Broken Thorns: West Gate
Shadowgate style game mixed with self-reflective, thoughtful dialogue and options.
Lots of surprises and humor, too.
Some of the artwork is incredible.
Can’t recommend this enough, it’s definitely on my all-time favorites list!
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Exploration Colorful Games.
Such a nice game, I played this for a while, I love how you reflect in mirror’s, and the story is taking me closer to myself. When you consider all these questions on your own life, not just game progress, it can show you who you really are. How others see you. How weak you are. Worth the price.
– Real player with 1.2 hrs in game
First Response
Welcome to your new job at the Extreme Containment Security Company! You’ve been selected by Malcolm Monaghan himself as the first subject in their brand new learning initiative! Upon your arrival, K.A.R.A. will guide you through concepts relating to Cybersecurity and the important work you’ll be doing as a brand new SOC Analyst!
Featuring an extremely talented full voice cast, First Response is a blend of the concepts seen in the walking simulator genre with simulation elements modeled after real work done by SOC Analysts! And maybe, a few surprises along the way, but we can’t say much more than that!
Read More: Best Exploration Walking Simulator Games.
The Companion
Absolute stunning visual and audio! A perfect game for those who are looking for a chill, relaxing and exploration game.
The controls are great too! I really love the dash ability. Different levels also have very distinct visual. The developer is also very open to feedbacks and continously improve the game overtime, really appreciate it!
– Real player with 19.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Exploration Emotional Games.
GRAPHICS: 9.5/10
SOUND QUALITY: 7.5/10
GAMEPLAY: 7.5/10
CHARACTERS: 8.5/10
STORY: 7.5/10
OVERALL: 8.1/10
Experience one family’s harrowing journey through the wild. Summon and follow wisps, witness visions of the past, and interact with the present to change the future.
At first, I was very impressed by The Companion. This visually striking, emotional fantasy adventure hits all the right notes both figuratively and literally (the score is heartbreaking in all the best ways). Then I found out it was also created by a self-taught solo developer in under a year! David Fazzio, the game’s writer, director, and designer, started learning game design in 2015 when the Unreal Engine became available for free. After putting aside his initial multiplayer project, Fazzio shifted his focus in 2020 to the intimate yet epic story that would soon become Studio 46’s debut game, The Companion—and what a debut it is!
– Real player with 14.3 hrs in game
the office simulation
A pretty good game for a game jam, however there are some things that need to be pointed out.
What I like.
Environment- I honestly enjoyed the environment since it reminded me of those liminal space images you’d see online and the uncanniness of the graphics helps with that.
What needs to be worked on.
Movement- the movement feels too floaty and there is a slight choppiness with the camera.
Quality of life- some quality of life things are missing from the game currently such as the ability to mess with the options from the pause menu, other bits are minor such as the keyboard clipping through the table at the beginning.
– Real player with 0.4 hrs in game
Spacious room to move around and clear pathing make Office Simulator a solid platformer. With firm controls and the classic Mario Land style of air control, you’ll have no problem maneuvering the various obstacles strewn about.
Unfortunately however, there is no visible way to boot up Dallen Clicker on the office computer, so I can only recommend getting this during a sale.
– Real player with 0.4 hrs in game
Mondealy: Day One
In Mondealy we are introduced to the secret hidden world of Mondealy, a universe where multiple races of humans evolved on the same planet. Mondealy is a classic side scrolling rpg adventure where you build relationships with various people in order to change the world around you in meaningful ways. In Mondealy: Day One, we are introduced to the various worlds that exist within the Mondealy timeline. The world of Mondealy is really well built, and filled with tons of unique races and complex individuals. Quite a few different paths look like they are developing that will change how relationships evolve with the various people that you interact with and the choices you make. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this game turns out once its complete. The full game of Mondealy is expected to come out in 2022.
– Real player with 12.9 hrs in game
Tldr: Give it a try!
Pros
Art: Surprisingly good, I wasn’t expecting it to have that much polish for a demo. I specifically like the transitions between areas and the character portraits are good at displaying emotion.
Partial Controller Support
Gameplay: There’s stuff you can interact with. You have a phone that shows you tasks, and you can check you inventory. Well Optimized.
Sound: It’s alright.
Cons
There’s Fast Travel, but only on the surface.
It’s also kinda pointless because on the way to the Forest there’s a few screens besides each other with Fast Travel, but below the surface there’s no Fast Travel.
– Real player with 8.5 hrs in game
Faraday Protocol
Hey Devs, great game. I found some of the levels challenging and a good use of logic. I did my first run in 14 hrs. and even enjoyed a second run to collect my missing collectible achievement. The jumping portions in some of the puzzles were quite easy once I figured out the timing sequence. A well thought out game and highly recommended. I’d like to see a sequel.
