itch Monthly - January 2023
Over the last few years, there have been so many itch.io charity bundles for good causes, all chock full of cool ass experiences included in them. I’ve been keeping tabs on what ones look cool for years, but with that list hitting 853 itch games recently, I knew trying to cover 1 a week was impossible.
My aim for this year is to try and check out at least 10 of these each month, even if only for 15 minutes or so each, and highlight them on PPG. I will list which bundles they were in in case you already happen to own them. So many amazing devs have poured their hearts and souls into these creations, so if something sticks out to you, please support them!
Solar Blaster: Challenge Stage
Indie Bundle for Palestine Aid
It’s Galaga, but super sped up for a modern day audience. Power ups and restarts come thick and fast. At heart it’s a browser game, designed for quick couple of minute sessions chasing a high score. Good, simple fun.
plant daddy
World Land Trust Bundle
An idle game based on growing and nurturing plants. You begin with a single windowsill containing 3 spots for plants. Plants grow in stages and produce 2 types of currency, leaves and blossoms. Each plant grows through different stages over a minute or two each, and as you collect more currency you can purchase more plants, furniture or other doodads. A to-do list gives you goals to progress through for a bit of direction, with a few lines of a background story giving a bit of background context to the proceedings. A really nice, soothing interactive thing to have on in the background, with relaxing sounds and a simple progression to keep you trucking through.
SPACE / MECH / PILOT - THE UNIVERSE DRIVE 1.0
Queer Games Bundle 2021
Another idle game, this one with the overlay of a space invaders shooter, except there’s no defending or dodging needed. Take out enemy ships to level up, generate AP and SP and increase your firepower. A little unbalanced in pacing, particularly if you don’t optimise, but still quite addicting. Unfolds into a story based game along with the idle component, making this one a game more about using idle gameplay as a storytelling device than a simple skinner box addiction based one.
Speed Dating For Ghosts
Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
A dating sim focused around wooing the undead. Except it’s kind of not; maybe more like a setup for some well written ghost stories. I only played through one story - The “Lady of Smoke”, Vera - honestly, the writing here is super compelling. You have two rounds of chatting to 3 different ghosts, with 3 different sets of ghosts to choose from, bringing the total of stories to (at least?) 9. All 3 of the ones I was presented with, I was heavily curious to know more, even with only a short amount of writing dedicated to each. Fantastically written story game, this one.
Dystopicon
Indie Bundle for Palestine Aid
A short interactive experience about living under a dystopian state where watching TV - aka getting brainwashed regarding religion, politics and the like - earns you money, which you spend to stay alive, so you can keep absorbing more propaganda. Mechanically, it’s balancing a bunch of meters to the best of your ability by clicking on different objects. Neat ideas and concept. One of those experiences to tap in for a bit, see what’s doing and saying, then bounce.
LongStory
Indie Bundle for Palestine Aid
A fairly chill LGBTQ+ friendly slice of life VN with great design and a ton of episodes. Feels like a generally low stakes teen sitcom about school, dating as a teen, generally comfy vibes.
Super Win The Game
Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
A classic even by itch standards, this a sequel to the old freeware game You Have to Win the Game. An old school classic 2D platformer with plenty of platforming challenges and obstacles, crossed with an open world filled with secrets, abilities, even a game randomizer for multiple playthroughs if you really love the mechanics.
Gladiabots
World Land Trust Bundle, Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
Imagine robotics class from school, but instead you’re programming if/then statements to have those robots auto battle and destroy one another. Like Dragon Age Origins’ party programming or FF XII’s gambit system, but extrapolated out into it’s own game.
Route Me Mail And Delivery Co
Bundle for Ukraine
A frantic speed based top down 2D game about delivering mail in an enclosed environment. Heavy focused on speed running your job. Imagines a world where if you do your job fully and quickly, you get paid the same amount for a full days work, but you get to go home from work early. Imagine the possibilities!
Bombing!!: A Graffiti Sandbox
Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds
Unsurprisingly, a sandbox game with a few different spaces where you can vibe out and create graffiti art. There aren’t any explicit goals or anything to work toward - it’s all about enjoying the process of creating art. Different nozzles and paints give you plenty of custom options for your creations, while a beatbox plays your preferred tunes in the background.