Hope; or How We Survived (2019)

Developer: Ghiq Games
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Action, Casual, Indie
Rating: 5.0 of 5, 12 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.4 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A brief, narrative-focused tower defense game with a melancholic yet hopeful tone, balancing idle moments of dialogue with bursts of zombie shooting.

story richshortcontemplativesurvivalatmosphericpixel graphicschoice drivencasual tense

What players say

Players praise the beautiful pixel art and touching story, but note the game is very short at around 1-2 hours. The zombie tower defense gameplay has dialogue choices that lead to multiple endings, though some find the constant character grunts annoying and the text auto-advances too quickly. There is no music, only sound effects.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.