Holiday Playlist: Bonnie Burgette
During the limited down-time I have over the Christmas holiday, I expect that I will be spending time playing games that don’t require a lot of heavy thinking or long-term investment. When I play a complicated game, I like to be able to sit for hours and get engrossed in the story, and let’s face it, that’s just not something that happens for a lot of people around this time of year (no matter which holiday you celebrate). Keeping that in mind, here is the list of games I will likely be playing over the holiday.
I expect that I’m far from the only one who’ll be playing this. I enjoy it because while it’s essentially just a more polished re-release of The Binding of Isaac; the updates allow for easier gameplay (playing with a controller is a welcome change), and the new characters provide a challenge that wasn’t present in the original. The average single playthrough for me is around 30 minutes, making it perfect for those times when I’m waiting for the next family gathering, or waiting for the oven’s buzzer to go off. Sure, the story is morbid, but when you’re blasting enemies with the “brimstone” upgrade, or taking out entire rooms with the power of a tarot card, you don’t really give much thought to how Isaac ended up in that basement in the first place. If you’re interested in checking it out (as if you haven’t seen it all over the internet, already), The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (by Edmund McMillen) is on Steam for $14.99 (though it’s part of the Steam Holiday Sale, so you might be able to pick it up for less than that).
This choice should surprise no one who checks my Twitter feed. Noble Kale’s Quarries of Scred is perfect to play with my own music playing in the background, and while it’s challenging (okay, it’s ridiculously difficult for new players, I won’t lie), once you get to a point where you’ve accepted that you’re going to die in a stupid and enraging way a large part of the time, being able to just use your arrow keys to direct a tiny man who’s collecting dirt and gems as a penance is fairly relaxing. The simple graphics give you direction while also allowing you to multitask, if you’re brave enough to do so. The #dailyquarry is a good way to humble yourself if you get too comfortable, but if you intend to do it right, you’d better set aside the better part of an hour. Quarries of Scred can be purchased from itch.io for $5.00 AUD (or $4.07 USD).
I like puzzle games, and I’m a musician. Puzzle games with music are, therefore, one of my favorite things in the whole world. Auditorium, by Cipher Prime, is practically made for touchscreens, and since my laptop has touch-screen capability, I’ve found a renewed joy in just dragging the directional pieces around the screen with my finger and re-discovering solutions I’d forgotten, resulting in simple melodies, counter-melodies, and chord progressions that are relaxing, along with visuals that are pleasing to the eye. It’s not for everyone, but I find it relaxing to play with a glass of wine in one hand and my laptop/tablet abomination in the other. For $6.99, Auditorium is a great deal, and has a great deal of replayability for those who enjoy it. Check it out on Steam.
No matter what you’re doing this holiday season, what you may be celebrating, and who you may be with, be safe and have fun. If you have some downtime to play some indie games, let us know in the comments which you’ve chosen, and why. We’d love to hear from you!
Happy Holidays from both myself, and all of us at IGM!
