In this second installment of The 15 Minute Gamer, I want to highlight a trend that isn’t new, but is… well, trending. And for the best reasons. Pixel and 8-bit art have existed since we figured out how 1’s and 0’s could make anything at all. While initially a result of the limitations of graphics, pixel games have seen a resurgence of late, due to nostalgia (we’re all so old now) and the increased quality of pixel graphics (confusing, I know).
The two games I’m going to gift you today (they are free, and they are FANTASTIC), are both from pixel artist master and game designer Octavio Navarro. His Patreon, Redbubble, and itch.io are a plethora of juicy pixelated bits, and I’m thrilled I found his work. It may look a bit familiar — Octavio also worked on Thimbleweed Park.
Both games are rather short, so I’ll be brief — and NO SPOILERS!
Midnight Scenes is so perfectly reminiscent of the Twilight Zone — tonal black and white, grim af. Unsettling atmosphere, puzzles, and gameplay that is easy to pick up… I was so sad when this was over. I even replayed it a second time to be sure I’d seen everything because I didn’t want to miss a thing (cue the Aerosmith). Octavio says he is currently working on Episode 2 of the series, so go back him on Patreon!
The Librarian, also by Octavio Navarro, is a similar visual style (naturally), but has color and more puzzles. Again, I wished this had been a longer game, I just wanted to keep playing! There seemed to be more depth and world-building behind the designs than as players we have access to. Who are these Librarians? I want to be one — like knights, protectors of knowledge and books! I’m into it. Hopefully there will be more installments of this, also.
Both of these games are technically free on itch.io (to play on your computer), but you also have the option of making a donation, which I highly encourage. The amount of time it takes to create the art, let alone the gameplay, is staggering. And Octavio is a one-man show. He may have a pet. I don’t know. But I do know that we should be supporting indie designers as much as possible, and his work is top notch. Top pixel. Top bit?
