I like the fact that this weird game gets to exist, and I hope many more games like this will get made, not made to be as popular as possible but appeal to a certain kind of audience who’ll hopefully love it. The religious themes remind me a bit of Pentiment. Overall, I’m just glad that there are many options out there. Some might be better for another person than they are for me, and that’s okay.
Best take. Many players don’t accept the idea that some games are just not made for them. They appeal to a restricted demographic. And to be fair, the same happens when people watch movies
Indeed. The more weird and varied games exist out there, the better. We can only go so far with bloated megaliths churning out grey slime in accordance with blasphemous eldritch paradigms that run counter to the true spirit of mankind.
@@jpope125 i liked it! It’s got some flaws but overall an enjoyable game and I’m extremely happy that such a weird, niche little game got to be made at all. It’s so uncompromising in that yes, it’s not for everyone, and it never pretends otherwise.
It could, but we all know that the very money driven people in the industry would never do so. Something niche by nature has lesser odds of making bank so they’ll never go for it
@@NewSupa I think the issue with TLoU2 (and I hated it) was that Neil Druckman's personal vision for the first game was overridden by other creatives (I think for the better), but when he made the sequel he didn't respect the original and warped both the continuity and the characters to revive his original vision.
@@In10tionL art that makes bold decisions while having a very broad audience will always have divisive reception. "Universal acclaim" can also mean a piece of art didn't take any risks. That's by and large TLoU1. A compelling narrative that bases itself in familiar storytelling tropes but is sold with exceptional performances and sensibilities. There are morally grey questions posed, but none that are truly going to challenge its audience emotionally, so the ones who would've otherwise been upset are given a way to opt out of dealing with the heavier stuff. TLoU2 takes massive narrative risks, not just as a video game for a video game audience that is largely mostly used to simple morality narratives of "good guys vs. bad guys", but as a storytelling media full stop, so some parts of the audience are going to be miffed because they're being challenged emotionally and faced with discomfort by a narrative which is something they're not used to. You can dislike the game for how its ideas are executed and how well it succeeds in what it's trying to do, but disliking its risk-taking and boldness in what it set out to do I think is disliking art itself and the importance of it within our culture, and admitting you're most comfortable with art that works as a pacifier to soothe you.
Jessica Hoops makes some of the best reviews there are. Well-written and delivered, with interesting points to give the viewer the necessary context. Plus, it's three minutes but doesn't feel like Jessica is rushing to the end. She's very much in control of the pacing. Great work showcasing a very interesting game
The religious themes, low-budget vibes and alternate European historical setting made me me think of Felvidek--someone should DEFINITELY check that game out if you haven't already, it seems perfect for this review format!
@@maxzapom it's an article from almost a year ago but that's why i got the game on my radar. Title is "Russian studio fled country to finish game" on Polygon. Very quick read. I'll send a link aswell. if ya aint seeing one then links are blocked:
"A nun that believes she talks to the Devil and a criminal that believes he talks to God." What a wonderful pairing, very interested in this game, cheers.
The Cat Lady mentioned! I haven't played that game in forever. I remember playing it when I was far too young and connecting with it significantly. If you haven't played it and have the stomach for disturbing stuff, it's more than worth it.
Jess is a fantastic reviewer and narrator! She sounds confident and educated and clearly knows her games. She is one to watch, can't wait for more of her Bytesized reviews. This game looks dope -- love the mix of puzzles and spookiness and philosophy. Great graphics too. Seems really unique in its style and atmosphere. Thanks, Jess, for showing me Indika! Keep these reviews coming, we want more Jess!
Saw a trailer (i think on Instagram) and it got me intrigued so I bought it. Played for about an hour and am pleasantly surprised at how weird (and somewhat wacky) this story is. It's slow paced, but definitely interesting. The graphics are stunning as well.
Nice review! I knew next to nothing about this game til i saw Yahtzee stream it. It certainly seems intriguing and takes some risks with its theming, gameplay and presentation, and i commend it for that, rather than it being bland mush you've already experienced.
Been looking forward to this since Steam nextfest in January. The deno was really intriguing. Hellblade was the game it sort of reminded me of too. It doesn't feel like what you see on screen is necessarily real, more the interpretation that Indika is putting on situations.
Indika falls into that camp of games that I would have loved vastly more had it been in another medium. While the puzzles where never pointless, and there were some interesting ideas, I ultimately found myself finding the gameplay portions tiresome fairly quickly, while the writing was what I found actively engaging. Unlike Senua's Sacrifice, I don't feel like the story was meaningfully helped by the gameplay, and it's hard not to shake the idea that I'd have rather watched this as a movie instead.
