It is that time again folks, can you feel the urge coming on? We sure can, because indie games tend to make us a little excited; probably a little too excited, but that’s beside the point.

This time we’re going to talk about a 3D point and click adventure, in the same vein as Grim Fandango. If you have no clue what Grim Fandango is then you probably have no business being here. Regardless, we’ll be polite and give you a link. If you’re just discovering Grim Fandango, then you need to play it immediately; we’re not kidding, go play it right this second, you’ll thank us.

Indie Game of The Week: Hoodwink

Now that we’ve established Hoodwink is a point and click adventure in the same vein as Grim Fandango (we reiterated on purpose), we can start talking about what kind of story it has. Anyone who’s ever played a point and click adventure knows that the story is a tremendous deal in the genre, because if you have no story, you have no compelling adventure.

In Hoodwink, you play as Michael, an individual with skillsets like thievery and wisdom, who lives in a dystopian future. Michael takes on a curious case to look for a troubled dame’s beloved, and is promised a large sum of money. Michael, wanting to pay off his fiancee’s engagement ring, happily agrees and the adventure starts.

The story is filled with stale puzzle elements and predictable plot twists, nonetheless, the game still provides an enjoyable experience.

The characters are colorful and fully voiced, and there is plenty of sarcastic and dry wit to be had. The game trailer alone will keep you chuckling.

What Type of Indie Game is Hoodwink

We don’t have to say it again, do we? Hoodwink is a point, and click adventure, that obviously has you doing A LOT of clicking. In fact, the entire control system relies on one click. You click to move Michael through the world. You click to interact with objects and the game world. You click just about everything. Hopefully you get the point here.

There are plenty of puzzles and minigames spaced throughout the adventure, and you’ll have a fun time progressing Michael through the world. The characters are, by far, the most fascinating part of Hoodwink. Just like Grim Fandango, the colorful characters will keep you laughing, and groaning, depending upon what’s unfolding on screen.

Hoodwink incorporates an inventory and journal into the gameplay, but you can progress through the entirety of the game without ever opening the journal for help, if you’re so inclined. When interacting with the world, the game will automatically outline key objects that need to be used which can at times detract from the fun.

One of the biggest issues we had with Hoodwink is that you can only save after reaching a chapter checkpoint, which means if something comes up while you’re playing you’ll have to revert to the beginning of a chapter. There is also no way to skip dialogue and cutscenes, which can get repetitive at times if you’ve had to start from the beginning of a chapter.

The visuals, and audio, of Hoodwink are essentially what make the game so enjoyable. The world and characters include cell shaded aesthetics in order to make up a relatively attractive game. When you’re traveling through an expansive world in an adventure game, you don’t want to see the same environments over and over. There are no issues with that in Hoodwink, as every environment is just as beautiful and captivating as the last.

The Indie Game Hoodwink is Available Now

Hoodwink is an excellent title that provides a nostalgic, yet enjoyable, experience for fans of point and click adventures. The whole theme and traditional style, is remarkably similar to Grim Fandango, which we mentioned earlier. If you’re an avid adventure game fan and you have the money, be sure to purchase Hoodwink, you won’t regret it.

Hoodwink is available now for PC and can be purchased through Origin for $14.99. Origin is Electronic Arts digital distribution platform, and can be compared to Valve’s Steam, although we much prefer the latter.

Feel free to check out our other favorite indie game titles!

• Machinarium
• A Valley Without Wind
• Salvation Prophecy
• Holyspirit
• Wizorb
• Hoodwink
• Krater: Shadows Over Solside
• Tiny & Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers
• Hack, Slash & Loot
• Deponia
• Orcs Must Die 2
• Last Knight
• Containment: The Zombie Puzzler
• To The Moon
• Faster Than Light