Indie Games Backlog General #2

September 15, 2021

Here’s more of the diverse cast of games I have on Nintendo Switch, of course these are multi-platform, play games for fun on whatever platform you have the best access to and play games that interest you. I’m just dropping what I consider to be good.

Sayonara Wild Hearts [Simogo / 2019]

Sayonara Wild Hearts is self-described as a pop album video game which is a fairly suitable label. The game itself plays out like a stylised on-rail rhythm game, Rez springs to mind as an immediate contemporary, in addition to Space Harrier, Star Fox and Sin & Punishment.

Sayonara Wild Hearts has some memorable levels, my personal favourite is a stretch of highway that shifts between parallel worlds when the enemies click their fingers. It’s short but top scores require practice. My only wish is that it could be controlled using gyro controls.

The album itself is available on Vinyl and most streaming services. I’d say it’s a sleek electro-pop release leaning into the more Carly Rae Jepsen brand of 80’s pop revival. This matches the futurism aesthetic, even down to the tarot cards displayed as an array of wireframes graphically.

Pan-Pan [Spelkraft / 2016]

An alien being crash lands on a planet, your ship now broken into pieces must be rebuilt. You explore an unusual landscape to rebuild your ship - sound familiar? It should.

Pan-Pan has a very pleasant visual style, filled with a number of tranquil palettes for each game area. But don’t be fooled, Pan-Pan can be a really difficult and demanding puzzler. Thankfully its open world design means that if you do get stuck, you can either just take a break or move onto another section of the world to return later. I did this liberally in my play-through.

Finding yourself getting a step closer is an incredible feeling and Pan-Pan really pushes those buttons quite well, but I still feel this is for a more patient gamer.

Florence [Mountains / 2018]

Florence, is a title that sorta re-thinks what game medium is. It fills the realm of games as an art medium, mixing visual novel with interactive storytelling. As we follow the build-up and breakdown of a relationship delivered chapter to chapter. Just like a relationship there are many bright moments of excitement and some representative of the harder times of uncertainty and regret.

An example of interactive storytelling is depicted in an early chapter. Florence’s first date has conversations that you construct by assembling a puzzle. At first these are mildly difficult, but as conversation continues and our pals grow more confident and comfortable in each other's company the puzzles become easier and easier. This is a very simple yet efficient way of depicting character development that may normally be delivered through monologue.

It would also be remiss not to notice the perspectives of PoC in the city of Melbourne, it’s good to see a game world I’m more familiar with, in addition to realistic portrayals of people especially. It’s a short play, but I recommend it all the same.