I kind of love how weird this game is, not sure it's a hit, but it's such a massive swing it deserves an applause. As does the quick cut you did to Face/off. 10/10. No notes.
I cannot believe you reviewed this game and did not mention Pathologic even once. It is the forefather of all Easter European experimental adventure games.
I didn't like this game. Because Puzzles feels like unnecessary in some situations of the game. Before playing the game I thought that it would be scary. But it is not scary 😢. It's personal opinion. Don't get mad at me
I really enjoy Kaiju no8, but I also think it’s weird that Mina Ashiro is five years younger than than kafka. If they were close friends as kids, wouldn’t that be like a twelve year old boy hanging out with a seven year old girl? Why didn’t the story just make them the same age?
He'll talk about it on his "Yahtzee Tries" recap video since he played it on Yahtzee tries. Based on how the hosts talked about it during "Firelink," Yahtzee was on board with the game, so he may have finished it.
Interesting Review. Not a game I would play, but I am very much not a fan of games entwined with Christian religious elements that are front and center, as I would be of games with other modern religious and their questions of faith or belief. It's not that I don't find interest in games with big picture ethical or moral elements to them, just that I don't want my games to be over linked to Christian, Islamic, Judaic, Hindu or even Buddhist belief systems directly.
The tonal whiplash between the pixelart minigames and photorealistic sections broke my neck. I might tried again after watching this video, but the game has HORRIBLE first impressions IMO
@@keyworksurfer if you remove the walking talking segments and the cutscenes what would be left of the game? Nothing, that what makes it a *generic-walky-talky-sim* because its an interactive movie "played" with controller or keyboard. Also, even with combat, It would've been a *generic-walky-talky-sim* with extra combat as an addon which is how we get God Of War (2018), The Last Of Us, and Hellblade.
I like the fact that this weird game gets to exist, and I hope many more games like this will get made, not made to be as popular as possible but appeal to a certain kind of audience who’ll hopefully love it. The religious themes remind me a bit of Pentiment.
Overall, I’m just glad that there are many options out there. Some might be better for another person than they are for me, and that’s okay.
Best take. Many players don’t accept the idea that some games are just not made for them. They appeal to a restricted demographic. And to be fair, the same happens when people watch movies
Indeed. The more weird and varied games exist out there, the better. We can only go so far with bloated megaliths churning out grey slime in accordance with blasphemous eldritch paradigms that run counter to the true spirit of mankind.
How was pentiment?
@@jpope125 i liked it! It’s got some flaws but overall an enjoyable game and I’m extremely happy that such a weird, niche little game got to be made at all. It’s so uncompromising in that yes, it’s not for everyone, and it never pretends otherwise.
@@Trassel242got ya! thanks,
I think I’ll give it a try.
The industry could do with more games that are made to the creators tastes and themes instead of always going for mass appeal.
It could, but we all know that the very money driven people in the industry would never do so. Something niche by nature has lesser odds of making bank so they’ll never go for it
Careful, or we may get another Last of Us 2
@@NewSupa I think the issue with TLoU2 (and I hated it) was that Neil Druckman's personal vision for the first game was overridden by other creatives (I think for the better), but when he made the sequel he didn't respect the original and warped both the continuity and the characters to revive his original vision.
The world could do with more of everything made this way. Unfortunately, capitalism
@@In10tionL art that makes bold decisions while having a very broad audience will always have divisive reception. "Universal acclaim" can also mean a piece of art didn't take any risks. That's by and large TLoU1. A compelling narrative that bases itself in familiar storytelling tropes but is sold with exceptional performances and sensibilities. There are morally grey questions posed, but none that are truly going to challenge its audience emotionally, so the ones who would've otherwise been upset are given a way to opt out of dealing with the heavier stuff.
TLoU2 takes massive narrative risks, not just as a video game for a video game audience that is largely mostly used to simple morality narratives of "good guys vs. bad guys", but as a storytelling media full stop, so some parts of the audience are going to be miffed because they're being challenged emotionally and faced with discomfort by a narrative which is something they're not used to. You can dislike the game for how its ideas are executed and how well it succeeds in what it's trying to do, but disliking its risk-taking and boldness in what it set out to do I think is disliking art itself and the importance of it within our culture, and admitting you're most comfortable with art that works as a pacifier to soothe you.
