Category: Games

Right now, for less than the cost of most streaming services, you can buy my family-friendly, leaf-raking business simulation game Toytles: Leaf Raking, and you get to keep the game forever.

You can even pay what you want for my family-friendly, toy factory worker management game Toy Factory Fixer:

Now, you’ve probably been aware, but many of the video streaming services seem to be deleting their catalog of shows and movies, which means their value is getting worse, and of course, after a month, you have to pay to continue getting access to their now worse offerings.

Meanwhile, I cannot foresee any reason to make my games worse for the people who want to play them. If you buy the game today, you get to keep it forever, and you get any future updates or feature additions for free.

So, I ask you, which is the better value?

Getting only a month of temporary access to ever worsening video libraries of major billion dollar companies, companies who have shown a desire to avoid paying the creative people who actually create whatever value they do offer in the first place?

Or keeping forever my hand-crafted, artisanal indie games about a leaf-raking turtle learning about entrepreneurship and about a toy factory with a quality control problem that needs addressing?

I’ll let you decide. But the correct answer is here and here.

For the next day, my educational, family-friendly leaf raking business simulation Toytles: Leaf Raking continues to be on reverse sale:

Remember: when you purchase the game, it is yours to keep forever. Even with the temporarily increased price, that’s a lot of value compared to a cup of coffee you drink once or only a month of a streaming service.

And you can still name your price for my family-friendly game Toy Factory Fixer:

$0 is a perfectly valid price for the game, too. Seriously!

For both games, have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that there are no ads, no in-app purchases, and no invasions of your privacy.

The itch.io Black Friday Creator Day is over, but the Black Friday sale continues until November 28th.

So you can still name your price for my family-friendly game Toy Factory Fixer:

And the educational, family-friendly leaf raking business simulation Toytles: Leaf Raking is still on reverse sale:

It’s Black Friday, the indie-friendly platform itch.io is having a Creator Day sale, and if you want to find family-friendly indie games, let me recommend some to you!

Here are five games you can get today:

Toytles: Leaf Raking

Yes, this is my own game. Inspired by games such as Lemonade Stand and The Oregon Trail, Toytles: Leaf Raking puts you in the role of a young turtle who wants to earn enough money to get The Ultimate Item(tm).

You’ll run your own leaf-raking business, and during the 90 days before winter, you’ll:

• Seek out neighbors who need your services and turn them into paying clients.
• Make key purchasing decisions, such as which types of rakes to buy and how many yard bags to keep in your inventory.
• Balance your energy and your time as you seek to keep your clients happy without overextending yourself.
• Visit the kitchen to ask your parents for their advice and wisdom.
• Learn about personal responsibility and the importance of keeping your promises.

It features NO ADS, NO IN-APP PURCHASES, AND NO VIOLENCE, so you can have peace of mind with an ad-free, safe game.

Get it at https://gbgamesllc.itch.io/toytles-leaf-raking.

Hidden Folks

If you’re familiar with the Where’s Waldo? series of books, this is a much richer, interactive experience in the same vein.

Search for hidden folks in hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes. Unfurl tent flaps, cut through bushes, slam doors, and poke some crocodiles! Rooooaaaarrrr!!!!!

A strip of targets shows you what to look for. Click on a target for a hint, and find enough to unlock the next area.

It features:
– 32 hand-drawn areas.
– 300+ targets to find.
– 2000+ mouth-originated sound effects.
– 500+ unique interactions.
– 3 color modes: normal, sepia, and night mode.
– 22 languages (translated by the community).
– supports mouse and keyboard, controller, and touch input.

Get it at https://adriaan.itch.io/hidden-folks.

Round Ogre

If you like puzzle games, Round Ogre is here for you. It has simple controls, yet fiendishly challenging puzzles to solve.

500 puzzles across 31 worlds will entertain you for hours!

Start of a new world? A brand new mechanic to explore! This makes the game easy to learn, yet varied and challenging.

Solving a complete world grants you an optional bonus world, with the toughest testing puzzles.

Guide her to the cave exit to reunite her with Square Ogre. But to do so, you’ll have to think creatively and always see all the possibilities …

Get it at https://pandaqi.itch.io/round-ogre.

Toy Factory Fixer

The toy factory had an accident after one of the worker elves tried to automate the assembly of toys.
Now all of the toys are put together wrong, and you need to put the toys together correctly in time for the delivery deadline!

This is another of my own games. For this Black Friday sale, you can pay what you want, name your own price, and get this toy factory worker management game for yourself or a loved one.

