STILL THERE Is A New Indie Game That Mixes Firewatch With 2001: A Space Odyssey

You have to love an indie game that defies explanation. I’d argue that the best indie games are the weird ones. Polish up your graphics all you want. I don’t care how shiny and realistically rendered your guns are. I like a game that makes me scratch my head and wonder just what the fuck I’m looking at. And I challenge you, dear reader, to tell me just what the fuck I’m looking at here:

That is a screenshot from the Steam store page for Still Here. From what I can tell, it’s about a spaceman who uses a tea kettle to talk to a giant space pimple. For what it’s worth, I did read the Official Press Release, and it wasn’t much more illuminating:

About Still There

Every day is the same on the faraway Bento space-lighthouse – until a mysterious radio message breaks through. Evade the past, welcome oblivion, make the perfect Italian coffee. Still There is a psychological adventure game about grief, technical puzzles, wacky AIs and dark humour. How far is far enough?

• Maintain the space station by solving brain-teasing puzzles and completing your daily tasks. Urine may be involved.
• Respond to emergency situations, take vital decisions while you unravel the emotional story of Karl’s past. 
• Engage in hilarious conversations with the Gorky, the station’s AI. 
• Confront issues of depression and grief in the deeply immersive narrative. 
• Delve into nostalgia with stunning, retro-looking graphics and visuals.

So… giant space pimple it is then? Whatever, the game looks cool. What’s more, this is a real passion project. Developed by GhostShark games, the press release came with this emotional addition from project lead Davide Barbieri:

Still There is more than a simple game to us – it has had a profound impact on our lives. It has been the fulfilment of a promise that was told to the child version of ourselves, and has been an important test of our own feelings. It has required many compromises and struggles and has, without a doubt, left its mark on us. Parts of us will always be in the game, and players across the world will experience our most intimate selves while playing Still There. We hope it will leave an impact on them too.”

Still There is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch for only $15. And hey, there are far worse ways you can spend your $15 dollars. It’s an experimental passion project that also features a space iguana. So go ahead and give it a go. I’ll let you know what I think in a review soon.