From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action



It's a new month, which means it's another opportunity for Humble
Choice to disappoint me. Last month I skipped over the games entirely
(they still charged me though, despite my putting a 'hold' on the
subscription. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to get a refund. Still
annoying, however). Will I have to do the same this month? Well, let's
see what the games on offer are.


#

* Octopath Traveler II https://store.steampowered.com/app/1971650/OCTOPATH_TRAVELER_II/
I'm not really familiar with the Octopath Traveler
franchise. From what I can tell, it's a JRPG that
originally released on the Nintendo Switch to some fanfare;
this sequel wasn't quite as well received. Being a console
port and a JRPG means that this game probably isn't going
to be to my taste, although I'm willing to give it a try.
It doesn't seem to be a bad game, just not in my usual
mode.


* The Riftbreaker
https://store.steampowered.com/app/780310/The_Riftbreaker/
I similarly lack familiarity with Riftbreaker. It looks
like a cross between "Diablo" and "Starcraft", with a bit
of tower-defense and survival/crafting for spice. The
final product looks well done but, the thing is, none of
these are genres I particularly enjoy so I'm not sure the
combination is going to be something I like. It does
have you piloting a giant mech though; that might mellow
the taste a bit.


* Life Is Strange: Double Exposure https://store.steampowered.com/app/1874000/Life_is_Strange_Double_Exposure/
The latest sequel to the "Life Is Strange" games; this one
a direct sequel to the first featuring a continuation of
protagonist Max Caulfield's story. Unfortunately (and
apologies if I'm getting a bit repetitive here), I wasn't
all that much a fan of the Telltale-style adventuring or
the angsty-teenage drama of the earlier games, so I'm not
sure there's anything here for me either. The games are
good... just not what I'm looking for.


* Indika
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373960/INDIKA/
Another game that's new to me. This one looks like it
might be a bit more interesting; it's a horror game with
a surreal vibe that looks intriguing. I'm not really
sure what the gameplay is like though; is it a walking
sim? A 'run-away-don't-look-at-the-monster' Amnesia-
clone? First person puzzle-adventure? I guess there's
only one way to find out...


* Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector https://store.steampowered.com/app/2442460/Citizen_Sleeper_2_Starward_Vector/
Yeah, I don't know nuthin' 'bout this game neither. It
describes itself as a 'dice-driven RPG', though, and that
doesn't inspire confidence. I don't like games that rely
heavily on RNG. Mechanically -though not tonally- it seems
similar to games like "Sunless Skies". Again, another game
I don't think I'd enjoy but feel deserve a chance to prove
themselves first.


* Construction Simulator https://store.steampowered.com/app/1273400/Construction_Simulator/
This one is a simple workplace sim; finally a sort of game
I recognize! To be honest, it doesn't look particularly good
--or at least, not any better than the dozens of similar
titles, like "Farm Simulator"... but it lets you play around
with those big yellow construction rigs, and the childish
part of me that is still fascinated by those giant machines
demands I add this game to my library immediately.


* Hell Clock
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1782460/Hell_Clock/
A fairly unexciting take on the action/RPG genre, it looks
like. The stylized artwork looks interesting, but beyond
that I don't see anything that makes me want to play this
game over the hundreds of other games in the genre.


* Overlooting
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3410180/Overlooting/
If the user-defined tags on Steam are anything to go by,
"inventory management" is a major part of this game...
which doesn't sound the least bit interesting to me. Neither
does the rogue-like gameplay or the retro-graphics. The
reviews also indicate there's heavy reliance on RNG. There's
nothing here that appeals to me.

#

There's no big-ticket must-have games this month; just a handful of
Indie titles of mixed quality. Just enough of the selection look good
enough that I'll grab the games this month (if only to keep The Number
happy... especially since I skipped last month) but overall
HumbleChoice isn't wowing me with their offerings. Again. Why do I
bother with this service, I wonder?


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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

* Indika
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373960/INDIKA/

I reviewed this a couple years back; yes it's a walking sim. Here's my review from back then:

What Indika is 'about' isn't a simple thing. We meet the title character as
a noviate, living in a bleak, uncaring, and brutal world, where she has been shoved into a corrupt and completely irrational religious bureaucracy for
past 'sins', coping with inner daemons, being used and abused, and hopefully by the end of her journey breaking out of these mental shackles to confront life as it is with some independence of thought.

Very reminiscent in its presentation of this world to games like
Metamorphosis and McGee's Alice & Alice Madness Returns, with mental worlds portrayed with over-sized, fantastical objects, though in Indika's case in
an even bleaker monochrome palette, interspersed with child-like platforming interludes from her past (which I didn't care much for).

There's less of a 'game' here than an experience, and I wish more use had
been made of the 'pray/demon' mechanic which has Indika suppressing her
inner demon by 'praying' to switch between two alternate views of the world
so as to navigate a level. Her demon muttering and arguing with her over religious niceties and morality are the best parts of the game. If you want
a game that makes you think about fairly serious issues, and not just pure escapism, Indika is a good choice.

rms

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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

rms wrote:

* Indika
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373960/INDIKA/

  I reviewed this a couple years back; yes it's a walking sim.  Here's
my review from back then:

What Indika is 'about' isn't a simple thing. We meet the title character
as a noviate, living in a bleak, uncaring, and brutal world, where she
has been shoved into a corrupt and completely irrational religious bureaucracy for past 'sins', coping with inner daemons, being used and abused, and hopefully by the end of her journey breaking out of these
mental shackles to confront life as it is with some independence of
thought.

Very reminiscent in its presentation of this world to games like Metamorphosis and McGee's Alice & Alice Madness Returns, with mental
worlds portrayed with over-sized, fantastical objects, though in
Indika's case in an even bleaker monochrome palette, interspersed with child-like platforming interludes from her past (which I didn't care
much for).

I enjoyed Alice: Madness Returns a fair bit. I believe I only stopped
playing because I lost connectivity to the server, perhaps because of a
lost password.

There's less of a 'game' here than an experience, and I wish more use
had been made of the 'pray/demon' mechanic which has Indika suppressing
her inner demon by 'praying' to switch between two alternate views of
the world so as to navigate a level. Her demon muttering and arguing
with her over religious niceties and morality are the best parts of the game. If you want a game that makes you think about fairly serious
issues, and not just pure escapism, Indika is a good choice.

rms

Unfortunately I'm putting this off. I'm avoiding games that recommend 16
GB RAM. Slowly clawing back at my debt however and perhaps by Black
Friday I'll be able to afford either a 32 GB RAM or a 4 TB hard drive computer, either of which would satisfy me right now.
--
The future has begun
The waiting is over
We have gained time
For one blink of an eye
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Tue, 2 Jun 2026 18:10:53 -0600, "rms" <[email protected]> said this
thing:

* Indika
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373960/INDIKA/

I reviewed this a couple years back; yes it's a walking sim. Here's my
review from back then:

Interesting. It makes me more likely to play it. I don't really mind
walking sims, although I find they can be very hit or miss. The good
ones are great, but the majority of games in the genre are more
tedious than anything else. But I still prefer that to the annoying
style of horror found in "Amnesia" clones.


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