If you have not heard about INDIKA, you are missing out. Regardless of whether you play a lot of games, it's rare that you come across one that leaves your mouth flap open and lets it stay down there for most of the runtime. Along comes INDIKA, developed by the indie studio Odd Meter and released in May 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox series X/S.
But I'm getting ahead, so let's start with the beginning.
The Plot.
Easy enough. The story centers around a young nun named Indika who resides in a monastery in a surreal alternate Russia of the 19th century. She appears to be an ordinary nun—humble, innocent, an honest servant of the Lord—but only for the first five seconds of the game.
The wonderful weirdness draws you in immediately. For starters, no one seems to like her very much. She gets tasked with the mundane and redundant, is met with no gratitude, and people talk unkindly about her. On more than one occasion, she sees odd things and freaks out because no one else sees what she sees.
You feel sorry for her.
To make things even weirder, she talks to none other than the devil himself. Or rather, the devil speaks to her, about her. Teases her for thoughts and notions she might have (or not, one cannot be sure at first; it's the devil, after all). The people around her sense that something is odd, and she brings nothing but bad fortune, emphasized by the environment that serves as an externalized backdrop with its scarcity and never-ceasing snowstorms.
After a tedious ten-minute session, which is purposefully dreadful, exhausting, and simply unnecessary, Indika is presented with a letter that she is to deliver outside the bounds of her convent, much to her surprise since she's not usually allowed off the grounds. And while everyone seems so glad to see her go, no one wants to help her. Even the animals avoid her. Everything oozes: Good riddance. Including her, by the way.
Not too long into her journey, one riddled with unfortunate events that solidify her belief that she is cursed, she meets, of all people, a convict who is convinced that God spoke to him and sent him on a mission to save his arm (which is dead). A profoundly philosophical dynamic and religious reflection unfold between the unlike pair: the god-fearing convict and the doubtful, cynical nun.
The game's pivotal moment occurs when Indika opens the artifact that promised salvation for both characters, only to find it empty, symbolizing the emptiness and disillusionment she feels toward faith. This event leads her to reject the constructs of God and the Devil, realizing that her suffering and search for meaning were in vain. With that, the game critiques the idea of suffering for faith, suggesting it's futile.
The ending ultimately ties it all together and ends on a note that leaves your mouth open once more, pondering the meaning of what you just experienced.
The Gameplay.
INDIKA is best discovered for yourself, but to give you an idea, I'll say this: It's one where you could see several screenshots side by side and not believe they're from the same game. We got:
Walking simulator
Platforming
Pacman
Rhythm puzzle
Reality shifting
And more.
And don't worry: If this sounds too normal, wait until you see how the setting and art style complement the respective sections—Have you ever been slapped by a giant fish? Well, you're about to.
INDIKA blends puzzle-solving with narrative exploration, emphasizing immersion over mechanical complexity. You will traverse various environments, each laden with symbolic puzzles that resonate with the overarching themes. Some of the puzzles may be considered relatively easy, which could be a drawback for those seeking a challenge, but if that's what you're after, this might not be the suitable game for you to begin with. Instead, the game allows the narrative and atmosphere to take center stage.
Special shoutout to the bold choice to include mechanics that might be offputting because they seem so obviously out of place to the degree that it might even take you out of the experience for a moment and make you wonder if you missed something until, in the very last moments of the game, everything makes sense in a jaw-dropping dreadful way.
Even character development contributes to the gameplay, as the protagonist's interactions with each other and other characters are meaningful in driving the story forward and revealing layers of the game's world and backstory. The narrative structure allows you to uncover story pieces through exploration and interaction, which adds to the immersion and keeps the gameplay dynamic.
The Artstyle.
The art direction is a testament to its narrative ambitions. The unique blend of realistic and abstract visuals evokes a sense of almost fantastical wonder amidst its bleak setting. The alternate 19th-century Russia is depicted with meticulous detail, from desolate landscapes to haunting interiors that mirror the protagonist's inner turmoil, further elevated through the strategic use of color palette and lighting and enables INDIKA to thrive on its ability to weave subtext into every facet of gameplay and storytelling.
A favorite aspect of mine is that it doesn't shy away from making you scratch your head in confusion and wonderment with its, at times, fantastical designs, which seem to make you rub your eyes and blink twice to confirm that you just saw that right.
All this comes together to secure the art style's position as one of the game's most distinctive features, with the hand-drawn, minimalist aesthetic that has garnered widespread acclaim.
The Themes.
INDIKA is rife with subtext as it explores the juxtaposition of faith and skepticism. Indika's journey is not just a physical one but also a spiritual quest that reflects broader existential questions. The game's use of dark humor and surreal elements underscores the absurdity and complexity of the human condition and asks profound questions to which the answers you might not always like.
Don't we all love it when a game forces us to ask ourselves tough questions to which the answers we didn't know we needed? Or wanted? Or already had? SOMA (2015, Frictional Games) is another noteworthy candidate that excels at that. It's still superior, in my (biased) opinion, but INDIKA does an excellent job filling those footprints.
However, while the former asks existential questions, INDIKA focuses on spirituality, religion, and morality, and it does so through imagery that is sometimes hard to stomach. The irony that of the two, the convict Ilya is the believer, is an excellent example of dark humor. In contrast, the nun questions her faith and lets the player question if she ever really believed in the first place without ever becoming preachy or didactic.
The journey takes both protagonists to walk the thin line between genuine belief and blind devotion and the implications of either. Through its dark, surreal storytelling and moments of grim humor, INDIKA creates a unique narrative tapestry that distinguishes itself from mainstream and most indie gaming experiences.
Indika's journey mirrors that of Ilya, who stops hearing God after being injected with antibiotics, possibly ending his hallucinations. Like Indika, Ilya undergoes a transformation where faith loses its hold, and personal gain or survival takes precedence.
The game's themes also explore patriarchy and societal control, with Indika being a victim of these forces. Her rebellious actions, such as destroying her rosary, signify her rejection of imposed beliefs and her search for autonomy.
Overall, the game prompts reflection on existential themes, the nature of belief, and the personal journey toward self-acceptance and freedom from external constraints. It challenges players to consider the constructs of good and evil, faith, and individual identity profoundly and reflectively.
Tackling deeply religious topics head-on and even including the devil might disqualify the game for some people, depending on their personal beliefs. You might not even want answers to the game's questions, no less ask them yourself. And that's okay. Stay away from it if that is the case.
But in my opinion, in the end, that's why we have and need indie games, at least this specific kind: To push boundaries both mechanically and narratively to make us feel uncomfortable and question our belief systems as we know them. If, in the end, even after a few hours, we're left in thought and unsettled, the game was successful.
Stats & Facts.
Release Date: May 2nd, 2024
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Developer: Odd Meter
Publisher: 11 Bit Studios
Third-Person Puzzle Adventure Game
Narrative Driven with Religious Themes
Realistic Graphics (mostly, you'll see)
Alternate History (Russia, late 19th century)
Why you SHOULD play INDIKA.
A compelling story with a gripping, rich, and engaging narrative
Intriguing and well-developed characters
Atmospheric and visually impressive art style
Fresh platforming and puzzles
An emotional journey into religious, profound, and even philosophical themes, leaving a lasting impression
Short runtime (4-5 hours)
Why you might NOT want to play INDIKA.
Short runtime (4-5 hours)
Limited replay value
Classic walking simulator with lots of cutscenes (i.e., not a lot of playtime)
Potentially offensive, at the very least divisive religious themes
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