SHUT IN
Really captures the feeling of depression without being too… for lack of a better word, depressing? The game is still funny and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Somehow it’s very entertaining to be told how you’re an idiot and you’ve died horribly.
But then there’s also a really creepy atmosphere, very nice sound design, a solid sense of dread, and some very satisfying puzzles.
Really enjoyable, and I feel very smug for finding the secret ending!
Still not got that rocket launcher though…
– Real player with 11.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dark Comedy Psychological Games.
I had so much fun with this game. Which is a weird thing to say considering it spent a lot of time all-too-accurately evoking the scathing self-deprecation and casual self-sabotage that comes with depression. Did it make me think about the times real-life-me had not wanted to get out of bed, and said mean things to the reflection in the mirror? Yes. Did it let me wave a spatula off a staircase and caress a questionable pile of black goo? Also yes.
Sometimes — especially in 2020 — there’s not much to do about the pitfalls of depression except to laugh and keep going. This game knows that, and in a rather tongue-in-cheek way, nudges us to remember. It’s a fun, satisfying little puzzle that rewards trial and error, persistence, and (if you’re going for the secret ending) the occasional madcap experiment. But most importantly, it tells us: Don’t worry. Try again tomorrow.
– Real player with 4.8 hrs in game
Polter Pals
Making friends in the afterlife is a little different.
You play as a lonely ghost with the power to possess the living. Surrounded by Oomans who cannot see you, you must use this power to steer them into comically fatal accidents and an early friendship, freeing the friendly ghosts within them. Each level is a puzzle diorama, styled after classic children’s stop-motion cartoons, where you have to figure out how to make all the friends using the available hazards.
Every Ooman you ghost will add you on LiveBurial, the afterlife’s hottest social media app. The posts of your newly deceased friends give you a unique look at the dysfunctional, hyper-consumerist world of the living through the lens of a social media-obsessed afterlife.
Key Features
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Possess hapless Ooman friends-to-be and steer them into cartoonishly gruesome friend-making hazards.
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Puzzle through 60+ levels across 4 thematically distinct areas, including 4 unique bosses that test your mastery over the power of possession.
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Keep up with your phantom friends via the in-game Live Burial app! Each new friend you make shares their thoughts and feelings about their recent expiration via darkly humorous social media posts.
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Learn about the world of Polter Pals through the in-game Encyclopeoplia app, a collection of questionably sourced articles on all Oomans, hazards, and bosses encountered in the game.
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Make friends to a groovy soundtrack by the Mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder.
Read More: Best Dark Comedy Funny Games.
Helheim Hassle
Hello, new hyperfixation! You are just what I needed to get through everything else, my ray of light in this time of darkness!
That might sound overdramatic, but in all seriousness this game is excellent. To be honest I was a bit worried that the world of Manual Samuel might have been ditched, so finding out that this takes place in the same universe was a relief! I’d been pretty attached to MS’s characters back when I was into it, and it would seem that Helheim Hassle is continuing Perfectly Paranormal’s trend of introducing characters you can really feel for!
– Real player with 338.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dark Comedy Funny Games.
Honestly, I too would want to escape Valhalla if I was forced to be on an Esports team.
The creators of Manuel Samuel is back with another game! And just with how Manuel Samuel was a unique adventure will humor surrounding Samuel’s unfortunate situation, so is Helheim Hassle. And fun fact, Helheim Hassle and Manuel Samuel takes place in the same universe and even on the same day.
Helheim Hassle brings us to a young teenage Viking named Bjorn Hammerparty who isn’t like his Viking brethren. Unlike everyone else, he is a pacifist. He doesn’t want to go out fighting so he makes sure he doesn’t get into a situation where he has to and he sure doesn’t want to go to Valhalla. However, during a battle that is sure to wipe out his whole village, Bjorn gets into a fatal accident while he was running to his hideout. The sketchy bridge he was crossing may have made him fall straight onto a bear. Once Bjorn comes to, he’s a ghost and his body is limbless. Before moving on, Bjorn attaches his limbs back on his body and talks to Modgunn to be granted passage into Helheim. However, his cowardly fall to his death was counted as him heroically killing a bear without a weapon and is brought into Valhalla by the Allfather.
– Real player with 36.2 hrs in game
Squidoku
Its a friendly sudoku game with fish, and some clever writing.
– Real player with 0.8 hrs in game
Classic puzzle gameplay with a twist.
– Real player with 0.1 hrs in game
Zenith
REVISED AFTER FINISHING GAME
In my original review where I had only played a few hours, I mainly focused the problem with the combat system. I want to give a more complete review of the game after completing it with all achievements.
Initially, combat primarily involves using ranged attacks and depending upon mana regeneration, where the primarily healing is through potions that have long cooldowns. Melee combat requires precise timing to avoid taking damage until you have more advanced weapons and artifacts. However, once you get further into the game and get better armor, combat is less problematic. There are a few challenging bits in the game, but overall the game becomes easier the more you play. By the end you are able to do effective combos of various moves using different weapons and abilities that make it so you don’t take any damage if you are careful.
