Levaluhta
“in 1674, reverend of Isokyrö, Israel Ulftanus wrote that human bones have risen up from Leväluhta spring throughout the ages”
Inspired by the book “Leväluhta” by Marko Hautala, the story revolves around an ancient burial site in Orismala, a struggling eldercare nurse, and a lonely old woman. Beautifully photographed 2D graphics inspired by movies like The Lighthouse, Night of the hunter, and Persona. With gameplay-driven storytelling and slow-paced claustrophobic dread, Leväluhta is a unique horror experience like no other.
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MATURE HORROR
Noir horror set in real-world Finnish locations, no jumpscares or splatter.
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UNIQUE GAMEPLAY
Classic adventure game mechanics but fully modernised with a heavy emphasis on movement and strategy. Play as a eldercare nurse without the resources for her job - to take care of an old patient and her house. Vacuum, make food, clean, fix, and so forth, based on job descriptions. Race against the clock, manage your stress levels, and fight against randomised daily complications.
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PLAYER-DRIVEN INVESTIGATION
Taking a twist to the horror mansion trope, your patient has a small house with unexplained hidden layers. Uncover its secrets at your own pace, with your own smarts.
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FOCUS ON REPLAYABILITY
One-time branching dialogues & small special randomised events that don’t show up on each playthrough. Instead of vast content, Leväluhta focuses on small, meaningful, curated details.
Read More: Best Female Protagonist Psychological Horror Games.
Lucid Dream Adventure
Lucid Dream is easy to recommend for anyone that likes a point&click adventure with creative puzzles and psychological narrative. The developers have been very active during this Early Access, constantly updating the UI and changing the logic behind the puzzles – making this experience more intuitive. It takes about 6-8 hours to beat, it really depends on which difficulty you start and how often you will rely on optional hints. The best part of Lucid Dream is a compelling story that has a very immersive narrative, music and visuals. You play as Lucy, a disabled girl that travels into her dreams in order to find a way to save her mother. Overall this has been one of the best Early Access titles that I have been a part of. Its awesome developers have absorbed all of the criticism and improved the game as much as they could; they even reworked the soundtrack several times just because a few individuals complained about it (mostly me).
– Real player with 21.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Female Protagonist Indie Games.
So, this game is an absolute bug-fest. It seems right up my ally in terms of atmospheric design, puzzles, etc., but I was unable to get any enjoyment out of it due to the frustratingly game-breaking bugs. In short - it’s a point-and-click puzzle which has a tendency to make your items (yes the ones you need to progress and solve puzzles) disappear. On top of that the select level function is broken - at the moment of writing this review I am half way through the game (on my third restart noless) and only the first chapter is unlocked from the chapter select menu. There is no “restart” or “retry” level option, which means that if you happen to have an item randomly deleted and the game decided to autosave then you have to start a new game all over.
– Real player with 10.6 hrs in game
TEOCIDA
Teocida is an esoteric experience focused on puzzles, cloning mechanics, platforming challenges and experimental elements. Explore the enigmatic passageways of a twisted microcosm filled with symbolic faith landscapes and erotic nightmares.
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Dirty and ugly experimental graphics made using different digital and handcrafted techniques.
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Clairvoyance evaluation with Zener cards!
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Seven principles to absorb.
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Multi-layered easter eggs for the most dedicated candidates.
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Customizable game speed for moments that call for quick reflexes.
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Content filtering setting for streamers or speedrunners.
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Not a metroidvania.
After her doctrine falls into oblivion, an infamous seer embarks on a journey to find suitable successors that can keep her philosophy alive.
Classic and straightforward gameplay with simple and intuitive controls. Uncomplicated mechanics with puzzles of increasing difficulty.
We are currently accepting new candidates, apply for the Metaphysical Aptitude Program now!
The program is designed to conduct experiments in extrasensory perception, subliminal effectivity, logic ability (problem solving), and response to audiovisual stimuli.
Content is not recommended for people who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy.
This game deals with some themes that can be considered taboo or uncomfortable for some players, the game is not suitable for children.
