Free Itch.io Games #21

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another riveting (okay maybe not rivet) collection of free games you can find on Itch.io. We have some interesting games today, so I won't waste your time with chatter, let's get to the games!

1. That Blooming Feeling

Title

Source:  Screen Capture in Game

 

That Blooming Feeling is a cute and relaxing gardening game created by Tots’ Team. You play as an adorable water drop, and it’s up to you to grow the seeds and create an oasis for all of your friends. No time limits, no rush. Just take your time, and relax.

 

The graphics of this game are downright adorable. I just wanna hug that gangly, watery body of our water drop. The music is beautiful, and being able to control, in some way, the environment around you is fun.

 

I do wish it was easier to move the seeds to where you’d like to plant them, though. The controls can be a little hard to control, fine directions control doesn’t exist so you can end up walking circles around a seed you want to try to move.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this little game, despite the difficulties. I definitely recommend it if you enjoy the more relaxed and easy going feeling games. You can download it free from Itch.io *here*

2. Day in the Life of a Harpy

Title

Source: Screen Capture in Game

 

Day in the Life of a Harpy is a cute and challenging platformer created by Xysspon. You play as Duri, a harpy that is trying to get home in time for dinner. Through forests, and caves… how did you get so far away from home?

 

I really liked this platformer. The graphics are cute—I love the old school gameboy aesthetic. I love Duri, and the game provides a good dose of challenge. The controls feel nice and the levels are decently designed. I recommend trying this game for yourself. You can download free from Itch.io *here*.

3. Orchids to Dusk

 Such beautiful scenery.

Source: Screen Capture in Game

Orchid to Dusk is a contemplative adventure game created by Pol Clarissou in which you play a stranded astronaut who is on an alien planet with only minutes left to live. Explore the alien planet and enjoy the sights as your oxygen slowly depletes, enjoying what time you have.  You can find your dead comrades as well who had been stranded here before you.

 

All in all, this game gave me terrible anxiety, but I feel there is a message to be learned here. We all know that our time is finite, so we might as well enjoy what we can, while we can. The world you end up in is rather lovely. Rather than dwell upon impending doom, why not instead look at the scenery? The wildlife?

 

I may be way off, but that was the silver lining that I was able to find to assuage my anxiety. I liked the graphics, and the scenery of the world. So, I recommend you see it for yourself. You can download and play free from Itch.io *here*

4. Apartment Complex

Like a drug trip.

Source: Screen Capture in Game

 

Apartment Complex is a short visual novel created by Sleepy Agents from the Summer Novel Festival. You play as a character trying to return back to their apartment after a night of clubbing. Unfortunately, though, you’re also very drunk. Your room keycard doesn’t make sense, and neither do the elevator buttons…. Can you find your way back to your apartment, and get some much-needed sleep, before your dad arrives?

 

The game is short (about 10 minutes, maybe), and has only one ending, but has some secret items you can obtain if you find them. It wasn’t difficult, and I feel like much more could have been done to really make this more special. Overall, I liked the idea they presented. 😊

 

You can download and try the game for yourself free from Itch.io *here*

Thanks you once again for stopping by to check these out. I really appreciate it! Let me know what you thought of any of these games, and leave your feedback for the developers. Happy gaming!

Bell

Free Itch.io Games #19

Hello everyone! How are you all doin'? I hope you're having a great day! School will be starting up again before you know it, so make sure to get your rest and study hard! But not today. Today we're gonna look at 4 more games free from Itch.io that you may enjoy. Have a look. :)

1. Anchored

 Makes me wanna be a sky pirate!

Source: Screen Capture in Game

Anchored is a challenging exploration survival game created by BadCharger. You take control of yourself and 3 other settlers and you must collect resources, explore the world below, and defend your floating island settlement. Sounds simple enough!

I love a good survival game. I spent days playing Don’t Starve, I loved it so much. This game has the same basic principle, except with a floating island, which—let’s be honest—is pretty freaking cool in itself. Like most survival games, I died pretty quickly the first few times I tried to play. But after some practice I was able to live for a few days longer! 

In any case, I really enjoyed this game. The graphics are pleasing, I like the theme and there’s challenge involved. So if you like these kinds of games, you can try it for free on Itch.io *here*!

2. The Endless Express

 On and on.

Source: Screen Capture in Game

 

The Endless Express is a calm exploration game created by Florian Veltman, where you get to navigate a collection of strange worlds connected by train. There are small tasks you can complete, or you can wander aimlessly and enjoy the calming atmosphere (like I did.) 

