“Budget Diaries” is a new series where Gearburn explores the vast digital landscape of the internet in search of unique and engaging games that won’t break the bank or greedily consume half your hard drive’s space. If you’re tired of paying half your wages on games, waiting for massive downloads or playing games that seem all too familiar, then you’ve come to the right place.
This week, Wiehahn takes a look at Sara is Missing, Pequod and several more titles that won’t hurt your wallet.
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Sara is Missing
Developer: Kaigan Games
Size: 132 MB
Platforms: PC, Mac, Android
Price: Free (with option to donate)
In Sara is Missing you are tasked with finding a teenage girl, namely Sara, via hints and clues found on her mobile phone.
What I found most intriguing about this title is how its chilling story took place on the eerily familiar backdrop of a smartphone, making the experience extremely relatable and, therefore, quite terrifying.
Beyond the mystery of Sara’s disappearance though, the game also delves into a string of thought-provoking themes such as the impact of technology on our privacy and even the nature of the self.
In the words of the developer: “Sara is Missing (SIM) is all about the horrors of mobile technology and touches upon the voyeuristic pleasure that one gets from prying through another person’s personal items. We store so much information about ourselves on our mobile devices that deducing what we really are like in real life becomes as simple as tapping on a screen.”
Wreck the Party
Developer: Kinda Sweet Studios
Size: 56 MB
Platforms: PC, Mac
Price: Free (with option to donate)
Wreck the Party is a simple yet surprisingly addictive title that lets you ruin Thanksgiving dinner by slingshotting the precious turkey your mom slaved over the entire day into a dinner table fully occupied by your extended family.
The aim is to see how many things your soaring turkey can destroy and people it can piss off with a single shot, your success being reflected in the high score at the end of a round. It has a fun and quirky low-poly art style, with its eccentricity echoed even further by the song choices.
This one is best played with a friend. You’ll be amazed how competitive a turkey-shooting contest can get.
Pequod
Developer: Bearmancer
Size: 34 MB
Platforms: PC, Mac
Price: Free (with the option to donate)
Named after the whaling-ship in the famous novel Moby Dick, Pequod is one of the most charming little titles I’ve played in quite a while.
You play as a whale that has to fend off constant waves of whalers that are terrorising your corner of the ocean. You will be facing off against a surprising variety of ships, submarines and floating ships carried along by massive hot air balloons. Each of these will be armed to the teeth with a variety of destructive weapons and with each passing round their whale hunting prowess only becomes more deadly.
Luckily your whale has an arsenal of its own, which can be upgraded with items found after destroying ships. Beyond crushing the whalers under the sheer force an airborne sperm whale, you will be able to equip weapons such as a spiky horn and eventually even a laser cannon.
I Remember The Rain
Developer: Jordan Browne
Size: 17 MB
Platforms: PC
Price: Free
I Remember The Rain is a very short title but it is undoubtedly one of the most memorable stirring games I’ve had the pleasure of playing.
You play as a man whose wife has just been in a terrible car accident. The game explores the events and emotions that follow and with a surprisingly cinematic flair. Even with its simplistic pixel art style, this title conjures a captivatingly moody atmosphere.
It is a very casual experience in terms of gameplay, with the developer describing it as an “interactive short story” rather than a game. But in terms of narrative, the game boasts a wealth of emotion.
