The Real Texas came out earlier this year, but it's gotten virtually no buzz, which is a shame because it's a substantial indie RPG that seems likely to appeal to fans of the Zelda series, Earthbound, or old-school PC RPGs like Ultima. The game has a fairly simple art style that could be described charitably as "charming," but that masks the fact that this is a sprawling, open-ended combination of adventure game and RPG that apparently has around 20 hours of gameplay.

The concept is a bit goofy. You play a bored Texas rancher who travels to Britain on vacation, only to step into a portal that transports you to an purgatory-like alternate universe that has, among other things, a small town called Strange, Texas in it. The game unfolds as a mix of simple gun-based combat, dungeon exploration, and adventure-game style questing, where you have to solve the problems of various villagers. These subquests are responsible for giving the game a lot of its charm, as they make the town's population of blockheads surprisingly endearing over time, calling to mind the way that Majora's Mask gradually ingratiated its townsfolk with you.

I bought it yesterday, and have put a few hours into it, and the longer I play the more I like it. I imagine it will be in my top ten games of 2012 when all's said and done.

Has anyone else played this gem? To me it's one of the best indie games in a year rife with them.

Here are some pictures, which don't really do the game justice:







Better, here's a trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vTGzQYm9mEw

Don't just take my word for it... Check out these reviews:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-real-texas/critic-reviews

Here's the official website:
http://therealtexasgame.com/

It is on sale right now on GOG for $7.49:
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/the_real_texas

Giantbomb Quick look - http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-the-real-texas/17-6285/

I did a tiny bit of beta testing on it and bought it at launch. Cool game.

edit, also up on Greenlight - http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92933186

Because I was playing the Walking Dead today/yesterday instead. Then that tossed out half of my progress like it was nothing.

Grabbed it in the GOG sale for $3.74, and really like what little I've tried actually. I upvoted it on Greenlight when some were pointing it out months back too.

Sad that there isn't more of a response, especially because I've gotten stuck on a few puzzles!

Googling for help, I found this thread, which gives a sense of how the game unfolds:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3521482

One last bump/update...

I've put another 4 or so hours into the game, and it's revealed itself as more strongly plotted than I initially expected, and the EarthBound feel is coming through more than ever. I won't spoil anything, but I'll say that the gameplay grows a bit more complex as you progress through the game and the world expands nicely beyond the initial scope that you have access to.

One of the great things about the game is that the lack of signposting (or online walkthroughs) makes it difficult to discern which items are important and which are in there for flavor. As such, the game really encourages exploration and experimentation in a way that few modern games do. That being said, the world is big enough that you're not likely to hit too many complete dead ends. There's always something else to try.

I've played a lot of indie games this year, as I'm sure we all have. I think beyond any reasonable argument this has been a year that they've come into their own. I can say at this point with full seriousness that The Real Texas stands up there with FTL, Fez, Mark of the Ninja, and Spelunky HD as the cream of the 2012 Indie Game crop.

I'll play out this post (and hopefully not the thread) with a selection from the game's good soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYIwNIYEwV0

Yeah, I suspected that I should have picked this up during GOG's last sale. It's still 50% off so I might just grab it before the end.

Been wanting to play this badly but I have other stuff that are just as important.

I do hope it gets greenlit in steam to be honest. The dude who made it is badass when looking at his dissecting of abstract game creation ideas.

RelentlessRolento said:

Been wanting to play this badly but I have other stuff that are just as important.

I do hope it gets greenlit in steam to be honest. The dude who made it is badass when looking at his dissecting of abstract game creation ideas.

Click to expand...

Just in case it wasn't clear, it is available at 50% off on GOG now... but I suppose there's no harm in waiting. It's not like the graphics are going to date!

I was actually playing this last week. I'm not sure how far into it I am but I'm currently stuck and have been taking a break. I'm enjoying it, though. Hopefully it's Greenlit on Steam so it gets even more exposure.

[deleted]

The Real Texas is back on sale for $3.75 on GOG.com for the next 12 hours! Go Go Go!