An ongoing list of everything from the staggeringly massive Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality that I enjoyed. Originally compiled in this Twitter thread. Black lives matter.
Fantastic Zachlike computing game where you work your way up to building a CPU. I'm honestly impressed with myself for completing it, considering it's very difficult and I barely paid attention in my computer architecture college courses.
VN with gorgeous art about two young women falling in love, and the joy and heartbreak that their relationship brings them. It's sweet and sad, and I liked the way it contextualized subsequent playthroughs as attempts to resolve past regrets.
Short story about a woman trapped in her home with only her own thoughts and an intrusive AI therapist for company. I found its handling of its subject matter (depression, sexual coercion, guilt, and gender) both thoughtful and compelling.
2D-platformer/RPG hybrid that takes clear inspiration from Paper Mario (and possibly Undertale as well, given the name and the game's interest in toying with some of the narrative and mechanical conventions of RPGs).
Golf-themed puzzle game that pairs genre-standard mechanics like conveyor belts, portals, and ice with a unique movement system based around a limited inventory of cards representing different stroke power levels.
Experimental interactive fiction anthology about a fractured group of heroes in the aftermath of losing their quest. I loved how it plays with form and perspective, as well as the way it asks you to piece together the tragic story yourself.
Twine game about choosing which memories—tender moments and painful regrets alike—to restore after a traumatic accident. It's incredibly short but the haunting writing and sound design still manage to pack quite a punch.
Dating sim demo about dealing with messy relationships as tensions rise while camping in some spooky woods. Really enjoyed it, so I backed the full game's still-ongoing Kickstarter.
Autobiographical Twine game about tennis and surviving high school as a queer Asian American girl. Well-written and much more cynical than the pastel background and "a cute high school game" tagline let on.
Claymation/mixed-media adventure game that deftly mixes its more absurd and comedic elements with a serious examination of death and loss, the nature of art, and war and imperialist occupation in the Middle East.
Retro brawler about a workers' revolution. The main hook here is that you lead a crowd of people instead of just controlling a single lone hero, which can be a bit fiddly and imprecise, but it's fun once you get the hang of it.
Beautiful dialogue-free narrative puzzle game about shifting and shaping the terrain to create a forward path as the old man protagonist remembers and reflects on his life and past regrets.
2D basketball-based platformer that switches up the mechanics every chapter, from 1v1 pickup games to puzzle-platforming and auto-scroller segments. Really liked the music, especially the bass hits as your character dribbles to the beat.
Reigns-like that puts you in a hypothetical Sanders-type presidency, as you try and address inequality and climate change while contending with your budget and a variety of constituents with conflicting interests.
Action-platformer sequel that improves upon the original on basically every metric. I never unlocked the bullet-deflecting katana in the first game, but this one gives it to you from the start and makes it a central mechanic, and it's great.
Challenging action platformer with really fun boss battles. That dragon level that constantly spawns stuff can go to hell though. I'm garbage so I only played on Normal and still died a bunch, but I had a good time.
RPG from the creators of Beglitched with turn-based rock-paper-scissors combat and light deckbuilding elements where you draw cards to influence your opponent's moves, and a story about a witch dealing with overwork and workplace sexism.
The continuing and increasingly surreal adventures of everyone's favorite genderqueer detective(s) as they try to determine which of the first game's endings was canon.
Offbeat and charming point-and-click adventure / claymation musical about a down-on-their-luck genderqueer detective, a description that feels laser-targeted to appeal specifically to me.
A series of really interesting interviews with various transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, and X-gender people in Japan, presented as dialogue trees via PICO-8 (which, incidentally, is also in the bundle).
Neat puzzle game that alternates between match-3 battles where you have to locate and attack a hidden opponent on the grid, and Minesweeper-esque dungeon navigation, throwing plenty of wrinkles into both along the way.
Period-piece desktop simulator about a trans girl discovering herself through IMs and shoujo anime fan forums in 1999. There's a real messiness to the characters that I enjoyed, and the story made me pretty emotional.
Twine game about a big guy who can turn into a small dog, and also about emotional honesty, racism, body-image/self-esteem issues, and masculinity. Gets a little heavy but is mostly just very sweet.
Walking-sim with a lo-fi aesthetic about a woman returning to the abandoned site of the cult she left years ago, and all the guilt and trauma her visit brings rushing back.
Haunting narrative game about an architect who is obsessed with the walls/divides between people and maintaining the safety of separation even as he desires closeness, and about the relationship between creator and audience.
Cute and funny narrative game about a young aunt and uncle taking their preteen niece and her boyfriend out camping. The kids are an absolute riot, and the adults are also really endearing.
Interesting semi-educational experience about the death industry, touching on the basics of embalming and cremation, differing cultural practices, respecting the identities of dead trans people, and environmentally friendly practices.
The retail version of one of the best Flash games out there. Bounce off enemies' heads to rapidly ascend a tower, then use the money you've earned on upgrades so you can get even higher next time. Very addictive.
Scary, sweet, and gay horror-romance visual novel about mental illness and saving a girl from a monster whose roses whisper things both enticing and dreadful. There's also an excellent sequel novella included that I somehow missed when it originally came out.
