Click the list title to read my thoughts on each game.
This is a list of cool or interesting games I've tried on itch. I love interactive fiction, unique aesthetics, and pretty much anything that manages to surprise me. The focus is mainly on smaller stuff because that's what interests me and also what I have time to play. Some longer games may find their way in as well ;) I hope you find this list helpful in finding interesting works on this site absolutely packed with wonderfully creative people.
A tight boss rush that's challenging without being too brutal. The graphics have a sleek minimalist style with tons of little visual flairs and animations. On top of all that, the music takes it to another level, ranging from relaxing and energetic. Fighting the same boss for the tenth time is soothed by a calming track or perked up by the fun beat. A real gem overall.
A very cute mine sweeper clone. Not very hard but relaxing and has great visuals and sound design.
A tricky little platformer, progressing through it makes me think of discovering "cheat codes", inputs you could always do but didn't know until you learned them. A really interesting sort of progression, I really like how it played with my expectations. Maybe the first platformer that I had to use a different finger on each arrow key to complete.
I like this type of game, even if the collective expression of players is less a beautiful sombre reflection and more a cacophony of shit posts, suicidality, and sophomoric philosophizing. Still, there is something about such a space, the things people choose to say, the few messages that connect to you through the chaos. The framing of the graveyard and the shadow of your steps as you walk from headstone to headstone is well done.
An aggressively cute little rpg maker. Really love the the art and colour palette in this.
I love this, amazing concept, atmosphere, and aesthetic. Imitates the Bitsy style in pico8 to great effect. A Sisyphean task. How high will you climb?
CW unexpected harsh/loud noise.
A fun little click 'em up with no real objective. Kind of reminds me a bit of point and click computer games I played as a kid. Whimsical but filtered through the malaise of age. I love the clay figures and monochrome palette.
This is kind of a hard recommend because I could not complete this game without spoiling myself on it. Yet at the same time, I like the interaction method so much I don't want to spoil it on the chance that someone else has a more discerning eye. This game is a Jujutsu Kaisen fan game, however having only seen one episode of the show I didn't realize this until after I'd finished it. For me, it holds up on its own and in fact the lack of context for the world/characters really added something. Reading it felt like piecing together pages from a burned diary, deep and personal, but lacking context, pages out of order, putting it together a bit at a time. It reimagines the characters in a queer/trans sex work context, exploring how acceptance can be used as form of manipulation, how trauma can beat you into something that feels less then human, how you can be forced to do things you hate to survive. The presentation is also sleek, using text boxes and limited colours to add voice and form to the dialogue. The writing is also loose and free flowing, phrases loop, thoughts and spoken words seem to blend together and who's even present in a scene is often ambiguous. Suffice to say, it left a strong impression on me.
Some hints follow:
Entering different text of the first page may lead to different results
Look for key words and phrases. There is a bit of a pattern at least to start off
If you're really stuck, there's always ctl-shfit-i. The tw-storydata tag is of interest
Good luck.
Wonderful visuals, sound design, and atmosphere. The space is very well realized, capturing the confusing, alienating, and uncomfortable contexts and textures of childhood, as well as the fond nostalgia you still have for them. The characters each have a strong voice and while the writing style wasn't always my cup of tea, I was charmed nonetheless. Their relationship is captured well, two outcasts who didn't fit in with anyone but each other. What do you say to someone important to you, who you haven't seen in such a long time? Lets stay a just little longer, just to be in each other's company.
I'm very much looking forward to the full release.
I sometimes think about the idea of an "unfinished game", and how it feels to explore a world where you can see all the edges, where all the stitches are so clearly on display in a medium where creators take such pains to hide them. The answer to "what is a game" seen evidently in the thing itself. A collage, a wide open space both filled and empty. You can talk to Doshin the giant, you can collect strange objects to move at ridiculous speeds, you can fall through the world and watch as scattered assets race past, you can wonder if they'll end, and then they do, and then you sit there a little longer.
A short little one button action game that I found surprisingly tricky for its simplicity.The art is amazingly cute, every time I died it was a joy to get to see the title art again.
For me the a bit of a step down from the previous game but still the most polished. The linear levels didn't leave as much of an impression, but the platforming was tight and I really enjoyed the item system. I had a lot of fun finding a powerful glass canon combination. Visually, it looks amazing, although some areas feel more barren compared to 2. The bosses in general were a joy to fight, and I especially like discovering the optional one. The final area also really stood out visually and dramatically.
I couldn't actually read any of the text but I love the form of this game. Even through the language barrier I could feel a certain weight in its pacing that connected with me. I hope to improve my Japanese and enjoy it fully one day.
A PS1 horror game set in an office. Lovely aesthetic work going on here. Captures the horror of liminal spaces very well. Easy to get stuck at a few points but overall great pacing and mood.
This captures a certain mix of ennui, hopelessness, and resolve I often find myself feeling about our world and its future. I think back to the beginning and end(ings) in particular. Its a short game and worth your time I think.
This game is so neat! Its a platformer that lets you edit portions of the level after you go through it, and those changes exist for all other people that play the game. Basically, when you complete a section you get a fairy, and you can spend that fairy to modify 1 (one!) tile in the previous section, or save it modify more tiles later on (and there's no limit to how many fairies you have). I love this neat little balancing mechanic that lets you have a greater influence in one area by sacrificing it in another. The nature of the collaborative level design in general is so cool to me! I love descent into entropy, the visible efforts to create order, and getting to choose what little mark I want to have on the game that will more then likely be washed away.
Wow, what I leap from the previous game! Momodora 2 is such a beautiful, dense little game. Gameplay wise I think its a fairly standard metroidvania, but a solid one. The areas are interconnected well, fun to explore, overall it felt like just the right length and mini bosses as well were a great addition to the pacing. I loved all the side characters you met along the way as well, each with adorable portraits and bright personalities. What a great sequel!
There's something I really like about Momodora 1 that has not shaken off since playing its sequels. Its a humble yet ambitious beginning to a series and it's been so cool to see how they've evolved with each entry. This one in particular feels so different, its a shooter platformer somewhat reminiscent of Cavestory in its weapons, and instead of being a metroidvania (which was my original conception of the series) its made up of linear sections with branch points that you can't back track! It was sort of an unexpected format which I liked, and there were even little collectible items with short descriptions to find in each section. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to find them all in one run made them feel precious. Its for sure a little rough around the edges, pushing against the bounds of its engines and creator's experience, but somehow that makes it all the more the more special.
You person with a hat. There is a hole inside. The only thing that can fill it is to dig.
There's a lot more game here then I thought there would be!! Possibly to its detriment! Regardless the vibes here are great, I love the cat animation and the music is wonderful. The world building was done with a very light stroke but I enjoyed what their was, the goddess statues especially caught my imagination. All the little items you could collect were cute and fun. I was a little mixed on the power ups, I thought the first non-jump one was really clever and worked into the game well, where as the next one felt like it could have been excluded entirely and made things drag a bit. That said, that this game is super impressive for a 3 week jam project. I recommend giving it a try!
This is a short and cool game about weird and creepy little creatures! It's a game about survival, about being as vulnerable as you are predatory. It is a game about cool looking monsters n shit. It's a quick play and worth checking out, clearly a lot of love went into it!
Had a very fun time watching my friends play this game and discovering the secrets of its weird little world together. Imo making a weird!horror game like this multiplayer in a shared world is a pretty inspired concept! Be sure to put your ARG cap on if you want to find the ending, but the real fun is the journey and friends you make along the way :)
