Developer: Odd Meter
Publisher: 11 bit studios
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PC
INDIKA – Review
We often state in our reviews that the current generation of games often takes inspiration from bigger titles that were released before them. For example, we have seen so many titles that have been inspired by Vampire Survivors pop out of the woodwork that it’s even hard to keep track of them. Titles such as Palworld also put the survival genre back on the map, and this also remains true for many other big hits that eventually spawn so many clones. When we saw the first trailer for INDIKA, however, we clearly saw that this would be an original project, and this is also what immediately roped us in. With a nun as a protagonist and a rather trippy initial trailer, we wondered what the end product would be. We were quite pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
Story
INDIKA’s story is both as simple as it is complex. To further elaborate, the narrative revolves around Indika, a young nun whom the other nuns at the monastery clearly shun. Not only is she shunned, but she also interacts with the devil himself. Due to this, she is mistreated daily, and eventually, she gets sent to another place to deliver a letter. While this seems easy, it becomes clear quite soon that outside the monastery walls lurks a dangerous wartorn place. While she readily accepts the task, she soon encounters an escaped convict by the name of Ilya, who she decides to help. The story revolves around a crisis of faith, the lack of freedom, the illusion of choice, and several other heavy topics. While not everything is fully fleshed out, we believe that the game’s main purpose is to allow the players to fill in the dots themselves, and ponder about some of the questions posed in-game. As a whole, the narrative is quite captivating, and we found it easy to press onwards because of this.
Graphics
Graphically, INDIKA is a rather grim but gorgeous game. The different environments are well-crafted, and there is no lack of trippy settings. For the most part, you’ll find yourself plowing through the snowy landscape of 19th-century Russia, but you’ll also go through more industrialized complexes and small houses. You’ll encounter quite a few set pieces that feel off, especially when you compare them to more realistic modern-day settings. All of this adds to the overall eerie atmosphere of the game, while never becoming an actual horror experience.
There is also a portion of the game that revolves around Indika’s past, and this is presented via pixilated graphics. These flashbacks are also nicely made, and the pixel art also has a lot of details. Even though both graphical styles were worlds apart, they still blended well together.
Sound
The sound design meshes well with the visuals, and even though the music isn’t what you’d expect for the setting of the game, it does set the mood perfectly. Most of the time, there’s only a silent backdrop, but when the music kicks in, it does put you on edge. Other than that, you’ll have to make do with the sound effects, the dialogues between Indika and Ilya, and of course the narration by none other than the Devil himself. As a whole, the voice performances are of top-notch quality, and it almost feels like you’re just experiencing a dark, witty, and trippy movie. The sound effects sometimes also evoke an eerie atmosphere, especially the 19th-century machines that get turned on tend to make deep and unsettling sounds.
As the game also has a retro-inspired portion for Indika’s flashbacks, these segments have a totally different vibe. You’ll be treated to chiptune music here, which creates a stark contrast with the rest of the game. This style, however, is a nice change of pace, and it elevates all individual components even further.
Gameplay
INDIKA is in essence an adventure puzzle game. You’ll play through short segments in which you either slowly explore, listen to dialogues, or complete puzzles. There is also a small retro gameplay aspect when playing through Indika’s flashbacks, where you need to complete platforming segments or even a Pac-Man-like sequence. As a whole, the game is very straightforward in what it needs you to do, even though some puzzles are a bit more complex than you’d initially expect.
Truth be told, there isn’t that much to tell in terms of gameplay, as this game is all about its atmosphere and narrative. Of course, the gameplay itself is also entertaining, and we did enjoy the overall puzzle variety, but it still feels like more of an arthouse experience, rather than a traditional game. The puzzles often revolve around using objects to get to your next destination, and this can be done by dragging crates around so you can reach higher ground, but also by operating elevators or cranes. For the most part, everything is very responsive, but we did sometimes notice a bit of input delay when trying to climb platforms.
Depending on how long you struggle with some of the game’s puzzles, you’ll probably beat this title well within four hours. There is very little replay value, except to perhaps get all the possible achievements by uncovering secrets. Even so, the game is a bit of a one-trick pony, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The overall experience is great, and we’d rather have a polished shorter experience than something that is dragged out for no reason.
Conclusion
INDIKA proved to be a very original game that roped us in from the very beginning. The game didn’t shy away from tackling a very hard topic such as religion, and it did so with the utmost respect. While the gameplay itself wasn’t necessarily a unique addition to the genre, it proved to be entertaining and the puzzles were well-designed. Even though INDIKA only offers a few hours of content, the atmosphere, the narrative, and the characters in general will still linger in our head for quite some time.
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