Have you ever wondered which is one of the first Indian video games? Do you know how many games are now in development by the Indian gaming industry? With the start of the 21st century and up till now the journey of Indian gaming is very exciting. In this article, we're going to share some of the important games from Indian Gaming Developers which somehow shaped the world of gaming in India.
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| First Indian Game |
First Game Developed by Indian Developers
The first game by Indian developers is not documented well. Some say the first Indian game was Ghajini - The Game which was released in 2008. The game was based on the movie of the same name. Some say that Desi Adda: Games of India which was released on PSP is the first game in India. Unfortunately, these were not the first games made in India. The first Indian game was released in the 2000s which was a first-person shooter game. There isn't any information about the game on the web. The game was developed by a small team. The game is called Yodha: The Warrior. Yodha was a first-person 3D pc game that was developed by Indiagames. It was also the first game that was sold commercially. The game was based on events of the Kargil War. The system requirements of this game were Windows 95, a 166 MHz processor, 32 Mb Ram, and a few hundred bytes of storage. The game developers (IndiaGames) did a collaboration with Pepsi for marketing the game. The idea behind the collaboration with Pepsi may be influenced by the slogan "yeh Dil mange more". We all know about the Kargil War and the slogan "yeh Dil mange more". And as the game was based on the Kargil war it had some inspiration from that. The music video was instantly hit after its release. The founder of Indiagames has stated that he sold about 10,000 copies of the game and the price of the game was INR 499 which was just the beginning of the gaming industry in India.
Games on Bollywood Movies and Hindu Mythology.
Ghajini The Game: Back then game development was completely new for India. As an Indian gamers, we only have access to keypad mobile phones. But times were changing and with the massive success of Ghajini. Ghajini The Game was developed by FXlabs and Geetha Arts and was released in 2008. The movie was one of the reasons to make the game. It is often named the true 3D pc game. The game had five levels that players can play. Ghanji was similar to Max Payne's game which was already famous in the Indian gaming community.
The Indian developers started focussing seriously on games. And since the year 2009 Indian developers are heavily working on Indian games. One such famous game released in 2009 was Desi Adda: Games Of India. It was developed by Gameshastra for PS2. The game is also the first Indian PlayStation game. The game consisted of classic Indian board games and fun games like kite fighting, kabaddi, pachisi, bagh chal, and gilli- danda. It is a very important game for the Indian gaming industry as because of Desi adda, gamers from all around the world came to know about the classic Indian games. Also, the game has support for three Indian languages, Hindi, Tamil, and Punjabi including the obvious English language.
In the same year, Hanuman: The Boy Warrior was released for consoles. The game was based on Bhagwan Hanuman and drew inspiration from history. The game had a total of 9 levels to finish the story. Hanuman: The Boy Warrior faced many backlashes from religious leaders stating that it is not good to play Bhagwan Hanuman as a character. The game had obviously Hindi language.
The RaOne Game: One thing that the Raone movie did is they made a game about the movie. Raone was one of the most hyped games in 2011. This action-adventure game follows the story of the movie. Players play the character of Shahrukh Khan's Gone where we have to defeat RaOne by using the abilities of the character. It is also an important game in the gaming industry as the marketing of the game was done heavily by Shahrukh Khan. At the time of the release, almost everyone was aware of the game and the fact that it was made for Indian gamers by Red Chillies Entertainment.
The Rapid Expansion of Game Development
The gaming industry after Jio's free internet was boosted a lot. Gamers were exposed to different games from all around the world. Similarly, game developers also got the opportunity to expand more. With the availability of cheap internet and electronics, various developers realized the potential of the gaming market and therefore have released a lot of games.
Asura: Vengeance was developed by Ogrehead Studio and is available for pc. It is a hack n slash game inspired by the demon world of Indian mythology. The protagonist of the game is a demon who is seeking revenge from the gods. The game features unique gameplay mechanics which was loved by all. The combat system was also great including a lot of variety such as melee, range, and magic weapons. The game was an overall success and helped a lot in the rise of the Indian gaming industry. The developers of the game are currently working on Yodha which is a turn-based RPG game that is also based on a similar background.
In 2020 Raji: The game, developed by nodding head games was released. The game's story is inspired by Indian mythology. The titular protagonist is finding ways to save her brother who was captured by demons. Raji has a very unique narrative and designs from every other game of the genre. The game has recently been ported to mobile and is available to download on the Play Store (published by Netflix). The game is termed as one of the best Indian games till now available in the market.
In 2021 Forgotten Fields was released. The game was developed by Frostwood Interactive and published by Dino Digital. They are the same devs who developed the game Rainswept which was a murder mystery-solving puzzle game. Frostwood Interactive is a company that designs simple yet beautiful games which can easily be understood and played. Forgotten Fields also has a very nostalgic design that follows the story of a struggling writer Sid. Sid is having difficulties paying his bills as he is unable to find any good story which he can write. The developers recently launched their new game Unwording. Unwording is based on a boy who perceives the world as a puzzle. The game with its cartoonist gameplay design helps to overcome negative thoughts through patterns.
The year 2022 marked the launch of Kurukshetra Ascension. It is inspired by the Hindu history of Mahabharata and Ramayan. The game is still in early access for both the pc and mobile devices. The game features heroes from Mahabharata and Ramayan like Arjuna, Bhima, Sugriva, etc. The game's storytelling is really good, you actually get the vibe from the gameplay. The dialogue used in the game is very captivating. The game is obviously a strategy-based card game where each character can be upgraded for progressing in the game. The game has more than 100 very unique cards. The game is very colorful and artistic. The story starts from hell where you find your way out of it. The aesthetics of the game is very beautiful. The game also has a multiplayer option in which you can fight with other players in real-time.
1971 Indian Naval Front was also released recently. It is based on the Indo-Pakistan war which was fought in the year 1971. The game tries to tell the naval operations done by the Indian forces during the war. The graphics of the game are very good and it provides a good experience while playing.
The Future of Indian Gaming Is Safe
The Palace on the Hill is an upcoming slice-of-life adventure pc game that is set in the 90s. The protagonist is a poor farmer's son Vir, who has a dream to study art. Vir along with farming also works in different shops to support his family. The game breaks the boundary which shows a graphically good game with hand-painted colorful graphics. The storyline of the game is emotional and engaging. the game is available on Android devices, however, that is just the demo of the game. The pc version is yet to be released.
Indian Gamers are already aware of the two most awaited upcoming games Mayanagari and Indus Battle Royale. It can easily be understood that there are a variety of games developed by Indian developers. Let's just hope that the Indian Gaming Industry produces quality games. Keep Playing.
