INDIKA

Would be nice to have a "Mixed feelings" option. [h1] Made to be a film [/h1] INDIKA is a short cinematic experience that does not shy away from portraying a deeply personal story while elegantly delivering both the gruesome and cathartic moments, and tacitly pushing you to reconsider your own relationship with your beliefs. However, I struggle to recommend INDIKA as a game, because its gameplay, for the most part, serves a different purpose and does not convey the same effect as its non-interactive counterpart; I would rather watch INDIKA as a full-length animated or live action film, which I think is the more effective medium for telling this story. [h2] Lie not to thyself [/h2] Guilt, expectations, and self-acceptance presented through the lens of religion and faith seem to be the central points to the plot of Indika. I appreciate the general, art and cast directions, the music, sound design, dialogue, choreography, and localisation because they communicate those emotions in meaningful ways that play to the strengths of each creative discipline. [h2] Illusions of play [/h2] Unfortunately, for almost the whole duration of the game, I did not find the thematic ideas to be reflected meaningfully in the gameplay itself, which, at times, is buggy enough to feel frustrating. I do, however, wish to properly address this, as I adored almost everything else. Let me provide an example with a walking simulator to illustrate why INDIKA's gameplay doesn't support the thematic framework of the game. When you play a walking sim, you know what it is; you know what to expect; you don't get frustrated it's not something else. When you play INDIKA, it's kind of the opposite because it's unclear what it's trying to be. It feels like a walking simulator but sometimes, it cosplays as a puzzle game; other times, it tries to be an arcade game. Nothing wrong with either of those genres and the act of combining them; it's about whether they contribute. In the event that you have played or do play INDIKA, or a game that does the same with its gameplay, after you're done, ask yourself how you feel about the gameplay, and if the answer is "meh" or something similar, then what would you say - [u]has the gameplay enriched your experience?[/u] If no, then the gameplay does not serve the larger narrative, and is therefore performative but non-functional. For those interested, here is what I specifically liked and disliked about the gameplay: - I found the scenes at the beginning where you perform your tasks as a nun to be representative of the struggle Indika is going through. That set my expectations for the integration of the gameplay into the story rather high. - [b]Most of the puzzles feel like regular puzzles, unrelated to the experience of Indika.[/b] There is one - [spoiler]a room inside the factory that is connected to another room which mirrors everything you do[/spoiler] - that hinted at something more surreal that breaks the boundary of reality, but it simply... happened? I didn't see a cutscene that led to it; one chapter ended, and another started, which was where you had to do that puzzle, and then... nothing; our companion made no comment, Indika made no comment, no cutscene played... It felt as if someone had forgotten about adding a point of transition that further develops the character. - Achievement hunting is made easy thanks to the option to reload chapters and their length as a whole. It is also where I found the game to feel the buggiest - getting stuck and having to reload from the beginning, ledges ([spoiler]the concrete block leading to the lewd book[/spoiler]) not showing the interact button and making me think I can't interact with them, etc. - For how polished the presentation is, there are gameplay deficiencies that lower the overall immersion. They were minor, and I do not mind them, but for some, it may take away from the experience. - The flashback scenes that turn Indika's past into a retro mini game series... I found those distracting, and uncertain as to how they fit Indika's character. From what I can surmise, they suggest a playful nature that still has the capacity to see things much more vibrantly than her current self living in a monastery with people who openly show their intolerance towards her. and her own choice to [spoiler]try and force herself to believe in something she doesn't[/spoiler], as a form of self-punishment perhaps (?). - If the above is the original intent of the developers, then the usage of those flashbacks and a leveling mechanic is actually kinda neat. The latter hints at Indika literally keeping score of how faithful she is, which ties in well with the flashbacks. I have to admit, though, it did feel slightly confusing to see such an abrupt shift in style; it made me think different things about the character, which felt distracting... but that could be just me. - The ending managed to take the leveling mechanic and transform its meaning, which I appreciated. [h2] Beautiful but runs hot [/h2] I admire the graphics, a lot. The camera use here, specifically, is spectacular and captures the eerie feelings that grow over time, as well as the more intimate moments between characters. The facial expressions, idle animations and overall transitions from state to state are smooth and pleasant to watch. That said, I don't think the game is optimised. My configuration puts me at an advantage to most people, yet during some scenes, and the last one especially, the game was running at 15-30 FPS with the settings at Ultra and FSR set to Quality. From the little I am aware of how game engines work, I imagine that changing how elements are loaded in during scenes could help improve performance there, even if by a little. [h2] Play if you insist on the interactability [/h2] I'll remember the story of INDIKA, and I'll continue feeling slightly duped because of the gameplay. I'm not sorry I played it, but I would've preferred seeing it in a theater. Still not too late..!