Read More: Best Female Protagonist Gothic Games.
Red Embrace: Mezzanine
Red Embrace: Mezzanine is a short (~1 hour or even less) free visual novel with point-&click elements, 2 endings rewarded with 2 achs. Unfortunately, for now the game has limited features, so those achs won’t appear on steam profile((
I’m sure even if someone didn’t play Red Embrace or Red Embrace: Hollywood the game will be interesting enough. I have almost nothing to complain about: visuals are great, music is perfect to set that gloomy mood, the writing is so potent dragging you deep into that dark atmosphere. That’s really amazing how that short story, maybe not even the whole story but some kind of prologue for the future game, can awake such powerful emotions. Really impressive!
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
As usual, fine. As usual, there is a light sadness after passing the game. And not only because the story itself is sad, because it concerns loneliness, loss and hopelessness, but because it shows us what we dream about at some point. We all probably dreamed that on some day someone (and preferably some handsome guy) would offer us to change our lives. But this did not happen.
It’s very nice that the story echoes Red Embrace: Hollywood. I am very glad that I somehow found Argent Games.
Как обычно, прекрасно. Как обычно, после прохождения игры возникает легкая грусть. И не только потому, что сама история печальна, ведь она касается одиночества, потери и безнадежности, но и потому, что она показывает нам, о чем мы мечтаем в какой-то момент. Мы все, наверное, мечтали, что когда-нибудь кто-нибудь (и желательно какой-нибудь красавчик) предложит нам изменить нашу жизнь. Но этого не произошло.
– Real player with 2.9 hrs in game
Sweet Love
A serious subject displayed with minimalist elegance and rhetorical gameplay. Video games are also great at that: to convey important, personal and yet universal experiences.
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
Don’t let my game time fool you, the game is finished in 16 minutes.
I am not fond of platformers in “normal” times. But Otterways made an amazing game that conveys a message all of humanity (men and women) should all learn.
If you can save buying a coffee on your week, you can buy the game, and possibly a few keys to share with whoever you want!
– Real player with 0.9 hrs in game
The Housewife
In The Housewife, you play an abused housewife cleaning the house before the husband comes home. However, the biggest downfall of the game is how it is presented. The ideas are there, but how it is given falls short.
The game is just doing chores, with the story just skin deep. The Housewife would of benefited from a story. How does the family get the house so dirty in one day? How did the dynamic of the husband shift to abuser? Was the husband always an abuser (how long has this been going on)? What are the ‘rules’ the housewife has (there’s only one that is given, never leave the property, or two if you add keep the house clean)? Did the housewife ever fight back? Does the housewife have friends? Why is the front door always open (What’s the point of it if you can’t decide to leave? The husband is never present when you have control. It would be interesting as other games addressed gamers are wired to complete tasks, and this could of played into this)? Is the housewife’s dreams tormenting her, or what? How do the kids play into this? Etc. This would help with us empathizing with the housewife, instead on how frusturating the first chapter can be. A character needs to seem real before we empathize with them, no matter how the message is frequent in society.
– Real player with 3.9 hrs in game
From aptly named developer, “Colossal Wreck” and published by repeat offending crapware shovellers, “Back to Basics”, in terms of gameplay this is a simple sandbox/cleaning simulator not too different mechanically from Viscera: Cleanup Detail, only far worse in quality. Gameplay aside, this is a cheap and morally bankrupt exploitation game hoping to go viral through edgy controversy as you play the role of a victim of domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse is not a joking matter, it’s not something to be taken lightly, and yet here we have “Colossal Wreck” trying to capitalise on it with this lazy low effort $5 cash grab. I’ve seen some very poor quality video games on Steam. Some insultingly, offensively bad. But this is the most disgusting thing I’ve seen, from the most morally bankrupt “developer” ever to disgrace the video game industry.
