Play a third-person, story-driven game set in alternative Russia of the late XIX century where religious visions clash with harsh reality. INDIKA tells the story of a young nun who sets off on a journey of self-discovery with the most unusual companion by her side, the devil himself.
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Really quite good, often stunningly gorgeous, and endlessly stylish. Indika peddles in the phantasmagoric in its exploration of trauma, faith, and the loss thereof. Stunning landscapes are interspersed amongst hyper-surrealist industrial explorations of pre-revolution Russia.
Surely this can't be God's plan?
Indika is not exploring ideas that haven't been touched before, but I haven't come across many games that examine a fall from grace/faith in the way that Indika does, and certainly not as stylishly. Flourishes of color and dream-like hyperbole work their way into nearly every pivotal moment of the game's plodding structure. While the themes explored may not be groundbreaking, the aesthetics of their exploration are inarguably mature, particularly for the medium, doubly so for the fidelity at which Indika is rendered.
It is not hard to imagine this same game conceived as a low-poly low-res walking sim, exploring the same concepts and plot points. It is genuinely delightful to see a game that would be seen as extremely niche a few years ago be given such a grand budget to beautifully render its story in.
I could not help but think of Playdead's Inside and Limbo while playing this – Indika seems heavily inspired by those games' focus on atmosphere and tone, above all else. As such, I think the same folks that were frustrated by the somewhat rote puzzle-solving in either of the aforementioned games will probably grind their teeth during the similar puzzle sections here.
All in all, Indika is well worth the price of admission in its beauty alone. Expertly crafted environments that are further buoyed by gorgeous cinematography (the wolf water-wheel shot in particular mwah!).
Surely this can't be God's plan?
Indika is not exploring ideas that haven't been touched before, but I haven't come across many games that examine a fall from grace/faith in the way that Indika does, and certainly not as stylishly. Flourishes of color and dream-like hyperbole work their way into nearly every pivotal moment of the game's plodding structure. While the themes explored may not be groundbreaking, the aesthetics of their exploration are inarguably mature, particularly for the medium, doubly so for the fidelity at which Indika is rendered.
It is not hard to imagine this same game conceived as a low-poly low-res walking sim, exploring the same concepts and plot points. It is genuinely delightful to see a game that would be seen as extremely niche a few years ago be given such a grand budget to beautifully render its story in.
I could not help but think of Playdead's Inside and Limbo while playing this – Indika seems heavily inspired by those games' focus on atmosphere and tone, above all else. As such, I think the same folks that were frustrated by the somewhat rote puzzle-solving in either of the aforementioned games will probably grind their teeth during the similar puzzle sections here.
All in all, Indika is well worth the price of admission in its beauty alone. Expertly crafted environments that are further buoyed by gorgeous cinematography (the wolf water-wheel shot in particular mwah!).
Indika is a masterful video game, though very frequently not-fun. I need to warn about Indika’s content as a religious horror game.
Towards the end, there’s a scene that addresses sexual coercion. Using the garish fade-to-red film technique to address the dehumanization without having to render the details, there’s a point where this game reaches peak narrative horror. This works with the core theme of a deep desire to crawl out your skin in fucked-up religious sort of prison that includes your own worldview. It’s just… forewarning / skip-ability would be good.
It reminds me of a lot of A24’s more recent horror films: the terror keeps things moving, puts us on the edge of our seat and makes is want for the ick to be defeated., The bad situation is the point. None of what’s happening is okay.
The more chill moments also have this air of discomfort. Yaking selfie screenshots of Indika feels a bit like an invasion of privacy. She looks briefly at the camera when you rotate around to see her face, then immediately looks away, trying to avoid the knowing fact that we’re watching her.
Taking selfies of Indika feels a bit like an invasion of privacy. She looks briefly at the camera when you rotate around to see her face, then immediately looks away, trying to avoid the knowing fact that we’re watching her.
The gameplay itself is mostly about trying to get out of your own personal hell. Indika frequently takes control of nightmarish Industrial Revolution era steam machines to seek out that one very-restrictive pathfinding exit. This makes exploration often feel as oppressive as Indika’s guilt-ridden alienation. The reprieve in all of this is a partnership with a man whose arm is infected with sepsis named Ilya. Their friendship book-ends the game and yields the most narrative surprises. I should go into it more, but for now I think I need to call it.
Towards the end, there’s a scene that addresses sexual coercion. Using the garish fade-to-red film technique to address the dehumanization without having to render the details, there’s a point where this game reaches peak narrative horror. This works with the core theme of a deep desire to crawl out your skin in fucked-up religious sort of prison that includes your own worldview. It’s just… forewarning / skip-ability would be good.
It reminds me of a lot of A24’s more recent horror films: the terror keeps things moving, puts us on the edge of our seat and makes is want for the ick to be defeated., The bad situation is the point. None of what’s happening is okay.
The more chill moments also have this air of discomfort. Yaking selfie screenshots of Indika feels a bit like an invasion of privacy. She looks briefly at the camera when you rotate around to see her face, then immediately looks away, trying to avoid the knowing fact that we’re watching her.
Taking selfies of Indika feels a bit like an invasion of privacy. She looks briefly at the camera when you rotate around to see her face, then immediately looks away, trying to avoid the knowing fact that we’re watching her.
The gameplay itself is mostly about trying to get out of your own personal hell. Indika frequently takes control of nightmarish Industrial Revolution era steam machines to seek out that one very-restrictive pathfinding exit. This makes exploration often feel as oppressive as Indika’s guilt-ridden alienation. The reprieve in all of this is a partnership with a man whose arm is infected with sepsis named Ilya. Their friendship book-ends the game and yields the most narrative surprises. I should go into it more, but for now I think I need to call it.
