Bunny Bye-Bye is a Cute, Simple Indie Game

This is a 2D pixel-art platformer about a little alien named “bobe” who needs to clean dust-bunnies around a space station using a vacuum called a clean0tron. Solve path puzzles to navigate your way through the cozy mechanical environment and progress through the game. The vacuum has space for one item at a time, so you’ll have to figure out what order to vacuum and relocate blocks so that you can complete each level. The puzzles are challenging enough to keep things interesting, but you’ll most likely find the gameplay light and pleasant.

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Easter Pick: Super Star Duck

There’s a really neat ItchIO developer called “eggnog.” They’re publishing all sorts of harmless, fun games apparently. In Super Star Duck: Escape From Nefarious Castle, you’ve got the option to play as Esdee, Flan, or Bean, a duck, hippo, and dog (respectively.) It works best with keyboard input in my experience, but a mapped controller would work too (technically the game supports controllers too so you can try it but that’s just my opinion.) You’ll notice on the ItchIO page by eggnog that there is a whole backstory to Super Star Duck, and the gameplay, although a platformer, has a casual storyline as well. Also, just look at these pastels here on the cusp of spring. I think it looks amazing!

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Gummy Shooter is a colorful pixel graphic blaster game

Mostly created for its novelty probably, Gummy Shooter is an amusing side-scrolling thumb blaster. To be honest, I’ve never tried anything like it before, but I was moved to try the Android category of ItchIO as I was out and it was really quite easy. Everything here is a purple orange anime’ish pixel sci-fi. There’s really not much to it. The controls are a little confusing but just keep experimenting and you will get it. Want to check it out? It is, as everything here, free.

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ItchIO Spotlight: Eats Shoots and Leaves

Here’s an amusing little platformer over on ItchIO called Eats Shoots and Leaves. The name is a parody of the famous writing device expressing the difference punctuation and grammar makes in the comparison of the words “Eats Chutes and Leaves” and “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.” The game is about a panda, so this is most certainly true. In the game, you play a mama panda who needs to rescue her cubs from bad guy poachers wandering around the jungle. Collect leaves, climb vines, open cages. You can also, appropriately, shoot little missiles at enemy poachers. This game is simple but really well made and I really loved playing it. It also offers full controller support.

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More ItchIO Binging: Space Adventure by e9k9

Just a fun little platformer today. Found this on ItchIO. You play as a small alien crashlanded somewhere, a moon perhaps, wandering around collecting green dots. Works great on a controller, and the music is pleasant. The original language of this game is German, so if you don’t speak German you might not totally understand what’s going on. Everything is pretty intuitive though, including the universal basics of all platformers (left, right, up, down, jump, etc.) Released within the last month.

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Random Free JAM Games: Daydream (Kowzak)

Daydream is a simple keyboard controller platformer made for an ItchIO Dev jam. The protagonist is a woman on a bus daydreaming out the window, as you control one of three recurring daydreams, jumping over obstacles and creatures and avoiding water. It varies from creative to bizarre. Nothing too serious here, just a free game, standing in front of a blog, wondering what to play. There were a few runners-up today, but this was released 12 hours ago, so for the sake of authenticity, this is today’s latest free game. I might have to start dipping into the archives next time. Enjoy the ambient pixel art gameplay. Find the game here: https://kowzak.itch.io/daydream

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Exoblast is Basically Cyberpunk Pong

Exoblast is basically a very extreme version of pong. Made by the French developer DreamIRL Games, it hit Steam last month and is free as of version 1.0. You control a machine slider in charge of one side of the screen playing against either an AI or another player (there seems to be functionality for online mode too.) The original style of this type of game is expanded upon with the ability to shoot plasma at the other side of the screen, distracting or even disabling the enemy player. It’s loaded with all sorts of cyberpunk aesthetics and is quite fun actually. It is also capable of full controller support. Find it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/725100/Exoblast/

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Hip Witch is a Simple Groovy Magic Cozy Game

Hip Witch is a free adventure game released on Steam this week by developer Studio Hip Sword. The environment is handmade, and the storyline involves a lost young witch boarding in a state park, where she begins a quest to investigate odd happenings on the park’s grounds. It is playable with a controller or keyboard and is short but charming and cozy met with positive reviews.

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Caves Ablaze Feels like a Super Old School Platformer

Caves Ablaze is a 2D Metroidvania Platformer. Play as a ball of fire that completes puzzles deep underground by using flames and dashing abilities to unlock paths. Avoid water and slowly make your way to the surface. Playable with an X-Box Input Controller or keyboard. This was the inaugural free games post for the FGV blog. Not a lot documented here, but a perfectly enjoyable game.

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Village Monsters: A Pleasant Town Sim Borrowing From Made Up Myths

Village Monsters is a solo dev project from Josh Bosser. It's a pixel art town sim that departs from conventional titles with an alternative community of friendly monsters. The game plays on similar genre themes as Stardew Valley but the content goes into the outsider/quirk genre of games with its monster acceptance communicated in each character's unconventional friendliness. It departs from too much comparison by offering a vast amount of exclusive unique story concepts in each characters' backstory and dialogue. Players can also enjoy activities like treasure hunting, fishing, exploring, working, and contributing to the town itself. Village Monsters is pleasantly surprising and the subject of this indie game collective showcase/review post. So, let's see what's inside!

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