itch.io Recommends: Some games to get you started in the #itchHalloweenSale

The Halloween Sale is in full swing for another few days (it’s going until Thursday at 10am PST) but with hundreds of games on sale it might be a little intimidating to wade through them all. Paralysis of choice and all that (also go check out the itch.io Selects Bundle. I promise it’s great). Well don’t worry, itch.io fans — we’ve got your back. Here are some awesome games to get you started.

Thumper

Thumper wasn’t a game I loved at first. I’ve always thought it was good but it took me several months to understand just how good it was. Sure, the premise of a super tactile rhythm based around noise rock is pretty simple but beyond this premise lies a project with absolutely incredible gamefeel. To be honest Thumper is a game that you need to feel in order to really understand the appeal so describing it is an exercise in futility — but I’ll try my best.

Thumper is a game of sliding a weird metallic beetle down a psychedelic Hot Wheels track navigating obstacles set to the game’s soundtrack. What makes the game feel just so great is the way the game gives you little bits of feedback as you plow through each of these barriers. The beetle makes an industrial metallic clinking as it orients itself before a powerslide, and there are powerful bass hits when you stomp on blocks set up ahead of you. In its own way the ambient sounds of Thumper is music on its own. This is combined with powerful screenshake and uncomfortable pulsing through the track and backgrounds to make a uniquely crunchy game.

If you’re at all interested in rhythm games or incredible sound design, Thumper is worth the $10 you’ll pay for it right now.

Cube Escape: Paradox

Cube Escape:Paradox is easily the newest game on this list, which makes its inclusion in the Halloween Sale even more exciting. Released just a few weeks ago, Cube Escape: Paradox is a combination film/ game from the creators of the Rusty Lake and Cube Escape series. The typical pointing and clicking puzzle solving that this team has been known for is back with a vengeance in Paradox, but what makes this entry unique is the way that it include and utilizes the included Cube Escape film.

If you’ve been waiting to pick up this fresh new puzzler, check out its lowest ever price (25% off!) now.

Anatomy

I personally consider this recommendation a public service announcement. Anatomy isn’t a new game, but in the years since I first slunk through its dark halls it has maintained its spot at the top of my list of Halloween games. This beautifully short game has possibly the best approach to the “physical location as antagonist” design trope in recent memory and has racked up the praise for it.

Anatomy features a ton of sneaking through a suburban home while things get increasingly creepy but where Anatomy breaks into the Halloween canon is through its multiple endings. While the game itself has a bite-sized half hour runtime, it also features a score of different endings that all build on each other to tell a uniquely compelling narrative.

If all of this praise wasn’t enough to sell you on Anatomy, maybe the price will. While the game is usually a paltry $3, it’s only $1.50 as part of the Halloween sale.

Check out all of these games and more in the itch.io Halloween Sale here. Need even more games? Grab the itch.io Selects Bundle here.