INDIKA

INDIKA is an utterly unique, psychedelic, and strange title, telling a wonderful, thought-provoking story filled with striking imagery and wonderfully bleak humor.

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"Indika" is a single-player Horror-Adventure game with an interesting plot and good gameplay, featuring perfect visuals and a spectacular soundtrack. Join a young nun, Indika, on her journey of self-discovery with the devil as her unlikely travel companion. Explore surreal landscapes and uncover Indika's troubled past in 2D pixel art mini-games, tackling unique puzzle elements in this third-person, story-driven game. With its dark sense of humor, "Indika" will make you laugh while immersing you in a wholesome and immersive atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,944 reviews

story379 positive mentions

grinding17 negative mentions

Visually stunning with a unique blend of art styles and environments.
Thought-provoking narrative that explores themes of faith, morality, and self-discovery.
Strong character development, particularly for the protagonist Indika, and excellent voice acting.

Very short gameplay, typically around 4-5 hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
Gameplay can feel tedious at times, with some puzzles being overly simplistic or frustrating.
The ending is abrupt and may leave players feeling unsatisfied or wanting more closure.

story
954 mentions
40 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story of "Indika" is a unique blend of dark themes and surreal storytelling, exploring complex issues such as faith, morality, and personal struggle through the lens of a young nun in a bizarre, alternate 19th-century Russia. While many players found the narrative engaging and thought-provoking, some criticized its brevity and abrupt ending, feeling that it left significant character arcs and themes underexplored. Overall, the game is praised for its artistic presentation and emotional depth, making it a memorable experience for fans of story-driven games.
- “This game pushes the boundaries on how video games can be used for storytelling and does it in a way like no other.”
- “The game’s atmosphere is incredibly immersive, with breathtaking visuals and a powerful storyline that kept me engaged from beginning to end.”
- “Indika tells an interesting story about a young nun's struggles with the line between faithful and sinful and does so with grace, showing how world events and fickle humanity can influence faith in its favor or disregard it completely.”
- “The story itself is underwhelming, too short, and the ending is unsatisfying to say the least.”
- “The shortness fits the story but also feels like the budget was depleted or something.”
- “I finished the game, but I’m still not entirely sure what the plot was... maybe it’s a choose-your-own-interpretation kind of thing?”
gameplay
412 mentions
28 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Indika" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it primarily consists of walking, simple puzzles, and occasional mini-games, often feeling more like a walking simulator than a traditional game. While some mechanics, like the prayer system, are praised for their potential, they are underutilized throughout the game, leading to a sense of disappointment regarding gameplay depth. Overall, the focus on narrative and atmosphere is appreciated, but many players feel that the gameplay lacks engagement and variety, making it a short experience that may not justify its price for some.
- “Indika is a dark, atmospheric journey through depravity that blends unique visuals and gameplay styles.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it leans heavily on exploration and puzzles that challenge your mind without being overly frustrating.”
- “The gameplay includes environmental puzzles, exploration, and flashback sequences rendered in retro pixel art.”
- “The gameplay itself is fine, with a few sections that could have used a little more playtesting.”
- “The gameplay in Indika is not strong in the least, but it's clear that is not its focus.”
- “Indika is a game that is heavy on style and ideas, but light on gameplay.”
graphics
307 mentions
60 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Indika" have been widely praised for their stunning and diverse visual styles, blending realistic and pixel art aesthetics to create a unique and immersive atmosphere. Many reviewers noted the game's impressive attention to detail, with beautiful environments and character designs that enhance the storytelling experience. However, some players experienced performance issues and found the graphical demands high, which occasionally detracted from the overall experience.
- “Indika is a beautifully crafted game that merges atmospheric storytelling with captivating visuals.”
- “The graphics are stunning, bringing the game's unique, slightly psychedelic art direction to life.”
- “The game masterfully blends a gripping plot with breathtaking visuals, creating an atmospheric experience that draws you in from start to finish.”
- “The graphics get kinda jank sometimes; I had to turn down some settings for a part near the end.”
- “The game ran incredibly slow at the beginning; I had to turn down the graphic quality to the lowest and shut off some functions such as motion blur and V-Sync in order to make it run smooth enough to be able to even play it. This needs to be fixed!”
