWriMo and a few other projects and kind of swamped.

I picked Cromwell because (1) I didn't see any objections, and (2) several people mentioned it as interesting. Cromwell was inspired by Reigns, which has about the same mechanics but different topics.

Questions to consider before starting (these are going to apply to all the games; there'll be more specific questions for this one later):

1. What did you think this game was going to be, before you played it? What was surprising about it?

2. How far did you get in the game? Do you want to play more/again?

elf

I'm not doing a poll this time, because that doesn't give me enough info to make a good decision. Last month, all five of of the games had good reviews and were widely-known enough that I wasn't worried about picking; this time, all the games are pretty much unknown.

Last month's theme, if it had one, was "games that had good enough reviews that I'd heard about them from multiple sources." This month, the theme is "free games from the Megabundles" so that people who don't have any of the bundles, or who only have some of them, can afford to play even if they're stretched thin with holiday expenses.

Discussion post will go up on Saturday, January 10th (or, erm, soon after), along with the next month's choices.

I looked over the free games in the bundle (well, I looked over a lot of the free games in the bundle) and discovered some things.

Some games tagged "free" in the bundle-searcher are not actually free. I skipped those.
A lot of free games are demos for larger games. I avoided anything that looked like "first chapter is free and here's a link to the paid version." (One of the games is incomplete, but "4 chapters out of 6 planned" sounded substantial enough.)
Some are TTRPGs. I'm also avoiding multiplayer games, because I am a Cranky Introvert and I assume several of you are as well.
Some are very, very short. I avoided short games with little/no replay value; a puzzle game that can be solved in 10 minutes can be fun but there's not likely much to discuss.

On to… THE GAMES! I'm putting these in alphabetical order because I can't think of any other way to arrange them. It was hard to narrow the choices down to 5; I tried to get a range of very different art & play styles. Links:

• Cromwell by The Digital Technologist: "The King is dead. Long live the Commonwealth!"

• Inside | Out by YoanAllibert: "Recursive First-Person Atmospheric Adventure."

• Lavender by Clockwork Prince: "An alternate take on the classic fairytale of Rapunzel. Puzzle game with horror elements."

• Pet the Pup at the Party by Will Herring: "you are at a house party. you do not know anybody. the clock is ticking... can you find the pup at the party??"

• Vincent: The Secret of Myers by dino999z: "A horror adventure visual novel with point & click components."

( Read more... )

What looks fun? What looks "interesting, but not for me?" Are there any "hard no" games here?

What I really want to know: What's your top choice, and what's your second choice?

elf

Now that we've had time to play (...and possibly, time to forget why we played and lose track of time because of NaNoWriMo), let's talk!

This month's megabundle game was/is (for another week) A Short Hike (itch.io version), "a little exploration game about hiking up a mountain."

Here are some potential questions to discuss, but you're not required to answer any of them. Feel free to make up your own questions and answer those, or just talk about what caught your attention.

1. What did you think this game was going to be, before you played it? What was surprising about it?

2. How far did you get in the game? Do you want to play more?

3. What was the central focus of the game, and what was on the sidelines? How did the sidelined parts support or detract from the central focus?

4. What kind of worldbuilding does it have? What questions about the setting were left unanswered?

5. Did you particularly like or dislike any of the characters?

6. What parts were most frustrating? What parts were most fun?

7. Did you use a keyboard, a controller, or both? How do you think that affected the game?

packbat

Probably one to save until after you've played it, but Adam Robinson-Yu, the creator of "A Short Hike" (this month's gaming circle game), did a half hour talk for GDC that's pretty fun and neat if you like game dev:

Watch on YouTube

elf

First game for the game club, inspired by Play Like a Feminist's gaming circles:
A Short Hike, which was included in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality.

It's currently $8 on itch.io, Steam, GOG, Switch, and various other platforms. It was once a free game on Epic, and it used to be in the Humble Trove.

The plan: Get game. Play game. On November 12, I'll make a Game Reactions Post with questions (which you don't have to answer, but they can be part of the discussion) and options for the next game; on November 19th, I'll post the next game, and so on.

...This does not preclude extra posts in the between-time related to this game or other games. The goal here is "Play games, enjoy games, talk about games, make friends." I'm fairly arbitrarily picking the first one because we need to start somewhere.

Next month's selections will all be free games from the Megabundle lists, to avoid cutting into people's holiday shopping money and to experiment with less well-known games.