Jessica Hoops makes some of the best reviews there are. Well-written and delivered, with interesting points to give the viewer the necessary context. Plus, it's three minutes but doesn't feel like Jessica is rushing to the end. She's very much in control of the pacing. Great work showcasing a very interesting game
Aww, thanks for the kind words. 🖤
A criminal who talks to God and a nun who talks to a Devil? Now that’s a peculiar duo if I saw one
Says something about religion i guess
It’s meta commentary on life, unfortunately most will only take It at face value.
The reversed roles Indika and the soldier was probably my favorite part. That and the ending although… Christ it was heavy
I remember Yathzee collecting the buckets of water and the hag just poured it away at his feet. Good times
To anyone on the fence. Get it. Im not into narrative games, but this nun just kicks ass
After seeing Yhatzee play it, I was sold on the game. Wasn't sure if it would be up my alley beforehand but now, I am certain it is my type of game.
The religious themes, low-budget vibes and alternate European historical setting made me me think of Felvidek--someone should DEFINITELY check that game out if you haven't already, it seems perfect for this review format!
I'm really interested in this. Great review, and the Face/Off clip killed me LOL
This is why I love and support this channel! Always up for weird interesting indies like this. Thanks for the review!
🖤
I wish the devs all the best. Leaving russia to finish a game they wanted to make, knowing they may be arrested when returning. Thats tough
Maybe they should just stay away. Not like Russia has anything to offer them besides Vodka and death by government sanctioned kill squads.
Damn I didn't know that
@@maxzapom it's an article from almost a year ago but that's why i got the game on my radar.
Title is "Russian studio fled country to finish game" on Polygon. Very quick read.
I'll send a link aswell. if ya aint seeing one then links are blocked:
Man, Second Wind is stacked. Jessica, Darren, and Marty are some of the best writers in the industry right now, in my opinion.
What a trio to see my name included in. Thanks so much!
"A nun that believes she talks to the Devil and a criminal that believes he talks to God." What a wonderful pairing, very interested in this game, cheers.
Interesting visual mix of different things.
The Cat Lady mentioned! I haven't played that game in forever. I remember playing it when I was far too young and connecting with it significantly. If you haven't played it and have the stomach for disturbing stuff, it's more than worth it.
Thank you for the review. I'll be buying this very soon, love these types of games.
Jess is a fantastic reviewer and narrator! She sounds confident and educated and clearly knows her games. She is one to watch, can't wait for more of her Bytesized reviews. This game looks dope -- love the mix of puzzles and spookiness and philosophy. Great graphics too. Seems really unique in its style and atmosphere. Thanks, Jess, for showing me Indika! Keep these reviews coming, we want more Jess!
Saw a trailer (i think on Instagram) and it got me intrigued so I bought it. Played for about an hour and am pleasantly surprised at how weird (and somewhat wacky) this story is. It's slow paced, but definitely interesting. The graphics are stunning as well.
Just wanted to say how useful it is you saying how long a play through might last - games under ten hours are very appealing to me these days! 😁
Fantastic review from Jess of a very intriguing game. I really appreciate all different types of games and genres the channel highlights and reviews.
🖤
So nice to see Indika getting the attention it deserves!
I am deeply interested in this game, that's right up my alley. Thanks for the review, guys
This feels like a fun next game after The Thurmatuge.
I’ll need to give this a look, it seems really interesting!
Just finished the game and this review mirrored my thoughts and feelings precisely. New subscriber here 👋🏻
Surprised it's so short after what I played on Steam a few months back. Still looks interesting.
just finished the game yesterday and it was an experience to say the least
Nice review! I knew next to nothing about this game til i saw Yahtzee stream it. It certainly seems intriguing and takes some risks with its theming, gameplay and presentation, and i commend it for that, rather than it being bland mush you've already experienced.
Refreshing to see something so different
I'm quite interested in this one, think I'll check it out!
I just realized why there are so many Bytesized videos and so "few" 3-minurew reviews lately... It was on the back of my mind for some time now XD
So glad you have this well covered , seriously interesting game
Been looking forward to this since Steam nextfest in January. The deno was really intriguing. Hellblade was the game it sort of reminded me of too. It doesn't feel like what you see on screen is necessarily real, more the interpretation that Indika is putting on situations.
Indika falls into that camp of games that I would have loved vastly more had it been in another medium.
