Rakuen
Such a hidden jem of a game; I honestly can’t recommend it enough. One of my top 5 favorites i’ve ever played. 3
– Real player with 149.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Indie Great Soundtrack Games.
Sweet and lovely game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You help people and face your shadow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Certainly emotional⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
more reviews like this: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/ddmeow/
– Real player with 74.8 hrs in game
Impostor Factory
So, again the Steam review issue, that it’s binary yes/no.
This is not a bad game. Or, well, experience.
But it is a boring one. And almost not a game.
This comes from a fan of the series, a seriously artsy fartsy guy who cried his fair share through the emotional tricks and triggers - so it’s not a case of some action Jackson just wanting more flash & bang.
But what I would like, is more game.
If at times, the earlier installments might have suffered from too much retro-gaming nostalgia, inserting unnecessary gaming elements that got in the way of the story, this installment goes the opposite way, foregoing almost all gaming to tell a linear on-the-rails slice-of-life story.
– Real player with 14.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Indie Adventure Games.
Imposter Factory is possibly(?) the final entry for the “To The Moon” series. IF (Imposter factory) clarified what the whole series is all about.
I’m gonna say it outright, I think this entry was the weakest of all the games but that doesn’t mean it is bad. This game is still good for its price and unique experience as a standalone, but compared to previous entries it’s weak. I’m gonna list why below:
- All previous entries has added new, unique and quirky gameplay elements as an ice breaker or a moment of relief from the feels, be it a puzzle or a parody of old JRPGs. This game has NONE OF THAT
– Real player with 4.7 hrs in game
Please Knock on My Door
Please Knock on My Door is the most effective depression simulator I’ve come across so far, though I’ve only found three. It’s more fully developed as a game than Depression Quest, though it uses many of the same mechanics. In this game, however, these mechanics are presented as a sort of form of Spoon Theory (Google if you don’t know), modified in ways that add a lot of nuance I think Spoon Theory as it’s often presented lacks. Actual Sunlight offers more competition because of its beautiful writing, but PKoMD surpasses that too, firstly because the gameplay doesn’t allow the same kind of distance that Actual Sunlight does, but more importantly because PKoMD doesn’t risk romanticizing these things the way Actual Sunlight does; instead of making depression look like a rich, sardonic interior life, PKoMD confronts the player with the mundanity of living with it, day in and day out. In doing so, it may come off as less artistic, but it is also far more mature.
– Real player with 7.4 hrs in game
Please Knock on My Door:
What is absolutely staggering is that one out of ten people world-wide is suffering from depression. That means that 350 million of us (based on the 2015 statistics) are not feeling their true selves, are probably questioning everything they do on a daily basis, and constantly feeding themselves with negativity. Some people can hide it very well, while others are totally paralysed by it and have no desire to do anything at all. Any way you might look at it, it is a mental illness that can bring an individual to the lowest point in their life, and it can be triggered by so many events, even long after they have occurred. In Please Knock on My Door, experience two weeks in the life of one individual who suffered from depression.
*– [Real player with 5.0 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198003030375)*
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## That Dragon, Cancer
Cancer. Tragedy.
Two words that have ended as synonymous far more often than anyone cares to remember. Cancer and other terminal illnesses are something that almost all of us have been touched by in some way. Whether it be from a person very close to us, ourselves, or just someone that has influenced us in some way. If it hasn't, odds are it will at some point in your life. These diseases invariably impact us in a negative and tragic way. We have experienced loss due to them and watched others suffer unimaginable pain trying to survive and fight to stay alive.
*– [Real player with 4.3 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197983747223)*
### The worst tragedy parents can experience
Really heartbreaking story, it's sad, it's devastating and it could be hard to play this at times. Some people might not even finish this. But I have a lot to say, not necessary about the game but i'm gonna ramble now. This is not even a proper review, just my thoughts but so is the game, it's not actually a game, more like an interactive story.
I have this fucking disease myself, I must deal with it, I know how hard it is and how it breaks you in both – physical and mental way. And it hurts not only you but everyone around you who love you and care about you. Of course you question “why me?” or “why them?”, “what they've done to deserve that?” Many people turn to god and say he's in god's will now. That thought never occurred to me because I consider god a mythical creature as real as fairies or dragons.
*– [Real player with 3.5 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197992694498)*
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## OPUS: Rocket of Whispers
I bought - AND PLAYED - this absolute gem of a game on android before but I rushed to buy it on steam too as soon it was made available on steam just because i wanted to support the game because I already love it so much - and this developer in general, i love them!
