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3 comments by INtense! on Oct 26th, 2012

It's that time of year for scary monsters, crazy costumes and Halloween fun! Why not celebrate this ghoulish holiday with a line-up of spooky games that are sure to keep you up at night in Indie Royale's Halloween Bundle? Included in this creepy bundle is the full five-episode season of Telltale Games' spooky Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse; the exceedingly disturbing horror adventure, Home; the rare, macabre first-person adventure game from Ice Pick Lodge, Pathologic; and lots more!

First up in the Halloween Bundle is the full season of graphically rich adventure video game from Telltale Games Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, available for Windows and Mac on Steam. Play detective Sam, a six-foot dog, and his partner Max, a three-foot tall psychotic bunny, in the third season of the Sam & Max episodic series that offers hilarious dialogue and clever pop-culture references. This season is accessible to those who haven't played the first two seasons; each episode is a self-contained story that unravels the greater mysteries of the Devil's Toybox and Toys of Power. Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse adds an interesting element to gameplay throughout the story due to Max's new-found psychic abilities which make for hilarious scenarios and aid with puzzle-solving. 1UP calls Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse a "better-looking, and -- most importantly -- better-playing adventure game." And according to IGN, the "storytelling is well executed and the twists and turns are fun to experience. If you're looking for an adventure game that packs a lot of humor, interesting puzzles and psychic powers together in a Twilight Zone/science-fiction skin, you should give 'Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse' a try."

Also featured is chilling psychological side-scrolling 2D horror adventure game from Benjamin Rivers, Home, available for Windows on Steam, Desura and DRM-free. The plot starts when you wake up to an oncoming storm only to discover that you are in a dark room in a strange house with no recollection of how you got there. After coming across dead bodies, bloodstains, and abandoned weapons you slowly begin to realize that the circumstances are rather grim. Embark on this horror tale that focuses on the mystery of the events as they unfold, and it sends you on a journey to uncover supernatural mysteries within a game that will leave you with many unanswered questions.

Offering hours of gameplay, the 'choose your own adventure' game mechanic in Home impacts the story every time you play the game and will leave you thirsting for another round to uncover additional mysteries. According to Indie Game Reviewer, Home "delivers top-notch storytelling in a manner that re-asserts the way in which games are unique as a medium. Immersive, intellectually and morally challenging, and yet simple to operate and grasp, games like this remind us why we got into the indie game business." The top purchaser for this bundle will also get the sold out physical Old-School Collector's Edition for Home which includes a map, game manual and game-universe artifacts.

Next up is a creepy conceptual first-person adventure/action game that will chill you to the bone, Pathologic from Russian developer Ice-Pick Lodge, available for Windows on Desura and DRM-Free. In this difficult-to-find cult title, you'll take on the role of one of three healers (the Bachelor, the Haruspicus and the Devotress) who arrive at a small town only to have an intensely merciless infection break out threatening to wipe out the entire town. The other two healers will go about their story in parallel allowing you to interact with them at various points throughout. This game is quite fitting for the Halloween bundle in its creep factor; it offers up a disturbing and outlandish story and unforgiving survival mechanics that create intense gameplay layered with the primary mission of uncovering the cause of the mysterious disease. Rock, Paper, Shotgun calls Pathologic the "single best and most important game that you've never played."

Also included in this monstrous bundle is a comedy-puzzle-adventure about a werewolf, MacGuffin's Curse from Brawsome - available for Windows and Mac on Steam, Desura and DRM-free. As Lucas MacGuffin (magician turned thief turned werewolf), you'll embark on a journey through puzzles to clear your name and unbind yourself from the amulet that made you a werewolf in the first place while being chased by the police and a corrupt but powerful millionaire. MacGuffin's Curse offers witty dialogue, unique hand-drawn art, huge replay value, a lengthy game, and an engrossing storyline. Rock, Paper, Shotgun calls MacGuffin's Curse a "gag-laden brain challenger, with personality and smarts, that's a fantastic bargain."

Last up in this spooky bundle is a retro action RPG where you get to play the villain from Chaosoft Games, EvilQuest, available for Windows on Desura and DRM-free. It's based on Galvis - a dark knight who is obsessed with ultimate power and on a quest for revenge and destruction after being betrayed by his lieutenant and captured (only to escape weaponless and mercilessly bitter). EvilQuest offers typical SNES-style action RPG elements which include buying supplies from the town and finding dungeons with a twist in that everyone knows you are evil. You won't want to miss the fantasy land filled with monsters, legendary weapons, relics, magic and epic boss fights that EvilQuest has to offer.

Finally, those who pay $8 USD or their currency equivalent during the Halloween Bundle will get a .FLAC/.MP3 album ($5 value!) that offers a fascinating blend of progressive rock and chiptune music from C-jeff: 'Preschtale'. Megabeep celebrates C-jeff, recognizing Preschtale for its "mature compositions (that) transcend mere musical acrobatics, wielding controlled complexity to specific and calculated dramatic effect. Every flourish, melody, and modulation is functional, directly contributing to the narrative development without wasting a note."

You can find more information on the Halloween Bundle, including real-time statistics and its current price, on its official website or via its Facebook and Twitter pages. And remember, you'll want to buy the bundle early while the price is still low (unless kind purchasers lower the price) and grab this exquisitely spooky bundle while it lasts!