A Murmur in the Trees

A Murmur in the Trees

Good little indie game. I hope there will be more to explore in future.

There are things you could easily miss, if you don’t pay attention, can you find all secrets? :)

I was 1 of many testers, so that is reason why I got it free.

Real player with 5.2 hrs in game


Read More: Best Exploration Walking Simulator Games.


A short and sweet story, only takes about an hour to get through. If you like walking simulators you should check it out.

Real player with 1.9 hrs in game

A Murmur in the Trees on Steam

Desolatium: Prologue

Desolatium: Prologue

I totally recommend this!

I loved the atmosphere and the music, I was totally immersed in the story from second one. The sound keeps you in constant tension the whole game so that’s a plus.

I also enjoyed all the references, especially the ones in the cemetery (didn’t know about all of them but took notes of some movies to watch, so thanks devs!)

It’s a short game but it’s just the prologue, so I can imagine what the devs are preparing for the final game. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

Real player with 7.5 hrs in game


Read More: Best Exploration VR Games.


An enjoyable Prologue to the upcoming game. (As a backer of the full game, I received the Prologue for free). I played the desktop version.

Short, but sweet and enjoyable. It has been a while since I played a point and click adventure like this, and it gives me fond memories of the days of Myst (only with the ability to freely look around, which is always a plus). The puzzles are simple enough, and allow you to focus on the atmosphere.

Speaking of the atmosphere, it was great! Love the setting and the colours used, as well as the style of the artwork and imagery used. I especially enjoyed the ambient music and soundscaping, top notch and certainly helped create built the mood, so hats off to those in charge of the sound!

Real player with 2.0 hrs in game

Desolatium: Prologue on Steam

Desolatium

Desolatium

Dive into the well-known Myths of Lovecraft in a whole new way with this immersive, first-person, Point & Click, Graphic Adventure, with a taste of Survival Horror.

Investigate and solve mysterious events

You will have to investigate mysterious events in order to find who is hiding behind all of the madness. But you may find something you were not looking for, since discovering what is happening will take you into a world of darkness, terror, and insanity, this is, a DESOLATED world.

Explore a new lovecraftian adventure

Be part, like never before, of an exciting mystery based on Lovecraft’s Mythos, full of puzzles, sects, and primordial deities.

Choose your destiny

You will have to walk in the shoes of four characters with four different paths and destinations… but, be careful! The decisions you make can have unexpected consequences that will lead you to different endings. Will you be able to avoid more murders? Will you find out who is behind or will you prefer to be part of some ritual? In DESOLATIUM you will set the course of the adventure.

Carter wakes up on a bed in a strange room. He can’t remember anything, not even his own name; when he looks around he suspects something is not right. He needs to escape from there and find out what is happening. When Carter’s friends discover that he has disappeared, the true journey begins. What if all the myths and creatures they had read about were real?

Get inside their head to investigate all the clues and hints, each with their unique abilities and characteristics.Will they be ready for what they may find? Will you be?

  • Hyper-realistic Graphics: Every level has been generated by recording real locations in 360º, and later integrating 3D elements in a very subtle way.

  • Ambisonic (8D) audio: which generates a surrounding sound effect that appears to come from every direction, creating the feeling of being in a real scenario where danger lurks in every corner…

  • Full Immersion: Desolatium will be available for PC / Mac but, if you want to get a total immersion, you will be able to use a Virtual Reality device.


Read More: Best Exploration VR Games.


Desolatium on Steam

Strange Horticulture

Strange Horticulture

Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult. Use your growing collection to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries.

Welcome to Undermere, a quaint town surrounded by hag-infested forests and rugged mountains. You are the Horticulturist, owner of local plant store Strange Horticulture. As a cast of colorful customers come by your shop, you are quickly thrust into an occult mystery stretching back hundreds of years.

Explore the lands beyond your store to find new plants, but be careful! The dark woods and lakes are not always friendly to a simple herbalist. You might discover powers beyond your wildest dreams - or lose your mind completely. Use context clues to determine which places to visit, and which to avoid!