The story is poetic, intelligent and full of heart. Two lonely souls need to work together on a goal, but that goal puts them both through painful memories, regret but also teaches them to work as a team and teaches them that two people are always better than one. I trully loved this game! The connection i felt with the characters and between the characters and with the story is on another level than most games i find. The are delightful sidequests- helping ghosts. I deeply cared for the characters, also because of the gameplay..trudging through the snow made me worry about thenm especially towards the end…i didn't want either of them to be alone! The music and art enhance the experience- simply delightful!
*– [Real player with 10.6 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198201124589)*
While the other game from Sigono: Opus (the day we found earth) shares the same Opus title you might think this game is a sequel, but it isn't. Both are completely independent stories. So you don't have to have played the first game to play this beautiful game.
You are John, one of the sole surviors of the devastating plaque. All day and night you are haunted by souls that died in the plaque who talk to you. You work together with Fei, she is one of the last witches.They both want to built rockets to return the souls to the cosmos.
*– [Real player with 7.3 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198087813151)*
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## A Bird Story
**tl;dr - Join a mute, lock-and-key boy on his long acid trip where he nurses an injured bird back to health. 11/10 lackluster emotional ride.**
A disclaimer before we begin: I have not played To the Moon yet. I currently have a cat, I had rabbits on two different occasions, and also a budgie. I did not play this game for 4 hours, it was more like ~1 - I left the game running while I went out because of its horrible checkpointing system; I refused to play through any scene again.
I got this game gifted to me by a generous friend, and was interested to see what the text/voiceless gameplay would be like.
*– [Real player with 4.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198041543513)*
A short, whimsical, bittersweet interactive story with surreal elements, lovingly detailed and narrated without any dialogues.
_____
A bird story is one of those games where much of your enjoyment will depend in your pre-existing expectations of games, and in what you will read into the themes and the story. It is only mildly interactive and quite linear, and much of the time you are simply watching scenes unfold, yet I personally found some of the interactive moments all the more impactful because of that. It is simultaneously visually impressive for what it manages to create out of its tools, and pretty simplistic. The sometimes funny, sometimes sad visual story will be very evocative for some and almost saccharine for others, and I can easily understand both points of view. And yet I could vividly remember every detail of the 1 hour experience, a week after first playing the game. Emotionally, it hit all the marks for me. The way it manages to utilize the pixels, the colour palette, the music, the sound, the subtlest of animations to create its unspoken narrative is masterful. A second playthrough made me smile when I realised how much it uses little gaming conventions (taken out of their usual contexts) to help tell the story. There are just so many clever design details jam-packed into this tiny story, that a second playthrough actually felt worth the time, despite the fact that there is no new content to experience.
*– [Real player with 2.5 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198058687420)*
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## Horace
One of the best and most entertaining games I have played lately. Probably not for everyone, but huge recommendation for anyone who likes platforming, story-heavy games, tons of pop culture references (especially for people my age who grew up in the 80s), and who got nothing against lots of silliness in-between, but also cherishes quick switchovers into emotional and serious undertones.
Horace as a game actually is really difficult to describe, it’s a lot of things simultaneously, making it rather unique. At its core it’s a retro pixel platformer which also uses the classic puzzle mechanic of being able to stick to walls and ceilings with your gravitational boots, thus tilting the world while walking on them. It starts off as an adventure-like game with light platforming sections, then adds the puzzle elements, slowly turns up the platforming difficulty, later even features light stealth sections. And after several chapters and lots of hours, when you think you’re probably pretty far into the game …. it surprises you again and turns into a whole Metroidvania with complex huge map and new abilities. Add to that several city locations and a whole cast of arcade and minigames in-between. All the while no level really feels the same, there’s always something fresh to mix things up. Seriously, the pure amount of content is simply breathtaking, especially if you take into account that most of the game has been done by 1 single person. And let’s not forget the really great original retro soundtrack, with again lots of funny references. For an example an Egyptian robot boss features a theme that adapts The Offspring’s classic ‘Come Out and Play’ in a rather catchy retro tune, or in Dance Master you can play to a Scottish adaption of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’.
*– [Real player with 39.4 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198085376246)*
Horace, Horace, Horace… The first time I heard about Horace was when Epic gave it away in January 2020, and I liked the look of all the different references I saw in the trailer. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to playing it. It was then included in May 2020’s Humble Choice, so I grabbed it again in the hopes that I’d be reminded to play it if it’s sitting in my library. A couple of months later and I’ve finally done it, and holy cow, am I glad I did!
