What makes itch.io a little difficult at times is finding things that are interesting to play. Discovery is a real issue when great ideas are buried among high school projects and nasty little efforts to scam a quick buck from players. With that in mind, I thought what might be helpful to readers would be if I did a brief write-up of interesting games that I’ve come across on itch.io each week. In many cases these games will be unfinished or “in development,” but I’m highlighting them because they promise something special and are well worth keeping on the radar.
Note: I also haven’t played these games. I highlight them as interesting based on the itch.io description and concept. Where I find the time to do actual reviews or other coverage, I will compose separate articles on the game in question. These aren’t so much an endorsement (or piece of criticism) as they are a head’s up.
Naturally, if you want to pick up a couple of the Dee Dee visual novels while you’re there on itch.io to support our work here, I would be eternally grateful! There’s a new one that recently came out, Sade!
Happy Holidays Calendar
What is available on itch.io currently is the opening chapter of what is meant to be a story-driven graphic adventure that “mixes retronostalgia and Italian ancient folklore.” That means you’re getting ancient rites, languages and beliefs to go with aliens, space ships and sci-fi, and all that is wrapped up in an incredibly dark 1-bit aesthetic. This game could well become something majestic. Dark, but majestic.
Unstable was developed as a game jam project (the “Lost Cartridge Jam 2021“, which might just be my favourite concept for a game jam ever). It’s not a commercial project, and it can be played in your browser (though you can also download a copy). It just seems like a whole lot of fun that will last you for a few minutes of creepy weirdness. Give it a go!
– Matt S.
Editor-in-Chief
Find me on Twitter: @mattsainsb