Using your trusty encyclopedia and clues found on your explorations, you learn more about the strange plants you come across. By identifying each plant, you will be able to use their effects to influence the story – from hypnotic hallucinogens to powerful poisons.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574580/Strange_Horticulture

Strange Horticulture on Steam

Ghost Follows

Ghost Follows

A Halloween legend surrounding a cursed old house becomes the lived story of one trick-or-treater who looks to solve the mystery of Spector Manner. Upon entering the house, the energy goes through the roof and the house comes alive. Knocks, bumps and flickering lights seem to be attempts at communication with the brave young adventurer. As she looks around the property, spooks and specter are leaving clues that accumulate into a riddle that can only be solved by exploring all the rooms in the estate

Ghost Follows on Steam

Cions of Vega

Cions of Vega

Another lovely walking simulator from Tonguc Bodur. In a departure from previous games, you have a companion on your journey to find your missing daughter. Your brother follows you, providing commentary (with a strong American accent that borders on a southern twang!) and a few inventory items. His dialog, coupled with notes found along the way, begin to alert you that all is not right in the world you are walking through.

The game is split into 7 sections, delimited by gates that each require a key. Keys are located by searching abandoned houses, a church, and some tunnels/caves for clues and solving some basic puzzles. There is one brief platforming sequence that is easy to navigate. Otherwise, you can run, walk, crouch and jump. For speedy gamers, there is a convenient ‘auto-run’ toggle.

Real player with 3.9 hrs in game

Finished it, finally. I say finally because I am a novice gamer and what might seem old hat to most players will give me fits! The puzzles are basic–this game is mostly about the story and the journey. I love Unreal Engine 4 games because the scenery is so neat and this game doesn’t disappoint. The cons for me were inside the houses it is very dark and made it hard to see, and I thought the brother was SUPER creepy, following like red light/green light, but I understand he is a necessary part of the game. The best part was at the end when you earn the right to make a choice (of 3 choices). I’m not going to spoil it but I’ll just say the choice I made was VERY satisfying lol.

Real player with 2.7 hrs in game

Cions of Vega on Steam

Escape Room: The Sorcerer’s Curse

Escape Room: The Sorcerer’s Curse

Play our escape room game from your own home.

A curse has befallen the town of Inglesfear. You, a lowly villager have been chosen to enter the sorcerer’s house, break the curse, and escape unscathed. Can you outsmart the sorcerer and win freedom for your village?

Features

3D first-person

Roam around the sorcerer’s house in 3D using mouse and keyboard. Items in the room are intractable and can be picked up.

Unique hint system

Our hint system will only give hints relevant to the current puzzle and it can even solve the puzzle for you so you will never get stuck.

Backpack

Collected items are placed in your backpack so you can inspect them in full 3D.

Bespoke puzzles

Our puzzles have been custom made for this game. You won’t find any pigpen ciphers here!

Soundtrack

Our music was composed specifically for this game. It is unique and was created from real gameplay.

FAQ

What is an escape room?

An escape room is a puzzle game where you are locked inside a room and must solve puzzles to escape. The Sorcerer’s Curse is a twist on the classic escape room where you find yourself in the sorcerer’s house and must outsmart him by solving all his puzzles, before breaking the curse once and for all.

Can I play the game at any time?

Yes, the game is fully self-contained so you can play in your own time.

What happens if I don’t complete it in an hour?

There is a countdown timer but you have no real time limit. You can take as long as you like.

Can I play this game more than once?

You can delete your current game and play as many times as you like.

What happens if I can’t play the game in one sitting?

The game is saved automatically and you can load it at any time.

What happens if I get stuck?

There is an automated hint system that can help you solve the puzzle or, if you’re really stuck, solve it for you.

Escape Room: The Sorcerer's Curse on Steam

Lapso: NIMBO

Lapso: NIMBO

Nimbo: “flat circular device that emits some kind of light."

Lapso: NIMBO is the prologue to a beautiful exploration puzzle game that will hopefully be released later this year.

