PixlBit

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On with the games!

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight

Try if you like: Metroidvanias, Atmosphere, Salt and Sanctuary

Let's kick thing off with a more recent title, one that unfortunately got a bit over-shone by Salt and Sanctuary coming out in the same week. It's a shame really, because while this game also takes more than a few pages from the book of our lord and saviour From Software, this one is a bit more subtle about it. The combat is more about timing your rolls right and getting hits in than playing defensively, and ranged combat is also somewhat of a focus.

What absolutely flawed me though was the atmosphere. The first level feels a bit generic, but from the second area onwards the tone takes a dive into Metroid Prime style ambiance, with reverb soaked bass and ambient noises making up the soundtrack. It's genuinely unnerving stuff, and combined with the satisfying combat and an excellent sense of exploration, this is one you should almost definitely check out.

 This is the fourth game in the series, so if you like these games, you should definitely check out the others. Though I should warn you, they don't look as pretty, and therefore are less deserving of your love.

Dolly

Try if you like: Ico, Super Meat Boy, Art, Crying but not quite knowing why

This game is 10 minutes long and free, so go check it out. If you're so busy with life that you can't spare 10 minutes to play this game... WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU READING THIS?! YOU HAVE SHIT TO DO JAMES!

Ahem. Anyway, Dolly does a lot with it's short run time though. In terms of gameplay, imagine Super Meat Boy if it were made by Team ICO with just a splash of the sombre, heartfelt, wordless storytelling one might expect from indie darling “To the Moon.”

The presentation is the real star of the show though, with melancholy, heart piercing post rock that empowers the minimalist pixel art to take a form of its own. I've seen this art style before. I've heard similar music in gaming before. But I've never seen either come together with such artistry.
The game takes place in the mind of a dying woman, as you traverse her thoughts as she comes to terms with what's happening. Or at least that's what I took from it. I could be completely wrong, but that's the beauty of art, isn't it?

It's also been greenlit as a “proper redone version,” whatever that means. So get in and play it before everyone else so you can forever lord over others how unconventional and ahead of the curve your tastes are, you fucking twat.

The Sun and the Moon

Try if you like: VVVVV, The Floor is Jelly, innovative movement system, pure mechanic simplicity

This is a simple minimalistic platformer centred around a core mechanic: You can dive into the ground carrying your momentum, but gravity reverses while you are in the ground. It acts as a weird, liquid-like trampoline.

What's really impressive about this is how far this mechanic is stretched – and how many scenarios the creator can pull from it. What's even more impressive though, is how the game tutorialises without words. The mechanics are taught intuitively through discovery, and it always leads to an amazing “aha!” moment.

This is one for those who enjoy slick mechanics above all else though, as there is little in the way of exposition or narrative. You're in it for the fun of the game, and nothing else. If you're up for that, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

Alternatively, you could try the free version at Itch.IO, but it's less polished and doesn't allow you to show all of your steam friends how refined and obscure your tastes are.