Ticket

Ticket

Don’t let the initial presentation fool you - this is an incredibly creative 2D platformer with unique visuals and an outstanding soundtrack. My first playthrough, I constantly found myself saying “the next level couldn’t get any weirder than this” only for the game to do just that.

The only caveat is that some levels are a bit obtuse and frustrating to figure out without a guide - but that’s something you can find easily enough.

Real player with 30.8 hrs in game


Read More: Best Psychedelic Soundtrack Games.


Ticket is the product that challenges your preconceived notions of what games are about. It is certain that the so-called seriously taken game reviewers would not be able to give acclaim to this game, as it does not follow the conventional rules of high quality game design. This tells about the sad state of gaming industry rather than about Ticket though. If you are the person who thinks that good games follow strict rulesets of certain design-economic and mathematically measured criteria and are usually some sports titles followed by a running year number or the latest installment of a well-established series, then Ticket might not be for you.

Real player with 9.3 hrs in game

Ticket on Steam

Inner Ashes

Inner Ashes

Inner Ashes is a first-person narrative adventure. Throughout a father-daughter touching story and dreamlike scenarios, the player will experience how Alzheimer’s affects a person and his memories.

Our main character, Henry, must take an introspective trip through two different realities in order to remember why he and his only daughter, Enid, have been estranged for so long.

Henry’s daily life, where we will experience how an Alzheimer’s patient lives his day to day.

Henry’s mind, which is depicted by several oniric islands that represent different symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Main features

Gameplay mechanics

Game mechanics are based on elements used to help Alzheimer’s patients to mitigate its symptoms.

Post-its will help Henry recognize objects and remember how to use them.

Tangram puzzles will stimulate Henry’s memory and will allow him to unlock key memories of his life with Enid.


Read More: Best Psychedelic Atmospheric Games.


Inner Ashes on Steam

Nebula Within

Nebula Within

A life philosophy ruminating, fast-paced, geometric twin stick shooter made by the human, Nick Oueijan. Allow me to maybe put it a bit differently, one man’s escape from the black hole life tends to create for a lot of us at some point and a vessel that helped him break free from his own personal one.

Despite only using geometry shapes, the game’s visuals are very well done. Sharp, colourful geometry on a black background with tiny white, swirling stars makes for some good contrast and individual shapes stand out nicely. Game menus and selection are awesomely done, allowing you to pilot your ship and shoot to select individual options which are represented by different drawings. Even looking through your collected mantras is done by turning the pages with your ship.

Real player with 15.0 hrs in game


Read More: Best Psychedelic Philosophical Games.


A Bird’s Eye View Curator 🦜

Introduction

Fair warning at the start, the developer has been very kind to reach out to me as a Curator to leave a review for this game and despite me being extremely thankful that they did, this review is and will stay my personal honest opinion of the game. P.S. Considering the game this review might be a bit more of a ‘deepdive’ than normal.

Nebula Within is an Asteroids style game with a focus on zenning out and just enjoying the game and yourself with an overarching theme of motivation and relaxation.

Real player with 7.4 hrs in game

Nebula Within on Steam

Echoes

Echoes

Fears are not always just rustles in the dark. And death is not always a bad ending. Sometimes the acuteness of social phenomena and the bitter taste of life opens up a glance at the other side of being. It is to this topic that the ECHO short story is devoted. The theme of what remains of a person after his death. Sometimes, these are great deeds and high-profile deeds. And sometimes, it’s just the memory of other people. And one more thing. The visual novel “ECHO” is a game in which you decide for yourself what to do with the oppressive silence of difficult memories. Emotional swamps of burnt rural lives. Forgotten houses, abandoned villages. And a fluttering light of hope that everything will be fine. Enter an abandoned house with echoes of other people’s lives. And get out of it if you can.

Echoes on Steam

XOB

XOB

a psychedelic journey full of wonder sounds and positive affirmations. Great to be entranced by. Highly recommended.

Real player with 5.0 hrs in game

What on the surface may seem like a trippy yet simple 2D puzzler, ends up being a lot more thoughtful and complex as you dig into its core. The game’s base mechanic of rotating the block and manipulating gravity feels both familiar but unique at the same time. The sound effects and visuals are very satisfying, mixed with spacey ambient music that you can listen to for long periods of play time.

I’m by no means a puzzle-game expert, but I do really enjoy the ones that click with me – and this one clicked with me. It felt just complex enough to be challenging, but not to the point that it felt overly-frustrating. When you solve a puzzle you feel a sense of satisfaction, not “finally it’s over”. That isn’t to say it doesn’t get more difficult as it goes on, slowly adding more mechanics to keep the gameplay fresh and tricky.