Questions to consider before starting (these are going to apply to all the games; there'll be more specific questions for this one later):

1. What did you think this game was going to be, before you played it? What was surprising about it?

2. How far did you get in the game? Do you want to play more/again?

…Go!

ETA: Interactive Map, for those who want spoilers.

elf

I'm leaning toward "A Short Hike" as the first game.

"Rusty Lake" is technically in the lead, but one of those was by a voter who voted for all five, and one was my vote, which is pretty much "eh I guess I can pick what I'm interested in today?" But I picked all the games and I'd be happy to try any of them.

At that point, Rusty Lake and A Short Hike are tied, and I think A Short Hike has wider appeal. The Rusty Lake games have some frustrating parts that, on further thought, I'd rather avoid as a first game, at least for people who don't know they like that kind of thing. (I think I have done one RL game without having to find a walkthrough/hint guide that made me say "oh that's just fucking cheating.")

If there's no strong objections, I'm selecting A Short Hike as the first game.

It was in the original Racial Justice and Equality bundle, and is otherwise $8 on itch.io, Steam, GOG, Epic (where it was one of the free games at one point), and Switch, and possibly other platforms.

If you don't have it and $8 is troublesome, let me know in a DM; I may have a spare code because I pick up bundles of games all the time (and then don't keep track of them.)

Other than that - Would people prefer:
1) Make a post for game discussion soon, so we can discuss as we play, or
2) Make a discussion post next month (say, on the 12th, with discussion to close on the 19th), so there's no spoilers or pressure to comment back immediately?

elf

How about "just the poll as a separate post" because apparently my fuzzy awareness of how DW polls work has faded to uselessness over the years.

Poll #27681 Gaming Circle poll

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 17

View Respondents

Would you like to join a game circle?

View Answers

YES SIGN ME UP.
7 (41.2%)

Maybe - depends on the games, my schedule, etc.
9 (52.9%)

Probably/definitely not.
0 (0.0%)

I'm interested but cannot directly participate, because Reasons.
1 (5.9%)

Something else, which I'll mention in a comment
0 (0.0%)

Discussions should be:

View Answers

On Dreamwidth, 1 post per game
9 (52.9%)

On Dreamwidth, multiple posts spread out over the month
2 (11.8%)

On Discord, with voice chat & streaming options
1 (5.9%)

More than one of those
5 (29.4%)

Something else, which I'll mention in a comment
0 (0.0%)

What game should we try first? (check no more than 2)

View Answers

A Mortician's Tale ($9)
6 (46.2%)

Calico ($12)
5 (38.5%)

A Short Hike ($8)
5 (38.5%)

Art Sqool ($7)
4 (30.8%)

Rusty Lake Hotel ($2)
7 (53.8%)

Something else, which I'll mention in a comment
0 (0.0%)

elf

I've recently discovered playlikeafeminist.com. (I blogged about it here.) I'd love to have a game circle/club, where a group of people play a game for a few weeks or a month, and then talk about it.

...Also I have approximately 5000 games that I have acquired in various itch.io bundles (plus, um, several bundles that aren't on that list) that I... mostly don't play. I downloaded a swarm of solo TTRPGs, played a handful of them, and otherwise mostly just scroll through the collections, thinking about what might be interesting to play.

So I thought it'd be nice to grab the gaming circle guidelines (short version: "It's like a book club, only for video games"), pick a handful of potential starting games, and see who else is interested.

( More under cut! )

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Page Summary

i_like_the_stars - Jerbob's SILLY JAM
i_like_the_stars - [Video] 5 Indie Games You ACTUALLY Haven't Played (and probably should)
i_like_the_stars - Indie Games in My Steam Library I Need to Play
ysabetwordsmith - New Crowdfunding Project: "Take Us North"
stepnix - freeware drop
nqn - Midwest Narrative Devs: a 5-game bundle on Steam!
nqn - Indie City Community Games Bundle
elf - Game Bundle database plans
elf - Unsubscribing from specific game emails
nqn - FLIES FLIES FLIES - queer sci-fi comedy VN
flowersforgraves - Seeking Puzzle Game Recs
elf - New Megabundle: TTTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida
elf - Game Club: Cromwell
elf - Game Club: Options for November 19th
elf - Game Club Discussion: A Short Hike
packbat - GDC talk on "A Short Hike"
elf - Game Club: A Short Hike
elf - Game Club - First Game selection
elf - Poll for Gaming Club
elf - Game Club for Bundle Games

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