Following the tracks of a hiker who mysteriously disappeared, we explore mysterious caves where we find strange drawings and constructs. We also have to solve a few puzzles to progress but nothing too hard as all the solutions can be found in the environment.

The least we can say is that the game is stunning and meticulous care was taken in its design as in the lights and sounds effects.

Real player with 3.1 hrs in game

Nimbo is the project of two Spanish developers, if I’m not mistaken. For now, it’s a short prologue with a sci-fi mystery narrative. The story takes place in Rockrose about the mystery of some lights that haunt on the place. Our character Kali Müller decides to go to the place to investigate about the nature of the enigmatic lights. He will be surprised to find a cavern with strange objects, out-of-this-world artefacts, and writing that he has never seen before. In the game there are some documents and photographs with an interesting text as clues to unveil the mystery of the appeared lights. Well, —I confess that I really liked the narrative of the game in Spanish. It has been a long time since I read or played anything in Spanish—. Despite being a short game, it offers a promising atmosphere of mystery throughout. That reminds me a bit of game in the part of the caverns: The Forest. The aesthetics of the game play on a harmonious combination of chiaroscuro between the nature of the earth with the technology and alien writing. That can be seen with the waterfall or the caverns and the luminous writing in various parts of the place. The development of the plot appears to be linear, because sometimes it teleports us from one place to another in the shape of the branches of a tree. There will always be a node connection between each branch of our journey. Not only attracts the storytelling and aesthetic aspect of the game. Those logical nodes of the narrative occur in the teleport jump. The effect of that: an almost filmic showing of the game. What unites these jumps or scene changes is the solution of a puzzle within the game. The puzzles are simple, but interesting, with the appearance of interacting with strange technology. All that is in our way will be the clues to solve the mystery locked in Rockrose. That combination of modest phosphorescence, a minimalist-ambient music and the dark colour of earthly nature, the developers offer an interesting and promising game proposition. With simple and affordable game mechanics, as well as a visual design that captures our attention at all times. We hope to know more about this interesting game.

Real player with 1.5 hrs in game

Lapso: NIMBO on Steam

Murder Diaries 2

Murder Diaries 2

Murder Diaries 2 - with a good plot. Nice graphics and pretty good music. The gameplay is pretty simple, you fly around the white circle and piece together the whole story. The game is addictive. Recommend!

Real player with 11.7 hrs in game

A very good and beautiful game with its own riddles and mysticism, it makes you think about the plot, it is pleasing to the eyes. It is somewhat reminiscent of an old game from my childhood, which was also about investigations.

Real player with 11.3 hrs in game

Murder Diaries 2 on Steam

Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds

This is my favourite game now. It’s difficult to describe to people because it really is the less you know about it the better, but I’ll give it a go while staying spoiler free:

The absolutely gorgeous soundtrack is so immersive, from the moment I heard the menu music I was immediately in love. It’s so versatile and yet consistent in theme and quality throughout, I listen to the soundtrack outside of the game. The puzzles manage to balance the line perfectly between being difficult enough to stump you for a while but also having a simple straightforward solution that you can find hints for readily if you just explore enough. The moment of breakthrough each time you figure out something significant is also incredibly satisfying. Having watched a few other people play this game, I can say that everyone’s play through is completely unique because everyone will try different potential solutions and discover things in different orders. The story is really beautifully told and combined with the soundtrack really hits hard emotionally, the most I’ve ever felt from any game.

Real player with 57.9 hrs in game

Even though it’s been several several months since I’ve beat it. This game’s soundtrack still gives me chills. Opening the game’s page to write this review still had me reliving the emotions I had throughout the journey months after my initial playthrough. I recently played it again to give its expansion a shot, which is also awesome and I am pleasantly surprised to say that it also lives up to the vanilla game.

I’ve played a lot of games, but this is one of the only ones that I’d consider a masterpiece. It mixes music, story, characters, time-looping, and mechanics in a way that is both engaging and so very endearing.

Real player with 35.7 hrs in game

Outer Wilds on Steam