On the first Friday of every month, the Indiepocalypse zine/game bundle brings together an assortment of indie games, typically with an experimental, creative, artistic focus. Today is the second Friday of May, which means I’m a week late in sharing this news (woops!), but nonetheless, Indiepocalypse #16 is now available for all your indie needs.
In curator Andrew’s words, Indiepocalypse is intended to “bring together games that explore the breadth of what our art form has to offer,” with a particular focus on outsider games. What that means this month is, among other things, a platformer that makes accessibility functions a core part of the game, an autobiographical game about playing Yume Nikki and the value of interpretation, and a collection of psychedelic micro-games designed to played in 15-second increments.
Here’s the full list of games in Indiepocalypse #16:
- 1-DC (WIN/Linux) by 89o: Program a 1-digit computer with only 3 commands.”
- The Oeuvre (WIN/Linux) by 89o: Every time you die in this simple platformer, you unlock an accessibility feature: slower game speed, easier level design, lower gravity, etc. However, if you manage to beat a level in under the given death count, you unlock a PERMANENT movement ability. This goes from simple coyote time to advanced Whirlwind Maneuvers and Fall Stops.
- Madotsuki’s Closet (WIN/MAC/Browser) by Bagenzo: An autobiographical bitsy & Twine game about playing Yume Nikki, the value of interpretation, and how reading trans fan theories of the game helped the author come to terms with her own identity.
- two hundred fifty six (HTML) by Ardent Eliot ? Reinhard: a transgender bitsy exploring twelve curated selfies abstracted into two-tone landscapes. the Book of Ruth transposed over webs of modern trans relationships. “do not urge me to leave you” we ask each other at the thresholds between worlds.
- Video Tennis but the Computer Asks About Your Ex-Girlfriend (WIN/Browser) by Daniel Foutz: A quiet experience about playing video tennis and sharing feelings with a computer, featuring music by the wonderful Patricia Taxxon.
- KHOK (WIN/MAC/Linux/Android) by SailinDuck: You hope you’ve found something new, a never-before-seen idea? It’s definitely not. It’s what has always been in you. Short novel about space.
- YRKKEY’S PARADISE (WIN/MAC/Linux/Browser) by droqen: You’re a raccoon trying to build a computer: What awaits you in cyberspace? Includes a beautifully* illustrated map of the game world. *beauty is subjective
- SDST (WIN/MAC) by Banana Cat: SDST is a fast-paced platformer with many secrets and outfits to be found on the top-down overworld and in the levels themselves.
- Bizzarioware (WIN/MAC) by Strangest.io: Bizzarioware is an ongoing collection of psychedelic, strange and l�?�?ɹɹns microgames played in 15 second increments.
- Nightmare (WIN/MAC) by Strangest.io: Nightmare is a dystopian FPS where you take control of a Machinangel to incinerate hordes of synthetic demons. Leverage the power of time control, nuclear fission and demonic seals to ascend to digital heaven.
- POWER COUPLE. (Physical) by Marc Strocks: In this tarot-based rpg, you play the two most powerful beings on Earth. Defend the world against the greatest threats of the cosmos. Help each other through the emotional struggles of your lives.
- In Every Generation (Physical) by Yonah Sienna: In Every Generation is a minimalist story-building and role-playing game/ritual that asks: what does it mean to see ourselves as if we personally fled Egypt?
- Orchestra for Dying at Sea (WIN/MAC) by Flan Falacci (Indiepocalypse exclusive): “Forgotten to any man, to any time, forgotten to any god or devil, forgotten even to the Sea, for any part of you, even any scantling of your soul is you no more, but is now itself the Sea”
All games are downloable individually, but there’s also a launcher you can use to browse the games.
For the zine side of things, Indiepocalypse #16 includes three comics—F-OFF by KC Green, Relaxation by feardeer, and People you meet working at a bookstore by Sam Pender—as well as Cassidy’s Bad Game Corner: The Curious Case of The Quiet Man by Cassidy, and parts 25-27 of 69 Love Games by Andrew.
And to top it all off, there’s this extremely cool cover art by Cam Adjodha:
Basically, if you like games that push artistic and creative boundaries, Indiepocalypse is a something you want to keep an eye on. It’s full of great stuff, and a bundle that makes sure to pay its contributors properly—”Some participating contributors have said Indiepocalypse is the most money they’ve made from games.”