Pursuit of graphics distracts many gamers from genial franchises with stylized visuals and weird gaming conditionalities. This review is dedicated to 3 simulators that became classics due to memorable gameplay and cross-platform accessibility.
Goat Simulator – Mad Goat in the Mad World
This game was launched by Coffee Stain Studios in 2014 for PC, but soon became available for all major platforms, including iOS, Android, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, Linux, and OS X. Hundreds of YouTubers played Goat Simulator and gained millions of views due to the catchy absurdity and ridiculousness of the game.
You play as an ordinary-looking goat, that can do extraordinary things and lives in a weird world of hilarious ragdoll humans. Your only mission is to run around and destroy everything you see as fast as possible. The goat is immortal, so it can explode fuel canisters, do saltos from skyscrapers, and perform other crazy tricks.
Such a simple idea received high ranks from players, so developers made four big DLCs. GS MMO brought in multiplayer; GS GoatZ introduced zombie apocalypse; GS PAYDAY allowed to choose such characters as dolphin, camel, and flamingo; finally, GS Waste of Space presented a space odyssey of the Goat on a space station. All chapters are overflowing with cultural references and flat-but-relevant humor. IndieGames.Download recommends this franchise to everyone who wants an endlessly fun time killer.
Factorio – Economy of Loneliness
This sandbox economy simulator in RTS genre with tower-defense elements was launched in early access by Wube Software in 2016. This year we might see the final release of version 1.0 for Windows, OS X, and Linux.
You play as a handyman astronaut whose spaceship has crashed on an unknown planet. Luckily, this dude knows nearly everything about engineering. He can construct all types of engines, power stations, factories, spaceships, trains, and exoskeletons.
The planet is full of minerals and fossil fuels, so you can mine them to start production lines. For the first couple of days you’ll have to use character’s hands, but soon you will build various mining facilities, and raw minerals processing factories. Manual assembling also becomes impossible because of economic growth, so you will have to construct automatic assembly lines.
All factories produce emissions, so the local population of arthropods will attempt to destroy the source of pollution and kill you. Fortunately, you can build massive defense walls and equip them with cannons. Do your best to survive and try to build a spacecraft to get back home. The story reminds The Martian, but with a deeper emphasis on engineering.
RimWorld – One Title With Many Scenarios
This construction and management simulation by Ludeon Studios is a long-playing early access indie project for Windows, OS X, and Linux. Similarly to Factorio, your mission is to build a ship to leave the hostile planet. RimWorld is a procedurally generated terrain. At IndieGames.Downloadwe have picked this simulator due to the wide range of choices it offers.
You can start the game with different combinations of preferences. Characters may have various sets of skills and opportunities for development. The gameplay is very realistic. For example, you can pick units with good memory and they will remember temporarily unused skills longer than others. If one of your units was a skittish child, it won’t be able to go hunting.
Besides, every character can catch a cold or multiple serious illnesses. Some may just reduce productivity, while others will kill units in several days. All events and plot segments are randomized, so it’s impossible to foresee anything.
You always have to consider individual features of every unit to make progress and survive. It’s a challenging task, you can adjust the game to give you sometime to restore though. If you prefer hardcore gaming, switch the difficulty level.
Conclusion
These 3 indie games are worth the attention of everyone who perceives simulator games as the art of reality representation. No matter how these games look or how absurd they may appear, you will definitely enjoy the depth of gameplay.