Features:

• 4 levels, each with an easy work shift and a challenging work shift, for 8 total levels.
• The option to set a hard deadline for an added challenge
• 3 worker types, each with unique abilities, requiring you to think strategically to make the most of them
• 2 toy types in 2 sizes, Small and Large, that can come down the conveyor belt in multiple potentially large production runs and require your good judgment to handle them
• Turn-based game play, allowing for more thinking and not quick-reflexes, including Stop and Go buttons that allow you to play at your own speed

Plus:

• In-game how-to that describes how to play the game in case you need help or some tips
• The ability to toggle music and sound effects on or off, allowing you flexibility to listen to your own music or podcast or just enjoy the silence

Get it at https://gbgamesllc.itch.io/toy-factory-fixer.

Mountain

This calm and surreal simulation puts you in the role of a mountain floating in space.

You don’t really seem to have any agency, but there is something soothing about the music, the visuals, and the periodic messages that seem to be meditative in nature.

Time passes, and things crash into you from space. Many of these things are bizarre.

It’s quite the experience.

Get it at https://davidoreilly.itch.io/mountain.

Do any of these games catch your eye? What game are you looking forward to playing? Or who do you plan on gifting a game to this holiday season? Let me know by commenting below.

From now until November 28th, you can get my leaf-raking business simulation game, Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux and pay 50% more than usual. And you can pay-what-you-want for my toy factory worker management game Toy Factory Fixer.

In either case, if you are going to do so, please do so within the next 24 hours!

The indie-friendly platform itch.io is having another Creator Day, so for the next 24 hours, they won’t take a cut of any sales that occur. That means the creators get to keep more of the proceeds.

While many developers are having a sale to celebrate, and you should definitely check them out, as usual I’m holding a reverse sale instead.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

Also, you can get my first Freshly Squeezed Game, the turn-based toy factory management game Toy Factory Fixer, at itch.io. Pay what you want for it (even $0!), and for the next 24 hours, I will be able to keep the full amount of anything you contribute.

If you do end up paying for access to Toytles: Leaf Raking or Toy Factory Fixer, know that I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make itch.io amazing!

Between November 24th and November 28th, I’ll be increasing the price of my family-friendly game Toytles: Leaf Raking by 50% to take part in itch.io’s Black Friday Creator Day sale.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

But if you would rather not spend more, then think of today as your last chance for a sale price. Pretend this normal price is actually a discount, and know that tomorrow the game will cost 50% more. Buy now!

Tomorrow is also a Creator Day at itch.io, which means all sales go straight to the creators of the games, and itch.io will not take a cut. So if you REALLY want to support indie game developers such as myself, then save your money for tomorrow.

Either way, know that I am thankful for your support!

I hope you’re having a spooky yet safe Halloween!

If you are into tycoon games, business management games, or economic simulator games, know that there are only a few days left in the Halloween Reverse Sale I’m holding for my leaf-raking business simulation game Toytles: Leaf Raking.

In Toytles: Leaf Raking, you play the role of a young turtle who wants the Ultimate Item(tm), and to earn the money for it, you’ll need to talk to neighbors, gain clients, purchase yard bags and upgraded rakes, watch the weather and the clock, and ensure you get enough rest to be able to do the work of raking leaves.

It is available for desktop computers above, or you can get it for your iPhone or iPad or Android device below:

Before winter arrives, can you earn enough to get the Ultimate Item(tm)?

Get the game today and find out!

Learn more about Toytles: Leaf Raking at https://www.gbgames.com/toytles-leaf-raking/.

From today until November 2nd, you can get my leaf-raking business simulation game, Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux and pay 50% more than usual.

While many developers are having a sale to celebrate, and you should definitely check them out, as usual I’m holding a reverse sale instead.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

Also, you can get my first Freshly Squeezed Game, Toy Factory Fixer, at itch.io. It is always free to download and play, but itch.io does allow for an optional donation.

Both games are also available in the Google Play and Apple App stores, but know that there is no sale there.

If you do end up paying for access to Toytles: Leaf Raking or Toy Factory Fixer, know that I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make itch.io amazing!

For the next three days, you can get my leaf-raking business simulation game, Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux and pay 50% more than usual. And if you are going to do so, please do so within the next 24 hours!

The indie-friendly platform itch.io is having another Creator Day, so for the next 24 hours, they won’t take a cut of any sales that occur. That means the creators get to keep more of the proceeds.

While many developers are having a sale to celebrate, and you should definitely check them out, as usual I’m holding a reverse sale instead.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

Also, you can get my first Freshly Squeezed Game, Toy Factory Fixer, at itch.io. It is always free to download and play, but itch.io does allow for an optional donation, and for the next 24 hours, I will be able to keep the full amount of anything you contribute.

Both games are also available in the Google Play and Apple App stores, but know that there is no sale there.

If you do end up paying for access to Toytles: Leaf Raking or Toy Factory Fixer, know that I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make itch.io amazing!