On 6 February 2023, two earthquakes struck southern and central Türkiye and northern and western Syria. With a 7.8 magnitude, it is recorded as one of the worst earthquakes to strike the area since 1939. Following massive amounts of damage and devastation, Humble Bundle has come together with its various partners to offer a massive collection of over 70 games to raise support for the affected countries. For a more than reasonable price of only $30.00, you can help out too.
The most noteworthy video games include Ghostrunner, Gotham Knights, and Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Tabletop fans will be delighted to see the inclusion of the Starfinder Core Rulebook plus a three-part premade campaign, Starfinder: Junker’s Delight. In total, there are 72 items including games and a few comics of all varieties. Considering that Ghostrunner typically goes for $30.00 on its own, Gotham Knights for $60.00, and the Starfinder Core Rulebook is $20.00 digitally, it goes without saying that even if you only have interest in two of the included items, this is more than a steal. Unlike other Humble Bundles we’ve highlighted in the past, this offer does not include any tiers. It’s an all-or-nothing purchase this time.
You can expect a little bit of everything in this massive Humble Bundle. Many titles are from small independent studios but none are to be sold short. Between several shooters, RPGs, experimental metroidvanias, visual novels, tactical survival, puzzle games, a variety of simulators, and a remaster of Guilty Gear X2, there is more than enough content to please anyone for the minimal asking price.
Our selected highlights include:
Into the Pit: A fast-paced retro-FPS roguelite. As a member of a family of lore-hunting mystics, you are summoned to a cursed village, drawn by rumors of a demonic portal. Dark magics have overwhelmed the village. It’s up to you to journey forth, grow your powers, and rescue the survivors.
Backbone: Taking influence from the noir film era of the 1940s and 50s, Backbone centers around a raccoon named Howard Lotor navigating the dystopian Vancouver nightlife as a private detective. While some might shy away from any game featuring a full-furry cast, Backbone isn’t one to turn your nose up at. The game is story-focused and plays like a visual novel, but with a few added elements to keep players engaged beyond simple choice selection. Puzzle-solving, exploration, and everything bundled with a haunting soundtrack, Backbone delivers an attention-commanding, rich narrative with a melancholy attitude, cinematic presentation, and luring personality. You won’t be disappointed.
A post-noir narrative adventure. Become raccoon private eye Howard Lotor and explore dystopian Vancouver inhabited by animals as you uncover a deeply personal story of change and transformation. Backbone is inspired by film noir, weird sci-fi, post-soviet aesthetics, modern political regimes, the works of Lynch and Kaufman, and the existential philosophy of Sartre. It is a linear, cinematic narrative experience that subverts genre and challenges your perception of what it means to be a person. Backbone’s gameplay is focused on storytelling and emotional expression, featuring rich and elaborate dialogues inspired by old-school CRPGs, and exploring lush environments. The end of all things is inevitable, but defining which version of Howard Lotor reaches the conclusion is up to you.
Cris Tales: Paying homage to classic JRPGs, our next highlight is a charming game called Cris Tales. Time travel is an element we’ve seen repeated over the past several decades from as early as Star Ocean to more recent titles like Final Fantasy XIII-2. However, Cris Tales takes a unique approach to the time-travel gimmick with a story and gameplay mechanics that allow the player to experience the past, present, and future all at the same time. In doing so, players see how their choices affect the world around them in real time. And how it affects the future they are trying to save. How the developers integrated time travel mechanics into the game is great, and the beautiful environments push this game’s appeal even further.
Cosmic Express: Finally, the last game we’re highlighting is one of the smaller ones in the bundle, but one that slowly chugged into our hearts. Cosmic Express is an adorably calming puzzle game about planning the train route for a space colony. There isn’t much beyond that. There’s hardly any narrative to it, but if you’re like me and tired of getting Bejeweled or Candy Crush Saga under your recommendations, trust that this is a diamond in the rough. Many levels are just as relaxing as they are frustrating in navigating space stations to deliver their inhabitants to safety, but it can be a much-needed distraction or a challenge when you need it most.
All funds are donated to Direct Relief, International Medical Corps., and Save the Children.
Humble Bundle has currently raised nearly 1.5 million USD and this bundle is set to end on March 8th. Hurry before it’s too late.
