Free Itch.io Games #1

During the Holidays a lot of people don't have the extra money to spend on games, as much as we all would really like to. It's a good thing that Itch.io has a wide array of free games to help cure that boredom, without hurting your holiday budget. So here are some free games on Itch.io that you can try out. If you play any of them, let me know what you thought!

1. Put a Sock in It

Source: Far Off Daydream

Put a Sock in It is a quirky game written by Leonid Pilchin and released by Far-off Daydream Games. Put a Sock in It is about a girl named Serena who is trapped in a stairwell, awaiting help. But as the time drags on, Serena is quickly running out of things to do to keep herself from spiraling into madness. Luckily, Serena has two colored socks and a big imagination. Using the socks as our characters, we create a “choose your own adventure” style game that’s full of laughs and life lessons. Each of the socks has 2 different characters. The red sock can be a princess or a ghost, and the blue sock can be a wizard or a stable boy. Each combination of the 2 makes for 90 different short stories, and 30 life lessons to learn through them. The life lessons range from the soul crushing effects of debt, to lessons of loving someone for who they are. I haven’t gotten all the life lessons yet, but I have enjoyed this game for the time I have played and plan to play more. You can find the download for this charming game on Itch.io: *here*.

2. Stuck@Home

Source: Itch.io

 Stuck at home is a short visual novel style game by Lynnaira, that explores the isolation and disconnected feelings of depression. In Stuck@Home you play as yourself. You’ve just graduated from high school, and you’re been sort of depressed thinking about your fears and college. You haven’t left the house in quite some time, despite your friends trying to lure you. The game has a good ending and a bad ending (obviously, you either leave the house with your friends or you don’t). Despite it being short, the game emphasizes the importance of reaching out and finding someone to talk to when you feel those feelings. The artwork is cute, and the piano music is pleasing to listen to as well. You can find the game to download on Itch.io *here*.

A Thing About Nothingness

Source: Adventure Games Studio

A Thing About Nothingness is a simple adventure game created by Pierrec and Sy, exploring the more philosophical side of life. You play as Eugene, who is searching for the meaning of true Cynicynism in the world. He has only his sheet and his barrel to his name. His… master(?) give him a rock and tells him to go forth and find the meaning, then return to be welcome as a true Cynicynist. There are a few different endings and maybe some lessons to learn along the way. Eugene moves by rolling in his barrel, accompanied by a surprising harmonica melody. As he rolls, he will encounter different people will need help. He can choose to help them, or not, and that will pave the way to his understanding on Cynicynism. Each path is only a few minutes long, so it’s a quick play, but I found it enjoyable none the less. You can find the download for free on Itch.io *here*.

Things You Can Put on Gunter’s Head

Source: Itch.io

This game is about putting things on a bird’s head. Yeah, you heard me right. Things You Can Put on Gunter’s Head is a stacking strategy game made by thornytree using Unity. Besides seeing how tall you can stack items on Gunter’s head, if you place an item on his head, and press the camera button, you get a cute picture of the object actually on this adorable bird’s head! I would play this game for the adorable bird pictures alone--he wears a tiny graduation cap for pete’s sake! I really like birds though. Outside of that, the game is just stacking items, which is very hard to do. I don’t think I was able to stack more than 4 items on his head, even using the flatter items. But I was never good at stacking games. It was worthwhile, however, to follow the creators tumblr *here* just to see more pictures of their adorable birds! You can also find a link to download the game on Itch.io *here*.

That’s all for today. As always I hope you will give these games a go, and give encouragement or constructive criticism to help them develop and grow. All of these games are free, so you don’t lose anything by trying them out.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See other games I've shared: *click here*

Follow me on: twitter

Follow me on: tumblr

Find me on: Steam

email me: bellannmae@gmail.com

Limbo for the PS4

“A shadow leaned over me, whispering, in the darkness,

Thoughts without sound;

Sorrowful thoughts that filled me with helpless wonder

And held me bound.”

-Alfred Noyes

Source: Playstation

Bound with helpless wonder is exactly how I felt playing Limbo on the PS4. Limbo is a puzzle platformer published by Playdead, that originated on the Xbox 360. Limbo is now available across all major gaming platforms. The world of Limbo is crafted in creeping shadows and piercing darkness, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I went into Limbo knowing nothing about the game. In fact, I was looking for another game entirely. It happened across me as I perused the PSN and since it was on sale at the time, I ended up purchasing it out of curiosity. Oh, but I am so glad that I did.