- “The graphics were actually disappointing to me as they look like an old Resident Evil console style, and some characters look so bad, funny enough to call a graphic setting 'ultra'.”
atmosphere
125 mentions
65 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Indika is widely praised for its dark, immersive quality, blending stunning visuals with a surreal and often bleak narrative. Players appreciate the game's unique art direction and sound design, which together create a haunting ambiance that enhances the storytelling experience. While some find the gameplay elements lacking, the overall atmosphere captivates and engages, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The game’s atmosphere is incredibly immersive, with breathtaking visuals and a powerful storyline that kept me engaged from beginning to end.”
- “Indika is a beautifully crafted game that merges atmospheric storytelling with captivating visuals.”
- “The art direction is simply stunning, with breathtakingly beautiful locations that radiate atmosphere and personality, making exploration a visual delight.”
- “As a walking simulator, all puzzles are boring, and you have little incentive to explore because the atmosphere is so bleak.”
- “Surreal elements feel rushed and don't manage to elevate the atmosphere even more.”
- “Although the game starts strong with its atmosphere and promising story, it fails to deliver a meaningful experience.”
music
119 mentions
40 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising its haunting and atmospheric qualities that enhance the emotional depth of the narrative. Reviewers noted the unique blend of 8-bit and electronic sounds, which, while sometimes jarring, effectively complements the game's surreal visuals and themes. Overall, the soundtrack is described as inventive and impactful, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience, despite some criticisms regarding its fit with certain gameplay moments.
- “The art direction and soundtrack are mesmerizing, perfectly complementing the melancholic tone of the narrative.”
- “The soundtrack is impactful and playful, expertly highlighting the bizarre situations Indika finds herself in.”
- “It’s rare to find a game where the music so profoundly enhances the mood, oscillating between eerie melodies and rousing orchestral pieces that elevate every moment of gameplay.”
- “But all of the pixel graphic parts and the weird music choices made this game just an average experience.”
- “You’re in 18th century Russia and the whole time there is this off-tune techno music that sounds like a cat running across a piano, but somehow worse.”
- “The one thing that really irritated me was that in some situations that are supposed to be 'intense', they play music straight from an NES or something, which pulls you out of the experience.”
humor
102 mentions
99 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark, absurd, and philosophical elements, often drawing comparisons to Russian literature. Players appreciate its witty and sarcastic writing, which effectively highlights the absurdity of serious themes like faith and morality, resulting in a unique and thought-provoking experience. While some found the humor to be unexpectedly poignant amidst the game's bleakness, others noted that it can oscillate between genuinely funny and deeply somber moments, creating a rich tapestry of emotions throughout the gameplay.
- “Like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky before them, Odd Meter serves up a generous helping of futility and fatalistic humor in this delightfully twisted tale.”
- “The humor in Indika is subtle but razor-sharp, perfectly complementing its well-written characters and engaging dialogues.”
- “It's unexpectedly funny amidst the drab, dire premise, and at no compromise to meaningfulness and brevity where needed most.”
- “It's not a frightening game, it's not funny either; it's an odd, unsettling in-between, and I find it fascinating.”
emotional
53 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as deeply impactful, with players experiencing a range of feelings from heartbreak to hope. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to tackle heavy themes such as love, guilt, and faith, often leaving players feeling drained yet reflective. The combination of a touching narrative, strong character moments, and an evocative soundtrack contributes to an immersive experience that resonates long after the game ends.
- “What impressed me the most was how deeply emotional and thought-provoking the experience was.”
- “An absolute emotional experience that bounces you around; the writing is really good and the ending really needed me to sit down for a second to mentally collect myself.”
- “The emotional journey was just too realistic and relatable for me.”
optimization
50 mentions
38 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and shader compilation problems, particularly on lower-end hardware. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly enough and is well-optimized for average systems, others reported significant performance hiccups that detracted from the experience. Despite these issues, the game's strong narrative and voice acting performances were frequently praised, suggesting that while the optimization may not be ideal, the core experience remains engaging.
- “It's pretty funny and well optimized.”
- “Game has a very good performance on average hardware.”
- “Great story, good gameplay, fairly well optimized.”
