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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Tech Deck

This week’s free game: “Mandagon”

Mandagon draws upon Tibetan philosophy and the stylistic design of fellow indie success
Mandagon draws upon Tibetan philosophy and the stylistic design of fellow indie success "FEZ" to deliver a unique platforming experience. (Blind Sky Studios )

Are you a gamer? Do you like free things? Of course you do!

We here at the Tech Deck are just like you: poor gamers looking for cheap entertainment. And nothing's cheaper than cost-free gaming. Each week, we'll bring you a title (or two or three) you can legally play at home without plopping down a single dollar. If you see games you think we should be featuring on the blog, email us at dang@spokesman.com or kiph@spokesman.com.

Tibetan philosophy probably isn't the first source material you'd think of for a platforming game, but that's exactly what you get with Mandagon, a short experience brought to you by the UK-based studio Blind Sky Studios. You'll need to download the game through the Steam client, but it's free and one of the best duty-free gaming experiences you can find on the service right now. Click below to download!

Click here to download "Mandagon" through Steam for your PC!

Drawing heavily in visual style from FEZ, Mandagon casts you as a stone totem traveling through Bardo - the Tibetan philosophy's equivalent of purgatory. The gameplay is nonlinear, but it's an experience that's designed to be completed in roughly a half hour.

Blind Sky Studios began Mandagon as a side project while completing work on their upcoming release, {adam}. Compared to Mandagon's vibrant colors and stylistic, pixelated design, {adam} aims for a minimalist, black-and-white look with a sense of impending dread dripping from the screen. {adam} seems to have been shelved for the time being. The most recent news post about the game from Blind Sky's Facebook page came in June 2015.

What's your favorite platformer? Eager to explore Bardo? Let us know in the comments below, and check back soon for another free game!



Kip Hill
Kip Hill joined The Spokesman-Review in 2013. He currently is a correspondent for the City Desk.

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