Brian Hobbs
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Adventure Game HotspotLatest Reviews
The season may be colder, but Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is even more heartwarming than Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, combining strong writing with rewarding winter-themed mechanics to create another charming family favorite.
Phoenix Springs will land well with anyone looking for a complex, experimental mystery with striking art and a surreal atmosphere, so long as they don’t mind wrestling with a strange, disjointed narrative and a few obtuse puzzles in an increasingly bizarre second half.
Paper Trail
There’s plenty of art and craft folded into Paper Trail’s perspective-shifting gameplay. Those seeking narrative or a world to explore may find the thin story and linear level-by-level progression a bit underwhelming, but there’s more than enough satisfaction to be found in manipulating the vivid, whimsical environments and solving the...
Bilkins' Folly
Packed with many hours’ worth of puzzles to solve, secrets to uncover, and plenty of jokes, Bilkins' Folly finds the sweet spot that combines a light and humorous presentation with a compelling gameplay loop of tricky treasure hunting that has deeper layers than you might expect.
Based on Tove Jansson’s popular book series, Snufkin is a cozy, beautifully presented adventure that’s fairly short and light on challenge, but will surely please fans and newcomers alike who are eager to take a pleasant stroll among the natural wonders and quirky characters of Moominvalley.
Like a bingeable TV show, American Arcadia is slickly presented and tightly paced, resulting in a charismatic and entertaining theme park ride of an adventure, even if the simple characters and somewhat unfocused approach to gameplay doesn’t foster much lasting impact.
It might feel bewildering at first, but deciphering glyphs to discover more about the vibrant and mysterious tower with its culturally divided people makes Chants of Sennaar a highly engaging and ultimately rewarding framing for the inventive language-based puzzles.
Viewfinder
Viewfinder’s shining achievement is its brilliantly executed set of reality-bending mechanics that are such fun to play with that its tenuous story and relatively simple puzzles are easy to overlook.
SEASON is a beautiful and thoughtful art piece of a game whose only challenge may stem from being overly ponderous at times, but it shines with its gorgeous landscapes, interesting characters, and imaginative worldbuilding and will reward those who come into it ready for some creative introspection.
Somerville
An artfully made take on the familiar story of an alien invasion, Somerville’s visual design and interesting scenarios form an engaging experience, though some confusing puzzle design and a plot that holds the player at arm’s length keep it from truly being out of this world.
As another iteration on the futuristic physics puzzler, The Entropy Centre is one of the better ones, but a few uninspired design elements and some frustration with controls holds it back from being a real classic.
Lost in Play
It’s easy to lose yourself in Lost in Play, whose abundant charm is sure to spark your childlike sense of wonder, making this a treat for adventurers of any age.