INDIKA

INDIKA is an utterly unique, psychedelic, and strange title, telling a wonderful, thought-provoking story filled with striking imagery and wonderfully bleak humor.

Evocative and creative, Indika is a clear testament to the engaging potential of a short narrative adventure. The game draws strength from interactivity, switches genres, and boldly tackles deep and dark themes. It stands out as one of this year's indie gems—a delightful oddity in the best sense of the word.

I would certainly recommend Indika to any fans of platformers or story-driven adventures. It doesn’t take long at all to connect with these characters and the story. One warning is the game is quite short, it currently sits with an average of a four-hour playtime on Howlongtobeat.com. It’s also not the most replayable experience, there isn’t much outside of the story to do. So if you’re looking for something to keep you entertained for a longer time frame, this might not be for you. For me personally, I think it was an appropriate length for the story it was telling and I wasn’t at all bothered by its short length. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Odd Meter produce next.

Indika isn't an easy game to score. Tedious puzzles annoy in the moment, but they're easy to overlook in the broader scheme. Indika's underdeveloped theme stands out, but Odd Meter handles everything else so adeptly that it doesn't ruin the experience, even if it is slightly soured. As trite as it sounds, this really is one game you have to play for yourself and form your own conclusions - and that's probably just how Odd Meter wants it.

INDIKA’s gameplay is at the service of its narrative, so as to tell an allegorical and satirical story about religious institutions and the power they have over people. It is a story that deals with existential themes in an often surreal way, taking advantage of a staging that thrives on contrasts and dissonances, managing to convey a message while always keeping the balance between the serious and the irreverent (and at times even blasphemous) irony.

Indika hits incredibly high levels of zaniness and suspense and mixes the two so well that it creates a sought-after experience. Players will want to keep playing just to know how it ends, and most storytellers would love to hear that is their listeners' motivation. The game dips its toes in both the surreal and real in equal measure, and winds up being an enjoyable tale even through the most boring walking simulator-like parts. Odd Meter is doing interactive story-telling right, and Indika is a tale that will delight many and have them questioning everything.

INDIKA grounds intrigue with its arthouse cinematic flair and satire. It engages curiosity and entertainment. Its world is shrouded in emptiness and questions that mirror Indika’s internal struggles.

INDIKA is an eclectic mix of graphic styles and gameplay about a young nineteenth-century Russian nun that will keep you glued to your seat with its challenging but mature reflection on faith and human morality.

An adventure that feels thoughtfully conceived, humorous, and depressing all at once, as well as “off” in the right ways. Indika is one of the year’s most affecting and memorable adventures, and its themes will stick with me as I continue to ponder their meanings.

Is it iconoclastic and anti-Christian? Yes. Humanistic and empathetic? You bet! Indika is not afraid of condemnation, and its developers speak their minds openly and consistently, though sometimes rather bluntly. And the fact that they draw inspiration from Bulgakov, Tarkovsky, but also Spyro the dragon? Well, such are the charms of this religiously engaged metagame.

It is a short and impressive game that criticises Russian Orthodoxy and its effect on the individual in a very harsh language and draws attention with its visual language.

Indika is a significant adventure worth playing that speaks about religion and videogames as a medium.

Indika is like Frankenstein's monster - cobbled together from many different parts that seem to be out of place. And yet it's worth you attention, especially if you value interesting gameplay and a very intriguing storyline.

Indika is a short but powerful experience full of symbolism and philosophical quest(ion)s without being over-exhaustive.

A journey of a simple nun, which makes you wonder if it is the world that is against those who are different, or those who are different are that way because of how the world treats them . A violent and psychologically very hard journey that surprises with its great manufacturing and its trips to the past in Pixel Art format. The game that seems like you are playing is the one that Indika's own madness has in her mind. As he says: The score doesn't matter.

Odd Meter's Indika offers a unique, narrative-driven experience set in 19th-century Russia, focusing on a young nun's mission. Despite its lack of surprising gameplay, the game excels in story, atmosphere, and artistic execution, with impressive graphics and voice acting, though it could benefit from better optimization and more innovative mechanics.

