Happy Holidays! Festive Indie Games to Play this Christmas

“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!” – Charles Dickens

Introduction

What better than a little Christmas game to help feel a bit more festive? Here are three reviews for holiday-themed games to play this year, including two that are free! We’ve also listed a few others that we have reviewed in previous years in case you’d like to check them out too – enjoy!

Three Festive Christmas Game Reviews

Last Christmas

Last Christmas is a short point-and-click that follows Frankie as he prepares his family cabin for a visit from his girlfriend, Betty. Players must decorate the tree, set the table, and put out candles amongst a variety of other tasks involving mostly inventory-based puzzles. At certain milestones, the scenes briefly and abruptly changes to macabre black-and-white images that are the only precursor to the game’s sudden and very dark ending. The narrative does not progress logically to its conclusion and the overall effect is an unearned, gratuitous, and wholly unsatisfying finale that seems to render the preceding gameplay a bit pointless.

The game uses an uncomplicated cartoon art style with a slightly muted colour palette and bold lines. The music is simple with minimal variation but fits each scene well. The voice acting is a bit underwhelming and the excessive narration can get a little grating. Every action is explained or commented on and the repetition of some lines makes it feel a bit stilted and unnatural.

While Last Christmas does provide some fun puzzle-based gameplay, the experience as a whole is disjointed and the ending is unsatisfying and a little confusing due to the lack of build-up and the overall disconnect between the gameplay and narrative, particularly the conclusion. The game is short, at about 30-40 minutes long and does not justify its price tag. I would not recommend this game as there are better value, more gratifying examples of this genre available.

Milo and the Christmas Gift

Milo and the Christmas Gift is a short, but delightful point-and-click in which players take on the role of Milo the cat as he tries to find Toby the bunny rabbit, an escaped Christmas gift. It has a charming, painterly art style, that feels both unique and stylised. The gentle, mildly festive music fits well with the gameplay and the overall aesthetic and helps create a relaxing overall experience.

It is not always immediately obvious what each puzzle entails, but they are not stressful as there are no time limits and the solutions are generally logical and satisfying. There is also a nice amount of variety amongst the puzzles which are ultimately very fun. The game is very family-friendly and the minimal amount of text and dialogue adds an extra layer of accessibility to the experience.

Overall, Milo and the Christmas Gift is a great little Christmas game. It will take about 30 minutes to complete and provides a very wholesome and enjoyable half-hour of entertainment for zero cost. The adorable animal characters and storyline combine to make a really lovely gaming experience that I am happy to recommend.

Cats Hidden in Christmas

Cats Hidden in Christmas is a simple hidden object game in which the player must find 100 hidden cats within a festive Christmas scene. The image is made up of bold black linework on a white background. Quite simple at first glance, the image does contain a nice amount of detail and certain aspects of it can be interacted with, such as fairy lights can be turned on, adding a pop of colour, and things like birds and bells will make noises when clicked. All of the cats have unique names which is a nice touch and does add to the overall experience.

The music is upbeat and jolly with a festive vibe, and when all cats are found fanfare and fireworks mark the occasion in a fun celebratory way. A colourful version of the image becomes available when the base game is completed so the cats can be found a second time, providing a little extra fun.

The game will take about 20-30 minutes to complete in its entirety, a good amount of playtime for a free title. It is casual, relaxing, and suitable for the whole family and I’d definitely recommend it as a fun way to spend a little time around Christmas, maybe enjoy it with a mince pie or some egg nog!

A Few More Christmas Games

Festive Finds

Festive Finds: Happy Holiday Calendar is a delightfully jolly new game from Imaginary Freinds Games, the creators of Shindig. Much like a traditional advent calendar, it features a festive house with 24 windows to open every day leading up to Christmas, with each one containing a new spot-the-difference puzzle to complete!

Full review available HERE.

Hot Pot for One

Hot Pot for One is a 2021 GSA BAFTA Student Awards finalist created by Rachel Li and Qin Yin while enrolled in a class taught by Bennet Foddy at New York University (NYU). It is a festive life simulation about being alone at Christmas and, as the title suggests, making a hot pot.

Full review available HERE.

I commissioned some Bees Advent

I commissioned some bees (advent) is a delightful bee-themed hidden object game that doubles up as an advent calendar and for those that enjoy it, the developers have created several other bee-themed hidden object games including the first instalment I commissioned some bees.

Full review available HERE.

Summary

Hopefully, this list has provided a few fun and festive gaming options to enjoy this Christmas (and maybe one to avoid). There isn’t a huge number of quality holiday games available, but there are definitely some great titles to be found and enjoyed, including some very good value, or even free ones which is especially handy during what can be one of the more expensive months of the year! I hope you enjoy playing some festive games, and have a wonderful time this Christmas whether you celebrate the holidays or not!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Check out the following article for even more festive games:
Five Festive PC Games to Play this Christmas