PAX East 2016 – Indiebox, Your Monthly Box for Indie Video Game Goodness

There’s Loot Crate, Nerd Box, Comic Bento, Boom Box, Arcade box…the list goes on when it comes to monthly subscription boxes.

Consider, for a moment, Indiebox.

 indiebox-logo-header

Brewelist fans may recall we reviewed the service back in December. The gist is that they’re bringing back the box that we enjoyed back when we were kids. Remember ripping the shrink wrap off the box? Poring over the paper manual hoping to figure out how to play the freaking game?

Then you get the idea.

Indie games, while wonderful and conveniently in digital form, sometimes lack the character of the games of yesteryear. Indiebox changes that by giving you not just a box, but some other sweet loot that you often only get in limited edition bundles (and it won’t cost you a fortune).

Previous titles have included Axiom Verge, Freedom Planet, Brutal Legend and more. The boxes available for purchase at PAX were limited because frequently they sell out, which means there’s someone out there looking for this type of thing and are glad to take advantage of it.

One of the things that I found most interesting (and frankly awesome) is their “No Gamer Left Behind” policy. This means that every title that is featured in the service must be playable on PC, Mac and Linux platforms. If they are interested in featuring a title and it’s only available on PC, their Linux-nerd CTO will work with the developer to port it to Mac and Linux. Not only is this an awesome service to the dev community but a boon for us stubborn Mac nerds (who are running out of space on our Windows partitions…).

And the employees of Indiebox are just as enthusiastic about indie games as we are. In fact, Kara Holmes, the Community Manager for Indiebox let me know about Kingdom, a game where you build and inspire your way to glory to make a…well, a kingdom. (And I definitely bought it and am waiting to play, so thanks!)

The boxes come out monthly and start at $19.99 a month for a 6 month subscription. If you fear commitment and just want to try it out, you can get a single month for $24.99 ($28.99 after Shipping and Handling). Or, if there is a previous box that you were keen on and they still have, you can buy those individually on their website.

And while you’re at it, they were kind enough to provide us with an affiliate link if you are interested in signing up: http://theindiebox.com?afmc=68

May’s box is a blast from the recent past, Dust: An Elysian Tale. Get it while it’s hot.

Thank you again to Kara Holmes for taking the time to chat with us!

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 1: Indiebox and Freedom Planet

Welcome to Brewelist’s first-annual Advent Calendar. From now until December 25th, we’ll be bringing you beers, video games and other glad tidings each day. Nothing is sponsored and our reviews are our opinions solely. Unless otherwise noted, these were also purchased with our own funds.

Want to get into the subscription box craze but beauty products or razors aren’t your cup of tea?

Do you like the convenience of digital indie games but lament the lack of a physical box?

Is there a gamer in your life that you want to give the gift of gaming but need something more personal?

Indiebox may be the answer.

the-box

The subscription service sends you an indie video game and assorted extras every month. Games must meet these criteria (from their website):

  • The game must support Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux platforms
  • The game must have a score of 75 or better on Steam and/or a rating of 8.0 or better on IndieDB.
  • The game must have been released no more than 6 months from the time that we initially contact them. We do this because we have to find the best time to feature a specific game and/or have enough time to work with busy developers.

This guarantees you’ll get a game that’s good, recent and able to be played on your non-console platform. The boxes are $19.99 on a month-to-month subscription not inclusive of shipping. Gift subscriptions are available if you want to give the gift of indie games or want to try it out without it auto-renewing. Boxes are discounted if you are looking to order multiple months up front.

The November 2015 box featured Freedom Planet, a game that is stylistically very similar to the classic Sonic games of the SEGA Genesis era. Make no mistake, it is no clone of the speedy hedgehog and Freedom Planet has been lauded by players for the gameplay, as well as the soundtrack, which is included.

The box itself comes with a sealed package. If you’re a collector and hoarding mint-condition packaging is your thing, they do put the Steam key in the back of the box so you can leave your precious loot intact but still be able to play the game.

My Freedom Planet package included the USB stick, CDs of the Soundtrack, a Collectible Coin, several stickers, a wallet and a curious stone in a leather pouch. All of these items were well packaged and seem to be of very good quality.

The game retails on Steam for $14.99 when not on sale and the value of the items well exceed the cost of the box.

Previous boxes have included custom controllers, accessories and other tidbits. While supplies last, previous boxes are available for sale on their site as well, so if you missed Freedom Planet, you may still be able to get your hands on it.