Overall, I loved this Riven. It’s stunning; the new and updated puzzles are brilliant and fun, the music is amazing, the sound design is flawless, and everything in it is so beautiful. I did have a little bit of an issue with the game running poorly and having to turn the graphics way down, and I also didn’t like the character models. But overall, the translation from an old-school point-and-click to an updated version of itself went rather splendidly. I never played the remake of Myst from 2020, but I’m thinking I might have to go back and do just that now that I have seen how beautiful the new Riven is.
Aarik and the Ruined Kingdom is fun, challenging, and unique in the genre. I really liked the puzzles; some of them were incredibly difficult. Without being esoteric or so out there, I would never have gotten them. I enjoyed that main aspect of this game, and I’m so happy I got to play it. On the other hand, Aarik and the Ruined Kingdom has many issues. I hope that the team contacts me with a message about how to complete that final achievement. Also, I hope that’s not the true ending because I would be so sad if it were.
I like The Journey of AutUmn, but it feels like this game needs a little bit more love. Overall, if you like point-and-clicks, cute adventure games, and hand-drawn animations, you might want to give this one a try.
If you loved the base game and the other DLC, you’ll dig A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars. The developers have once again nailed the aesthetic, the music, and the animations and made new and interesting puzzles while they were at it. Seeing Stars is a beautiful, thoughtful, and challenging addition to the original lineup of puzzles. I think this DLC is amazing, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you like games like Unpacking, Gorogoa, or Storyteller, you will dig not only A Little to the Left but also the two DLCs!
Tavern Talk is a unique and fun story with excellent characters, beautiful characters and scenery, and is great fun to play. However, it is missing a lot of the autonomy that I was hoping it would have. If you are looking for a fun visual novel with a great story, good humor, and amazing characters, Tavern Talk will be a five-star game in your books, I think. If you loved Coffee Talk, you’ll dig this one as well.
There’s not a whole lot to say about Infinite Seek and Find. It’s a simple game with simple gameplay and a simple premise. If you like these types of games, this is a way to play them infinitely with different difficulties for only a couple of bucks. I don’t usually play these types of seek-and-find games, but it was a fun little diversion. I like that Infinite Seek and Find added the ability to unlock greater difficulties, that you could make your own difficulties, and unlock different variations of the same puzzle. If you enjoy hunting for objects in a big pile, Infinite Seek and Find is a good one to go with. It’s cheap, it’s infinitely replayable, and it has cute objects to find. I wish it were more themed like you could search for specific cute dogs among a pile of dogs or something like that, but overall, it’s an okay game to have a fun time with.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is one of the best kid-friendly games I’ve ever played. It seems like something that would be super fun to play with some older kids who are comfortable reading and with deduction. While I had some issues with the game, overall, it was such a fun experience. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami has good music, amazing voice acting, fun interactions, and just a good storyline and feel. I love this from my bill down to my webbed feet!
Overall, Bubble Dogs was kind of fun. It’s a simple game that feels familiar to play. As much as I love Suika-likes, I couldn’t love Bubble Dogs, which is so incredibly sad. Because a puppy-themed Suika game should have been right up my alley. I would prefer a slightly more expensive game with a lot more thought put into it.
Shockwaves has a simple concept that is unique. The puzzles are challenging and fun, and the game has a ton of replay value. If you enjoy 2048-type games and you are looking for a lot of fun for cheap, Shockwaves is not a bad choice. It’s one of those incredibly clever number games that you will find yourself going back to play again and again. It reminded me a lot of Num One, a game that I adore and keep downloaded on my PC to play when I have a few extra minutes and don’t want to dive into a complex game. It’s fun, colorful, simple, and has satisfying action on the number movement. I can’t recommend Shockwaves enough to those who like number puzzles and are looking for a new and unique challenge.
Pocket Oasis is chill, nice to look at, and a fun idle game to play while you are doing something else. It doesn’t require a whole lot from you, and your plants seem to grow even while the game is closed. It’s fun, but I think it could use a little bit more love from the development team. With a little tweaking, Pocket Oasis could be the best relaxing idle game I’ve ever played.
Jigsaw Puzzle Dreams is the best jigsaw puzzle game I have ever played. It only has one issue: it is pretty graphics intensive. It seems to run my computer a little hot, but nothing my gaming laptop can’t handle. I feel that most people’s computers would have a little trouble keeping this running well. But if you like jigsaw puzzles and you have a fairly decent machine, you cannot go wrong with Jigsaw Puzzle Dreams.
