Indika Review - Better The Devil You Know

Doug goes on a mission to deliver a letter as a nun in the new indie game Indika. This game feels more a piece of art at times than a game, and we are very excited to see how this game challenges our thoughts on faith.
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[@ShigueS]

Really appreciated the honest rating-free review. I was intrigued by the key art and this review convinced me to check this game out. I do love indie gaming exactly because they can explore the media as an art form that discuss deeper, more meaningful themes. Great video, hope your channel gets the attention it deserves!

[@moeezS]

Great discussion about challenging art. Not many games explore religion or faith, like last time it was Wolfenstein The New Order and The New Colossus or Blasphemous as you mentioned (Dead Domain did a great video essay about faith in the Wolfenstein games). This sounds right up my alley.

[@WorkforceGaming]

I think it's most interesting when it's clear the writers were either actively religious, previously religious, or had religion impact them in a significant way. While I like Bloodborne, a game that has religion being a core pillar of its world, I don't think it does a great job of discussing religion outside of the hierarchy and the visual motif. While games like Blasphemous, Indika, and Wolfenstein are clearly written/created from a perspective of belief. These stories hit hard whether it is a scathing review of belief or a case for it.

[@lefttale5666]

This was a really good review and a refreshing honest discussion! I really want to play this game now and will definitely be subscribing to the channel!

[@WorkforceGaming]

Thanks! We really appreciate it!

[@dominicrouse2623]

really liked it, subbed assuming yall were larger than you are you have real good vibes together. been interested in the game and really appriciated the description and analysis. bell rung hope yall keep at it

[@WorkforceGaming]

Thanks for that! We really appreciate it!

[@15awesomehighfive]

Great conversation, as always! Had my eye on this one for a while so I'll purchase it and give it a shot after I finish Pathologic 2. It's sad that, still, only indies veer off the tried and true formulas.

[@WorkforceGaming]

I tried Pathologic 2 a few times, loved the world but just literally could not figure out how to play it.

[@darianstarfrog]

Tbf, the dark voices, were NEVER our own.. i KNOW this from experience btw..

[@Nellyaa]

Really liked this game too. Faith should more actively be explored, not as a visual thing (we have devils and angels en masse after all) but more in-depth. I don't care if the ending is "faith is stupid" or "faith is good", as long as the storytelling is great and makes sense. I had some issues with Indika though, I can ignore jankiness and rough edges, it's an indie game.. I disliked the kind of abrupt ending. [SPOILERS] I always felt the game was building to something bigger than that. Also, while the premise was always a nun with a "devil on her shoulder", I would have found it a more fitting ending if she overcame her doubts and found a new way to connect to her faith than simply "giving up faith" to get rid of the voice of doubt - which you could see forming at the beginning of the game already. From a cinematic point of view the game was fantastic, the game-mechanic of praying was great (but not used often enough) but the puzzles where really meh at best and while the world looked fantastic there was barely anything to do. Overall it simply felt like Indika should have been a movie, not a game. I have nothing against "walking sims" (I love Stanley Parable) I simply think the game aspect doesn't add enough to the game to justify it being a game. Well that's my 2 cents :)

[@WorkforceGaming]

Spoilers. ... ... ... For real do not read further if you have not finished the game . ... ... ... ... I love the ending. There are so many faith based narratives where someone losing their faith is the end of Act 2 only for them to regain it in Act 3. I like that this just ends with "she lost her faith" . I would be curious what people felt was unresolved by the ending. She's no longer "possessed" and the convicts arm being healed just didn't work. There's not much left to resolve. Sometimes someone's faith journey ends with a loss of faith. A loss of faith as a conclusion is a fitting ending.

[@Nellyaa]

​@@WorkforceGaming I wouldn't say it was unresolved, no. Maybe my problem was more with the pacing. Maybe a bit of an aftermath was missing for me. Along those lines. In general I think the ending of "she lost her faith" is absolutely okay, for some reason I never had hope she'd regain it though and that made the ending a little predictable for me - I was just left curious *how* it would happen. Maybe they could have played a bit more with "will she, won't she" during the game. But that's all nit-picky for sure! Indika is a great experience and I hope devs will come forward and deliver more unique experiences like this.

[@IanBourneMusic]

The Demo is disturbing and weird to play. Probably will get the full game

[@raidenwave4219]

amen my brother in Christ

[@paulrob08]

platform sections actually felt better and cleaner to play then stellar blades awful platforming. This is a dark cinematic experience which is not for everyone but those who click with it are in for a real ride

[@darianstarfrog]

Skill issue, I never had an issue.