Fantastic Fest Just Got More Fantastic
Humble Bundle is celebrating the Fantastic Fest, taking place from September 24th until October 1st at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas, with the Fantastic Arcade Bundle. This weekly bundle features the DRM-free versions of six games premiering at Fantastic Arcade. This section of the festival, which is otherwise devoted to film, focuses on new indie games and is open to the public.
Pay any amount you want, and you’ll receive these six games:
Hellmouth
by Thu Tran, Ivan Safrin and Bobo Do
Described as a “two-player cooking/fighting game,” Hellmouth has a crazy concept and even crazier imagery. The game looks a bit like a head-to-head challenge in Top Chef, except that it’s set in Hell. We like the giant horns on the player characters; they look adorably top-heavy, like rhinoceros beetles.
ALEA
by Cale Bradbury and Paloma Dawkins
We haven’t seen much of ALEA yet, but it’s from the creators of the gently psychedelic Gardenarium, who describe it as a rhythm game combined with a hiking simulator. Chances are it’s going to be ethereal and pretty.
HOKY
by Kitty Calis and J.W. Nijman
It’s not hockey, it’s HOKY. Wait, it is hockey. Kind of. It’s a local multiplayer game for up to four people, and it’s based loosely on hockey without trying in any way to simulate the original sport.
Risky Bison
by Captain Games
Apparently based on both buffalo herds and financial markets, Risky Bison could be the Wild West-themed stock trading game you didn’t know you needed. What if Gordon Gecko wasn’t a gecko at all, but a giant bovine?
CRAP! No One Loves Me
by Arcane Kids
Aside from the catchy title, CRAP! No One Loves Me looks like an afterlife skating game, only you skate on coffins. We’re talking Grim Fandango crossed with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and updated for the Instagram generation.
Wheels of Aurelia
by Santa Ragione
A classic isometric racing game that also happens to be an interactive fiction piece, Wheels of Aurelia mashes up two things you probably wouldn’t have thought to pair. You’ll drive along the Italian coast while also experiencing the political and personal upheaval of characters in Italy’s turbulent ’70s.
All of these games come DRM-free for Windows, Mac and Linux, except for Risky Bison, which is currently Windows-only.
Fantastic Classics
In addition to the six games premiering at the festival, this bundle also features six previously released indie games, including a number of classics and IGR favorites, for anyone who pays $8 or more.
FEZ
by Polytron Corporation
You know FEZ, right? Everyone knows FEZ. It’s a big part of why indie games have gotten so popular, and it was IGR’s Top Game of 2012. Go play FEZ.
Hotline Miami
by Devolver Digital
Another massive hit from 2012 (this one also made our Top 10 Games of 2012, landing in fifth place), Hotline Miami combines colorful pixellated graphics with criminal violence. As IGR writer primofimo described it, “its nuanced and fulfilling shoot-em-up action will leave you feeling something like watching Scarface with hyper-colored glasses.”
Luftrausers
by Vlambeer
Manic flying and shooting in the classic arcade style meets stylish sepia-toned graphics in Luftrausers. Think Time Pilots by way of Dr. Strangelove.
No Brakes Valet
by Captain Games
An older mobile game from the folks behind Risky Bison, No Brakes Valet provides just what the title suggests. How long can you manage a parking lot before everything turns into a slow-motion demolition derby?
MirrorMoon EP
by Santa Ragione
Another Santa Ragione offering, this space exploration game was a bit of a sleeper hit. Some players praised MirrorMoon EP for its atmosphere and sense of discovery, while others criticized its obtuse controls and seeming lack of action.
FRACT OSC
by Phosfiend Systems
A first person puzzle game taking place within a modular synthesizer, FRACT OSC is an entirely new take on the concept of a musical game; it also features a complete modular synth studio so you can create music of your own. We found the puzzles frustrating in places but loved the game’s aesthetic of glowing neon polygons and mechanical synthesizer warbles.
All of these games are available as DRM-free downloads, and all but No Brakes Valet include Steam keys.
A portion of the proceeds from this bundle go to two nonprofit organizations: AbleGamers, which assists people with disabilities in the gaming community and helps developers make their games more accessible, and Worldreader, which has brought free digital books to over five million readers in 69 different countries.
