Indie Games Don’t Get More Creative Than This

INDIKA is one of the most creative and thought provoking games of the year. Let's take a closer look at this bizarre indie game.

You can join my Discord server here:

You can follow me on socials here:

Chapters:
00:00 Indika
01:14 2024's Weirdest Game?
03:18 "Frustrating" Gameplay
05:17 Spiritual Development
08:19 Camera Work
11:26 The Impossible Room (spoilers)
13:20 Conclusion

Music:
I own, and claim to own no music used in this video. I have only used it for the purposes of reviewing the games they're taken from. All credits and legal rights go to Mike Sabadash, INDIKA's composer. You can find the link to his SoundCloud below:

[tsufen]

The third person camera part was really interesting. I interpreted it as though she's watching herself through the lens of how others view her. All of her actions are being scrutinized, and the player is almost being a stand-in for the idea of God judging her every move. It's almost a performance of self.

[yossarian]

You don't play as Indika, you play as the Devil trying to corrupt her. Indika is indeed possessed: by the player. The only way to win this game is by repeating the "pointless" tasks which lead to nowhere gameplay-wise, which in turn will bore the player, which in turn will lead the payer (devil) to leave Indika alone. But if you keep playing, Indika loses.

The same identical meta-narrative was used in the movie Funny Games. The only way for the characters in that movie to be saved was to stop watching. In the end of that movie the 2 villains even make fun of the viewer for actually watching the movie in its entirety.

[wiktor]

I'm surprised you didn't mention how the world is twisted and scenery is weirdly big. Almost as if Indika felt like she didn't belong there

[isaacthatsit]

The english voices are so clean, no stutter or hesitation, the russian dialogue is so raw, I advise anyone to play with it, even if that means reading subtitles.

[suneater_zeef]

growing up in an orthodox country, these visuals instill both dread and a sense of nostalgia in me. almost makes me wanna go to church, buy a candle for 40 cents, light it from another candle, set it into a little iron cup, bow my head and cross myself ( forehead to right to left to stomach, of course), then unbow my head, then...

[rachelsummers]

i didn’t grow up playing video games myself, so it can be really hard for me to enjoy playing them because im not quick enough.
I mostly enjoy watching essays or play throughs of horror games specifically. Indika caught my eye and was the first game i played 95% myself (my bf helped me through tuff spots lol) and i was absolutely hooked. I can’t even be mad it wasn’t longer because it was such a unique and contained experience. as a filmmaker i was also so blown away by the camera work, it really had its own language that was perfectly crafted for the world and its story.
As a woman raised in a strict religion i felt so seen by this game on every level, still so blown away months later by all the dedication to detail.

[mikhailchernienko]

To add, it has superb Russian voice over which is usually not the case. I didn't try English one though but if you pick Russian one (I don't know, to dive deeper) you're gonna love it!

[lyndolynspearmint]

I went into this game with the understanding that it was basically “Hellblade except you play as a nun in 1800s Russia”, and while it undoubtedly was its own thing, I still see a lot of interesting overlap between the two games. Both games feature the protagonist learning to accept and embrace their demons, but the context in which they each do so completely changes the takeaway the player has. For Senua, she’s fought through her own crucible and has come out a powerful warrior, strong enough to slay the gods themselves. Meanwhile, Indika is left alone with the understanding that everything she was taught as a nun was pointless and that there is no salvation waiting for her at the end of her path. She ends up lower than she started, left to suffer the consequences of the decisions that she chose — not the Devil, not God, her alone.

[chinese_bot]

I’m sorry but this game isn’t bad on purpose, it’s good… on purpose. It’s very good on purpose.

[lubomirkompis]

Hot take: ain't nothing wrong about feeling you're being watched and judged. As long as you realize that the one watching and judging is yourself. You're anxious, because you yourself believe that what you're doing is wrong. You judge yourself and you hate yourself, you hate your judgement of yourself and you hate the self that is judging you, you hate every part of you.

Realize this, realize it's ok to not be perfect, realize it's ok to improve, realize the judgement is self-help.

Accept the imperfect self, accept criticism of the imperfect self.

[TheMovingEye]

Lets not forget another facet of the religion/games thing: You play games even if they are pointless (just like collecting pointless points). Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. As long as it gives your live meaning and something to do, do it. Just don't be a freak about it.

[Rufus_bitstudios]

Duncan, this is such an incredibly thorough and insightful analysis of the game! Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to dive so deep into it and share your thoughts with your audience. It truly means a lot to us! 💛

[shellbatronic]

One of the most interesting games I've played in a long time. One of the first 'missions' is literally a chore- plain drudgery, that ends up being completely meaningless. You are told very quickly that it's not a 'rescue the princess' kind of game. I love the pixel art, and the mechanics of the 'devil voice' puzzles. It's all so...crafted. Deliberate, and well done.

[galamotshaku]

I think you could also relate the whole Devil thing as part of a mental illness and at the same time as Indika rationalizing her inner thoughts about faith and reality. In the final section where you shift to first person I interpret it as Indika fully embracing her rational thoughts over blind faith, after the worse thing happens to her there's no god left to believe in, she was betrayed by everyone and instead of double down she breaks the cycle. This of course is not a happy ending because seeing reality has it's own perks.

[Just_a_viewer]

Great video! Love the idea that the stilted/weird gameplay is helping to put you in the character’s shoes, more games should explore the medium like that.

[inner_depths]

I'm really glad there are yt channels promoting Indika, definitely needs more recognition, this is pure art and creativity, as I understand the creator was raised in this kind of Russian orthodox environment and this game represents a way to channel his emotions, thank you for this
Games are the 8th art

[xanderbrindle]

Pathologic 2 is everything you described in the end. Definitely worth a deep dive.

[GiovanniBottaMuteWinter]

I played a very weird indie game more than 10 years ago. It was a twist on red riding hood where you played different versions of RRH and inevitably always ran into the wolf… it was very eerie and strange. I wish I could remember the name.

[TurtlePops]

If A24 were to start making video games I'd imagine this is what they would be making

[PlanetDrewpiter]

Absolutely my favorite game this year. Loved the story, the music that fits awkwardly, and the characters. Great vid, man!