A new journey in Tsarist Russia awaits you. Indika Is a 3rd person adventure game created by Odd Meter –most of the team actually emigrated from Russia to Kazakhstan to create this game. Your character is Indika, a nun, who seems to lack a connection or even conversation with other beings, except for the voice inside her head…
Once Indika begins her journey we see her begin to question her very religious upbringing, an upbringing inspired by the writer, Dmitry Svetlov’s, childhood. These conversations are explored deeper when her company changes from the voice in her head to Ilya, a convict she meets. The game is a journey where you’ll be met with various platforming challenges or puzzles. In one of the puzzle sequences, you have to prey whilst the indoctrinating voice in your head reprimands you. The platforming occasionally goes into 2D which normally resembles a flashback.
The Visuals
Indika has already been praised for a surrealist style and photorealistic look. The game really stands out in its style, an impressive accomplishment for a game so grey! It tells its story through colour. Nostalgic flashbacks to Indika’s past are bright and much more colourful compared to her distressed present. During the sequences where Indika has to pray and is reprimanded by the dominant religious voice in her head, the screen goes a dark red. There’s even a fantastic surrealistic shot which involves a dog that has just chased Indika and Ilya, as a monologue talks over. The use of the melancholic grey tint helps exaggerate the importance of what is happening in the story when we see a colour change. I think the faces do look a little unpolished at times, particularly Indika’s, but aside from that the game is very aesthetic overall.
The Story
Indika has grown up a nun, however after being treated awfully her whole life she enjoys the distraction of meeting Ilya and going on their adventure. It’s the conversations that Indika has with the voice or with Ilya that add so much depth to this story that it makes the travelling sequences as enjoyable as the puzzle sequences. Ilya and Indika’s conversations in particular thrive in this game. Their debates over religion, philosophy or free will are thought-provoking. Ilya believes he is on a mission given to him by God – a message that he received in a cup. The themes seem to critique aspects of organised religion, in this case, the Russian Orthodox church.
There are some more grounded themes too. Ilya may be a convict who seems somewhat crazy, but on multiple occasions, he shows he’s a good-natured man. He saves a woman from being assaulted and also suggests that all animals deserve their free will, not just humans. Probably my favourite aspect of this game is the narrative shared by Indika and Ilya, their dichotomy, and how their relationship blossoms throughout the game. Some of the themes of blind obedience/compliance tie in well and are inspired by modern life in Russia under Putin.
The Gameplay
The gameplay is straightforward and very narrative-driven. During Indika’s journey, a lot of the game feels like a walking/traversal simulator with dialogue. However, she’ll often come across puzzles or platforming sequences which she needs to overcome to progress in the story. All of the puzzles are fairly easy to solve, which is a fitting choice for a game so driven by its narrative. It might’ve become a bit much if the game consisted only of Indika traversing and talking so the puzzles work as an excellent option to sprinkle the game with variety.
At its core, the gameplay feels like an Uncharted game slowed down and minus the shooting. This is not just because of the likeable lead characters and puzzle/platforming, but also how it incentivises exploration within its traversal. While the game will tell you where you need to go through dialogue and cutscenes, it doesn’t hold your hand through techniques such as a waypoint or map. You just have to go on your own hunches, which adds to the feel of adventure. While the gameplay is fairly minimal, it is very self-aware in its presentation of being a game. There’s a skill tree which is pretty much pointless, the story is split into missions which don’t break up the story in much of a memorable way. However, despite these shortcomings, the concept works in the format of a video game.
Final Verdict
Overall, I would certainly recommend Indika to any fans of platformers or story-driven adventures. It doesn’t take long at all to connect with these characters and the story. One warning is the game is quite short, it currently sits with an average of a four-hour playtime on Howlongtobeat.com. It’s also not the most replayable experience, there isn’t much outside of the story to do. So if you’re looking for something to keep you entertained for a longer time frame, this might not be for you. For me personally, I think it was an appropriate length for the story it was telling and I wasn’t at all bothered by its short length. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Odd Meter produce next.