Indika isn’t a game you will enjoy playing, but you should do it anyway. Whether you agree with it or not, it will ask you to question the status quo, who has the right to judge others or decide right from wrong. Video games can be a form of escapism, a power fantasy, or mindless fun. Indika isn’t that. It’s something you won’t understand right away. It’s one you’ll want to discuss with others after you finish. It’s one that could change your worldview.

The nun's journey to self-discovery offers an interesting experience, but it is not for everyone. But the developers have done their job honestly. Walking simulator with puzzles has an immersive atmosphere thanks to the plot.

An unapologetically cinematic descent into the darkest parts of the human mind, Indika is a unique and crunchy little experiment that comes alive in its ideas and tone if not always its gameplay.

INDIKA was a fresh adventure experience that continuously surprised me throughout with how its narrative flowed, and one I’m definitely going to replay on PS5 when it releases there. As a fan of walking simulators, this is one of my favorites in the genre, and I’m just shocked it even exists. It might even be one of my favorite games 11 bit studios has published so far.

I loved Indika, even if I have the impression that some practical limitations held back the creative ambitions of its developers. Nonetheless, it is a game rich in ideas, drawing on Russian art and literature while reworking some of their recurring themes from a modern perspective that works especially well in a video game.

INDIKA is a distinctive and stylish game that does not pull any punches. It asks very interesting questions, but the answer to them depends solely on you.

INDIKA is a truly unique narrative game that delivers an excellently written, thought-provoking story about faith, a subject we very rarely see in the medium. Moreover, the almost surreal environmental design and action greatly enhance the whole experience.

Bleak realism meets absurdist fairytale in a stylish, surreal, and astonishingly surefooted - if mechanically unadventurous - exploration of faith, free will, and demonic temptation.

Indika is an ambitious game that's focus on religion is the driving force in its engaging narrative, with simple puzzles and linear gameplay.

You can certainly read a lot more from Indika, and even see some things substantially differently than I did. In particular, if you have a closer cultural connection to the region, you might pick up on details that slipped right by my western eyes. But I was completely captivated by this cool, blunt reckoning with the weaponization of religion. At the end, you can't help but feel great regret for and sympathy with Ilia and Indika (...) Odd Meter has no answer to what's next for them. It's bitter, but it rings true.

Rough in its themes, theologically complex and deeply unforgettable, INDIKA is a fantastic second start for a studio that is clearly quickly growing in expertise.

More interactive arthouse cinema than game, but that's why it's so wonderfully different: in its short running time, Indika takes you on a crazy trip that sticks.

Indika is a game that resists tidy conclusions. Its unsettling world, ambiguous narrative, and deliberate frustration left me with more questions than answers and forced me to reevaluate my expectations of what a game can be. This lingering unease is central to its power. Indika uses the medium in a daring way, blending unsettling visuals and subversive gameplay with philosophical themes. Its dreamlike setting and unreliable narrator constantly force the player to confront the limits of their understanding within the game’s constructed world. Though the experience may feel opaque at times, this enigmatic quality is the source of Indika‘s enduring impact.

Ultimately, the more you give to Indika, the more you get out of it; whether it’s pondering the philosophical questions it asks you or soaking in the environment… just don’t anticipate any concrete answers. Indika wants you to come to those conclusions yourself, much like its troubled protagonist.

Despite the flawed gameplay, Indika is still a must-play. Or, since it’s more than just a game, is it a “must-experience”? Anyway, you definitely should buy it… but perhaps not immediately after release. Thankfully, Indika’s issues are of the kind that could be removed with updates. I believe Odd Meter will be able to improve controls and level design or at least introduce options to skip the most frustrating parts of the game that don’t really add anything of importance to the story. And when the game is finally patched out, you’re up for an unforgettable cultural roller-coaster.

