Indies for the weekend

Shiver

With Halloween just around the corner, this week’s Indie recommendations simply had to include a couple of games perfect for spooky nights! Starting off strong we have Shiver, an excellent point-and-click adventure that offers a both exciting and chilling experience. Following a violent car crash, the game’s protagonist ends up stranded in the derelict “Windy Oaks National Park” located near the top of a frosty mountain presumably somewhere in the United States. It is your job to navigate this isolated and abandoned location, discover its secrets, collect useful items, and find a way to escape. However, you will have to be very careful as you are not the only visitor in Windy Oaks. The atmosphere in Shiver is mysterious, dreadful, engaging, and on certain occasions straight-up terrifying. Shiver’s immersive atmosphere is also enhanced by the game’s brilliant environmental storytelling, which when done correctly is always a major highlight in the point-and-click genre. The horror in the game is also handled in a very smart and tasteful way. Scary elements are not just shoved down your throat but they rather cleverly build up progressively as the journey unfolds and are well integrated within the game’s environment. Shiver’s puzzles are also well-designed and fit with the game’s setting as they mostly revolve around understanding the nuances of the Windy Oaks and utilizing the items you find along the way. Veterans of the genre may find the game’s puzzles a bit on the easier side but that is to be expected as Shiver aims to mostly be a story-based horror adventure. For a free title, Shiver is an absolute must-play for fans of point-and click adventure and horror games. Shiver is also a compelling experience for anyone interested in urban myths and cryptids as these are the elements that the game uses as a foundation for its terror aspects and its lore.
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Carbon Steel

Away from the snowy landscapes of Shiver’s Windy Oaks, we enter Carbon Steel, a highly experimental 3D horror game with some puzzle elements. If you are an old-school player, the game’s intro is an instant deja-vu moment that will remind you of the opening scene of Half Life 1. But instead of a ride across Black Mesa, the tram in Carbon Steel will take you deep into a darker and much more sinister research facility. In the game, you take the role of a man employed by a cryptic private organization that conducts ethically questionable experiments deep below the Earth and away from public sight. As the tram drops you off to section #52 you will enter the game’s main section where you will find a rusty and decaying laboratory fitted with your own not-so-pleasant living quarters. Without any tutorial or hand-holding HUD elements, you will be left in almost complete isolation to figure out how to handle your job duties and what shadowy mysteries the company actually hides. In Carbon Steel, the PS1 graphics art style, which has been a giant trend in indie horror games in recent years, is not simply a gimmick but rather an integral part of the game’s atmosphere and world-building. Carbon Steel simply nails the overall feeling of a corroded, industrial, secretive, and vile location, forging an audio-visual ambiance that feels both engaging and terrifying. The game develops its horror elements not through cheap jumpscares and generic monsters but rather through its environmental design, chilling atmosphere, psychological intricacies, and on-point sound design. Carbon Steel is not a game for everyone, but if you enjoy more experimental indie experiences then this very unique short horror adventure will be right up your alley. It is also a game certainly worth replaying as you may be able to discover an alternate ending that expands the world’s lore and raises further questions regarding your employers’ darkest secrets.
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Resonance of the Ocean

If you are not the biggest horror fan or you simply want to take a break from all the terrorinducing media that usually emerge during this period, then we have the perfect indie for you! Resonance of the Ocean is a relaxing and wholly beautiful short adventure with an emphasis on sound. In the game, you arrive on a small abandoned island after the protagonist discovers a set of harmonic melodies originating from somewhere across the island. As you explore this small piece of land you will find a range of seemingly random items, from simple household utilities to scattered objects washed up on the shore. These items will initially appear like nothing more than junk, but when combined and utilized correctly, the protagonist will be able to transform them into clever makeshift instruments

You can then use a giant old-fashion megaphone found on a tower at the edge of the island to amplify the sound of your instruments. It is your goal to try your best to mimic the echoing melody as it is only then that whoever or whatever is trying to communicate will answer back. Every day you arrive on the island, you will encounter a different set of items and sounds, and a new harmony will echo from beyond the ocean. The game’s wonderful hand-drawn art combined with a very well-crafted sea-inspired soundscape, bring this tiny island to life and produce an experience that feels both delicate and strangely nostalgic. As you explore the game’s small world, you will also discover traces of human life as well as a series of mysterious objects and landmarks that hint towards something larger. This is a game best played after a long and tiresome day as it is delightfully soothing, warm, and pleasant. Resonance of the Ocean is a simply beautiful experience and I will be very much looking forward to the author’s future work as I truly hope that this game’s world will eventually be expanded upon.
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