Real player with 2.8 hrs in game

XOB on Steam

BACK OF SPACE

BACK OF SPACE

Amazing game, i have every achievement in OLDTV, and i still play it, when i found out and saw the trailer for the new game, i was freaking out. I bought the game and i don’t regret it one bit. :) Would recommend this to anyone. btw C Y A N

Real player with 18.0 hrs in game

IT’S FINALY OUT GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYS

(ahem)

Of course it’s beta, but i REALLY like playing this, and also I got some flashbacks from PlasmaTV

The only question is…

WHERE IS CYAN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Real player with 11.6 hrs in game

BACK OF SPACE on Steam

DeepStates [VR]

DeepStates [VR]

(Received this for free thanks to the thoughtful developer, after I provided a bunch of feedback during the ‘beta’. I had been planning to buy this on release and I think the asking price is just right!).

Absolutely stunning (highly realistic) environmental beauty, not just in visual fidelity but in sound, space, and spirit.

I’ve played and enjoyed a variety of ‘environment’ apps in VR, and none of them have impacted me like this. I’m on the Reverb G2, and these spaces feel so incredibly real I almost cried just looking out at the stars and moon from the desert landscape.

Real player with 18.6 hrs in game

This is a great vr experience, my favorite worlds were the planet and the time lapse area. The guided meditation worked surprisingly well, especially with the humming interaction, that was awesome. The mixing of the voice kind of knocked me out of it though the more I heard it. I feel like it’s too present, too much low end EQ and not enough verb. It sounds like someone speaking right next to your ear when it might be more comfortable for it to sound like it’s coming from the heavens. And maybe some gentle effect that quickly ramps up into the voice to let you know you’re about to hear it so it’s less alarming when it starts. Comfort adjustments worked great, the strobing effect was super intense (which is a good thing, I’d rather have effects like that come in strong and be able to dial them back with settings). Great work, this is awesome and I look forward to what worlds you build next.

Real player with 1.8 hrs in game

DeepStates [VR] on Steam

Gamitate - Meditate, Relax, Feel Better

Gamitate - Meditate, Relax, Feel Better

I’ve really taken to this. A really calming game, with a blend of meditation and mindfulness, all backed up by a gorgeous soundtrack and some really nice visuals. Less a game, and more an experience, but a delightfully relaxing experience.

Real player with 7.0 hrs in game

A nice and easy-to-use meditation tool. I didn’t even know there are so many different ways to meditate.

Real player with 2.6 hrs in game

Gamitate - Meditate, Relax, Feel Better on Steam

Lucid: Parables of the Ubermensch

Lucid: Parables of the Ubermensch

Great platformer, Fantastic story and nice soundtrack. Recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have any good games!

Real player with 2.0 hrs in game

I love the game. Unique music and cool game design would recommend.

Real player with 1.9 hrs in game

Lucid: Parables of the Ubermensch on Steam

Mandala

Mandala

Mandala in the eastern languages means circle and they are geometric shapes inspired by nature and the world surrounding us. They unfurl from a center and spread out towards the edges, in the direction of infinity. Drawing and coloring a mandala has been a meditative activity since a long time. It lets one explore themselves through an interesting choice of shades which represent a creative stimulation.

Mandala brings forth this experience in a videogame.

Game experience

The game’s rhythm is not hectic, but it requires concentration and reflexes nonetheless: the mandala shoots slow and numerous bullets which move in a rotating fashion. The complex patterns are hard to predict and feel hypnotic. The colors and the music help creating a strong sense of immersion, aided by a steady gameplay rhythm.

Customization

The mandala’s customization is essential: you can choose between various drawings, styles, brushes, tones, themes and music that influence both gameplay and aesthetics. Each game is unique and Mandala gives you total creative freedom.

A linking story

Thin, yet enduring threads link every mandala to each other… like true friendship. Discover the story of Camilla through the pages of a diary; unveil her story by completing all the mandalas in the book.

The editor and social media

When you complete a mandala, it is possible to view your score and be rewarded with various marks, depending on how well you played. There is also an editor in which you can customize the output of your game, export the image in .png format and share it both on social media and online leaderboards.

Main features

  • Immersive, hypnotic gameplay

  • 8 mandalas to color with a pastel-styled book

  • 32 colors and 8 brushes to unleash your creativity

  • In-game editor for sharing your inspiration on social media

Mandala on Steam