There are few games that have had the courage to tackle religious themes with such sensitivity, and Indika is certainly one of them. It is a peculiar title that may struggle to make itself known to the general public, but we believe that those who are lucky enough to try it will retain good memories of it. For better or for worse.

Indika is an odd, wonderful title. Mixing 3D photo-realistic art with 2D-pixel graphics makes some bold choices. Excellent writing and voice acting help carry mediocre gameplay and created an experience I will never forget.

Indika is one of the most surreal games we've ever played. And while it's short, it's easy for us to recommended thanks to its dark and unpredictable story and thoughtful, engaging puzzles.

A bizarre, confronting and darkly funny descent into hell, Indika takes a lot of risks and mostly sticks the landing.

INDIKA is a very out-of-the-box game that promises more than it delivers. The game has a good and immersive story, but makes mistakes in other elements, such as simple puzzles and gameplay without any major new features.

Indika tells a unique story about the fear and horror of 19th century Russia ruled by radical religious, and does its best to push the boundaries of an indie game and reach new heights, although it comes up short here and there, it’s still a one of a kind experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Indika has a compelling and genuinely original story to tell. It’s by turns darkly humorous, thought-provoking, philosophically challenging, and emotionally shocking. It’s weird, too, but sometimes more attached to its off-kilter elements than it should be. Things like ignoring fun and narrative consistency for the sake of being quirky feel like missteps when they waste the player’s time or slow the pace. Indika is definitely original and sometimes daring, but stumbles a bit in its execution. Imperfect or not, I can’t help but admire the look of the game, the memorable characters, and the audacious themes.

INDIKA is a walking simulator with a thought-provoking story about faith, personal beliefs and strong criticism toward orthodox Church and the Russian regime.

Indika is an unconventional walking simulator that stands out for its unique approach and atmospheric storytelling. The game offers a thought-provoking journey through a richly detailed world, but its slow pace and abstract narrative might not appeal to everyone. It’s a distinctive experience that challenges traditional gameplay norms, making it a compelling choice for those looking for something different in the genre.

While it presents the rather universal theme of religious dilemmas, 'Indika' showcases refined direction through its unique techniques and game-specific features. Although the game isn't packed with playable content, the developer's intention to provoke thought is successfully achieved.

If Indika won't be everyone's tempo, it proves you can work small miracles when you dare to shed familiar habits. [Issue#398, p.122]

Minimal in its gameplay but optimal in the power of its story, Indika illuminates us thanks to the insolence of several of its sequences. Bold in its tone, atypical in its form, the creation of Odd Meter is like a cursed relic: it should not be put into everyone's hands. And that’s his greatest quality! But as everyone knows, the devil hides in the details: its good ideas that are ultimately little exploited, its madness which runs out of steam during the second part and its overly abrupt ending prevent its heroine from being canonized. Despite its flaws, Indika is a third-person adventure game that will captivate you if you agree to sign a pact... with the demon.

As a piece of art, it’s delicately odd, even while being a clumsy game to control at the best of times. The goofy arms-flailing falling animation of the main character looks like classic 90s 3D gaming jank, and the invisible walls and simplistic puzzles frequently add a sense of unpolishedness to the game's feel.

Indika is first and foremost an arthouse project and a political statement, rather than a classic game that is purely for entertainment. In terms of visual design, it is often related to Eastern European film classics, such as those by Andrey Tarkovsky or Béla Tarr. Personally, this is worth a lot to me and I look forward to analysing, discussing and interpreting aspects of the game with other players. This makes it easier for me to forgive the stumbling blocks in the gameplay. They make the experience of this remarkable game unnecessarily bumpy. Indika is a diamond in the rough that will sparkle all the brighter if you have a knack for Eastern European art. Everyone else may be left irritated or even bored.)

Indika is a creative, thoughtful narrative game with puzzle and platforming elements. However, it's not a title for the average gamer.

With dull gameplay, conflicting art styles, stiff dialogue and a weak ending, Indika is a philosophy-infused discussion of religion that's unable to carry its burdens.