Indie Game Roundup: Shadows 5x553s

Thursday Triple is a weekly roundup of Indie Games from around the Net.

It’s getting darker these days. Normally I’d refer to a particular season that’s fast approaching, but as the saying has been reduced to a very poorly received meme, I’ll say instead that summer is definitely behind us. But here to welcome the dark with me (and others who prefer the colder months that help keep computers cool) are these grim games.

Pathologic 431l5h

By Ice-Pick Lodge

I’ve never been too fond of survival games, if only because they seem to go hand-in-hand with horror. As I’m absolutely dreadful at staying logical in the face of terror, you can imagine how difficult that first night is when you have no idea what’s going on, you’ve got nothing on you to stave off the cold, and what the hell is that noise I think I just heard?

But thankfully, despite dealing with the morbidity that is a virulent plague, Pathologic is more about politics and humanness than it is jump-scares.

You play as a doctor tasked with discovering the true nature of this mystery disease, helping as many people as you can along the way. The town you’re stationed at is there for you to explore, though being around so many ill individuals is going to have an impact on your own health. It’s a balance between keeping yourself safe and sacrificing tools to aid others or further your own investigations – with only twelve days to do all this, every choice matters.

Noct 635o26

By c3sk

Next up is another survival, one with a concept slightly more familiar though no less intriguing. Noct is a top-down multiplayer shooter in a world where the vast majority of the population has been swallowed up (this may or may not be literal depending on the actual narrative of the game) by an ancient evil.

You can expect to run around searching for items in the name of, well, survival. Sometimes you may even encounter other players, which is a huge boon when you’re up against giant, multi-legged beasties. Speaking of which, the most fantastic looking things are arguably the monsters, appearing as vicious in thermal-style black and white as they would in full colour. Better yet, what you see on screen is limited to what you would see in person – turning down that corridor will be the only way to know what’s around the corner.

And the music is wondrously atmospheric. For something that’s 2-dimensional, it’s rather immersive.

Warlocks 1o2434

By One More Level

Magic! Adventure! Tons of carnage! Warlocks isn’t a survival, but the shadowy creatures prancing through a multitude of landscapes puts this game square in the category of live-fast-and-die-young. It’s loot-based and co-op, and the overall goal is to become a warlock worthy of saving the universe.

From bosses to unique characters, Warlocks is your classic RPG brawler. And just like any brawler, the option to fight your friends is at the forefront of development. But if duelling is not your cup of tea, and neither is gallivanting through the countryside in search of treasure with your trusted companions (online or local), there’s a single-player option too.

What better way to unleash your inner warlock than to spam flaming meteors at hordes of enemies?