Before we discuss game mechanics and the technical aspects, let’s talk story. While playing Limbo, I had no idea what I was doing, and more importantly I didn’t know why. We play as an unnamed boy, traversing the shadows, and trying to survive in a world that is full of danger.

There was been some debate about the actual meaning behind Limbo’s story. There may be some story spoilers here, so I will try to hide them. If I can code it right, you should be able to click on the spoiler to show it. The most popular theory, and the theory that I ascribe to is that our young protagonist boy is, sadly, dead. I’m not religious but this is about to get a little religious, so I’ll try my best to explain this. Christian Ideologies ascribe to a place called “Limbo.” Limbo is derived from the Latin word limbus, which means edge, and Limbo is considered an outlying area of Hell. You end up in Limbo if you were too good to end up in Hell, but not good enough to get to Heaven. That doesn’t explain why our young boy would be here, does it? Well, Limbo is also the place for unbaptized babies.

Perhaps our young boy was never baptized, and thus he ends up in Limbo. You cannot escape Limbo unless Jesus intervenes directly.

At the end of the game, the boy is seen breaking through what seems to be a wall of glass, after which he finds a young girl—his sister. This theory suggests that the glass breaking was the boy making his way out of Limbo and being reunited with his sister. However… his sister is likely dead too. After the credits are complete and you return to the title screen, you may notice something odd… In the areas where the boy and his sister were both located, there are not 2 separate swarms of flies, and you can hear them buzzing. The rope ladder to the tree house now also looks dilapidated and worn.

The game and its meaning are open wide to interpretation, and the creator is confirming nothing. Although he has said that some people were close. But I wonder who?

Limbo does an exceptional job of creating a suspenseful, and spooky, atmosphere. The shadows, the music (or lack of), and the subtle sound effects in the background, like flies buzzing, create and immersive experience. I found myself on the edge of my seat through much of the game.

Source: XBox Game Store

Next, let’s talk about game mechanics. The game operates as a side scrolling puzzle platformer. As such, I was happy with the controls. The controls are simple—move, jump, and grab. Many times, you must manage those in quick succession, lest you should be caught by a giant spider, caught in the rising water, or struck by falling objects. The darkness of the game also hides many traps, such as bear traps, so it’s important to move with caution.

Limbo requires some skill in timing, and patience. I died a LOT. And every time you die, you have to watch your poor character be crushed, suffocate, get cut up by saw blades, or watch his broken limbs flail as he crashes to the ground. When you die, you start over from checkpoints, which are frequent, so it’s not quite as frustrating. However, if you can manage to make it through the game without dying, then you can get a special trophy/accomplishment. I have not managed to do it, but good luck to you.

Source: Rely on Horror

The art style only adds to the charm, and eerie atmosphere, of this game. Even though the game is in grey-scale, the details of the environments are something to behold. The darkness against the lighter background creates a dynamic effect. Even small details were given consideration, such as the sway of the grass, the spray of dirt as a giant spider tries to impale you, and the hairs on said spider’s body. Although this game may come off as simple, it’s clear that the creators poured their souls into this game. I have such admiration for their team of artists.

I think I have gushed enough. If it isn’t apparent, I really love this game. Limbo was a surprise to me, and a very pleasant one. I highly recommend that you play it yourself to get the true feel of it, as I cannot do it enough justice. Limbo can currently be found on Steam for 9.99, click here and you'll be taken there. It can also be found on nearly any other major console, so have at it!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See my Current List of Games to Play: Here!

Follow me on: Twitter

Follow me on: Tumblr

Email me at: bellannmae@gmail.com

Pokemon Moon for the 3DS--First Impressions

Let me just preface this by saying that I haven’t played a Pokemon game to completion since I played Pokemon Yellow as a tween. I have other Pokemon games, and I’ve played other Pokemon games, but I lost interest in them after a few hours of playing. I didn’t much like the new generations of Pokemon, save a few of them so I guess I wasn’t invested in the experience.  

Source: Pokemon-SunMoon.com

I bought the new Pokemon games simply because my daughter has been playing Pokemon and I thought that buying Sun and Moon would give us the opportunity to play together, trade together and so on. I was also going to wait to play it, because my daughter won’t receive her Pokemon Sun until Christmas. I thought I would just pick I up, play it for a little bit and see what it was like… but I found it hard to put down.

Now I’m 8 hours into the game, I just made it to the second island, and I’ve been enjoying it so much. I thought I would share some of my thoughts about it. I know that seems like a long time to only have made it to the second island, but I like to spend a lot of time leveling my Pokemon equally and trying to get some through the first evolutions.

