Video games have long been a medium in which storytellers give players the means to both interact with, and then view, the narrative they have constructed for them. Some of these stories within the world of gaming are based on a reality that attempts to mirror our real world, while most tend to try and escape into fantasies and realities that allow people to be something spectacular.Indikahops back and forth from one side of these realities to the other, an action that can sometimes cause a bit of whiplash in the storytelling. Ultimately, though,Indikatellsan incredibly intriguing and bizarre storythat is constantly full of tension and wonder. The game intermingles both the surreal and the real with a deft hand, creating an interactive tale that players will likely have a hard time putting down.
The game’s namesake and protagonist, Indika, is a nun in a convent in Russia, and the game goes to great lengths to inform players of how hard her life is right from the beginning.Indikauses the unreliable narrator trope to great effect, and continues using it throughout its runtime. The narrator manages to keep the story moving between and while traveling to and from the games' various locations, with both dark humor and a bit of rudeness that never feels too much like a cartoon villain.
And there is a lot of traveling for Indika to do, which may be where the first stumbling block for players manifests.Indikais an adventure story that feels more interactive than proactive due to its linear style. There are places to explore briefly while moving about, but there is always a right way. This does help keep the story moving along at a nice clip, though it does drag during certain points, especially the long stretches where it can begin to feel a bit like a walking simulator. The game does an excellent job of using its narrative to move the overall goal of the game, shifting numerous times in a way that feels organic and manages to keep the intrigue intact. Developer Odd Meter juggles players' interest and motivation alongside telling a very engrossing story.
Indikalooks great and plays very smoothly, and asthe game transitions to different biomesand interiors, it never seems to lose its feel of being both an older world and otherworldly. There are things strewn about that don’t exist in the real world, mixed in with some real artifacts from the world of the church. It juxtaposes both realities in ways that can feel terrifying at times, and morbidly boring at others. The endless snow drifts at the beginning can feel like a bit of a slog to get through, but after making their way through it, players will be greeted by sites and scenes not found in many places in gaming. It’s difficult not to spoil some of the set pieces with their grandiose ways of showing off, but suffice it to say, there will be many surprises as players progress.
Indikadoes like to mess with players' perspectives, sometimes quickly cutting to odd camera angles that elongate or narrow the user’s point-of-view. These can be quite jarring at first, but it creates tension in scenes that, if shown normally, wouldn’t be as fraught with much tensity. A lot of that tension is played through various character’s expressions, andIndika’s character designs are well-thought-out and enjoyable to view. The game also uses its audio cues to great effect as well, where some mis-placed chimes or drums can heighten the tension in scenes without much effort.
It’s fascinating to watch and learn about Indika herself. There isn’t much to go on at first, other than her being a nun, but the player quickly learns there is more to her. The game teaches users about Indika through her interaction with the narrator, but many more subtle moments hint at her complexity. There are a ton of these little nuanced and weighted moments, like during a scene where Indika disrobes to dry her clothes, and we see her shadow on a wall. Along with her outline, players see multiple shadowed arms reaching down from other shadows to help pull off her Nun’s habit. If players blink, they might miss it, but the game is stuffed full of these small moments that give hints at what Indika is going through.
It’s hard to tell if what is going on is real or just in her imagination when she is alone. The game is brimming with questions centered around the soul, interacting with god, and many more deep questions that have been uttered by religious followers for eons. Her interactionswith the narrator and other NPCsduring puzzle moments can be distracting, but they sometimes go deeper than one expects.
Undoubtedly, there will be a subset of players that will find the games' puzzles entirely too easy. Most don’t require deeper knowledge other than putting things in their proper place, and then moving Indika along the path that has opened up to her. There are a few that require some thought, but the difficulty feels tailored towards keeping the story moving. There may be a tendency to overthink some of them, though, so users should be prepared to take a step back on the frustrating ones and think a little slower.
The puzzles may actually be the weakest part of the game, but they never feel too out-of-place except when they’re obvious progression roadblocks or tied to a particular story beat that Odd Meter didn’t want players to ignore. There are also some entertaining puzzles that have Indika interacting with the narrator to solve platforming puzzles. These are a little mind-bending, as the narrator’s tirade splits the map in twain, only for Indika to be able to seal reality back together by praying. This leads to a back and forth between the two, as she moves across platforms, switching them back and forth to progress through. It’s not the first time this trick has been done, but it fits in neatly with the overall story.
The developers also decided to reveal the majority of Indika’s backstory through small pixel mini-games. These are also very easy to complete without much effort, and most players will wish there were more if it meant finding out more about the protagonist. They do a good job of breaking up the monotony of traversing the game world, though there are a few that may have been better served being tougher from a story point-of-view. It’s still a great way to info-dumpa backstory without taking players too farout of the immersion of the game itself despite being a different graphical style. During subsequent play-throughs, these sections do tend to feel more like a chore than a fun activity. Luckily, they’re short and can be breezed through without much fear of failure or affecting the story in any way.
There were a few hiccups with crashes and freezes, and asIndikadoesn’t have a manual save system, this may require players to repeat certain sections and actions that are not the most entertaining. There are only so many times a user can lower a bucket into a well using the game’s controls to spin the well wheel before it becomes tiresome. There were also some issues with the camera clipping through objects, though this may be more a limitation of the game’s graphical engine than anything else. Most of the time, the camera doesn’t clip through objects well or at all, and this can create a weird effect where users are looking at cross-sections of things that don’t seem to fully line up correctly. Despite these issues,there weren’t many game-breaking bugsor locations where these crashes occurred every time.
Indikahits incredibly high levels of zaniness and suspense and mixes the two so well that it creates a sought-after experience. Players will want to keep playing just to know how it ends, and most storytellers would love to hear that is their listeners' motivation. The game dips its toes in both the surreal and real in equal measure, and winds up being an enjoyable tale even through the most boring walking simulator-like parts. Odd Meter is doing interactive story-telling right, andIndikais a tale that will delight many and have them questioning everything.
Reviewed on PC
Indikareleases May 17, 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.
