I admit that I haven’t been excited about indie games from Russia since Tetris. But after months of playing mobile game tap fests, disappointing mainstream games, and a few Western indie games, I found an opportunity to see how Russia does indie games and welcomed this glimpse into their entertainment culture with the Russian Indie Bundle #1. The bundle consists of six free games on the PC that offer a definitely non-Western view of entertainment.

Flyborg lets you pilot a robot armed with lasers to shoot spiders and save flies caught in webs. Light is a first person adventure that reminds me of Trauma. Kite is a social commentary point & click adventure game that tackles the issues of alcoholism, domestic violence, and the apathy of society. Dungelot is a cartoony dungeon romp. AstroDude is an action platformer. Transition is a sci-fi text adventure that is difficult to play since my Russian is as good as my Greek and the game lacks an English translation.

The art in all of the games is a welcome change from all of the triple-A realism and anime-style that I’ve been seeing more of. And all of the games are a welcome challenge.

The Russian Indie Bundle #1 will run for the next 30 days free of charge. So why not take a break from the latest Call of Duty: Ghosts news and pick up these Russian games to spice up your gaming life?