Over the last year or two I have collected quite a few Indie Games from Game Bundles or from sales; some of them good, some bad. While I would like to play all of them enough to write full reviews on them, I unfortunately don’t have the ability to do so. So I’m going to try out a new type of article, so I can bring to attention to some of these games you may, or may not have heard of from the last year or so. If there is anything I have learned from playing games over the years, if a game fails to capture the attention of a person early in the game, the less likely that person would continue playing. With this in mind I hope to cover 2 to 3 games per article, playing just enough of a game to get an idea of it and give my first impressions of them.

Don’t you worry I’m still going to do my normal full Indie Game Reviews. 😉

——————————————————————————————————————————————

This week I will cover 2 games: the platformer Freedom Fall and the horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Freedom Fall

Summary

Freedom Fall is a down-scrolling platformer which came out earlier this year on Steam. You play as a boy who is sentenced to death for a crime he did or didn’t commit. They don’t really say right out at the beginning what his crime may have been but I believe you find out more as you go. He is placed in a cell at the top of a very large tower that reaches high above the clouds and he is given a choice, stay in the cell forever or find his way down out of the tower. If he reaches the end he will be freed.

The story of the game is mainly told by writing left on the walls by a Princess who apparently is the one who designed the tower’s many dangers. She talks about her Mum and Dad, gives you hints on what to do at time, and also points out where other unfortunate people died.

As you continue though the game you come across many different types of traps from spikes and flame throwers, to spiked chompers and death balloons. As more and more traps are introduced you are able to build items that can help you though through the levels including bombs, gliders and later a jet board; all of which you build by collecting scraps as you travel though the tower.

My Thoughts

So far what I played of this game I really enjoyed. It controls really well and looks great. The story that is given to you written on the walls is very amusing and makes you curious what is actually up with this girl who apparently created this all. I like the fact that it gives you choices on which way to go, usually pointing out an easier way or a harder way. I usually go the harder way because there are usually more things to pick up those directions and even if you die you would just respawn at the nearest checkpoint they have throughout the level.

The main issue I seem to come across from reading what others have to say about the game is while they enjoy the game, it is apparently pretty short. Some people say they beat it in about an hour. But from what I can tell that is if you go through the game without trying to complete the challenges of collecting everything and completing the achievements. So I guess if you are a completionist you can find plenty replayablility in this game; especially since they seem to have recently added a couple levels as well as a harder mode to the game.

All in all I can’t wait to finish this game and see where the story goes. I definitely feel that it will be a nice game to have in your collection if you enjoy platformers. This game has a beautiful art style and a unique down-scrolling/free falling play style you don’t see too often. Even saying this I think it would be a good idea to wait for a sale, especially if you are someone who would only like to play it once for the story only. You may not want to pay the full price for a game that is apparently under 2 hours long.

You can buy it for PC or Mac Here.

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Summary

Many of you most likely have heard of this game, you may have watched Youtubers scream their heads off in playthoughs or seen people on Tumblr make art and stories that make you feel sympathetic toward the animatronics. Either way this game has gotten popular so I decided to check it out to see if it was as good as people say.

For those who don’t know, Five Nights at Freddy’s is a suspense horror game where you play a security guard on night watch at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a pizza parlor with animatronics that entertain the people by day with music. On your first night on the job you are told by message left by the previous night watchman, that the animatronics like to roam at night and if they see you they may try to kill you because they think you are an animatronic without an outer suit and that is a big no, no. He is unnervingly calm about it all.

The controls of this game are relatively simple. You are unable to move, all you can do is check the various cameras, close the doors on either side of you, and turn on lights outside your office. You must utilize all of these to keep an eye on the roaming animatronics and to protect yourself. The suspenseful part of it is you are limited on power and if you use the lights, doors and cameras too much you can run out of power then there is nothing to protect you from Freddy.

My Thoughts

I’ve heard many people call this one of the scariest games they played, I can see where this can be the case for some people. When I first tried the game I was caught by some of the jump scares, but really quick it started not to faze me. I did find it a bit suspenseful at times when you lose track of an animatronic, you end up sometimes frantically trying to find them. As I played the game more it became more frustrating at times then scary. Every time you play it, it is random what would happen. While randomness can make it fun for replayability, it can also make the game frustrating. Like on one playthough of a day the animatronics were on the move quite quickly, leading me to use the door quite a bit though the whole night which led to me using up the power quite fast. Then a second playthough of the same day nothing really started happening until a lot later in the night, leaving me with plenty of power.

Well I may or may not finish this game; I don’t believe it is that long of a game. I also hear rumors that the creator of the game may be coming out with a sequel to the game. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious on how it will be. Will it be the same as the original or is he going to do something different with it. We will see.

Even though I may not be the biggest fan of this game, I believe if you are a fan of horror games it would be a nice one to pick up. It does something different than many horror games out there now; having you unable to move with limited power and only doors and cameras to protect you from the monsters in the building. It is also doesn’t cost much to buy and I have already seen it in a couple Gaming Bundles. So keep an eye out if you want it even cheaper.

You can buy it for PC Here