I saw some folks comparing Indika to an A24 film and I do agree that that description is probably the quickest way to get consumers to understand the type of vibe this game is going for. I've never quite played a game like this but I also do wonder if this would've been better as a film...
Starting off with the strong points, the art direction, set designs and voice acting are all superb. This was one of the best looking indie games from both technical and artistic point-of-view in some time for me. The atmosphere is also fantastic with good usage of surrealism to make the player go "Did I just see that?" as you play through this game.
The strong art design is also strongly supported by its narrative. I bet a lot of folks, in regards to a video game about a nun that can hear the devil, to be very particular about its point-of-view about religion. I found the themes to be thoughtful but also not stuffing ideologies down your thought. The narrative is pretty bleak for the most part but it does provide a good level of dark humor using the aforementioned surreal elements, music and gameplay.
Unfortunately this where I start to turn a corner on this game. Despite the all previously mentioned positives, the gameplay is just...so dull. While I do appreciate that the game plays with gamification as a way to drive some of its themes home, the majority of this game is spent walking and solving banal puzzles. What also doesn't help is that this game has one of the worst Unreal Engine stutters I've seen. Nothing quite ruins an atmosphere of a game when the game is stuttering so hard you're missing parts of cutscenes and or having trouble navigating the environment.
Overall, despite some technical gripes and dull gameplay, I'm glad I spent my time playing through Indika. I think I'd suggest to wait and see if the stuttering is improved. I genuinely think the narrative is interesting enough to make it worth the 5 hour runtime.
Starting off with the strong points, the art direction, set designs and voice acting are all superb. This was one of the best looking indie games from both technical and artistic point-of-view in some time for me. The atmosphere is also fantastic with good usage of surrealism to make the player go "Did I just see that?" as you play through this game.
The strong art design is also strongly supported by its narrative. I bet a lot of folks, in regards to a video game about a nun that can hear the devil, to be very particular about its point-of-view about religion. I found the themes to be thoughtful but also not stuffing ideologies down your thought. The narrative is pretty bleak for the most part but it does provide a good level of dark humor using the aforementioned surreal elements, music and gameplay.
Unfortunately this where I start to turn a corner on this game. Despite the all previously mentioned positives, the gameplay is just...so dull. While I do appreciate that the game plays with gamification as a way to drive some of its themes home, the majority of this game is spent walking and solving banal puzzles. What also doesn't help is that this game has one of the worst Unreal Engine stutters I've seen. Nothing quite ruins an atmosphere of a game when the game is stuttering so hard you're missing parts of cutscenes and or having trouble navigating the environment.
Overall, despite some technical gripes and dull gameplay, I'm glad I spent my time playing through Indika. I think I'd suggest to wait and see if the stuttering is improved. I genuinely think the narrative is interesting enough to make it worth the 5 hour runtime.
Entendi nada
Agh. Fuck. How do I talk about this without ruining it? I'll do my best.
What I was most worried about going in was that this was going to be some Reddit atheist-tier shit. It is thankfully not! Indika is about one nun's journey, both literally and ideologically, and how her life experience has made her current situation untenable. If you're familiar with Christian doctrine and apologetics you'll have heard a good amount of it before, but they're communicated well and their visual interpretations are genuinely impressive. It ain't deep, mind, but it's well told.
The unexpected element is its tonal range. A lot of writing-forward games tend to have exactly one mood, one vibe, and feel shallow as a result even if what's there is well executed. I went through this with a few friends and the game, to its credit, had us in rapt silence at some moments and howling with laughter at others. The game is overall on the somber side, especially towards the end, which makes its occasional comedic bits knock the wind out of you in the best way. The bike scene is worth the price of admission alone.
The day I start seeing "INDIKA ENDING: EXPLAINED: GONE SEXUAL" recommended to me on YouTube is the day I give up on gamers becoming even baseline media literate.
What I was most worried about going in was that this was going to be some Reddit atheist-tier shit. It is thankfully not! Indika is about one nun's journey, both literally and ideologically, and how her life experience has made her current situation untenable. If you're familiar with Christian doctrine and apologetics you'll have heard a good amount of it before, but they're communicated well and their visual interpretations are genuinely impressive. It ain't deep, mind, but it's well told.
The unexpected element is its tonal range. A lot of writing-forward games tend to have exactly one mood, one vibe, and feel shallow as a result even if what's there is well executed. I went through this with a few friends and the game, to its credit, had us in rapt silence at some moments and howling with laughter at others. The game is overall on the somber side, especially towards the end, which makes its occasional comedic bits knock the wind out of you in the best way. The bike scene is worth the price of admission alone.
The day I start seeing "INDIKA ENDING: EXPLAINED: GONE SEXUAL" recommended to me on YouTube is the day I give up on gamers becoming even baseline media literate.
Is it a game for everyone? I'm not sure. Is it a unique experience? Definitely.
It doesn't say anything about faith that hasn't been said before, but as a narrative-driven game, it's a cinematic experience with good writing and good presentation with its humor. Most importantly, it's a game with character.
I'm not sure if that bit at the end was necessary though, I think it conflicts with the rest of the story.
It doesn't say anything about faith that hasn't been said before, but as a narrative-driven game, it's a cinematic experience with good writing and good presentation with its humor. Most importantly, it's a game with character.
I'm not sure if that bit at the end was necessary though, I think it conflicts with the rest of the story.