Free Itch.io Games #3

Hello, Friends! It's that time once again to take to Itch.io and find some free games to share with all of you lovely people! Good or bad, be sure to try these games for yourself, and let me know what you think. Without further ado, here are 4 more ~free~ Itch.io games for you to try for yourselves!

1. Control

Source: Itch.io Page

I don’t know if I would necessarily classify this as a game, as it is more of a statement about society. Control is a short game created by Chalk In Rain, to make a statement about guns in the world. “We wanted to make something about what people can expect to happen when a gun is in their hands,” reads the Itch.io game for the game. I think the message is received. While you have a gun in your hands, you cannot actually shoot it. If you keep your gun aimed at a person however, they may shoot back.

That’s really all there is to this game. A simple message about how people react to guns. If you want to see it for yourself, you can find it free on Itch.io *here*.

2. The Longest Night

Source: Itch.io Page

The Longest Night is a short, but relaxing game of “connecting the dots” in the constellations. TLN was created in collaboration by Finji, InfiniteAmmo, and bombsfall on Itch.io. I fell in love with the idea of this game as soon as I saw it. As a stargazer myself, I couldn’t wait to see what this game had in store—and it did not disappoint. The graphics are cute, not overly complex, and the characters are nice too.

Gameplay wise the game is simple. Around the characters a wheel with the appearance of a star chart will rotate. As it rotates, there will be stars to connect into constellations. Each star as you hover over it makes a musical note sound, which was nice. Each constellation also has a little story to go with it, much like our own constellations and astrological signs.

Overall I thought the game was delightful. The music was relaxing, the gameplay wasn’t taxing, and I enjoyed the subject matter. This game is worth 20 minutes of your time, and you download and play it for free from Itch.io *here*.

3. Solitude (Solitudo)

Source: Itch.io Page

Solitude is a short game that is more of an interactive sketch. Solitude was created by Alexandre Ignatov, and can be seen as an examination of life with anxiety and/or depression. As the name implies, the character you play as has isolated themselves. The entire game takes place inside one room, and doesn’t have a definite end. You can read your journal, or check your emails to see the reasons that your character chose to isolate themselves over.

Outside of the room is a large black void, and the words “Don’t leave the room.” You can venture into the void and get lost—like I did—or you can throw all of your belongings into the void. Walking in the void, lines of dialogue may also appear at the bottom of the screen. The lines of dialogue show the characters depression and anxiety, “They will judge me.” “I am too ugly.” And similar lines.

Overall I enjoyed this little game because it felt relatable. I’m a sucker for games that bring light to mental illnesses, even if not expressly. You can download and play Solitude for free from Itch.io *here*.

4. Amoris Flores

Source: Itch.io Page

Amoris Flores is a lovely little visual novel style game created by Rugiku, about a time after humans have eradicated themselves from the planet. Plants have evolved and even become sentient. You are a human who survived by being put into cryostasis.  You are awoken by Rose, a humanoid plant, and she takes you to the plant kingdom. There are several choices to be made and each one will impact how your story plays out.

This game is rather charming. I enjoy the character designs and I love the idea of sentient plant life. I love the variety of music that is offered throughout the game as well. The backgrounds, although simple and some of them I even felt my 8 year old daughter could have made, are cute. I liked the different characters, although Succulent gets my favorite character vote... and the bees. Cause they're adorable. 

My only problem was that the game, while interesting, didn't offer up a satisfactory explanation about the humans, and what exactly was going on. At one point it's mentioned that there were other humans but that the plants made a great human sacrifice. Rose doesn't really give up any definitive answers and the game left me feeling a little unsatisfied with the whole thing. I can't stand the uncertainty! Still the game is an experience to be had. I was able to get 3 different endings, but perhaps there are more. You can try the game for free from Itch.io *here*.

As always, be sure to leave words of encouragement, or constructive criticism, to help these developers grow and better their content! 

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the Gaming in Pajamas Compendium *HERE!*

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