All indies–mostly PC, many on Nintendo Switch, and some otherwise.
Yak & Co released Down in Bermuda catering to the growing indie cozy fanbase Q3 of 2019. Yes, this game is over two years old, but with the occasional mega discounts, from time to time and continuing interest it's cognizant to explore. It's still relevant, fun, and cozy--indeed. The level of a-ha moments in this puzzle platformer is suited to YouTube, Twitch, or wherever you want to turn a gathering into a chill hangout. And even as much on your own, whether it's the hunt of unlocking a puzzle on intuition alone that interests you or the pastel color stylizing, it's certified enjoyable. With cool color theory islands and cool low-poly characters, this game offers contemporary and relevant gameplay for the new wholesome/cozy gamer base, which fits in right at home here at MrDavePizza.com.
Amongst the trove of pale-skinned characters, glowing misty caverns, and punchy character abilities, this one might be new to you. Greak: Memories of Azur is similar to platformers like Hollow Knight and Undertale, perhaps even Ori or maybe Hoa, sure. Don't worry if you haven't heard of any of those! What Greak offers is a borderline cozy adventure with very unique, engaging gameplay that is an experience of its own.
In Fall 2020 when I was just launching the Mr. Dave Pizza concept, I played Good Pizza, Great Pizza by Tapblaze on an Android tablet, one of the many formats this game is available on. Today I played the official version released for Nintendo Switch to go back and really see what amused me about this game. Pizza, the food, has always been pretty popular, but in the last five years, it's developed a near cult status. It's kind of weird honestly, but it's spun some pretty creative and entertaining ideas. So, after so much traffic from google here by indie-game playing pizza lovers and truffle pizza fast food cravers, I am issuing an inaugural validation of Good Pizza, Great Pizza as one of the greatest pizza-themed indie games of all time. At least that I've played--I'll get to you Freddy.
Discovered through Game Pass, I'm rather fond of this new title, The Gunk, from Image and Form/Thunderful Development, just launched a few days ago. It fits neatly into the category of games I usually enjoy which are casual character development, soft sci-fi, and familiar mechanics of resource collecting games. And this version of those styles is well presented here. While the game is really very straightforward without much need for introduction, a quality I appreciate, I'll share some highlights on my experience playing through the first few areas plus what you should know about this game.
It seems that Figment 2: Creed Valley, is a new game headed to Nintendo Switch in February of 2022. I've been all about checking out these Switch demos right away, and when I saw this listed today I downloaded it immediately. I wasn't quite sure what I was dealing with here, as it seemed somewhat derivative but also cozily familiar, the reason of which I discovered later. This game is really pleasant-looking though. It reminds me of moments from games like Bastion but also games like Weaving Tides. It's pretty cute really, with enough prickly wholesome creepiness to stay interested. Yeah, actually it feels really good. So, let's take a look.
Today's game, Loading Story, listed as developed by "potatodog" on Steam is a tad quirky but genuinely satisfying. It's a very short game about a character troubleshooting a game loading error in an imaginary video game town, where the loading tube passes through. Just wander around and solve the mystery. It's good that it's free because it only takes about 20-30 minutes to play, which is fine. I'll tell you enough about it but won't go too crazy on detailing this one, since you really should just play it. Loading Story: Free and Fine Just a heads up, this game…
This is a game that had come across my desk yesterday, which I had accidentally overlooked because of my new format, but I was really interested in it. Shindig is an interactive fiction in the style of something like a kids' exploration picturebook with some tried and true interactive gameplay. As you might know, it's always been my goal to seek out wholesome indie games because I'm a bit jumpier than a jackrabbit at times. I tend to like games that can be played by anyone. In Shindig I explored this friendly animated world on a quest to help a friendly warthog find treasures to put together a party, or a Shindig rather. It's cute and thoughtful. Learn more here if you wish.
In between monitoring my every action, eShop suggested I check out what demos were out. I had really been looking for them though! So, this game The Last Friend showed up as a demo out. The art looked cool and didn't seem too derivative of anything course. So, I downloaded it and loaded it up. The Last Friend is a brawler kind of game with some turret defense mechanics. Most importantly, however, is all your sidekicks are dogs! WHAT. I think this is actually going to be a pretty cool game because of the variety of levels, learning curves, gentle humor, and wonderful dog companion fun. So, let's do this.
This is kind of random. No, really, it is. Might as well roll for initiative. Anyway, I've been spending a ton of time on the Switch lately, since I was traveling with the handheld recently and got kind of used to it. However, I recorded it while playing on my TV, so I don't know. Anyway, was looking back through some of my YouTube videos and realized a lot of you like demos for some reason. So, this one was on the eShop and I gave it a spin. Here we go again with this kinda cute boomerang whirling puzzle solver: The Lightbringer.
Update: Alchemic Cutie is, once again, a game running across my desk, slated for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 for June 2023. I really have no particular context for describing it after so long, but when I tested it on PC I felt that it fits into the few neat descriptors of bright, colorful, cute. It's an RPG. In all fairness, it is a monster collection game, à la Pokemon-style games. In the realm of indies, it bridges stylistic notes of games like Arietta of Spirits as well as Potion Party, but goes a little more Zelda in its cutesy…
