The Indie Mixtape
- April 22, 2015
- Detective
Get on SteamFrom laser-jousting deathmatches to bird-noir crime thrillers, The Indie Mixtape contains five of the most interesting and exciting games from the best indie talent out there.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Roguelight is a standout game in the collection, praised for its engaging gameplay and clever mechanics.
- The Indie Mixtape offers a variety of unique indie games, with many players expressing enjoyment for titles like Detective Chirpums and Hets.
- The concept of the mixtape format is appreciated, with players eager for more collections of small indie games.
- Many games in the collection suffer from control issues, particularly for PC players, with some lacking standard WASD controls.
- The menu and launcher experience is described as sluggish and frustrating, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the games.
- Several games are criticized for being boring or unfinished, with some players only finding enjoyment in one or two titles.
- graphics5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics across the reviewed games are generally praised for their unique styles, with clean and colorful visuals reminiscent of retro aesthetics, such as Game Boy graphics and pixel art. However, some players noted that excessive screen shake can detract from the experience, making it uncomfortable to play. Overall, the games feature interesting designs that enhance the gameplay, particularly in puzzle and roguelike genres.
“Very interesting puzzles that require seeing things from different angles, nice fez-looking characters, and clean, cool graphics.”
“Roguelight: really nice rogue-like game, which has a very interesting play with light, nice Game Boy-like graphics and many upgrades.”
“I loved the pixellated visuals, and the gameplay is pretty unique as you constantly move forward while trying to either joust or shoot your enemies.”
“The visuals are pretty colorful, but with the excessive shake on, playing this is simply unbearable and headache-inducing.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The gameplay across the reviewed games features a mix of engaging mechanics, such as shooting and jousting in Laz Knitez, and strategic choices in Roguelight, where players navigate light and dark environments. While some titles like Hetz and Test Chamber offer fast-paced action and clever puzzles, others suffer from unique flaws that can lead to a lack of enjoyment and quick boredom. Overall, the gameplay is characterized by its variety and the challenge of balancing different mechanics, though not all games succeed in maintaining player interest.
“Choosing whether to draw an arrow to light the way or to brave the dark blindly, or whether to kill an enemy or dodge them to preserve the ammo is a constant worry, which keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging on every run.”
“I loved the pixellated visuals, and the gameplay is pretty unique as you constantly move forward while trying to either joust or shoot your enemies.”
“Roguelight is a fun and clever little roguelike with a light and dark mechanic, and it's a really fun and fast-paced action game.”
“The games aren't much better; each one has its unique flaw that will make the game annoying to play and get very boring within the first minute of gameplay.”
“Joust game with shooting mechanics and some weird power-ups.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is largely unremarkable, with one player opting to mute the background track after a short period due to its lack of engagement. Overall, the absence of music and sound effects contributed to a feeling of emptiness, further detracting from the gameplay experience.
“Visually it's pretty mundane, and I just muted the background song after 15 minutes of playing.”
“I'll be honest, I didn't get much mileage out of this one, as I really don't care for point-and-click games, but beyond that, the game didn't have any music or sound effects while I played it, and the controls and menus felt extremely barebones.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, particularly when switching between games in the collection, as the application fails to reopen automatically and often requires a lengthy relaunch process. This results in frustrating delays and a cumbersome user experience.
“The little cherry on top is that these are byte-sized games, and you probably would be hopping from game to game. However, to do that, you need to close the game you're playing, re-launch the collection because it won't open by itself after closing one of its games, and then select the game in that buggy menu just to wait another 5 minutes for the game to actually open properly and let you play it.”
