Indie Game Showcase: Repose

I'm not really a big horror fan in general, I think the people who read this site and listen to the various podcasts know that at this point. Under ordinary circumstances, a game like Repose would not interest me but I was intrigued by the art style and had a really enjoyable experience, even if the game is a little short.

Repose follows the player as they start a new job to collect lost oxygen tanks at a mysterious and unnamed company. Your goal is to unravel the mystery about the work you are doing and what the company is up to.

The strongest parts of the game are the moment-to-moment gameplay and the design aesthetic. It feels like less of a dungeon crawler and more of a puzzle game since the goal of the gameplay is to navigate through a maze without encountering an enemy and being killed by it or running out of energy and passing out. Playing through the maze gives a sense of satisfaction as you figure out what the proper way through is, which creates a fun gameplay loop.

The game is also beautifully rendered in black and white pixel art, which is impressive considering how many environments there are in the game. Despite the minimalist aesthetic, there is still a great diversity in environment, and each one feels different from the last. Traversing the world is definitely the most fun and engaging part of the game.

The biggest problem is that the narrative is short and the narrative suffers for it. Considering this is a mystery that the player is working to solve, the fact that the game is only about two hours long just leads to cutscenes of exposition to explain to the player what is happening. It also short-changes the character development since the player immediately just trusts everyone he encounters which doesn't feel like a particularly smart move considering the world this game takes place in.

There isn't a ton of extra exploring and the game does punish the player for exploring since the energy limit is so tight. Even mechanics like the tea to replenish energy and the gun to immediately dispatch certain classes of enemies are just designed to manipulate gameplay within the energy limit. The enemy class that takes two shots to kill is just a barrier to sacrifice 10 energy to get past. The enemy that absorbs a bullet and doesn't die is just a 5 energy punishment to show you that you should have used the axe. The enemy that requires the gun to kill is just a 5 energy sacrifice to progress or try to persuade you to go a different route.

All of that is to say that the game is definitely fun enough to warrant a buy. Playing through once is a worthwhile experience, and at $7.99, the art style is worth the price of admission. Definitely check out Repose, and if you are unsure the game is something you'd enjoy, there is a free demo available on Steam.

A copy of this game was provided by Akupara Games for review purposes at no cost.

★★★

Repose
Developed by: Akupara Games
Release Date: April 14th, 2025
Platform: PC (Steam)