Make it indie!

About

Make it indie! is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Sometimes You and was released on April 1, 2015. It received negative reviews from players.

Claw your way through the abyss of the mind and survive the horrors that stalk you as you attempt to survive seven days as... an Indie Developer.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

36%

Audience ScoreBased on 527 reviews

story7 positive mentions

music16 negative mentions

Interesting and unique experimental/artistic approach combining interactive story and mini-game elements
Easy and quick to achieve 100% completion with Steam achievements and trading cards
Includes cute and appealing cat videos appreciated by many players

Not a traditional game; gameplay is minimal and largely limited to clicking and watching videos, leading to boredom and a lack of engagement
Poor execution of concept with low replay value, repetitive content, and abrupt ending
Technical issues including crashes, annoying music, and distracting video backgrounds, as well as language localization problems

music
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
54%
24%
The music in the game receives mixed feedback, with some praising its unique Russian alt-rock and electronic themes that enhance the atmosphere, while many others find it obnoxious, loud, poorly mixed, and distracting. Although a few find it interesting or fitting with the game's mood, the majority criticize it for being unpleasant and detracting from the overall experience.
- “The use of music and ambient audio underscores this fluctuating mood, reinforcing moments of tension or quiet contemplation.”
- “I enjoyed the music and the overall feel of it, and I got it on sale for a criminally low price.”
- “It is a good game, fantastic music accompaniment with the video footage; it shows how fast a week can seem like it goes when you're working on a game 24/7. It is a really good game for the price and by far the cheapest game I've seen on Steam next to FRE.”
- “The background music was horrendous - it's supposed to be electronic themed but sounds like a bunch of random, annoying noise.”
- “Every sound in this game made me want to quit it even faster, especially the first level music.”
- “Then, the game blasts loud music at what seems to be maximum volume on startup like some of the more annoying web ads, with no volume control within the game itself.”
gameplay
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
75%
17%
The gameplay is minimal and largely consists of simple choice selections and a basic puzzle, with little to no meaningful interactivity or depth. It functions more as an experimental narrative or video vignette than a traditional game, leading many to describe it as lacking engaging or substantial gameplay. Overall, it offers limited player agency and low replay value, appealing mainly to those interested in its thematic or artistic expression rather than gameplay mechanics.
- “Rather than functioning as a traditional management simulator or narrative adventure with deep mechanics, it presents itself as a reflective vignette about the emotional turbulence of being an independent game developer.”
- “The gameplay loop primarily consists of selecting options during dialogue prompts and observing the outcome through subsequent video segments.”
- “You are given 7 days to develop a game; as gameplay, each day you can choose between different activities.”
- “I wish there was more gameplay in this, it had so much potential to be great but instead we got an inconsequential game with basically one choice to make and some repeating puzzle that doesn't even matter at all.”
- “The mechanics here are basically nonexistent, there isn't any real player choice, and I found nothing here narratively to redeem the experience.”
- “Gameplay consists of watching video or one boring mini-game ('game development') you can easily cheese.”
story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
67%
15%
The story is widely regarded as minimal, lacking depth, cohesion, and meaningful plot, with many reviewers considering it more of a brief, simple interactive narrative than a game. While some appreciate its attempt to depict the indie developer experience and find emotional or artistic value, most find it monotonous, shallow, and unengaging, often criticizing its short length and lack of compelling gameplay integration.
- “For players open to unconventional storytelling and interested in the emotional landscape of independent development, it offers a brief but distinctive experience.”
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “At its core, this is a (slightly) interactive story, which "teaches" the player how to succeed or - more likely - fail at becoming a developer of indie games.”
- “Not a game, an interactive story with little to no interaction.”
- “The endings are totally worthless, there's basically no story and you can just spam your way out in the only puzzle type that this game has!”
- “It tries to tell a story of an indie developer, but what it really shows is how Russian indie developers made cash grabs prior to Greenlight's removal (with games like this).”
humor
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
81%
19%
The humor in the game is highly polarizing, with some finding its dark, self-parodying jokes and quirky scenarios amusing, while many others see it as forced, uninspired, and ultimately not funny. Several reviews highlight attempts at humor that fall flat or feel more like an awkward April Fools' joke rather than genuine comedy. Overall, the humor is considered inconsistent and often detracts from the experience rather than enhancing it.
- “Moments of humor are woven into the narrative, often through exaggerated scenarios that parody industry clichés.”
- “The humor in the game is funny at times, with it poking fun at itself and asking you why are you wasting time doing the same boring task over and over.”
- “There were a few movies or text between movies that actually made me laugh, as the game even pokes fun at itself.”
