Chionophile

Chionophile

While this game is tiny (the trailer honestly shows you most of the game) it’s stunningly pretty in a way you can’t quite define. Like other walking sims from the dev we are outside, this time in winter. Kind of like Bottle, but with a more upbeat tone and fresher graphics. It is short, especially if you use your right mouse button to act as a sort of heads up display and track down flowers and platforms quickly.

But there’s also a lot more to explore once you’ve checked all the achievements off your list. Honestly, yes, it’s short. I clocked in at 45 minutes, and I got terribly lost too. But it is also like Bottle in that you can make your own fun. Go back in and take a lovely walk in the gorgeous landscape. Let your worries go and just be.

Real player with 1.6 hrs in game


Read More: Best Exploration Walking Simulator Games.


In a similar vein to “Pluviophile”, it’s a nice looking environment, but with a number of strange design choices that mar its potential to be a nice peaceful walk.

To start, there are still, for some reason, flowers that you need to pick up and take to stone circles to open the path forward. There isn’t anything inherently interesting about the mechanic, so it just detracts from the experience by arbitrating certain places where you must go, making you less inclined to explore elsewhere on your own.

Real player with 1.5 hrs in game

Chionophile on Steam

EBE

EBE

EBE is an action-adventure game set on a planet in the Lyra constellation. The player takes the role of a small extraterrestrial biological entity (EBE), who recovers a strange micro-device from a humanoid alien lying dead in his crashed flying saucer. Using this device, the player will be able to connect to an alien network, solve puzzles, see distant locations (some of them on Earth), and bring back to life alien entities to contact the player himself.

EBE takes you on a visit to another planet teeming with life, from strange PSI energy-producing plants to small insect-like creatures. Everywhere you can find remnants of alien civilization: old buildings, antennae, and communication devices.


Read More: Best Exploration 2.5D Games.


EBE on Steam

Flat Earth Simulator

Flat Earth Simulator

My first impressions were positive with a beautiful model, pleasant narration along soothing ambient music.

  • It would have been great to zoom in more and see cities mapped onto the model from high altitude photos.

  • The Sun and Moon are different sizes, they should be about the same.

  • The Sun and Moon orbits are locked.

  • No Moon phases or eclipses present.

  • No Tropic of Cancer or Tropic of Capricorn sun orbit paths for seasons.

  • Stars seem random rather than actual mapped stars along with correct movements over the plane.

Real player with 1.6 hrs in game


Read More: Best Exploration 3D Games.


Garbage.

No way to change display/sound settings in game, must quit and re-launch. No option to not have the really slow narrator read everything to you, instead you must mute it, hide the text, and then press space to open it with the full text visible for anyone who can read faster than a third grader, the text is poorly written with many grammatical mistakes and quirks that make it hard to understand, the information being presented raises more questions than it answers, and the clues that pop up every few minutes make no sense and don’t actually lead to anything.

Real player with 1.5 hrs in game

Flat Earth Simulator on Steam

OUBEY VR - Samurai

OUBEY VR - Samurai

⠄⠄⠄⠄⣠⣴⣿⣿⣿⣷⣦⡠⣴⣶⣶⣶⣦⡀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄it’s good

⠄⠄⠄⣴⣿⣿⣫⣭⣭⣭⣭⣥⢹⣟⣛⣛⣛⣃⣀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄Play it

⠄⣠⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⢯⡓⢻⠿⠿⠷⡜⣯⠭⢽⠿⠯⠽⣀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄Christmas

⣼⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣥⣝⠂⠐⠈⢸⠿⢆⠱⠯⠄⠈⠸⣛⡒⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄started!

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣭⡭⢟⣲⣶⡿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠋⠄⠄⣴⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⢶⡀

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢟⣛⠿⢿⣷⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡄⠄⢰⠇⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⣧

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡹⣭⣛⠳⠶⠬⠭⢭⣝⣛⣛⣛⣫⣭⡥⠄⠸⡄⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⢇⡟

⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣭⣛⣛⡛⠳⠶⠶⠶⣶⣶⣶⠶⠄⠄⠄⠙⠮⣽⣛⣫⡵⠊⠁

⣍⡲⠮⣍⣙⣛⣛⡻⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠖⠂⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣸⠄⠄⠄⠄

⣿⣿⣿⣶⣦⣬⣭⣭⣭⣝⣭⣭⣭⣴⣷⣦⡀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠠⠤⠿⠦⠤⠄

Real player with 0.9 hrs in game

You find yourself inside of a red grape, and must tear your way out with a samurai sword.

! 4023 https://youtu.be/gWW9Y07VMKw

Real player with 0.6 hrs in game

OUBEY VR - Samurai on Steam

OUBEY VR – Reise der Monaden

OUBEY VR – Reise der Monaden

⠄⠄⠄⠄⣠⣴⣿⣿⣿⣷⣦⡠⣴⣶⣶⣶⣦⡀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄it’s good

⠄⠄⠄⣴⣿⣿⣫⣭⣭⣭⣭⣥⢹⣟⣛⣛⣛⣃⣀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄Play it

⠄⣠⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⢯⡓⢻⠿⠿⠷⡜⣯⠭⢽⠿⠯⠽⣀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄Christmas

⣼⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣥⣝⠂⠐⠈⢸⠿⢆⠱⠯⠄⠈⠸⣛⡒⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄started!

