Indika, Part Two

I have a major caveat about Indika, which should probably come fairly early on in any review I write. The caveat is that you can skip cutscenes, and this is a blessing. Overall, Indika is a quiet and thoughtful game, but there are two scenes in particular that were too intense for me.

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Still, I appreciate that Indika isn't fucking around with its story. The writing is extremely ambitious.

In any case, it might be useful to include an image to demonstrate what I mean by "early 2010s graphics that look like Dark Souls." This is a good illustrative landscape shot from Indika:

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Speaking of liminal graphics and postmodern gothic

Heavenly Purgatories: The Postmodern Labyrinth
https://doshmanziari.substack.com/p/heavenly-purgatories-the-postmodern

Stripped of all narrative elaborations, it’s clear that the Backrooms can be placed, at least initially, in the context of “uncomfortable” imagery of interior spaces. Responses to such imagery often involve claims that one feels dislocated yet aware of a vaguely familiar aspect. A tension between accommodating and hostile design threatens to explode or compress, hanging in the air like a hum. Some grotesque event may be on the verge of happening.

I'm in love with this author's writing. I also love their architectural art and their retro game music, which they share on Tumblr (here).

I appreciate this particular essay on liminal spaces not just because it's highly quotable, but also because it's well-illustrated and contains links to excellent examples of the "liminal" (or "dreamcore") genre on YouTube. It's a fantastic resource.