It’s a good year to be a gamer. From the announcement of the final chapter in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy to the long-rumored Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake and growing speculation around ATLUS’ next Persona title, there’s no dearth of exciting releases on the horizon.
While India has built a strong reputation as a hub for game development talent and outsourcing, original homegrown titles have traditionally struggled to break into the mainstream. Despite graphics being one of our strong suits and the country’s rich mythology offering fertile ground for creative storytelling, the market has largely gravitated toward mobile gaming and globally established franchises, with limited room for independent studios to find an audience. Fortunately, it looks like things are slowly changing. There’s a new generation of developers who want to bring something new to the gaming table.
The India Games Showcase, an initiative by Nodding Heads Games in collaboration with Nodwin Gaming, has brought indie developers of Indian origin to a global stage, giving them a chance to show the world what they have been working on.
Taking inspiration from untapped Indian myths, history, and cultural motifs, these games present them in a way that is easily accessible to a global audience. It’s an eclectic mix: some have strong regional flavors, while others take place in the exosphere. Some feature post-apocalyptic landscapes, while others chart entirely different paths.
With over 40 titles on the cusp of release, here are ten that stand out, listed in alphabetical order.
Appa
Developer: HeatDeath Studio
Grief manifests in different ways. For some, it’s repeatedly reliving fond memories; for others, it’s battling it out Yu-Gi-Oh! style. In Appa, a pair of siblings, along with their uncle, conquer grief, trauma, memories and all the things left unsaid through card game battles that shift between dreams and reality. Surreal, shattering and stylized, Appa tells the story of navigating what happens when the death of a loved one leaves you with an aching hollow in your heart.
Chiklet’s Human Products
Developer: YK Game Studio
Finally, the game every vegan has hoped and prayed for; think Stardew Valley meets Roald Dahl’s The Pig but in avian form. Being the enterprising individual you are, you decide to refurbish your grandfather’s farm and turn it into a success. You need to hunt and harvest and work on your gastronomy skills to market your prey…humans. Did we mention you play as a chicken? Farming most fowl.
FARSIGHT
Developer: Studio Noori
The most familiar sight in an optometrist’s office is the house on the hill which you see in the autorefractometer. It looks so calm, peaceful and idyllic. But appearances can be deceptive, as Noah finds during a routine eye exam. Welcome to CWell Eyecare, who claim to fix you as well as your vision. If you can’t trust your eyes, trust the lens of the handy dandy FUNTIME-GO camera. Set in a liminal space, this retro horror walking simulator will make you question whether seeing is deceiving.
Ghatika
Developer: Glass Jar Interactive
This hand-drawn hack-and-slash RPG is set in the fictional country of Ghatika. When an explosion destroys the capital, its residents are forced to flee into the wilderness. As you try to pick up the pieces and live to see another day, fate has other plans. Between managing your meagre resources and fending off threats so that your settlement survives, you still need to get to the bottom of what happened and why. A side-scroller with crafting, combat, plenty of exploration and atmospheric environments inspired by ancient India, Ghatika has many secrets to uncover — if you’re willing to look.
Raji: Kaliyuga
Developer: Nodding Heads Games
When the asura Mahabalasura unseals the heavens, Raji the warrior of faith and her younger brother Darsh, a dreamwalker, travel to the Eternal Summit to stop the chaos from spreading. Infused with Indian mythology, the combat flourishes, dynamic visuals and atmospheric environments (lokas), this sequel to 2020’s Raji: An Ancient Epic has dual protagonists offering two different kinds of highly customizable playstyles: Raji with her divine Trishul as a frontline fighter and Darsh as a caster-type manipulating forces with his Siddhis. As they journey to their destination, they find themselves at a crossroads for a solution:, is it better to save the universe or destroy it once and for all ending the conflict?
Rakshasa
Developer: Odd Compass Studio
At first glance, Rakshasa looks like a blend of Amnesia: The Dark Descent’s graphics, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines’ atmosphere with a turn-based combat system, and feels like it’s straight out of the dark, gritty games that were so prevalent in the 2000s. You come into your dormant Tantrik powers after a less than legal excavation goes wrong. Sounds good? Not really. There’s a whole dark underbelly to the world out there, from human threats to otherworldly abominations, all hungry for blood, with you caught in the middle of it . With multiple endings influenced by the choices you make, Rakshasa shows a very untapped side of Indian mythology.
Shutter Story
Developer: Frostwood Interactive
Ever flip through an old family album, seeing people, places, moments just frozen in time, and have the unmistakable feeling that there’s a slightly sinister undertone to this picture? Something strange is going on in your best friend Eli’s house, and you, an aspiring photographer, possess the latest tech: the SpectralAware™ 2.1 software that lets you change the variables to figure out what lies beneath. Is Eli’s family haunted, or is it just his imagination going haywire? Careful how you categorize your findings because they all have consequences.
Silkgrove
Developer: Gallic Entertainment
This game offers a fresh perspective on the post-apocalyptic landscape. Gone are the rain-soaked neon alleys and the congested, mega-corp ruled techworld; here, there’s warm sunshine, bright blue skies and simple tools. Solarpunk is cyberpunk’s hopeful cousin, and that is the genre of Silkgrove. Step into the shoes of Annie, a young Restorer, as she helps rebuild a world after a war between humans and machines. Craft, farm and collect the resources you need to make the world a more sustainable place in this cozy life sim.
The Detective’s Apprentice
Developer: darqwerful
This is if the residents of 221B Baker Street, Miss Marple, and The Case of the Golden Idol converged into a point-and-click detective game. Clementine “Cleo” Ace is the niece and apprentice to world-famous sleuth Maya Lynch. As you shadow her, learning the ropes so to speak, it falls on your young shoulders to help unravel the tightly wound thread holding these cases together. Hunt for clues, interrogate suspects, and survey the crime scene with the keenest of eyes to catch the culprit. Murders, mysteries, and heists — Detective Clementine is on the case.
The Misadventures of Spaceman Biff
Developer: Prescription Studios
Fans of Andy Weir’s works can finally experience what they’ve been wanting to for so long: what it feels like to be trapped on a strange alien planet figuring out a way to get home. Spaceman Biff is in quite a pickle. He’s crashed onto a planet, and the only way home is straight up in orbit. Good thing he has his jetpack to help him navigate this alien landscape. This pixelated puzzle platformer has you up against one of the strongest forces of nature: gravity. Will Biff reach the stars or plummet into the ground?