Take a Minute to Check Out Minute of Islands
Minute of Islands from Studio Fizbin and Mixtvision Games is a beautifully illustrated story rich…
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March 13, 2021
Brenda Zhang
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Articles by Brenda Zhang
news
Map Out Your Path in Carto, a Story-Driven Puzzle Adventure
Normally, I'm only able to move my character around to solve puzzles. In Carto, I could move my…
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January 25, 2021
demo
review
short
5 Story Rich Indie Games With Cute Froggy Protagonists
As I delved deeper and deeper into the indie game world, where there are an astounding number of…
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December 15, 2020
our picks
Frogsong Grapples With Identity Through the Lens of a Tiny Frog
A frog with a knife, a diverse cast of froggy characters, colorful art, lively animations, and a…
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November 24, 2020
interview
spotlight
3 Quirky, Nostalgic Social Media Simulator Indie Games
Does getting off social media to get on other social media sound like a bad idea? Hear me out — why…
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October 07, 2020
our picks
5 Narrative-Driven Pixel Art Indie Games With Playable Demos
Don't you hate when every single game you want to play right now is not released yet? Luckily, there…
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September 30, 2020
our picks
The Beauty of Letting Go in When The Past Was Around
The vivid scenes and emotional music perfectly fit together with the bittersweet narrative of Eda's…
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September 22, 2020
review
in-depth
Soothing Music and Symbolism in When the Past Was Around
When the Past Was Around's prologue opens with beautiful, sentimental piano and violin music, a soft…
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August 31, 2020
demo
review
in-depth
Adventures at Indie Arena Booth
My fellow writer Emily and I were planning on going to many game conferences and conventions this…
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August 29, 2020
events
opinion
9 Beautiful, Heartwarming Narrative-Driven Games to Follow
Indie games often have the most stylized art and creative stories out there. These 9 visually…
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August 27, 2020
our picks
How Underdown Empowers With Diverse Characters
A small game studio based in Germany, Gentle Troll is creating a narrative-driven tactical mystery…
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August 18, 2020
interview
spotlight
7 Eye-Catching Story Rich Indie Games From #PitchYaGame 3
It takes a lot of effort and heart to create indie games, and we know it takes even more guts to put…
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August 03, 2020
our picks
From Grinding Gatherer to Millionaire Tycoon in Forager
Do you have a love-hate relationship with the concept of grinding in games? Or maybe just hate? Yeah…
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July 16, 2020
review
in-depth
Quirky Art and Mini-Games Make for a Warm Welcome to Elk
I wasn't sure what to expect other than unique art and a good story when I decided to try Welcome to…
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July 14, 2020
demo
review
in-depth
Chicory: A Colorful Tale Feels Like a Playable Coloring Book
Chicory: A Colorful Tale, a unique and beautifully illustrated game, has been on my wishlist for a…
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July 08, 2020
demo
review
in-depth
Understanding Minimum Wage Living through Nanopesos
Nanopesos is a simple and short budget management game taking place in a small cube of space…
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July 02, 2020
review
in-depth
Angela He's Visual Novels: Love, Loss, and Memes
A year or two ago, my friend Emily raved about a game called there's this girl. Obviously I had to…
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June 21, 2020
spotlight
Wandering With Willow and the Wurm in Winding Worlds
Winding Worlds, by KO_OP the creators of GNOG, was quite the trip. I discovered Winding Worlds…
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May 22, 2020
review
in-depth
The Spooky Silly Darkside Detective
Despite The Darkside Detective being released three years ago and being on my wishlist for a good…
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May 13, 2020
#tbt
review
in-depth
7 Beautiful, Relaxing Indie Games Coming in 2020
What makes a good game? For me, the art and the soundtrack has always been among my top priorities…
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May 11, 2020
our picks
Meet Passionate Gamers, Takeshi and Hiroshi
The tale of two brothers who love games, developed by Oink Games, could not have been more heart…
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May 10, 2020
review
in-depth
The Tangled Lives of the Fellows in Tangle Tower
Tangle Tower is not tangled only in name despite the two towers of the mansion not being tangled at…
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May 08, 2020
review
in-depth
Adventure Time in the Vibrant World of Card of Darkness
If Zach Gage's aim was to make a unique, accessible, yet enticing and deep rouguelike game, he has…
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May 06, 2020
review
in-depth
Eliza, Empathy and Ethics in a Tech-Driven World
As you begin Eliza, developed by Zachtronics, you're greeted with the Monday morning blues on a…
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April 29, 2020
review
in-depth
Terraforming Landscapes in Old Man's Journey
Old Man's Journey by Broken Rules is a beautifully illustrated story where every scene and flashback…
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April 22, 2020
#tbt
review
in-depth
Risk of Rain: A Prologue to My Next Adventure
With Risk of Rain 2 coming out fairly recently, and my personal purchase of it on the Switch just a…
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April 17, 2020
#tbt
review
in-depth
From Broom to Roomba in Moonlighter
We all have our day jobs, but some also live with ambitious dreams of what could be. In Moonlighter…
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April 05, 2020
review
in-depth
Lucas Pope in 48 Hours
I, like many others, first discovered Lucas Pope's games through Papers, Please which is still one…
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April 05, 2020
spotlight