Itch.io Backlog #1

There are a variety of free games on Itch.io that I have saved to try out later but the list always tends to grow larger... not shorter. So in an effort to shrink my Itch.io backlog I'm going to try and tackle a few small games and share bite-sized reviews. Please take a look at these games if any of them catch your eye! Today I'll be looking at four games:

1.) Let's begin with a game that you uh... cannot play. "The World is Ending" by brysonmcbee was made for a game jam with the intention of having the experience only lasting until August 2nd where the world would effectively, end rendering it unplayable after that date. So rather than having a chance to play the game myself I watched a lovely video of someone else playing it. Much appreciated!

2.) "Yokai Store" by Kirani Piebox and Lya Mgtt was also created for a game jam. It's a simple clicker style game with adorable art and a simple gameplay loop of increasing your earnings to unlock upgrades while stopping the mischievous yokai who attempt to stop you by breaking the objects for sale. Definitely fun to mess around with as you unlock the cute objects for sale.

3.) "Banan Abanan" by Renere is a charming lowpoly platformer (my favorite) with a small world to explore as it is currently just a demo. I had a lot of fun with the game and its mechanics for exploration- however there are definitely some aspects I found a bit frustrating such as needing to dive into the water by jumping from a tall cliff and then just BARELY missing the item you need. Also there's a mechanic in the game that allows you to cling to walls and jump off them- but I found it useful maybe once and otherwise it actually made the game very frustrating when I would accidentally stick to the wall. Despite these gripes, I'd definitely recommend checking out! I found all of the cogs and the small collectibles but I was missing a few hidden coins that I have no idea how to reach. (I collected 6!)

4.) "Giant's Path" by Toge Productions is the last game I'll be looking at. This one is another game jam! The mechanics are simple, you drive a truck between two lanes and you have to control your speed and direction to avoid hitting obstacles while a Kaiju attacks the city. The game is actually pretty challenging (at least for me), but I managed to barely surive and make it to the end. There's an interesting snippet of a story being told here that makes for an interesting premise I'd love to see more of!

Alright! That was fun and relatively productive. I hope to do a few more of these here and there when the inspiration strikes.