Pretty, Little, Pixels - Gourdlets, POOOOL, Princess Bride Pinball, and more.
Gourdlets are just little guys.
PRETTY, LITTLE, PIXELS is an indie newsletter about about video games that are weird, different, pretty, and/or indie.
(*= code received from PR/Publisher)
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Edits: Becca Stump and Nathan Miller
GOURDLETS is a relaxing and carefree sandbox sim game with cute, little, vegetable guys that kind of don’t really care about anything, except vibing.
Place buildings, set up scenery, all while witnessing all your little guys thrive. There’s no pressure, points, or objectives in Gourdlets. It’s just life the way it’s meant to be.
It’s very relaxing. Even the color palette and graphics want you to chill. It’s the best.
All vibes, no responsibilities. Gourdlets released in August 2024 and is a lot like a lo-fi version of Ooblets and The Sims.
Gourdlets is regularly priced for five bucks on Steam.
POOOOL is a physics-based puzzle game all about bouncing balls that are a similar size and color off of each other to create bigger balls and managing the limited space.
Balls, math, and pretty colors. I really like POOOOL even though I’m bad at math and a little bit color blind or whatever. It will be even more fun for you if you are good at math and better at deciphering colors.
POOOOL released in June and is a lot like Minesweeper, except no one in my family is yelling “You don’t even understand what you’re doing! Get off the computer!” at a child version of me.
POOOOL is regularly priced for five bucks on Steam.
APOLLO is beautifully-paced, like a short flip book, but hatched into a video game. It’s so pretty. It can be completed in one sitting and is worth a few playthroughs to appreciate every detail of platforming, life, and loss in this tightly designed game where you hop, fly, and fly away as a bird for the first time.
Apollo was designed in 72 hours for a game jam and is available on itch.io.
The Princess Bride Pinball* features several references to iconic scenes from the classic film with the same attention to detail that’s become expected with each Pinball FX release.
This immediately became one of my favorite Pinball FX tables because of how colorful and true it is to the film, which is one I particularly enjoy. The Princess Bride pinball table features the same sense of rewarding thrills and sense of adventure as the titular film as well.
Goat Simulator is less familiar to me than The Princess Bride but that doesn’t make Goat Simulator Pinball* any less enjoyable for me. It’s chaotic and arcade-y action translates really well into a pinball setting and I found myself playing it just as much as the table based on one of my favorite movies.
Fans of both franchises will find a lot of fun across the latest tables from the devs over at Pinball FX.
The Princess Bride Pinball and Goat Simulator Pinball can both be purchased across Steam and console platforms for $5.49.