Thursday Triple is a weekly roundup of Indie Games from around the Net.
It’s March! Time to welcome the third month with episode three of this series. A happy coincidence, I assure you. Although, as you may find out in this article, I’m a sucker for both intriguing games and terrible jokes.
New Release – The Yawhg
By Damian Sommer and Emily Carroll
While this game isn’t technically a new release as it’s been available since May of 2013, it has recently found itself on Steam to an even greater audience. Developed by two Canadians (Canadia [sic] pride!), The Yawhg is a one- to four-player game where your decisions lead up to and follow the return of the evil Yawhg. Whatever actions you have taken will impact how, if at all, your village survives the aftermath of what is essentially apocalypse.
The story is randomly generated each time you play, with dozens of unique endings. The most stunning aspect, however, that is bound to catch the attention of any passerby is the art style. The cartoons add to the fantastic story-book atmosphere, and the way in which the weeks pass, where text appears in a lazy scrawl across a black screen, really does make you feel like something horrible is about to happen.
[quote_center]…and then the world was a howling fury. Chaos. Screaming. The sound of all we knew being pulled in half…[/quote_center]
How terrific is that?
[youtube link=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=SkQmsuIK7cM” width=”590″ height=”315″]
The Yawhg is now available on Steam for $9.99.
Steam Early Access – Drifter
By Celsius Game Studios
Now for something that will take you out of the atmosphere, here’s a procedurally-generated space sandbox. As a captain of a spaceship, you are trying to make a living out of trading goods between star systems, hunting pirates, and mining for ore. Of course, where would a space-sim be if we weren’t allowed to become pirates ourselves. Luckily, Drifter let’s you travel down all of these paths.
From the trailer, you truly get the sense of drifting through the vastness of space. When you aren’t engaged in combat with other ships, you are more or less alone out there. Some days, escaping into the void sounds like a wonderfully relaxing thing to do.
[youtube link=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKQEVssorbU” width=”590″ height=”315″]
Drifter is currently available on Steam Early Access for $9.95.
Up and Coming – Amber Psychosis
By Liam Roddy
When this game appeared in my inbox, I was drawn to it like a moth to flame. I say this freely and openly with the knowledge that the sole creator of this 2D psychological-horror focuses on every detail from the hand-drawn art to the sound design and pacing: my name is totally in the title of Amber Psychosis.
Normally, I’m not a fan of the horror genre due entirely to the fact that I am skittish and, consequently, abhor jump-scares. I am promised, however, that this game will be based on tension and atmosphere building rather that pop-ups that remind me of those prank sites sent to your friends before we knew to question random links. It’s dark and minimalistic, and also quite free. I’ll leave you with this e-flier that sums everything up nicely.
Do I have the option to opt out of hell? I’ve grown rather attached to my sanity.
There would be a certain sense of poetic justice if you would review Amber Psychosis, Amber. Also the jokes we could make are just too good to pass up on the opportunity.
I personally find Drifter quite interesting – as it’s a genre I take great personal interest in. If only I had more time these days to actually sit, relax and play games for prolonged periods of time. I love just flying around in space and trading/fighting/yadi. X3 used to be terribly relaxing – and I still find it a shame that X: Rebirth was released in such a poor state.
I might have to review it, if only for the name. :P
There might be hope for X: Rebirth yet. Until then, I suppose it’s my job to make sure you’re relaxed. ;)