Make it indie!
- April 1, 2015
- Sometimes You
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Make It Indie!" is a game about the challenges of being an indie game developer, where you make tough choices and manage your schedule to survive seven days. With over 30 minutes of HD videos, intuitive gameplay, multiple endings, and diverse music, players must balance their work and personal life to succeed. The game encourages players not to take it too seriously, providing a unique and engaging experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
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Reviews
- The game offers easy achievements and is a quick way to boost completion stats.
- It has a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of indie games from the 2010s, and features a cute cat.
- The music and some video segments are enjoyable, providing a unique artistic experience.
- The gameplay is minimal, consisting mostly of repetitive clicking and watching videos, making it feel more like an interactive movie than a game.
- Many players found the content boring and lacking substance, with little to no meaningful interaction.
- The execution of the game's concept is poor, leading to disappointment despite its interesting premise.
- music52 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the local Russian tracks and finding them fitting for the quirky video content, while others criticize it as low-quality and unoriginal. Various genres are featured, including techno and industrial, but many users describe the overall soundtrack as lacking depth and coherence. Despite the polarizing opinions, a few players appreciated the music's ability to create a humorous or entertaining atmosphere, even if they found the game itself lacking.
“I liked the overall dirty touch, the pinch of humor, the music (even though I don't understand Russian) and at some point I even began to enjoy that simple developing minigame.”
“Different scenes had various music types: techno, pop, industrial.”
“Yeah, it's bad as a 'game' but the videos looked cool and the music is awesome.”
“Music is terrible.”
“It's not funny, it's not meaningful, it doesn't have a decent soundtrack or anything, it's just pure garbage.”
“It is composed almost entirely of bad video clips with music that tends to skip and judder.”
- story36 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story is largely criticized for being monotonous and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it fails to deliver a compelling narrative despite its attempt to capture the struggles of indie game development. Players find the plot minimal and unengaging, often feeling that the moral lessons presented are not particularly inspiring. Overall, the game is described more as an interactive experience than a true game, with a storyline that leaves much to be desired.
“The indie game developer story is an exciting and relevant one, filled with stories of hard work, sleepless nights, and for the lucky ones, unimaginable success.”
“Tries to capture that story with their 'narrative'-driven game about making an indie hit.”
“The story basically comes down to trying your hardest and putting out something you're not thrilled with or not trying and not putting out anything.”
“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.”
“But while their intention to capture a modern success story drove the creation of this game, it falls far from the finish line.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many reviewers noting that it consists primarily of repetitive and inconsequential tasks, such as simple button-clicking puzzles and minimal choices. Players feel that the game offers little more than a collection of videos and images, making it feel more like a passive experience than an interactive one. Overall, the consensus is that the gameplay is shallow and not worth the investment, even at a low price.
“Gameplay-wise, there's mainly a 'click the correct of these four buttons' type of light puzzle game, and a choice of what to spend each day on for a full week.”
“Strange FMV intermixed with barely interactive gameplay, and yet it works as a whole.”
“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 puzzles that don't even matter at all.”
“However, the filming is cool, but not much else. If you really want to play it, watch it instead, because there is like 0 gameplay.”
“But, as it stands, this game is a collection of photos, videos, and random sounds very loosely held together by a matching game that makes up the actual gameplay, with little to no replay value.”
- humor26 mentions
- 92 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is polarizing, with some players appreciating its dark and absurd elements, while others find it lacking in substance and genuinely funny moments. Many reviews highlight a mix of snarky comments and random mini-games that evoke laughter, albeit sometimes in a confusing or "sad funny" way. Overall, the humor seems to resonate differently among players, with a significant divide between those who enjoy its quirky charm and those who view it as meaningless or poorly executed.
“The 'watch for the cat' scenes, with that music is just hilarious.”
“Its really fun and has a dark yet funny vibe.”
“-tips are funny”
“It's not funny, it's not meaningful, it doesn't have a decent soundtrack or anything, it's just pure garbage.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics received mixed reviews, with some users rating them as average (5/10) and criticizing the overall quality of the game as cheap. However, a few comments noted that the graphics were good, suggesting a slight variance in opinions.
“Good 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.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers minimal replayability, with many users noting that it can be completed in about 30 minutes and lacks engaging content to encourage repeated play. While the initial puzzle-solving experience may be enjoyable, players quickly find themselves bored, indicating that the game does not provide sufficient depth or variety for multiple playthroughs.
“But, as it stands, this game is a collection of photos, videos, and random sounds very loosely held together by a matching game that makes up the actual gameplay, with little to no replay value.”
“It doesn't suck, as it was kind of fun to do the puzzle, but after more than an hour you will be bored and there is little replay value.”
“You can complete this thing in about 30 minutes and there is no such thing as replay value.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding in the game to be worthwhile, particularly for the achievements it offers. The effort put into grinding is seen as rewarding, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as potentially exploitative, with reviewers suggesting that it prioritizes profit over player experience, leading to a perception of it as a cheap cash grab rather than a genuine adventure.
“As an adventure game, it falls flat and provides little to no entertainment compared to doing nearly anything else. It raises questions about how much of this was serious and not just a cheap cash grab.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, making it clear that the developers are more interested in profits than providing a quality gaming experience.”
“It's frustrating to see a game that could have been great reduced to a series of paywalls and microtransactions, undermining the overall enjoyment.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is frequently praised for its artistic quality, evoking a sense of contemporary art that enhances the overall experience.
“Those videos are really atmospheric, like some kind of contemporary art.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for its lack of meaningful player agency, as achievements are awarded daily regardless of gameplay choices, with only one minigame influencing the outcome, which is described as underwhelming.
“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.”