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣭⡭⢟⣲⣶⡿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠋⠄⠄⣴⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⢶⡀

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢟⣛⠿⢿⣷⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡄⠄⢰⠇⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⣧

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡹⣭⣛⠳⠶⠬⠭⢭⣝⣛⣛⣛⣫⣭⡥⠄⠸⡄⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⢇⡟

⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣭⣛⣛⡛⠳⠶⠶⠶⣶⣶⣶⠶⠄⠄⠄⠙⠮⣽⣛⣫⡵⠊⠁

⣍⡲⠮⣍⣙⣛⣛⡻⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠖⠂⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣸⠄⠄⠄⠄

⣿⣿⣿⣶⣦⣬⣭⣭⣭⣝⣭⣭⣭⣴⣷⣦⡀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠠⠤⠿⠦⠤⠄

Real player with 0.7 hrs in game

A decent little VR dealie where you are inside your eyeballs and you poke those little protein string things that you see when you close your eyes.

! Oh, squiggly line in my eye fluid, I see you there, lurking on the periphery of my vision. But when I try to look at you, you scurry away. Are you shy, squiggly line? Why only when I ignore you do you return to the center of my eye? Oh, squiggly line, it’s all right. You are forgiven. https://youtu.be/caYivJqRSys

Real player with 0.6 hrs in game

OUBEY VR – Reise der Monaden on Steam

Kristallijn

Kristallijn

I’m not entirely sure what I played. At first, it seemed as if I was playing a walking sim through a pretentious abstract dancing exhibit at some cliche abandoned building. There almost seemed to be some kind of suspense through out the game, as if you’re just constantly waiting for something to happen. The game itself is actually better than a lot of the lower grade games I’ve played. The strobe effects were a bit much in some spots (a unique kind of thing to have be the bulk sensory in a game, but it does mean that a certain percentage of gamers can’t play this game). My biggest issue was the story. I could definitely feel the game was trying to go for something but it kinda just fell flat. Even for an abstract game, I had to really think about what the ending could mean and I’m still lost and confused. Call me uncultured, but it was a bit too vague for my taste.

Real player with 1.1 hrs in game

Honestly, a shocker from start to finish. The way this game manipulates lights and short looped movements is incredible. I adore the simplicity and how anxiety inducing this game gets, but the ending…hits too close to home. You get in such a loop of pausing and waiting for things to move and see where you need to go, then the ending breaks you out of that cycle and its just. 100/10. Cmon, you have 3 dollars to spare, just play it and experience the wonderful work that is kristallijn :)

Real player with 1.0 hrs in game

Kristallijn on Steam

10mg: Always Down

10mg: Always Down

An interesting abstract thingymabob that seems to be about a man turning into a frog, running away, and then hopping all the way back once he reaches full frogitude.

Real player with 0.4 hrs in game

10mg: Ten Ten-Minute Games!

Always Down is ‘a game about going away’ and is made up of simple puzzles, cute enemies and light platforming challenges. The player controls a cube-shaped character who, after declaring that they are leaving proceeds to descend deeper into the ground, undergoing subtle changes the deeper they go. The game uses simple pixel art aesthetic to portray the varying environment and matches this well with relaxing classical music. Despite a few hurdles, the overall experiences was pleasant and somewhat meditative with a thought-provoking conclusion.

Real player with 0.3 hrs in game

10mg: Always Down on Steam

Adventures in Morality: An Interactive Case Study

Adventures in Morality: An Interactive Case Study

First to the creator(s) of the ICS, you should be aware that there appears to be a bug with the cassette recordings. Every time you find one and play it, it also plays all the ones that you have found and played before, simultaneously, making understanding anything pass the third one nearly impossible. Onto the review.

This is an interesting experience. The idea being that an AI is the one conducting the Case Study on you is both intriguing and perhaps a bit alarming and I mean both of those ideas in as to whether you accept that at face value or if you accept that as part of a fictional narrative. I was actually most interested in finding and reading the log notes about the “childhood” and growth of said AI, and I got a good snicker at the mention of bonono monkies (i dont have to google, i actually saw a N.G show on them so totally got it ;) As for the Subject of the case study, this idea of sympathy types, while the particular labels used to describe said types might be newish, the idea behind it is not. I was reading about where people fall into self, tribe, and human kind in self help and spiritual enlightenment books back in the 80’s and 90’s. And those authors were NOT representing the knowledge as something new; but, rather as something very old and mostly forgotten or purposely suppressed (Those in power naturally tend to keep those below them divided and weakened through the use of Us vs them, whether thats Individualism vs Communism or Tribalism in one form or another.) The one thing none of those authors ever did was threaten to use the knowledge being shared to bring about an apocalypse and try to divide up the world based on results of some case study. Really not sure what to make of that.

Real player with 0.8 hrs in game

Opening video has a couple good lines.

The rest is random questions that don’t make any sense as a test of morality. Not to mention that just by walking around you get 80+ ‘Humanity’ rating.

Real player with 0.7 hrs in game

Adventures in Morality: An Interactive Case Study on Steam

Gamitate - Meditate, Relax, Feel Better

Gamitate - Meditate, Relax, Feel Better

I’ve really taken to this. A really calming game, with a blend of meditation and mindfulness, all backed up by a gorgeous soundtrack and some really nice visuals. Less a game, and more an experience, but a delightfully relaxing experience.

Real player with 7.0 hrs in game

A nice and easy-to-use meditation tool. I didn’t even know there are so many different ways to meditate.

Real player with 2.6 hrs in game

Gamitate - Meditate, Relax, Feel Better on Steam

Jack’s Labyrinth

Jack’s Labyrinth

Since childhood I love games about Pac Man and I also really liked this game 3 Everything is the same but with some changes with its own features. Had a good time

Real player with 3.1 hrs in game

Pretty cool parody puzzle, very similar to Pac-Man. The game is very interesting, has a good graphic design and pleasant musical accompaniment.

Real player with 1.4 hrs in game

Jack's Labyrinth on Steam