– Real player with 3.7 hrs in game
A Mortician’s Tale
There are things we occasionally tend to think about, but in the same time not give them much thought. One of such things is death. An image of a final frontier every single one of us will have to face eventually, which sometimes pops up in our mind, accompanied by questions like when, in what way or what’s beyond? These few are impossible to answer in a correct way, but A Mortician’s Tale does a good job at explaining one thing. What will happen to our body?
To answer this question, the game puts us in the shoes of Charlie, a young goth-looking woman, who starts her new job at a funeral home. Without a moment to waste she receives a welcoming e-mail from her coworkers and initial instructions regarding her first assignment, which is of course preparing a corpse for its rest, while following proper medical procedures and honoring the wishes of the family / deceased. After successfully completing that part of the job, our protagonist is obligated to go out to comfort the mourners and pay her respects.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
I would like to start the review off by saying that despite my negative review, I still believe this game is a great experience, and a game that should be played by people who generally enjoy these types of games, you know who you are.
The game is short, there’s not much gameplay, it’s simple point’n’click stuff. Most of your time will be spent reading what the characters have to say or are thinking, and reading through your emails each day that you play, and this is no secret.
The 4th tag for this game is “Short”, if you buy this and give it a negative review for being short then you need to stop buying games on impulse, and take at least the 3 minutes it takes to read through the store page and look through the screenshots.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
Little Bug
I think it’s important that there’s some visible criticism of this game because it has some major flaws.
First let’s talk about my unabashed praise: The sound design and visual design are both very good - you’ll be able to gauge just from the store page if these will appeal to you. The controls are also incredibly tight and consequently controlling Nyah feels really good - there’s a level of mastery you can achieve which totally validates the design choices of the game.
Every other positive aspect of the game is modified by some quite glaring flaws.
– Real player with 9.9 hrs in game
This game.
I have had the pleasure of receiving this game as a review copy.
If you’re looking for a sweet/cute game, with amazing visuals (with meaning, if you dig deep into the story and you’ll see that everything here visually aids the overall arc!) and challenging puzzles all packaged up into a lovely platformer?
Do it. You won’t be disappointed. Take the time to go through the game and enjoy the music and try your best to explore rather than simply trying to blow through the game. Go for the hard-to-reach places and it will add another layer and dimension to the game to enjoy right then and later!
– Real player with 6.2 hrs in game
MIDNIGHT Remastered
Pretty interesting game that kept me entertained. 10/10 would recommend compared to the other games classified as a indie horror. Still can’t figure out the last achievement though.. :/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep6z4L3nyRY
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
Fun little indie pixel horror based loosely off of the ‘Midnight Man’ urban legend/game.
When you start, your character has already completed the ritual which bummed me out because I like going through the candle lighting and knocking and stuff. No worries though!
My biggest challenge when beating this game was remembering where things were. The object is to collect seven envelopes that are marked with one of the deadly sins from the bible. Luckily they aren’t randomly placed so it’s just a matter of finding them all and not running out of matches before you can escape.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
The Mermaid of Zennor
The Mermaid of Zennor is a really harsh story – focusing on an autistic protagonist that deals with cold, unempathetic parents, bullying and an unhealthy obsession with her step-brother. All that drives her, on one side, to close herself to the outside world, and on the other, to violently lash out when she can no longer bottle her feelings inside. It’s not completely devoid of humour, as Lilac’s contradictory and spiteful thoughts can be amusing in a dark kind of way, but the core narrative is just as painful as that introduction sounded and the bad ending left me pretty much gasping for breath for a good few minutes. It’s not an experience for those faint of heart or for moments when you don’t feel like going through some deeply depressing storytelling.
– Real player with 28.5 hrs in game
A wonderfully written and well-paced story that I enjoyed the whole way through. “Enjoyed” is probably not the right word. It was a frightening and sort of awful reading experience in the sense that the protagonist’s point of view is written well enough to evoke bleakness and obsession and rage. The descent into the events of the end of the game was wholly expected, in a good way–I was tensed for it the whole way through.
It’s primo Ebi. I adored the story. The music, while I didn’t really register it at first, slowly crept over me, and by the end I appreciated it a great deal.
– Real player with 6.5 hrs in game