INDIKA

Indika unquestionably defies definition. A swirl of impactful narrative and visual decisions are meant to resonate with the player longer than they linger on screen. It may be offbeat to a fault but this brief journey is uncompromising in vision.

Indika combines strong themes with fantastic visual and thoughtful delivery, creating something wholly unique and worthwhile. None of the game's hiccups stand in the way of what makes Indika special.

Indika is provocative and intriguing in its essence. With beautiful visuals, great ambiance, and technical aspects, the game is highly recommended. Some things could be improved, and there is room for more stories and more narrative elements, but that doesn't take away from the brilliance of the game.

The by-the-numbers gameplay is not what you will remember most about Indika – even though the frustration of some insta-fail platforming sections does take a while to fade from the memory. Instead, what lingers is the communion of uncomfortable conversations, harrowing figments and darkly comic asides as a nun wrestles with the big questions of life and doesn’t like the answers.

To cut to the chase, the technical performance is just not good enough. However, this can all be forgiven, because with fairly simple means Odd Meter manages to build a seamless gaming experience that entertains along the way and leaves you with food for thought.

While we've got issues with some of the less than adventurous gameplay mechanics, in most other regards Indika is an absolute triumph. It teeters on a cliff edge, tonally, but never goes too far in any one direction. It never becomes preachy, or maudlin, or too silly for its own good. It's a wonderful balancing act, and one that it continues right up until its final moments which will leave you unsure about whether you should laugh or cry.

Wonderfully weird and always surprising: Indika is a real experience that is worth a look despite the monotonous gameplay.

This four-hour foray into faith is unlike anything else you’ll play this year. Both incredibly bleak and beautiful, put your hands together for Indika. [Issue#42, p.90]