Each of the worlds has a unique appearance, be it a lighthouse by the ocean, a stop off near a gas station, or fields of cherry blossom trees. The game has some good humor hidden around, and the crazy train time tables made my head spin. 

The most memorable thing about this game for me was the dream-like graphics. The colors are vibrant and eye-catching. If you press the esc button in game, a portal opens, the appearance of the portal makes me think of a Miyazaki movie or other similar imaginative cartoon. 

Overall, although I didn’t play the game to any sort of “ending”, I found the game enjoyable and an interesting experience. It’s worth taking some time to wander around in the dream like world. You can download the game for free from Itch.io *here*

3. Gran Mortalidad

A difficult decision....

Source: Screen Capture in Game

Gran Mortalidad is a think-quick puzzle game created by Piero-Diaz. You play as a girl who is seeking refuge, and you descend through multiple levels as you do this. You have to move the rooms in order to make a path, but avoid the infect rooms, and keep them from infecting other rooms. 

This game is intense, and challenging. I really enjoyed what I played of it, although I wasn’t able to finish it. I’m quick, but not quick enough to finish one of the levels near the end. I liked the game’s art style. It’s dark and foreboding, which fits the game well. 

Overall, for a short 15 level puzzle game, it’s well done. You can find the game free on Itch.io *here* and try it for yourself!

4. Inspector Waffles 

 A secret office!

Source: Screen Capture in Game

Inspector Waffles in a point and click hidden item detective game created by Goloso Games. You play as Waffles, and you’ve come to investigate a crime scene. A cat has been murdered! It appears that he was thrown from a window, but… cats land on their feet, right? Something is suspicious… 

In the house, you have to find items and work your way to the second floor to try to uncover the truth! This is kind of a part one, and it ends on a ‘to be continued?’ screen. I hope that the developers are able to get another installment out because I really want to know who killed that cat!

The pixel graphics are decent, though some details can be difficult to make out at times(as with most pixel graphics), and there are no sounds, and no music because the developers ran out of time before the jam, but maybe it will be updated another time. 

Either way, you can download and try the game for free from Itch.io *here*

 Thanks for sharing some of your valuable time with me today! Be sure to leave your feedback for the developers, and happy gaming!

Bell

Free Itch.io Games #12

We've made it to lucky number 12! So we have 4 more free games from Itch.io to take a look at today. I hope you'll find a game that you can enjoy for yourself! Without further ado~

1. Astro Flora

Source: Itch.io Page

Astro Flora is a cute exploration game created by Maibbit, and Benjamming. You place as an adorable little space girl, and you get to explore the color changing world around you.  While I enjoyed the look and style of this game, I never got anywhere in it. Both times I tried to play it, I must have wandered too far and ended up in areas where I could no longer find my way back to any discernable landmarks—making me exit the game. 

Both of my plays were short, about 5-7 minutes. Where the landmarks in the game are, the game is adorable. The effects of the flowers blooming as you walk through them was my favorite. The art style of your character, the roaming little birds and the landscape are all wonderful. The music, too, is relaxing and nice to listen to. Unfortunately, with nothing else to be found in this game, I can’t say much more about it. 

I wish that there was more to this game, perhaps a map, or clearer borders to keep natural explorers, like me, from wandering into the nothingness. This game does still have its high points, so it can still be enjoyable. You can download and try the game for free yourself, *here*.

2. Floragram

Source: Itch.io Page

Floragram is a creative experiment created by Armel Gibson, Théo Le Du, Maxime Conquy & Delphine Fourneau. In Floragram, you are able to type secret messages, and those messages are translated into lush and colorful foliage on an island. The premise is simple, but it’s executed in an interesting way. 

I found the game charming, and creative. The only thing I would have liked to see was some music added in to compliment scene of admiring the flowers and trees that your words have created. The graphics are simple, but cartoony and charming. 

I think this game would be beautiful if implemented as a like a “send a message” type of website or application. You could send a message to your friend/lover, and as he/she/they read it, it could transform into the flowery landscape. I think that would be beautiful. But that’s just me.

You can see it for yourself for free, just download from Itch.io *here*

3. Planetarium

Source: Itch.io Page

 

Planetarium is a planet generator created by Daniel Linssen. Click the question mark, or type a name into the bottom right area to find a planet. You can adjust the planets temperature with a slide bar, and if you find the right temperature, life may even sprout on your planet. 