– Real player with 34.1 hrs in game
Awesome game. Addictive. Absolutely beautiful to look at. The puzzles are challenging and interesting. Its also pretty simple and straightforward but with a cool backstory. Would be fun to have a 2 player option, making the puzzles even more mind-bending. I really hope they make a sequel!
– Real player with 22.1 hrs in game
The Last Show of Mr. Chardish
The Last Show of Mr. Chardish is a story with multiple layers and is made up of a central framework with 5 very distinct ‘mini-adventures.’ The sound track is enjoyable and the voice acting well done.
The primary story is played from a first person perspective and is much like a walking simulator, exploring an old theater. You are Ella, an actress returning to your history at the request of Mr. Chardish (a person you worked closely with in your past). You walk through the ruins of the theater, listening to a taped interview with Chardish. You examine items lying about (collectibles) and listen to snippets of remembered conversations. You find several masks in the theater and putting on each submerges you in an adventure based on a play by Chardish. These vary in artistic style and objectives. The mechanics of each are very different, as well. Within each of 5 segments, there are collectibles that contain more recordings of conversations to build out the history of your own past with the man and the theater. The segments have different styles of puzzles with a common theme of using the environment to build your path through a surreal landscape.
– Real player with 12.7 hrs in game
Are you looking for an emotional game with an interesting story, incredible soundtracks and decent voice acting while experiencing a game with artistic and sometimes surrealistic visual graphics? Then The Last Show of Mr. Chardish is for you.
Not all games about battle royales/PVP, having impossible challenges during platforming/parkour games, etc. Story oriented games could be called a niche genre, mainly created to adults because of their deep thoughts. These games offer much lower playtime than other games while the asking price is still 15-20$+. Considering a purchase is still a valid option if you like to support quality games with a deep meaning instead of buying the 500th reskin of a boring shooter.
– Real player with 9.3 hrs in game
Big Cat Rescue VR
Did you know the tiger could go extinct in the wild, in YOUR lifetime? It’s not too late to save them! Become a wildcat tracker assistant and learn how to find and protect tigers in the wild. Assist in the search of a missing tiger through a guided forest experience with a Big Cat Rescue tracker named Jamie. Learn about the different ways to spot a tiger by looking for paw prints, scrape marks on trees, cat scat and the sounds of their prey. Perfect your tracking skills with every new clue you find. Find and rescue a tiger who has been snared by poachers by sedating her while learning all about the veterinary process involved. Release the tiger back into the wild to see what her life is all about. When you return to the ranger station you will discover how you can stop tiger farming and poaching in the real world. You can select this experience to play in either English or Spanish.
Forgetter
Disclaimer: I helped out with testing the game and got the game as a free copy.
The game is mostly a “walking simulator”, so the gameplay is kept relatively simple and the focus lies more on the experience of entering the very different minds of two artists and exploring their memories and traumas. Some of these memories I kind of expected (e.g. pressure from parents) but there are also other memories, some of them even pleasant that I didn’t see coming. Personally, it felt like I got to know two people by discovering some of their key memories, which was interesting to me, because I don’t know much about the artist life. I would have liked to see the game explore the different ways the “brain recycling” technology plays out for people, like in an episode of “Black Mirror”.
– Real player with 4.0 hrs in game
Novice developers from Hong Kong were very kind to submit the game to my curator page https://store.steampowered.com/curator/26168615-Video-Games-Art-International/ and ask for my opinion.
I would thank developers with a positive review, but this is more kinda mixed review.
The game is in first person view and allows for free exploration of 3D environments. Incipit of story is very intriguing and original. You’re a young girl on probation for a new weird job at MindJob corporation. You’re a “forgetter”. Your mission is to clear the minds of famous deceased artists! Yes, at MindJob they recycle the minds of geniuses and artists and implant them in children brains! Families pay for their children to be next generation geniuses and artists! But artists and geniuses minds are affected by traumatic memories and deviant behavior, so you have to erase and clean them before the new implant! Do you want your son to be the next Van Gogh but with both the ears, without deviant behavior? Mindjob has the solution for you! :-)
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
Hair of the Dog
This game is right up my alley! From the very beginning it oozes charm and hilarity. The pace is swift and the characters intriguing. I’ve smiled constantly and laughed out loud many times. It delivers straight away and is delightfully observed too - for anyone into history, literature, cinema. I think I’ll have to watch Tall Story Games closely and see what they do next!
– Real player with 5.1 hrs in game
I played this game after enjoying the demo for Lucy Dreaming - so much so that I joined the kick starter for it! This is a lovely game, beautifully made and with a great, dark sense of humour. The fact that this was made in just 2 weeks makes it even more impressive! A few of the puzzles really had me scratching my head (pun intended!) but it was always just difficult enough to be engaging, rather than infuriating.
If you liked this, then I highly recommend Lucy Dreaming.
– Real player with 3.6 hrs in game