While the puzzles where never pointless, and there were some interesting ideas, I ultimately found myself finding the gameplay portions tiresome fairly quickly, while the writing was what I found actively engaging. Unlike Senua's Sacrifice, I don't feel like the story was meaningfully helped by the gameplay, and it's hard not to shake the idea that I'd have rather watched this as a movie instead.
I kind of love how weird this game is, not sure it's a hit, but it's such a massive swing it deserves an applause.
As does the quick cut you did to Face/off. 10/10. No notes.
And here I am, hoping it comes to PS+.
Thank you for the review!
Im more of a Sativa guy but ill give Indika a try.
This is a great series
yay Eastern European Jank game. Not as strange as pathologic but in the same area
It looks way too polished to still be called jank.
im enjoying it A LOT
I'm so glad that games with a singular, inspired vision are still able to exist in this era of bland corporate garbage.
I liked Indika, it's a Christian adult Little Nightmares, but sad about the ending... which to be expected.
This is such an odd game but I am all for it!.
Comparing to Senua and Cat Lady? That would make me onboard.
It's not available on consoles yet unfortunately. The release date says May, so maybe later this month. Update: May 17
About 2 weeks last time I saw one of their tweets
Well this game looks cool!
Damn thats some good pixel art, I would be more interested in the game if it was fully 2D
Press F to pray.
Dig the Russian pronunciation of Nabokov!
I tried my best. ;)
Sparked my interest once I saw the pixel stuff. But I don't know. The gameplay still might be kinda shallow.
Sounds like a cool concept, but $25 is a hefty ask for 4 hours of gameplay.
@@dragonfiremalus I dunno, that's cheaper than two movies most places, and a game can give you a unique experience which a movie can't.
Check out the sequel Sateeva
The camera is a masterclass in making me nauseous
It reminds me a bit of what remains of Edith finch.
yes. weird, uncomfortable at times and very cool
It’s Giving Nier
The title sounds like when a teensie casts a wind attack.
More games like this, less live service nonsense.
1:00 so… just normal Russia then?
I cannot believe you reviewed this game and did not mention Pathologic even once. It is the forefather of all Easter European experimental adventure games.
I mean.. does she really need to? Can someone make a review and not refer to something completely unrelated to the topic at hand?
@@sunderark Go watch a playthough of Pathologic and you will know that it is far from unrelated.
❤️🕹️👾🎮❤️
More short games and less 40 hour long slogs
I prefer Sativa
Hah
I didn't like this game. Because
Puzzles feels like unnecessary in some situations of the game. Before playing the game I thought that it would be scary. But it is not scary 😢. It's personal opinion. Don't get mad at me
I really enjoy Kaiju no8, but I also think it’s weird that Mina Ashiro is five years younger than than kafka. If they were close friends as kids, wouldn’t that be like a twelve year old boy hanging out with a seven year old girl? Why didn’t the story just make them the same age?
There is no miracle and the points are pointless. 8/10 due to some painful platforming.
If it's in Russia, why are they British?
1:50 Alice: madness returns & saints row 4 players: "hmmm, first time?"
Engagement comment
Was hoping Yahtzee would review it
Why would you want to torture him playing a walking sim?
@@SuperSky9 he did play it
He'll talk about it on his "Yahtzee Tries" recap video since he played it on Yahtzee tries. Based on how the hosts talked about it during "Firelink," Yahtzee was on board with the game, so he may have finished it.
Interesting Review. Not a game I would play, but I am very much not a fan of games entwined with Christian religious elements that are front and center, as I would be of games with other modern religious and their questions of faith or belief. It's not that I don't find interest in games with big picture ethical or moral elements to them, just that I don't want my games to be over linked to Christian, Islamic, Judaic, Hindu or even Buddhist belief systems directly.
The tonal whiplash between the pixelart minigames and photorealistic sections broke my neck. I might tried again after watching this video, but the game has HORRIBLE first impressions IMO
It’s making a point, it’s not just stylistic choice
First... yay.
you were third
First?
no you were second
So basically a generic walky-talky-sim.
Where at all do you get "generic" from this? Weird bias to have against any game without combat front-and-center.
@@keyworksurfer if you remove the walking talking segments and the cutscenes what would be left of the game? Nothing, that what makes it a *generic-walky-talky-sim* because its an interactive movie "played" with controller or keyboard. Also, even with combat, It would've been a *generic-walky-talky-sim* with extra combat as an addon which is how we get God Of War (2018), The Last Of Us, and Hellblade.