– Real player with 19.8 hrs in game
Surprisingly, I didn’t just enjoy the game. I loved it and wish I could play more.
First off, Zenith isn’t exactly an action RPG, but a light hack’n’slash. You can engage in close combat or, if your manna allows, magically attack from a distance. There’s no real level up system, you can just equip better armour and weapons, which in turn boost your stamina, manna, attack and defense. Sarcasm remains unchanged and always at 999! :D There is a kind of a skill tree, where you can boost various aspects. Fortunately you don’t need to make hard decisions, by the end of the game you’ll have all the points to be fully upgraded.
– Real player with 15.3 hrs in game
Cheat or Die
Nice little game. It get you addicted pretty easily. 5/7 would cheat again
– Real player with 0.6 hrs in game
Always cheat! And not only during the exams!
– Real player with 0.2 hrs in game
Dinner with an Owl
Saw it was an odd game, decided to stream it with some friends for a laugh.
Originally beat the game in nine in-game days and about 20 mins. Decided to fuck around after that point and see what happens… and see what happens we did, the game has quite a few scares an odd behaviors when you start breaking it and doing things at strange times. Quite some spooks and some laughs… and some glitches like the magic phantom knife… game loves calling you out on your bullshit when you start fucking around.
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
I absolutely LOVED this game! It’s a short and sweet point and click game with a wonderful little creepy story. Took me half an hour and 11 in-game days to complete! Not sure if you can do it in any less but it was super fun and I really did like it. The artwork was so lovely and it gave me some Rusty Lake vibes (without the puzzles!)
10/10 enjoyed, highly recommend to anybody that wants a nice little interactive story with some lovely music too!
Big props to the devs & co! Would love to see any more games you come out with!
– Real player with 1.2 hrs in game
Ruka
Ruka is a small yet utterly delightful game to play. I had the most fun making my way through the puzzles in search of the answers to my grandfather. This was like a magical quest. I enjoyed the layout of the puzzles and the monsters encountered. Everything was well-designed and I wish I could have played longer.
I love puzzle games in general and thought this one definitely deserved a thumbs up for it’s unique structure. The design and animation style was also really cool. Got spooked a few times. Who wouldn’t! It was a mystery that was left open to interpretation.
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
I enjoyed my time playing this game. It’s simple and short, but it was fun. The game is cute and have a nice story in it. I do wish this game was longer and have more and difficult levels. I will surely play it if there will be new additional levels in this game or a Ruka 2 sequel game.
Here’s my let’s play of Ruka if anyone likes to check it out: https://youtu.be/16tDLLTtFUs
– Real player with 1.0 hrs in game
A Chamber of Stars
Each person has a universe inside of them.
A personal universe with characters influenced by the observable reality around them. Your friends, the fans, the local shop clerk, each person you pass without giving pause is another universe. You make up a story about them, they form a story about you. The universes expand.
I always wonder how similar our universes can be. You and I. Will I ever be able to pierce through and present myself, my real self, or will the information be lost in translation? The thing rattling around in our heads can’t be all that different. We both still get choked up over the same melodies, it’s only human to do so, right?
Maybe, if you would like it, I could play something for you. Lord knows your songs are still rattling around in my head.
The singularly named Starr, an enigmatic performer, guitarist and songwriter, has somehow survived the constant shifting tide of the musical landscape. Decade after decade, this artist has remained relevant in culture’s eye. After multiple personas, genre manipulations and controversies, the public is still buzzing. “What will Starr do next?” The rumors say their upcoming album will be the fated magnum opus…
A Chamber of Stars is the sequel to 2018’s The Endless Empty. Through six unique worlds the life of the rock n’ roll hero, Starr, will be pieced together. Exploration, choices and performances will change the course of a life and will alter the songs that are produced. A Chamber of Stars will feature a mix of classic adventure games, puzzle solving and unique rhythm game performances all within a fully realized surrealist universe.
Nothing heavenly or divine; just filthy mortal music here.
Dark Threads
My initial experience was…. well I could not move from I spawn and I kept getting a little ways into the prologue before weird things would happen like I would fly out of the map or stop being able to move around.
I still don’t know if it was my computer or not but I reinstalled the game and played it again and things seem to work great with the exception of some objects causing me to walk backwards when I pick them up.
If you enjoy sci fi and/or walking simulators you will enjoy this game. It is clear a lot of time and care has gone into production values.
– Real player with 4.0 hrs in game
Its alright. Would give it a neutral review if I could. Positive just because I like that the Canadian government is helping fund VR experiences like this.
Short (roughly ~1.5 hours) sci-fi experience (aka “walking simulator”) with a very overt environmental message. Production values are alright but many of the textures are very low-res. Little interactivity beyond walking slowly and picking things up.
It wasn’t bad, but I have to say I was slightly underwhelmed at the end. It needed either better production values or a longer, more fleshed out story to be truly memorable.
– Real player with 2.4 hrs in game