The world fucking sucks right now, and while escapism has never been something we at No Escape support (it’s in the name, I guess) sometimes it’s nice to take a moment with a meditative experience, take some deep breaths, and re-center yourself for the fight ahead. Here are some indie titles we saw on Itch that might help you do that.
dazOS_, by Daniel Moreno
This is a clicker game, and like most other clicker games the object is to click Better over time by upgrading your clicks, increasing the number of automatons you have that’ll click for you, and earning powerups that will even create phantom clicks where no clicks actually exist. But where dazOS_ stands apart from other endless clickers is in its darling retro Macintosh vibe, the conceit where the thing you’re clicking on is a representation of doing an easy email job, and the fact that you can reach the end.
That’s right, dazOS_ has an endstate, a moment where you run out of things to upgrade and emails to click on. You’ve done it: you’ve beaten work! It’s at this point where the game unlocks endless mode, which from what I’ve been able to determine doesn’t actually introduce anything new. You just click forever (or more realistically have your employees click for you).
city::ephemera, by INFINITE TEARS
This title almost feels like an interactive art exhibit. What devs INFINITE TEARS have made is an experience “inspired by artists Yayoi Kusama and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto,” where you walk through the streets of an ever-shifting city skyline. Everything is high contrast, out of focus and deeply grainy, and indeed the ephemerality of the experience is quite apparent. As you walk, the buildings around you change size and shape more rapidly, the aspect ratio of your viewing window changes from a constrained, squared one (like above) into a more classic “theatrical” aspect ratio (see post image), you begin to float into the air, and then, at 7 minutes and 20 seconds—it’s over.
I love things like this. Give it a shot.
Afternoon Spaghetti, by Shelf
An alien is in your kitchen making spaghetti bolognese. They ask you for some nice pecorino romano to finish it off. The inside of your fridge has been stolen—including the cheese. Follow the trail to retrieve your lovely afternoon meal’s finishing touch. It’s over in two minutes; four, if you’re feeling noodly.
Antibody One, by Blendo Games
Fresh off the development of one of their biggest-ever games in the comedic space imsim Skin Deep, Blendo Games returns surprisingly quickly with something much smaller: a shmup set in your cardiovascular system called Antibody One. In each of the short levels you play an antibody or a blood cell of some kind, either fighting off infections or delivering oxygen to various parts of the body from the lungs. Along the way, you learn fun facts about how your body works. It feels like the spiritual sequel to that one anime, Cells at Work. A delightful few minutes that culminates in Becoming Pizza.
Thanks for reading! I’m gonna try to do a couple of these types of posts per month, depending on what I play and how long each game takes. Lemme know if you’ve seen other great short experiences lately!