- “This game is nothing more than an unfunny and poorly made April Fools' joke.”
- “Instead, we got a minuscule-length game with limited possibilities and unfunny jokes that all end before they even begin.”
- “The ending for developing the indie game and playing through minutes of boringness is so lame and unfunny.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The game's graphics receive mixed reviews, with some praising their realism and quality, while others criticize them as poor or just basic images with text. Overall, opinions range widely from "amazing and lifelike" to "terrible and uninspired," indicating inconsistency in visual appeal.
- “The graphics look real life!”
- “Amazing graphics, amazing story, the controls are right, the characters look like they are alive!”
- “The graphics are so realistic you could place this over GTA, Far Cry, Assassin's Creed and Bad Rats!”
- “The graphics basically are just text placed in several places with an image to fill the screen (and no, I don't think it looks good except the image in the scene where you choose what to do during the day).”
- “-Terrible graphics”
- “Don't spend any of your money on this even though it is cheap because it is cheap in every way including but not limited to: cost to purchase, cost to make, graphics, music, sound, gameplay, etc.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is characterized by tedious, repetitive gameplay and drawn-out, insignificant video segments that fail to engage. While the brief stages aren't overly long, the overall experience feels boring and unnecessarily dragged out, making the grind feel more frustrating than rewarding.
- “Unnecessarily dragged out videos of no significance, tedious gameplay, and no real message given.”
- “It's the same game every day, just more difficult and more tedious every time because of the horrible music and varying background that camouflages the game pieces you are trying to identify.”
- “If you instead choose to develop your game, like you probably should, you get a taunting hint of how meager your attempt is and then get to play a tedious game of 'developing'.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game offers minimal replayability, as it can be completed quickly and lacks engaging content to encourage multiple playthroughs. While some appreciate specific elements like cutscenes, overall, the experience is short and provides little incentive to revisit.
- “Once you've "won" the game there's not a lot of replayability, but I've actually replayed it just to watch the adorable cat cutscene.”
- “It doesn't suck, as it was kind of fun to do the puzzle.”
- “I did like it, the concept and all.”
- “Once you've "won" the game, there's not a lot of replayability, but I've actually replayed it just to watch the adorable cat cutscene.”
- “Its hard to get the trading cards, as there is very little replay value, and you can complete it in under 10 minutes.”
- “It doesn't suck, as it was kind of fun to do the puzzle, but more than an hour you will be bored and there is little replay value.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game excels in conveying the emotional challenges of independent game development, focusing on the psychological journey rather than technical simulation. It offers a unique, reflective experience that captures the emotional turbulence and artistic ambition within a competitive industry, appealing especially to players seeking unconventional storytelling.
- “Rather than functioning as a traditional management simulator or narrative adventure with deep mechanics, it presents itself as a reflective vignette about the emotional turbulence of being an independent game developer.”
- “The game acknowledges the emotional toll of pursuing artistic ambition in a competitive market, suggesting that the journey of creation is as much psychological as it is technical.”
- “Is less concerned with simulating the technical process of game development and more focused on the emotional experience behind it.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere is characterized by surreal, dreamlike, and often absurd scenes that blend satire with introspective drama, giving it a distinctive, contemporary art-like quality. This unique ambiance makes the experience feel both thought-provoking and artistically immersive.
- “Surreal dreamlike sequences and deliberately awkward or absurd scenes appear throughout, creating an atmosphere that sometimes borders on satire and other times on introspective drama.”
- “Those videos are really atmospheric, like some kind of contemporary art.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is poor, resulting in consistently bad performance across most activities. Only one minigame impacts the outcome, but overall, the game runs inefficiently and underwhelms in this aspect.
- “The performance is just awful.”
- “[System Info & Performance Report]”
- “Achievements are earned every day no matter what you do, and aside from one minigame, nothing you do has any bearing on the game or its ending - only your performance on that minigame does and even then it is underwhelming.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is perceived as a cash grab typical of some Russian indie developers before Greenlight's removal, lacking genuine value or entertainment. It raises doubts about the developer's serious intentions versus simply seeking quick profit.
- “It tries to tell a story of an indie developer, but what it really shows is how Russian indie developers made cash grabs prior to Greenlight's removal (with games like this).”
- “As an adventure game it falls flat, and provides little to no entertainment over doing nearly anything else, and it begs to question how much of the intent of this was serious and not just a cheap cash grab”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits frequent glitches, leading to stability issues that can disrupt the gameplay experience.
- “It glitches out quite frequently.”