INDIKA

It's not a long game, but if you want to spend an evening with a slow paced game about faith, regret and free will, with 3D puzzle games, occasional 80's C64 arcade experiences, and an unhealthy dose of surreal catholic guilt, there's nun better.

Indika is similar to a short art film. It's not looking to be a long, big, enticing game like you're used to, and it's not trying to tell an amazing story that will change how you look at the world. Indika is asking you a question, and leaving you without any answers.
The game will end in what feels like the beginning or middle of the story, and there is no secret to unlock further content. This game will get you just far enough to fully ask its question, and it's up to you to decide on your own answer.
Just a heads up, the beginning of this game requires you to do a boring repetitious task 5 times, this is NOT indicative of how the rest of the game plays
For anyone who is religious, this game is very much poking holes into religious ideology. If that's an issue for you, don't play it.

What a unique game. Very clever adding the pixel art platforming to a modern 3D storytelling. The story is very odd is a great way. If you like games like Firewatch, added with some simple puzzles, you will like this too.

Rarely do games deserve a second chance. My experience with Indika began with the demo which I found generally appealing, a rare instance of an unusual setting, a steampunk Russian Empire seen through the eyes of a nun suffering from a condition reminiscent of the heroine in Senua’s Saga Hellblade. When the full release arrived, I quickly grew weary and refunded it. I appreciated the developers’ effort in crafting an atmosphere of decay, but the prospect of tedious back and forth between locations, clunky mechanics and unremarkable graphics prompted me to abandon the game.
A year and a half later, a key landed in my hands and I resolved to finish it. The second part proved far more engaging. Yes, it remains an interactive cinematic experience. The puzzles are simple and unoriginal and the sole wow moment, a massive crane rearranging monastery walls, felt genuinely striking. The Spasov location, with its gargantuan bells and shafts of sunlight, and the industrial rhythm of the fish factory likewise left an impression. The visual work throughout is impressive.
The story itself follows a typically Russian narrative, a road movie of sorts, in which the characters search not for themselves but for God. It offers a meaningful continuation of Hellblade. The protagonist’s inner voices, rather than haunting with cacophony, amuse with their wickedly sarcastic commentary.
Indika is, in many ways, a charming interactive film, where the paucity of gameplay is offset by pixel art interludes. Yet it also stands as a monument to the Russian game development landscape of the early 2020s, first battered by COVID, then by war, and ultimately brought to completion in Kazakhstan under the wing of a Polish publisher. One can only wonder what the game might have been under different circumstances.
It brings to mind Dostoevsky’s complaints about having to write quickly and abundantly to meet creditors’ demands. "Ah, if only I had as much time as Turgenev or Tolstoy, I would write much better". Perhaps, but some literary scholars argue that Fyodor would have retained his rapid, sometimes ragged narrative style, it was his element. Perhaps Indika too could exist only under such conditions and would be different otherwise.
Regardless, what we have here is an intriguing tech demo for a possible future project. In terms of its chosen setting, the game is genuinely unique and the developers deserve respect. We can only hope to see its further evolution in the years to come.

Indika is a narrative-driven indie game set in a surreal 19th-century Russia. the story follows Indika, a nun grappling with faith, morality, and her place in a fractured world. The game weaves dark themes of religion and existentialism with moments of absurdity, making for an unpredictable and thought-provoking narrative.
The gameplay includes environmental puzzles, exploration, and flashback sequences rendered in retro pixel art. One standout mechanic allows players to either restore the world through prayer or let doubt alter it, presenting unique challenges. While the puzzles are engaging, some mechanics, like those involving Indika’s inner conflict, feel underused. The game also integrates surreal elements, such as bizarre chases and peculiar interactions, enhancing its otherworldly atmosphere.
Visually, Indika impresses with its painterly aesthetic and haunting environments, though its brevity (4–6 hours) may leave players wanting more. Despite its short runtime and some awkward mechanics, Indika delivers a memorable, thought-provoking experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

This masterpiece made me feel so much... catharsis by the end that I'm genuinely at a loss for words. Throughout this 5 hour adventure, I felt joy, sadness, frustration, hope, uncomfortable, a strange yet comforting sense of closure by the end, I laughed uncontrollably, and bopped countless times to a banger of a soundtrack.
Why there aren't more games like this is something I will never understand... I'm just grateful to now be one of the insanely few but lucky number of players who have been blessed with this unforgettable and life-changing experience.
This is not a game for everyone, but it's everything for some.

Bizarre journey through self-consciousness, self-acceptance and accepting god and devil inside you.
All wrapped in stylish futuristic steampunk slavic cover.
Pure masterpiece you need to experience.