As it turns out, Horace is a whole lot more than the simple platformer with a few funny references that I initially thought it would be. It’s an impressive, heartfelt story, with lovable characters, constant challenges, pure hilarity, and more references than you could imagine! I’d be amazed if somebody actually noticed or knew every reference! What was more surprising is that there were many particularly British references, so I got to enjoy certain moments that little bit more! I don’t think a game has made me laugh as much as Horace did, and then tear that joy away, turning it to sorrow, anger, or frustration. It was quite the roller-coaster ride.
*– [Real player with 26.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198046172661)*
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## Whiskey.Mafia. Leo's Family
Interactive text quest about gangsters, with links to popular games and movies.
The plot is as follows: 1920 year, New York City. A young guy named Christopher, just graduated from College, wants to get out of the poor in an honest way, gets a job in an auto repair shop, earns money, but one day, he realizes that this is not what he needs and decides to become a real gangster. We are waiting for interesting plot twists and betrayal of friends, for their own benefit.
Our main task is to perform dark deeds, such as car theft, robbery of warehouses and banks, showdowns with the police, shootouts with bandits, thereby earning a reputation in the criminal world.
*– [Real player with 5.0 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198117800332)*
**Whiskey.Mafia. Leo's Family** – the game that will move you in the history of 1920, you will start right from school, studying to be a mechanic and, accordingly, go to work as a mechanic. And then you will start to open up a world where there will be various opportunities. The plot will captivate you, the story will tell you how to earn money dishonestly in the 20s. It is worth noting that the game has nice pixel graphics, which conveys its atmosphere of those times and, at the same time, allows you to run the game on a weak computer. The music is pleasant, from those years. The game also has a drawback, which is that you need to read a lot if you want to understand the plot. And Yes, the game has a kind of open world and the appearance of life. I think you should try to play this game if you are not confused by pixel graphics.
*– [Real player with 3.1 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198142878773)*
---
## The Underground Man
I honestly 'enjoyed' this game, but the question is whether I recommend it, which I really can't. Not to anyone I can think of. I feel like I have to justify why I spent the better part of 6 hours finishing this game. Don't speak Russian, but as far as I can understand this was a joke to see if it could get on Greenlight, which seems about right. I liked the music and general aesthetic, and I guess it's nostalgic for me in a way I'm not entirely certain it was intended to be. The whole thing is vaguely reminescent of a computer game we would have played in the 80s or 90s because there was nothing else to do.
*– [Real player with 5.6 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198088752220)*
This is a spiritual successor to Takeshi's Challenge on the NES, specifically designed to abuse, mock and waste the time of players for doing anything so lame as playing a videogame. The Underground Man is here to repeatedly kick you in the shins and call you a moron for liking the Fallout series.
This is a bad game. This is an intentionally bad game. This is also likely an unintentionally bad game. Do not pay any amount of money for this game unless you are seeking a unique masochistic challenge or like me are too stubborn and stupid to let a backlogged title outside of refund range lie. Maybe if you need to shoot a quirkier episode for your Let's Play stream. I'd almost be down with this game for the weird humor, the actually decent simplistic graphics and music(got a real nice depressing post-apocalypse hum going for the walking sections) and an abusive deconstruction of a popular title. Unfortunately the parts where the developer hates you will draw blood constantly.
*– [Real player with 4.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197990913342)*
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## Bird Watcher
**Bird Watcher** was a short narrative experience that focused on the atmosphere and the story (aka walking simulator). I actually really liked the design of the city and detail in the environment. There are all kinds of small momentoes like pictures on the walls that made it fun to look around. The game seemed well optimized considering decent light effects. It takes maybe 30 minutes to finish the story and collect 5 achievements.
The game has one major problem which is the voice acting. I don't mean to be rude but it felt like the lady did not speak English. Some of the words were mispronounced and she kept making awkward pauses. For a game that is all about the narrative that is a significant downside. I don't expect professional voice acting in a cheap game but you have to get someone who can deliver the lines.
*– [Real player with 1.1 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197995669628)*
Well, I've just played Bird Watcher and I quite enjoyed it. Okay, it's not Dear Esther, but the story was engaging, it was visually interesting, and there was a tiny bit of challenge, which for me was perfect - I don't like to work hard. ;)
For those who complain about the dialogue being "emotionless" - excuse me? I didn't find that at all. It was very expressive. As for the pronunciation - hey, English Second Language. It was fine. I'd like to hear you have a crack at her native language.
It's an inexpensive game that looks nice, plays nice and if you like walking sims, it's worth the price.
*– [Real player with 1.0 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198310637015)*
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