While not technically a “game” I did find this planet generator interesting. I had fun typing in my name, and the names of my friends to see their “planets.” I didn’t figure much else in the way of getting life to sprout (I tried though). 

Regardless, I still found it interesting. The animations are vibrant, and aesthetically pleasing, and the subject matter is interesting to me, so I give it a pass. You can give it a try for yourself, free to download from Itch.io *here*.

4. Sweet Wave

Source: Itch.io Page

Sweet Wave is a fast paced action game created by Allen-Michael Brower, Josh Grilli and Carson Mauthe. The sun is hurtling towards earth, and the world is due to end soon. As an ice cream salesperson, what can you do? Sell as much ice cream as you can and ride out the final heat wave! 

I don’t know what I expected going into this game, because when I opened it, I didn’t even remember ever looking at the Itch.io page. I didn’t remember what it was about. I never would have expected to find myself machine gun shooting ice cream out of the back of an ice cream truck, though. 

This game is surprisingly fun. The graphics are attractive, and the sound is decent. It’s fast paced, and the controls are well implemented. I had some issues, but more due to the fast pace than the actual control mechanics.  The game is short. I mean, the sun does engulf the earth after some time, and I find the replayability (personally) low. It is a fun little distraction. You can try it for yourself free from Itch.io by downloading from *here*. My high score was $10,049 worth of ice cream. What was yours? 

Thanks for sharing some time with me, and happy gaming!

Bell

Short and Quick Games from Itch.io #1

Hello everyone! Here in the Short and Quick games bits we're going to talk about the short games which take less than 5 minutes to complete, or don't fit into other categories of entries that I have. Anyway, let's take a look!

 

1. Politicats

Source: Screen Capture in Game

 

Politicats is a point and click game created by Myriad Game Studios, where your job is to click on the cats in order to keep them awake enough to vote on bills passing through their cat house. The game is short, and has little real challenge or story in it, but seeing those cats in those little suits are just so dark cute. 

This game wasn’t really what I expected, and I don’t know if that is good or bad. I liked the idea of political cats, but I felt like the game was lacking in a lot of aspects. I did enjoy the graphics, although the game is short—but perhaps that is for the better? A more challenging mechanic might have made this game much better. The itch.io page for this game seems to have been removed, but you can still download it to try from the game jam page *here*

2. I Ruff You

Source: In Game Screen Capture

I Ruff You is an adorable dog to dog romance game created by So Good Games, where you are simply a dog looking for love. You start in a dog park with a few other dogs to talk to(and a squirrel). Over the course of a few days, see if you can woo your way into their heart!

The game is short, but the graphics are cute and uniquely styled, and the music is pleasant. I also thought it was cute that the dogs don’t speak English, but they bark and bow wow. However, the local squirrel speaks English! The game over all is cute, and only takes about 10 minutes to complete. You can try it free for yourself on Itch.io *here*

3. Response

 Source: Itch.io Page

 

Response is a simple game about helping others, and how you make decisions in your life. The game is created by Doombrowski, where you play as a blue guy, who looks like a cousin to purple guy from Five Nights at Freddy’s. You walk around and can help others—like getting a cat out of a tree, or fixing a car. 

The game is short, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. At the “ending” I ended up with one of 2 outcomes. Either I died for bring in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the store clerk died. I don’t know if there is a way to prevent this from happening, or if this is meant to be a statement about our world. I suppose it could be. Anyhow, the game is free so you are welcome to try it on Itch.io for yourself *here*.

4. The Midnight Park

 Source: In Game Screen Capture

The Midnight Park is a relaxing escape from reality walking simulator created by Olivia Haines. This little game involves you exploring a strange park in the dark. There are eyes peering through the dark, and strange animals roaming/floating. This game feels much more like a dream sequence to be honest. 

I really loved the appearance of this game. The trees look like they’re drawn with chalk pastel crayons, and the environments are vibrant and well created. The music is nice, and the game is relaxing. I was expecting a surprise jump scare, but it didn’t happen. The creator said he original intention involved isolation and anxiety in children, where the playground is a safe space for kids. And I could feel the isolation and anxiety through the work. Well done!

The game is quite short, but was an enjoyable little experience anyway. You can try the game for yourself by downloading free from Itch.io *here*.

Thanks for sharing some of your time with me, and happy gaming!

Bell