10 captivating, relaxing and fun indie games to help you forget that the world is burning
Who needs political turmoil when you have disposable income? (Canva/Webfishing)
Things are looking bleak across the world right now, especially for LGBTQ+ people. It seems that not a single day has gone by, since Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, where there hasn’t been some bizarre development in the news or worrying precedent set by one government or another.
While political engagement is obviously important, sometimes switching off and indulging in some quality you time is the only way to stop us going insane.
Conveniently, there are loads of games out there which, while not necessarily apolitical (since nothing can truly be void of politics), will help you leave the political world behind for a while.
Unpacking
Witch Beam’s Unpacking somehow manages to take one of first-world life’s most stressful endeavours – moving home – and turn it into a relaxing puzzle game about meticulously sorting a bookshelf.
Released in 2021, the game takes the player through an array of living spaces spanning 21 years, in which its main character, who is queer, moves from her childhood bedroom to a variety of properties.
A Hat in Time
A Hat in Time is one of those rare gems that’s worth buying for its adorable-as-heck art style alone. The 3D platformer has incredibly satisfying, easy-to-learn, but hard-to-master gameplay that will keep you coming back for more.
The player takes the role of Hat Kid, a little alien girl who is trying to return to her home world after a long trip in her spaceship. Unfortunately, the intergalactic mafia stopped her in her tracks asking for a toll and obliterated her fuel supply in the process.
Working with several colourful characters, Hat Kid must get her hour-glass fuel back to return home in this incredibly relaxing yet captivating game.
Frog Detective
Frog Detective is an incredibly simple, incredibly fun adventure mystery game created by just two people. The trio of games allow you to play as a detective, who also happens to be a frog, embarking on a set of mysteries and meeting hilariously endearing characters.
Each game, while short, is fairly cheap and will have you rolling around in laughter. You could say, you’ll be “ribbited” (groan… we apologise).
Calico
Calico, a day-in-the-life community sim, is built to make you “feel all warm and fuzzy inside”. The simple game has you playing as a customisable character trying to get a cat cafe back off its feet.
The gameplay, by the developers’ own admission, is designed to be laid back, low stress, and satisfyingly chill. Also, it has cats everywhere…
Later Alligator
Point & Click adventure games always have to find the balance between being fantastic and frustrating. Thankfully, Later Alligator has all the fun plus twice the personality.
You play as an unnamed private investigator hired by Pat, an anxious alligator who believes something catastrophic is going to happen and wants you to find out what it is. Collect clues by speaking to the hundreds of residents of Alligator New York City or spend time playing the several mini-games and challenges. Pat’s life could very well be in your hands.
Sticky Business
Sometimes, taking a break from the turmoil of public affairs means simply pretending to be a small- business owner. In Sticky Business, you do just that. This lovely little cheap title allows you to create stickers by combining clipart, packing stickers ready for shipment, and placing your creations on your website.
Who needs to know how far the Dow Jones has fallen when you can put a raccoon on a broomstick and sell it for fictional cash?
Webfishing
Coping with the weight of the world doesn’t have to be a solitary affair: you can swallow your despair with hundreds of other players with Webfishing. The multiplayer game lands you in a chatroom-based world where you can fish, meet other people, or take part in several of the games’ extra features such as chalk drawing or guitar playing.
The game is complete with customisable characters too, allowing you to show off your upgrades. It briefly had a “straight” title by popular demand for those who weren’t happy with the LGBTQ+ one, but it cost 9,999 fish bucks.
In Stars and Time
The thing about trying to give yourself breathing space from the unrelenting flood of bad news is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be spent doing something relaxing. You can submerse yourself in a powerful and emotional story instead. In Stars and Time is just one of the many games perfect for this.
The story-rich, role-playing game with time loop elements – every queer story’s favourite – allows you to play as Siffrin, an adventurer embarking on a journey with friends to oppose an evil king, but just as you’re about to claim victory, things reset and you’re left having to embark on the quest all over again.
Featuring fleshed-out characters, many of whom are LGBTQ+, and a powerful story that seems to unfold before your eyes, this one is a keeper.
Katamari Damacy: Reroll
OK, this one is slightly cheating. Katamari Damacy: Reroll is not an indie game by any stretch of the imagination, but its premise and gameplay are so delightfully magical that the remaster to the title that started it all has to be mentioned.
Put simply, Katamari Damacy: Reroll is a game about rolling up things and making a big ball. There is an amazing plot about the camp King of all Cosmos trying to rebuild the night sky, but all of this pales into insignificance when compared with the satisfaction of rolling up absolutely everything in your path.
The Katamari Damacy series spans several console generations, spin-offs and related titles. Its premise is simple yet consistently fun and satisfying.
Stardew Valley
It’s impossible to list a set of cosy, laid-back indie games and not include Stardew Valley. The 2016 life-simulation game, created by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, has become a mainstay of the casual gaming world.
The player takes the role of a customisable character who inherits their grandfather’s dilapidated farm in a wondrously beautiful town.
Players can help rebuild the farm, meet townsfolk, join in with seasonal events, and much more.
The game is perfect for those who want to be immersed in a pleasantly captivating world or who want to kill a few hours harvesting virtual crops. It ain’t much, but it’s honest work! And it also might prepare you for the coming apocalypse by teaching you how to become self-sufficient and grow your own veg.
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