Free Itch.io Games #2

Hello, Friends! You may be able to tell that I spend a lot of time browsing Itch.io in my free time, and I like to share because who couldn't use more free games to play? Plus, I love indie developers and games. The work is often unique, and sometimes unfinished, but it really shows what they are capable of. Enough of me talking now, here are 4 more free games that you can find on Itch.io! Links will be posted in the descriptions!

1. The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car

Source: Itch.io

The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car is a visual novel style game by Lox Rain. The Lox Rain team created this lovely piece of game in only 4 days, but they did an exemplary job. The two characters of the game, default names Shelby and Dustin, are in a car during the zombie apocalypse, trying to drive to safety. These two strangers become connected through these events, and during the game you get to know about each of the characters, and the troubles they suffered before and during the zombie break out.

The story is well written. The characters feel human and the emotions that they feel seem real. The art and style is charming, and the music and sound effects are spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed this game experience. I played through Shelby’s story once, and Dustin’s story once. They were moderately different, but I’m sure choosing different text options would result in somewhat different endings. At any rate, Shadows can be found for free on Itch.io *here* and I highly recommend giving it a play through! The only downside was that at the end of the game, I wanted more!

2. Animal Inspector

Source: Itch.io

How many animals would you be willing to sentence to death to ensure the safety of your own? In the game, Animal Inspector, you are working for a corporation that is trying to “cull the herd” of animals, so to speak. You are in charge of accepting and rejecting animal applications. You are the one who chooses whether Grandma gets to keep her precious cat, or whether it’s bye bye mittens. You have to follow guide lines, such as “you must reject 2 animals” or “We’re low on space, so reject all large animals.” Which animals will you choose to save? Will you follow your orders blindly? Remember that the life of your dear pet is in the balance…

I enjoyed this game a lot. Although, as a big animal lover, I found some of the decisions really difficult. The game is about half an hour long if you take your time, and the sound is decent. The art is cute, and the real photos of animals on the applications to approve or reject were a nice touch. It really made the decisions more difficult for me. You can download and try this game on Itch.io *here*.

3. Cat Poke

Source: MadMonkeyStudios on Youtube

It can get pretty boring on rainy days as a kid. Your mom won’t let you go outside to play, reruns are on the TV… what’s a kid to do? I know! We have 9 cats, so lets play a game of Cat Poke! Cat Poke is a cute little game created by Squiddershins for the “A Game By Its Cover (AGBIC)” competition. The goal was to create a game based on a previously existing game. Apparently Squiddershins based Cat Poke on the game Neko Touch by Olulu Up. I have never played Neko Touch, so I can’t make any comparison, but I can tell you that Cat Poke is delightful.

You play as Molly, a little girl stuck inside on a rainy day. Molly decides to play a game of Cat Poke with her 9 cats. Molly will have to utilize many items in order to lure some of the cats out and make them poke-able. It’s a simple puzzler, but an enjoyable one. Molly’s sprite is so gosh darn adorable with her little bouncing hairdo, and the cats are just as cute.  The music is decent, very bouncy and upbeat, but not quite my cup of tea. This game can be found free for download on Itch.io *here*. The game took me about 15 minutes to get through so it isn’t long, but fun none the less.

4. Yum Yum Dating Show

Source: Itch.io

Yum Yum Dating Show is a hilarious mock-dating sim/otome game created by qualifiedbadger where you get to choose from 6 dating sim clichés: Bad Boy, Shy Guy, Mysterious Guy, Sexy Nerd, Mr. Attitude, and Heartbreaker. The host forces these personas onto the boys in an absurd and hilarious fashion. As the girl, you ask the bachelors questions, and then eliminate the guy who gave the worst answer. Something that did bother me was that you were given a choice often between just two of the guys’ answers, so it wasn’t quite like picking what you thought was the worst, but rather the worse of the two.

The game plays, like most otome, in a visual novel style with static pictures and text underneath. The sprites are nice, and the background is just a drop curtain, which works for a dating show, although some variety would have been nice. The music is also nice to listen to, and it changes at certain points to give a variety. Despite some of the shortfalls, Yum Yum Dating Show is still worth the 20 minutes of entertainment it offers. You can find Yum Yum Dating Show on Itch.io *here*.

As always, please give these free games a try, and be sure to leave words of encouragement or constructive criticism. The developers often really appreciate hearing how you enjoyed their game, or what they could improve!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

View the Gaming in Pajamas Completed Compendium *here!*

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