- “The game could have used some optimization when rendering areas as I walked around.”
- “This game definitely is horribly optimized and has shader compilation stutter developers should be ashamed of themselves.”
- “The performance on PC could be better though, as there are frame drops here and there depending on the scenario.”
grinding
20 mentions
5 % positive mentions
10 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often detracting from the overall experience despite the engaging story and art direction. Many reviews highlight that while some puzzles are interesting, the majority feel overly simplistic and monotonous, leading to frustration during gameplay. The balance between narrative and gameplay is noted, with some players feeling that the tedious tasks serve a purpose in the story, while others see them as a significant drawback.
- “Grinding required.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I was annoyed when you have to fetch a bucket of water 5 times when you can get the point across of it being 'tedious' with 3.”
- “But starting your game by making your player character incredibly slow and having her do tedious tasks is not clever meta-commentary or subverting expectations, it's f*cking boring.”
replayability
17 mentions
24 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
35 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many reviewers noting that it can be completed in under five hours and lacks significant content to encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players enjoyed the experience for its narrative and atmosphere, they acknowledged that outside of achievement hunting, there is little incentive to revisit the game.
- “Though there really isn’t much in terms of replayability, you don’t really need it for this: it’s telling its story and you’re here to indulge.”
- “Not sure whether 4 to 6 hours of gameplay with a rather low replayability are really worth the price of this eclectic condensate of psychological trauma, but I enjoyed it.”
- “🔲infinitely replayable”
- “A little short and not much replayability, but I enjoyed the few hours spent playing this and getting all the achievements.”
- “Outside of achievements, there is no replayability whatsoever.”
- “Game is way too short at under 4.5 hours and no replayability as there is nothing you can do differently here.”
stability
14 mentions
14 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players reporting minor glitches, frame drops, and occasional stutters, particularly during transitions and camera changes. While a few users experienced significant bugs, others found the game to run smoothly without major issues, indicating that performance may vary based on hardware and settings. Overall, the game is generally considered stable at launch, with developers providing a troubleshooting guide for those encountering problems.
- “The graphics are quite good for a seemingly AA game: quite good lighting in particular and no major issues other than some AA jank with animations. This is not a AAA polished game, but it's totally nice looking, not that demanding on your system (by the way, nice settings menu), and bug-free at launch (oh my, that's a miracle right there in this day and age).”
- “A handful of frame drops when you move to a new area, but apart from that, it runs great.”
- “I have an NVIDIA RTX 4050, Core i7, and 16GB RAM and do not understand why this game has frame drops, stutters in gameplay, and micro-freezes in the menu.”
- “Shocking, however, there are glitches where I keep getting stuck in elevators and when using the ability.”
- “The game was too buggy at the time.”
character development
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its depth and nuance, setting a high standard for storytelling in the medium. Players appreciate the expressive character design and voice acting, although some express concerns about the clarity and closure of the ending. The unique integration of pixel art also adds to the game's distinctiveness, enhancing the overall character experience.
- “Its narrative depth, combined with nuanced character development, sets a new standard for storytelling in gaming.”
- “However, while the story is engaging and the character development compelling, the ending may leave some players perplexed, lacking clarity and closure in my opinion.”
- “I loved the main character development and I honestly liked the pixel art parts; they are a bit random at the start but they contribute greatly to the game's uniqueness.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks the depth needed to make the characters truly engaging.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which made it hard to connect with them.”
- “Despite the game's strengths, the character development is one of its weakest points, leaving many characters feeling one-dimensional.”
monetization
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for the inclusion of in-game advertisements, which some users find off-putting and detrimental to the overall experience. Despite the game's appealing visuals and details, the presence of ads has led to recommendations against playing it.
- “I am not recommending this game due to 11 bit adding in-game advertisements into their titles.”
- “The monetization strategy feels intrusive, as it seems like the game is more focused on ads than on providing a quality experience.”
- “The presence of constant advertisements detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”