Gods Will Be Watching is a bleak, beautiful free survival sim
Think Oregon Trail in the future with lovely pixel art.
Gods Will Be Watching has got to be one of the most expansive Ludum Dare entries ever.
Developed by five-person Spanish indie outfit Desctructeam over the course of 48 hours for the minimalism-themed Ludum Dare game jam, Gods Will Be Watching portrays the exploits of a stranded team of scientists in 2257 AD who have flown to a hostile, remote planet in hopes of creating a cure for the Medusa virus. After being attacked by terrorists the group is stranded and must survive for 40 days.
As the crew captain, it's your job to make sure everyone has what they need to survive. You'll have to spend action points on getting crewmates to fix the radio, hunt for food, make medicine, keep the fire lit and offer therapy. The whole time you'll also have to keep track of your depleting ammo, food and medical supplies. You don't want to eat the dog, do you? The dog is adorable! (And useful. He can hunt!)
The whole thing is tied together with a gorgeous Sword & Sworcery-esque pixelated aesthetic of lanky, boxy figures whose relatively realistic proportions add a lot of weight and gravitas to the bleak subject matter.
Gods Will Be Watching is not an easy game. It's long and grueling and requires more number crunching than my feeble mind can comprehend, but it portrays this uphill challenge splendidly.
See how long you can survive by playing Gods Will Be Watching for free at Destructeams's official site.
(Thanks for the heads up, Freeindiegam.es.)