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Indica plays an unlikely character as the game's heroine. Although she is deft with a wrench, she is more concerned with saving her own soul than saving her world. Instead of a utility belt and gun holster, she wears a flowing robe and wimples. As a nun in a 19th century Russian convent, her clothing is an important part of her job.
This very stylish game from Russian studio Odd Meter tells the story of one nun's dramatic struggle for her faith. The development team hails from Moscow and was concerned about how their game's criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church would be viewed by the Putin regime. Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine, most developers decided to move to Kazakhstan to ensure their own safety. In the run-up to the game's release, they made their strong anti-war stance public.
“In Russia, the government always reminds you, 'If you say the wrong thing, you'll go to jail,'” says Dmitry Svetlov, the game's writer and director. “I didn't feel comfortable living in a place where I was being threatened like that.”
Players begin the game trudging through the snow, completing mundane tasks for the strict Mother Superior of a nunnery. Eventually, the demonic narrator begins to question Indica's actions and, by extension, the value of her religion as a whole. It's immediately clear that this narrator isn't just talking to the player. I can hear the devil whispering in Indica's ear.
Shunned by the other nuns, she is relieved when she is given a letter to send to a nearby convent. As Indica travels through a desolate winter landscape, her inner conflicts are psychedelically projected onto the world around her. She joins up with Ilya, an escaped prisoner, who becomes her foil. There she hears the devil's voice, and the devil receives a message from God. The two embark on a journey to find religious artifacts with healing properties. She seeks her soul back and he seeks to heal her severely injured arm.
Gameplay is fairly simple. You'll mostly be walking around and tackling light platforming and environmental puzzles. These serve as the backdrop for the real action, the metaphysical war that is waged inside Indica's mind. She discusses topics such as sin and the nature of the soul with Ilya about the demonic voices she hears in her head. Games often explore ideas of morality and faith, but these themes are rarely so clearly grounded in real-world religion.
“Games are now adult entertainment, and the industry is starting to create more authentic and sophisticated stories,” says Svetlow. Other games that tackle issues of religion include thoughtful explorations of fictional beliefs in the world. fall out and baldur's gate series, or a more artistic approach to metaphysical topics in indie games. Journey and That Dragon, Cancer.
indicaHis harshly critical view of the Russian Church was inspired by Svetlow's own atheist awakening. He renounced his faith at the age of 15, after a childhood devoted to church services and pilgrimages. “The main idea I took away from the Russian Orthodox Church is that you should always hate yourself,” he says with a wry smile. “You must admire, obey, and be miserable.'' He said that these ideas influence current Russian society, and that the general population's withdrawal from politics means that the church will not be able to teach obedience and obedience. I believe that it is inculcated by giving importance to it.
“We tried to present religion as a game you can play,” Svetlow says. Thus, the dark monochrome of the indica world is broken up by glowing pixelated golden dots that reward holy deeds. Scoring in corners counts as points, but the more you score, the more you need to score. It has been suggested that there is an equivalent relationship between the existential meaninglessness of earning points in a game and the meaninglessness of earning your way to heaven through prayer and self-surrender.
This game is impressive on a purely visual level. In this fallen world, everything is destroyed. You traverse twisted environments that reflect Indica's inner turmoil, including ruined villages, exploding factories, and dangerous scaffolding. A vivid cinematic sensibility is there, sprinkled with avant-garde elements such as fish-eye shots and claustrophobic camera angles (Svetlov credits Terry Gilliam and Andrei Hess as influenced filmmakers). Tarkovsky's name is mentioned). Meanwhile, flashbacks to Indica's youth sequences unfold in retro pixel art graphics and include nostalgic references to classic gameplay, such as: Pac-Man and frogger.
The games industry has been reeling from layoffs and studio closures in recent months. So it's heartening to see the product of such intellectual ambition and stylistic boldness, especially from a part of the world where stories are less often told in the media. indica You may lose your religion, but it certainly helps you keep your faith alive.
“Indika” is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S