Another Crab’s Treasure has some bugs and some issues, it has some platforming challenges I prefer to never do again if I can help it, but overall, it’s a wonderful game. There is a lot of humor, a lot of beauty, and a wonderful story and music in this title (oh man, this review is already over 2,000 words, and I didn’t even talk about how good the story and music were! I have so much more I could say about this game). It’s a triumph of a Souls-like that is welcoming, accessible, and funny. I love this game more than I can say, and I think it’s art. But sadly, I can’t give it a very good rating based on the version I played. I can say that I recommend this game to everyone who has ever wanted to play a Souls-like but couldn’t get through it. I recommend this to everyone who ever loved absurdist SpongeBob SquarePants humor. I recommend this to anyone who loves Little Mermaid. If you want to laugh, cry, and have a really good time, pick up Another Crab’s Treasure. But if you have a choice, don’t pick it up on the Nintendo Switch.
RoboSync is a short, sweet puzzle game that is cheap and offers a unique little gaming experience. It’s fun, challenging, and simple to learn. If you enjoy these kinds of puzzles that hyperfocus on one type of puzzle, you will most likely get a kick out of RoboSync.
In all honesty, I was pretty disappointed with Doctor Cat. I like the idea, and the artwork is spectacular, but the execution is not amazing. If you are looking for a jigsaw puzzle-type game and you are willing to shell out $6 USD for 12-24 puzzles, I can recommend this game. The puzzles are pretty fun. However, the rest of the game, from the music to the text, kind of let me down. I’m not sure how I feel about Doctor Cat. I am certainly not in love with it, and I know I am disappointed at what was missing, but I did have some fun with the actual puzzles. However, I’m not sure I can recommend this game.
Poorzzle – Puzzle Alive is one of those puzzle games that is particularly frustrating. It’s clean, the action is great, and the sound design is okay, but the overall product is not as much fun as it could easily be. I was very disappointed with how this turned out, considering how good the basic idea, look, and feel of the game was. Free or not, I think this developer needs a few more playtesters and translation help.
RestorArt: Fairwood Hills Collector’s Edition is a great game. While some of the people are a little uncanny valley, the artwork you’re “restoring” is nice to look at overall. The music and sound effects are great. You can turn the tutorial off at any time. There is a lot to like about these sorts of games. If you enjoy puzzle mash-up games like Maze Of Realities and Twistingo, you’ll really like this game as well.
I like Corbid! A Colorful Adventure: it’s a colorful, innocent, and fun little puzzle game that is family-friendly. The main character is cute, and I love that he can change colors. You get friends and fix robots, and all sorts of other fun puzzle things. It has really good movement, interesting puzzles, and cute characters and animation. It has issues, but overall, I like it. I think with a few fixes, Corbid! A Colorful Adventure could be a really good game.
Sippy Disco: Light Up the Dance Floor is a colorful, cute puzzle game with some good ideas. The puzzles started easy, but got really hard very quickly. But there is just so much incomplete about Sippy that it feels like a prototype. I like the basic structure, and I like the puzzles, but I’m afraid this game is not worth picking up.
Overall, Planetiles is a super fun tile placement game. I like the look and style of the game. It feels well-polished, and the sound design is great. All the action, placement, and movement feel really good, and the visuals grow on you after a while. I came to really appreciate the trippy space aesthetic much more than I thought I would after about 30 minutes in. It’s fun, challenging, and has a whole lot of replayability. There is a lot to love about Planetiles and very, very few things I didn’t like. I do wish that the tutorial was a little more informative, but it couldn’t ruin my enjoyment of the game overall. If you enjoy tile placement video games or board games, I would recommend Planetiles to you.
Overall, Alchemy: Origins is fine. It’s not new or unique, even with the upgrades to the original. It works mostly pretty well. However, it feels a little boring to play. I miss the joke combos, and I liked the tactile feel of clicking and dragging the items together on the screen. There just isn’t much that would make me want to purchase this one over playing some of the free-to-play versions available outside of Steam. However, it’s a cute game of blending items and getting new ones, and I don’t dislike the look, feel, and play style of Alchemy: Origins.