Due to the ongoing political situation happening in Ukraine right now, a bunch of game developers publishes and indies have come together to create an amazing bundle of wonderful games. The proceeds from the bundle go on to the International Medical Corps, which provides medical assistance in Ukraine, as well as Voices of Children, a Ukrainian organization that helps children with everything that comes with living through a war — the organization has been setting up shelters for those affected by this needless war. This bundle has brought together over 700 developers and contains nearly 1,000 products, many of which have never been in a bundle before, so we wanted to highlight some of the amazing games in this bundle, so you know where to begin playing once you pick it up. The Bundle for Ukraine has a $10 minimum, with all of the proceeds going 50/50 to these mentioned charities.
We’ve included quotes from our reviews of these games, to give you a bit of a background.
Backbone
Backbone came at a time where I’m currently undergoing what is essentially a medical experiment to find out how I can make my brain work better for me, rather than against me. It is, as a long time lover of noir, a warmth. In working the bizarre, labyrithine case I felt a strange sort of recognition I think I’m struggling to put into words. In so much of this game I saw my own struggle with Depression and ADHD. I found a game which showed the ugliness of it all, and a boundless empathy, and the freedom that can come from learning to live with who you are in all your broken pieces.
Cloud Gardens
“Cloud Gardens is a really slow, relaxing, and freeform puzzle game. There isn’t really a puzzle to solve, apart from decorating a world until it is happy with you. The game also contains a freeplay mode, where you can just design little scenes with no fear of failures, though you will need to unlock new objects for this world through playing the regular levels first. It’s a good game to relax, while making the world a bit brighter.”
SUPERHOT
And that’s Superhot in a nutshell really. It’s a bold, beautiful, artistic, innovative, annoyingly likeable hipster who not just sports an excellent beard and man bun, but can also shoot, skin and cook a Grizzly Bear. Wait, no. Sorry. That was nonsense. It’s actually more like the kind of rare game that is both entirely comfortable in its own skin, and entirely competent by any other measure. It’s more than competent in fact; it is exceptional. It looks amazing, it plays almost perfectly and it is incredibly rewarding when you succeed, with relatively little frustration factor if you don’t.
A Short Hike
I won’t say what happens once Claire reaches the top of the mountain, or how many golden feathers there are to collect, or what the bucket you find to water the island’s special flowers does. But I will encourage anyone in need of a break or breath of fresh air to pick up this small, brilliant gem and take a short hike to explore Hawk Peak Provincial Park. There are races to run, fish to be caught, treasure maps to follow and friends to be made. And no phone service. Like with most weekend trips out of the city, I was sad to see it come to an end.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!!
All in all, if you’re looking for a fast-paced cooking game you can take on the go and play solo, Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! is pretty good. There is a huge learning curve with the Nintendo Switch, but it’s not surprising that a keyboard with many, many buttons would be much easier to use. I just wish I didn’t have to suddenly be an interior designer to enjoy my restaurant.
Read our full review of the Nintendo Switch version.
Bury Me, My Love
Bury Me, My Love hooks you in, showing you a story that you want to be apart of all while making you wait for your chance to make more decisions. This game is truly wonderful and you can download it and play it for yourself here. See where Nour takes you, what advice she finds useful, and if she can make it all the way to Europe safely.
Fortune-499
This is a great example of how “polish” is way more important than technology expanding AAA graphics because sometimes it is more important how a game makes you feel, rather than how lifelike it looks. And this game makes you feel. I have just barely scratched the surface before running to write this review to let the world know you all should play it, but it certainly hits the home run on my own personal experience of being someone witchy who finds themselves stuck in a capitalist society — all while your friends tell you to quit your soul-sucking job, but you can’t for some reason. I actually feel like a lot of folks could relate to that, regardless of how close you are to the fairy realm.
Cosmic Express
The art style is very nice, with bright colours highlighting points of interest in the stages. The aliens are very well animated too, giving them plenty of character (although I would have liked more varieties of alien). I particularly liked their idle animations when waiting for a train to arrive and the little hops they make when getting into it. The sounds are nice as well with the game sporting a relaxing soundtrack and suitable beeps and bloops adding a nice atmosphere. I did find the sound rather quiet on my computer however, and had to turn the speakers up to maximum to hear it clearly, but this doesn’t prevent you from playing or enjoying the game.
Disobedient Sheep
“Aside from the impressive technology and cute dogs, perhaps the thing that sticks out the most about Disobedient Sheep is its accessibility and family-friendly nature. It is completely playable without any requirement of reading comprehension, and the danger in the game is of a children’s cartoon level.”
Sausage Sports Club
“Seeing people just laugh and have fun without concerning themselves too much of the rules and play of the game is what makes Sausage Sports Club work well. Its cute graphics, extensive customization options, and gameplay modes will appeal to many, and if you’re looking for a couch co-op game these days, there honestly aren’t many new ones to have come out in the recent years. Sure, Adventure mode is short and the game can be frustrating at times, but the joy of competition and friendship (and certainly ragging on each other) is sure to please even the most callous gamer.”
This is just a small portion of the games in the Bundle for Ukraine, with so many more titles incldued. Just looking through the list, I saw so many new games that I am personally excited to get my hands on and play through, ones I have never seen before in bundles, and quite a number of the projects entered in this bundle are actually books or tabletop print and play games, which is very neat to see. The whole bundle is going to a very good cause, and with this volume of games and projects featured, it is easy to see that you will be getting more than your money’s worth at the minimum price point — and, most importantly, it’s for a good cause. If you are looking for some new games to play or just want to support two very worthy charities, Bundle for Ukraine is really worth picking up.
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