Yes, almost everything comes out on Steam, from indie titles to big blockbusters. However, and no matter how many games there are, actually it's just the tip of the iceberg of all video game production in the world.
There are many other platforms full of works waiting to be discovered, and itch.io it is undoubtedly one of the most prominent. Much less corporatized than Steam, itch is designed so that anyone can upload their jobs without any impediment, whatever type of game it is.
It is the space that many new and independent developers use to speak freely. Sometimes with the intention of selling some copies yes, but on many other occasions for the simple fact of doing it; for having his work in a place accessible to everyone.
There are real gems on itch.io not found on Steam. Short, fast and original titles. Some have become enormously famous, while others are still making a name for themselves, but they all have their value. Here we leave you a selection of some of these games that you can try on itch.io. Very short and full of interesting ideas. They are all free, but their authors accept donations in case you want to support them.
0_abyssalSomewhere
- Developed bynonoise
- Download it here
If you are looking for a horror experience, here is an original good. 0_abyssalSomewhere It is, at best, a tremendously interesting interesting experience within its genre. And it only lasts half an hour.
If you really go into what it proposes, then you will love it. It is difficult to talk about it without gutting anything, but let's say that it is an exploration title in which the atmosphere is dark, oppressive and otherworldly. Give it a touch, because you won't see anything like it.
Butterfly Soup
- Developed by: Brianna Lei
- Download it here
If you go to the most popular games tab on itch.io, the first of all is Butterfly Soup
It is a heartwarming love story between Asian American girls during their high school days. Throughout the game we play several of them and we appreciate their different points of view, their concerns and their character. A game about self-discovery and the process of growing in a complicated context. A must if you are looking for a very well written story. Of course, it is not in Spanish.
Eternal Home Floristry
- Developed by: Deconstructeam
- Download it here
This comes neither more nor less than from the Spanish study Deconstruct, creators of the sensational The Red Strings Club. In addition to launching commercial games with Devolver Digital, the team is also dedicated to nurturing his itch.io page with small free experiences.
One of them is Eternal Home Floristry, the game in which we play a hitman who, after being injured and unable to work, finds himself working in a flower shop while recovering. We can create multiple bouquets of different flowers, although the excellent thoughtful dialogues that characterize the studio are not lacking either.
Everything is going to be OK
Developed by: Nathalie Lawhead
Download it here
Perhaps one of the biggest conceptual oddities of this selection. Although it is clearly a video game, its author also likes to refer to it as an online zine. And it is that, after all, we are before a collection of interactive bullets.
To each more twisted, everything is said, but they know how to hit hard when they touch. Everything is going to be OK It talks about anxiety, the problems derived from living in a competitive world and that demands more from us than we can give it. Convey that feeling of continually choking on a unique handling of irony that is already evident even in its visual display. It does not leave you indifferent.
Haunted PS1 Demo Disc 2020
Developed by: Various authors
Download it here
There is a very particular nostalgia for the golden age of demos. When you didn't have the internet and you didn't have a lot of money to buy games, the demos saved our skin for countless afternoons. The PS1 games are quite famous, and that's what this game tries to recover.
Although in reality it is not just one, but an entire collection of 17 little horror titles. All of them adopt the graphics and aesthetics of the classics of the genre in the 32-bit era, and they look pleasing. But do not be fooled by the name: they are not demos, nor are they PS1 games. They are all original, current, and although brief, they will not leave you half-hearted.
No Players Online
Developed bypapercookies
Download it here
It's an oddly sad moment every time an online game has to shut down servers. They are entire worlds, once inhabited by lots of players, who get lost. Browsing an empty server creates a unique feeling of solitude, and that's what you're looking for No Players Online.
Obviously, it is not a real multiplayer. It is a very short horror game that tries to create the illusion that we are in an online shooter without players. In the process, we will realize that not everything is as it seems.
Nothing
- Developed by: JoelLikesPigs
- Download it here
This game is defined as a two-dimensional platform in which everything is an improvement, and is completely serious. We start with nothing, unable to move or do anything. As we fall we unlock the music and sound effects, and right on the ground we get the ability to move to the left.
Nothing forces us to think about how we would solve the typical missteps of a game of the style without the basic characteristics that many of us take for granted. For example, it takes us a long time to acquire the ability to go to the right or to duck, so we manage with what little we have. Simple, fun and different.
Mimics
- Developed by: Navel
- Download it here
A game in which laughter is guaranteed while we see our friends playing the fool. Mimics is intended for two or more players, and presents us with a cartoon face with an exaggerated expression that we must imitate using the computer's webcam.
Meanwhile, our partner cannot see the image that we are imitating. Then you will be given three similar pictures and you will have to guess which one we were imitating. Your success depends on how well we have done it!
The Maître D '
Developed by: SeaDads
Download it here
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a French restaurant? Well, the reality of the situation does not correspond at all with what is seen in The Maître D ', but at least this one is more fun.
The mission is to bring each client to your table, but what if they are in an unreachable place? Nothing happens, our meter has the ability to stretch and shrink like a worm … or something. Puzzles and platforms full of French stereotypes where it is impossible not to laugh with that narrator who constantly tells us "three good" or "sacrebleu" in a hyper exaggerated way.
Tiny Islands
- Developed by: David King
- Play it for free here
Here is a simple experience and the sea of cuca. Basically Tiny Islands It is like a card game in which the objective is not to defeat the rival, but to create three small islands.
Each element gives us points if we place it based on pre-established rules (for example, the mountains give more points if they are near trees, boats have to be away from the coast, etc.). In the same shift we are given a choice between two of these and a limited location to put it, and so on until we fill it up. Then we will have to draw the outline of the islands to encompass everything and see how many points we have achieved. A game usually lasts five minutes.
Windowframe
- Developed by: Daniel Linssen
- Download it here
Another platforms with a concept that we have rarely seen before. Windowframe takes place in a small window on the desktop of our PC, with the particularity that it moves when we advance through the different environments of the game.
Soon after we start we will gain the key skill that makes this gimmick reach its true potential. We can throw stakes at one edge of the window to keep it still or move it at pleasure, and thus overcome its various obstacles. Controlling the window, we control the game. It is one of those concepts that is better understood when you see them on video, so do not miss the one we have left you up here.
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