Little Forager makes big impact on PC download charts

Hotly anticipated by indie game fans, Forager expanded its audience in a second week on sale. — AFP Relaxnews

Launched on April 18 for PC and Linux with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Mac OS versions to come, a personal project about exploring, building, and making friends has gone from a one-person, multi-year effort to well-received release with a vibrant community of assistant developers and fans.

Even a week after its debut, modestly-priced US$19 (RM78.54) Forager is making more than big-name competitors Mortal Kombat 11 and PUBG, as well as March's hot indie release Risk Of Rain 2.

A free prototype is still available on Itch.io, allowing the inquisitive to check out the Forager mix of harvesting, crafting, treasure hunting, and exploration. The full game contains a ton of additional content and its Argentinian creator plans on adding multiplayer, mod support, and sizeable content updates such as a farm life expansion.

The game is the result of several years of work and very nearly didn't get made. However, a surprise win in a two-week game development competition and a fortuitous meeting helped Mariano "HopFrog" Cavallero turn Forager into the success it is today.

Elsewhere, a clutch of Alien games benefited from discounts coinciding with Alien Day, April 26, a date that refers to Aliens lunar location LV-426. The Alien: Isolation collection and Aliens vs. Predator are found in the Humble store and GamersGate top fives respectively.

Then, ahead of its big mid-year update, a sale on greatly improved interplanetary explorer No Man's Sky boosts it to the top of GOG's bestseller ranking, while new historical strategy Imperator: Rome gains top five footholds on both GOG and Steam. – AFP Relaxnews