I love the customization. At the very beginning I was disappointed by the lack of customization available because I thought that was it. However, once the game gets rolling you can buy different clothes to wear, cut and/or color your hair, apply lipstick, and colored contacts to change your eye color. These little things made me much happier! I feel that customization in any game is a good feature.

I’m also happy to see some of the old generations of Pokemon, the ones that I can recognize, come back to life. Growlithe, in particular, gave me a happy surprise! Meowth got an Alolan version, and I actually prefer the Alolan version to the original! That sassy grin, and prideful attitude is perfect for Meowth. I had heard about the Alolan versions through the grapevine, and I like them for the most part. Ratatta’s little mouse-tache makes me chuckle.

Source: Nintendo Wire

I think my favorite new bit in these games is being able to ride Tauros. After defeating the first Kahuna, you are given a pager to summon Tauros to ride around. He can break through rocks by charging, giving you access to new areas on the island. I saw that some gamers were upset that this rid the game of HMs, but I really like it! It’s a clever idea that puts that Pokemon’s skills to good use! Plus you don’t have to worry about keeping the Pokemon with the right HM in your party, which I appreciate.

The power-up with the Z crystals and unlocking hidden power moves for Pokemon is also a concept that I enjoy. Though, I would have liked to see more variety, or Pokemon specific power moves. "Breakneck Blitz" is a charging power move for normal-type moves. But it just doesn't suit my Meowth to be charging down opponents. A move with him utilizing his claws, utilizing some part of his personality(maybe stealing an item from an opponent, maybe?) or something would have been more fitting.

The new... enemy? It strange using that word in a Pokemon game, but I don't know what else to call them--They're called Team Skull. I don't know what their goals or anything are yet, but like always, they are out to steal Pokemon and cause trouble. The grunts I have run into are... goofy. Almost to the point of seeming annoying. They are like ridiculous gangsters. I've only had a couple run ins, and maybe I will learn more soon.

Just one more thing, the trainer battles are too easy! Most trainers only carry one Pokemon on them, and save for maybe once or twice when I was trying to level up my weaker Pokemon, It was over in seconds! I know that Pokemon can't be too difficult because kids will be playing and you have to ease kids into it, but I want a challenge! Even the Kahuna on the first Island was so easy! Maybe Game Freak should implement a difficulty setting or a challenge area? Make me work for it!

I’m looking forward to getting to play this game more and exploring more of Alola. I doubt I’ll do a full in depth blog entry about Pokemon Moon, and I don’t feel I’m qualified to do so since I haven’t played a Pokemon game in so long so I can’t make accurate comparisons. I highly recommend, however, that if you enjoyed Pokemon at any time, pick it up to give it a try. You might be surprised! If you play, let me know what you think about it!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the game list for Pajama Gaming: Here!

Follow me on: Twitter!

Follow me on: Tumblr!

Email me: bellanmae@gmail.com

State of the Blog Address--December

Hello, friends! Today, I want to address the month of December and what it holds for Gaming in Pajamas. We haven't been operating long, but I do have plans laid out for quite some time to continue blogging here and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to stop by. I'm open to all suggestions as far as games I should play, or changes that you would like to see in the blog. I won't take offense to helpful criticism.

So let's start with this: Game List. Clicking that link will take you to the list of games that I have played(specifically FOR this blog and not outside of it) and also contains categorized lists of the games I am planning to play. If you want to make gaming suggestions, please do so in the comments there.

I am going to try to make posts every Thursday. Why Thursday? Cause Thursday is the day that has nothing else going for it. Monday is Monday, Tuesday is Monday's slightly prettier sister, Wednesday is Hump Day, Friday is the Best Day cause it leads to the weekend twins. Thursday is all alone. So, Thursday is my posting day.

You can expect there State of the Blog Addresses around the first of every month so that we can look at the month ahead and know whats going on. Unless there is an emergency(knock on wood).

Now let's get to the fun stuff! For the month of December I'm going to start off playing Deponia: The Complete Journey. I played a Deponia game once before, a long time ago, and never got to finish it. So that's my plan now, to finish what I started! Deponia: The Complete Journey does contain 3 games of a 4 game Quadrilogy though, and I am not sure if I just want to play through one at a time or power through them all. After Deponia, I plan to pick up either LIMBO or Don't Starve/Don't Starve Together. Anything else I would play would depend on what I decide to do with the Deponia games.

Thanks for joining me once again!

Happy Gaming, Friends!
Bell