indie games | Blerdy Otome

Games You Should Know About From The Game Devs of Color Expo 2022

Published on September 19, 2022September 18, 2022 by Blerdy2 Comments

From September 15-18 the 7th annual Game Devs of Color Expo took place, featuring panels, talks, and game showcases featuring creators of color in the gaming industry. This weekend long event was created to uplift and amplify the voices of diverse creators while also giving them a chance to connect with other creators.

As part of the conference GDoC Expo hosts, Gradient Convergent, an event that showcases games and demos from diverse creators. Of course I needed to check it out and I was impressed by the titles included in the event. I absolutely encourage you to check out the full list when you have the chance! But, for now here are some of the games that caught my eye!

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Boys Love Visual Novels You Need to Play

Published on August 1, 2022July 31, 2022 by Blerdy3 Comments

It’s no secret that I am a lover of boys love media and on this sacred day, I wanted to spotlight some of the boys love visual novels you absolutely need to play. So if you consider yourself a fujoshi, fudanshi, or fujin, you do not want to miss out on these visual novels!

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Games I’m Most Excited About From Wholesome Games Direct 2022

Published on June 15, 2022August 18, 2022 by Blerdy1 Comment

The Wholesome Direct 2022 showcase dropped this past weekend and with it a whole host of upcoming indie games! This year I participated as one of the Wholesome Games content creator partners by co-streaming the event on my Twitch channel, and y’all I was blown away by all the amazing games on the horizon! But, just in case you missed my live reactions, here are some of the games that I am most excited for from the Wholesome Direct 2022!

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Cozy Games to Curl Up with this Weekend (or Whenever)

Published on May 6, 2022May 6, 2022 by BlerdyLeave a comment

As we navigate the demands of our everyday lives, most of us are looking for ways to relax and unwind. Between the hustle and bustle of modern living, it can be hard to set aside time for self care. But, its important to take a few moments for yourself. And what better way to relax than with some cozy games.

In an industry full of intense competitive games, sometimes gamers are looking for something chill to lose themselves in. So I’ve compiled a list of relaxing cozy games you can curl up with during your day.

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Nanoreno 2022 Games You Should Play

Published on April 5, 2022April 23, 2022 by Blerdy2 Comments

Hey Blerdy Tribe, NaNoRenO 2022 has come and gone and this year there were a total of 185 submissions! For those of you not familiar with NaNoRenO, its an annual month-long game jam held from early March to early April, in which developers are challenged to make a visual novel from start to finish. Each year newbie and veteran devs alike put their skills to the test to create their own unique projects–and over the years I have seen some phenomenal games come out of the jam! There are a ton of phenomenal games to play, and I definitely recommend searching through them all when you have the chance–but for today’s post I’ve compiled a list of the games that caught my eye from among the NaNoRenO 2022 submissions!

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Check out the Tiny Games Bundle—A collection of short games by tiny game creators!

Published on March 24, 2022May 5, 2022 by Blerdy5 Comments

tiny games bundle is a collection of themed short games by a team of itch.io creators. Their objective is to support small creators and normalize the idea that tiny games have value.

Shorter games provide a space for creators to explore unconventional ideas. They give players a chance for concise and unique gameplay experiences that can only be made by creators with the freedom to experiment.

They want to encourage people to support the creators of shorter games so that they can continue to make more tiny experiences for people to enjoy. Each game is playable within half an hour. The bundle is just $10.00!

The bundle’s theme: tiny games to make magic with ✨

Creators

npckc: Creator of casting hearts, tiny games bundle founder, logo/card designer
clover: Creator of Drinking Tea (with the Trans Boy You Secretly Have a Crush On), tiny games bundle founder
Autumnotopia: Creator of Making Friends
BáiYù: Creator of Lotus: The Self-Made Witch
Heiden: Creator of Tomorrow for Mar

Disclaimer: After publishing this article, there were allegations brought up against one of the developers featured in the tiny games bundle. This post is an objective overview of the bundle and not an endorsement of any wrongdoing on the part of the developer in question. Please respect my space by not using my accounts/platform as a means to voice your concerns to the creators of the bundle.

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Women and Femme Identifying Indie Devs You Should Know About

Published on March 8, 2022March 20, 2023 by Blerdy3 Comments

Hey there Blerdy Tribe! Today is International Women’s Day, the day when we spotlight the achievements of women and femme identifying individuals past and present. I’m sure many of you are or know some phenomenal and inspiring creators who are out there everyday shining their light on the world.

Everyday here on Blerdy Otome, I strive to spotlight members of the wonderfully diverse gaming community whether that’s with my reviews, lists, or through exclusive interviews. And today, I wanted to spotlight some of my favorite women and femme identifying creators within the indie games community! Each of these amazing creators is dedicated to creating a more inclusive community, by sharing their own unique stories and characters through their games and I want to shine a light on the fantastic work that they do!

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Diverse Games to Keep an Eye Out for in 2022

Published on January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 by Blerdy2 Comments

Hey there Blerdy Tribe, it’s a brand new year and there have been some huge strides within the gaming community. Indie games are becoming more prominent, with more mainstream sites covering them much more frequently than they have in the past. But, for me the most exciting is the shift towards more visibility for traditionally underrepresented groups in games! Don’t get me wrong, there is still a ways to go, but, I’m happy to see that there has been an effort to create more representative games and a lot of that has to do with a diverse creators stepping in to create games that reflect their own experiences, identities, and cultures.

As a Black gamer I am always on the look out for diverse games, so once again I did a call for games with planned 2022 release dates that feature characters and stories centered around often underrepresented groups–and as always the community provided!

Thank you to everyone who sent me their projects or shared the tweet–you guys are the real MVPs! So, I spent some time shifting through all the responses and checking out game pages for this post and y’all I am excited for all of these games! If you’re like me and you’ve been craving more diversity in your games, this is the list for YOU!

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Switch Indie Games You Should Be Playing

Published on December 14, 2021January 3, 2022 by Blerdy4 Comments

My Switch has become my go to gaming platform, it’s affordable, portable, and it’s the new hub for otome games now that the Vita is officially dead (though it’ll live on in my heart forever). But, what makes the Switch the stand out console for me is the variety of games in it’s ever growing library, which in the last few years has included a lot more indie games. From platformers to RPGs to visual novels, more and more indie titles are finding a home on the console.

There are a lot of games to sort through, which can be a bit daunting, so I wanted to spotlight a handful of indie games I think are worth picking up if you’re looking for something new to play on the Switch!

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Indie Spotlight – First Bite

Published on November 15, 2021January 3, 2022 by BlerdyLeave a comment

Looking for something with a bit more bite? Check out First Bite the upcoming 18+ LGBTQ+ dark comedy visual novel from First Bite Games–a small indie team made up writers from some of my fave indie projects (When the Night Comes, High Elo Girls, Akash: Path of Five, and Arcade Spirits). In First Bite, you play as Noe, a human fascinated by all things supernatural who ends up in the hands of three centuries-old vampires. What would you do if you had the chance at a second life, after death?

Pre-order the game now, before the November 17th, release date!

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