Manifold Garden
I have been waiting for this game for a long time and when it finally landed on Steam a year late, it was a day 1 buy in no questions asked. I finished it in a couple of days and it was worth every penny. I played this one off the back of finishing Antichamber and it might just be the perfect comedown game to that, The Witness, Portal or The Talos Principle. That hollow feeling I get when I say goodbye to an awesome game was nicely filled in by Manifold Garden and I’m here to tell you why.
PROS
– Real player with 26.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Puzzle Abstract Games.
It’s a great game. Fun and satisfying puzzles, interesting mechanics and themes, and fantastic visuals. For me, the first playthrough was just right in gameplay and difficulty - some thinkers, but nothing that stumped me for too long. A very enjoyable experience. One minor criticism is that it’s very linear, whereas I was expecting something more in the vein of Space Hole.
[Spoilers may follow, I’m making this a mini-guide to secret content.]
However, if you only play it once to the ending, you’re missing out on a significant portion of the game (including a second ending). And yet the game barely even prods you in that direction. I only knew to look because of the achievements and a couple things I noticed in my playthrough (not that I had any recollection of where they were once I was done). You have to really, really be looking and scour every nook to find the path through the second playthrough. I almost felt like I needed a map of the whole game - and I have no idea what that would look like, given the nature of the physics. Compared to the relative ease of the primary path, it’s a big change. I personally did not want to spend the dozens of hours on it, so I used guides when I wasn’t sure where to go next. The guide on Steam is too vague, so I recommend the video by Lilith LeBlanc.
– Real player with 17.6 hrs in game
Our Secret Below
Curator page here -- [url] DaRevieweD #30[/url] -- [i]New review every Sunday[/i]
Brian Clarke of DarkStone Digital makes a comeback with his second major game! This time it’s a mystery-thriller with some psychological elements and a lot of challenging puzzles. If you’ve read my previous review of Inner, you’d know I was quite taken by his work thus far and his fresh set of eyes in the horror genre. He has a certain charm in creating smaller scale projects but still promising spacious room for players to ponder upon and enjoy.
– Real player with 19.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Puzzle Thriller Games.
Alright strap yourselves in because I’m about to go on a whole rant of details that are probably going to make me sound like a madman hunting for Pepe Silvia but here goes…
This game is absolutely delightful across the board. It’s definitely not for everyone, but as someone who is REAL dumb at puzzles and has the memory of a PS2 memory card, this game makes me feel like mf Sherlock Holmes. A lot of “hrmm….hrm….no that doesn’t make sense….wait…A HAH!”
Also full disclosure, I technically received one copy of the game, but I truly believed in this game for the reasons below and backed it on Kickstarter for an additional two copies to giveaway for a charity. So I’m not exactly sure if I’m supposed to claim I got this for free when I bought multiple copies? There’s the info though, you decide. But check out my other reviews, I got no problems being critical on games received for free.
– Real player with 13.5 hrs in game
Recursive Ruin
Lose yourself in the Infinite Realms, a dying, fractal world of strange beauty and mind-bending physics that repeats eternally inward and outward. Uncover the secrets of seven unique locations filled with hidden spaces and strange denizens. Overcome the impossible and use circular logic to manipulate recursive physics and solve challenging, self-referential puzzles.
Begin an introspective search for meaning and experience a bittersweet story that cascades into the surreal. Use your unique abilities and shape the world to beat back the scourge known as Ichor, a malevolent substance eating away at the fabric of reality.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1561890/Recursive_Ruin
Read More: Best Puzzle Abstract Games.
Salad Fields
As someone that played and enjoyed MIbibli’s Quest, Salad Fields is basically that but a puzzle-game instead of a 2-d platformer. In other words, if you like weird aesthetics, dialogue, and LOTS of dark humor, I’d recommend this game to you. Some of the levels are tricky and can take some time, but at least the required amount of completion for the levels is about half, making it available to players that want to dictate their pace in puzzle mode. Vegetables
– Real player with 33.0 hrs in game
this is such a great game, really it’s a shame not a lot of people know about it, awesome music, funny and absurd characters, unique mechanics, fun puzzles, and some really thoughtful design, i’d consider this game to be way better than a lot of other games released by well-known developers or big companies, i bloody love it
– Real player with 33.0 hrs in game
Summertime Madness
Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
Take control of an artist who is offered a deal to escape the madness of war and live for 6 hours inside his paintings. He has to navigate his creations and reach the end before midnight or be trapped forever.
FULL DISCLAIMER: I was provided a free Steam key by the developer ahead of launch but I had already completed this game by receiving it in the May Humble Choice first. So I won’t be labelling this review as ‘Got this game for free’.
– Real player with 19.5 hrs in game
Summertime Madness appeared to be a game that is just up my alley. It has all of the elements - art, music, and puzzles. It also has an optional timer for achievements. It started out great… figuring out how to get off a boat, turning platforms to build a path. And, then it took a downhill turn for me. The game evolves into a series of mazes and switches in an Escher-like house, a time-warped train station, a series of doors, and (seemingly) endless stairs/paths.
To add insult to injury, I was well on my way to making a successful 6 hour run when I selected the wrong door and my clock advanced to a quick ‘game over.’ Evidently, I was not the only frustrated player because the development team listened and released their 1.2 patch which made these areas less punishing.
– Real player with 16.9 hrs in game
Angle Soccer
Funny and thought-provoking :)
– Real player with 2.3 hrs in game
Very cool game. The art is simple, but the levels are quite challenging.
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Antimatter Elevator
Trippy, stressful, satisfying! Perfect ending is DIFFICULT!
– Real player with 3.0 hrs in game
Game gets super repetitive, music is just… Weird, nothing really interesting here that would be worth your time, and plus you can’t run the game in full screen so theres that, honestly I got bored of the game. And only put in a couple of minutes in it…
– Real player with 0.5 hrs in game
Creaks
I didn’t know what to expect from this game. While the developer always has outstanding graphics and audio, some of the reviewers were unkind as to the storyline/gameplay. I purchased it anyway as I have always liked Amanita games. I was not disappointed.
The game’s graphics, while dark and subdued, were beautifully rendered and lent the right tone to the story. The music was lovely and not overpowering and sound effects did not distract from gameplay. As to gameplay, I would describe it as Amanita version of the first “Rooms” game but with a better story, graphics, and gameplay. Yes, the basic play is to escape from chambers (rooms) as you move through this fantasy world. This type of gameplay has intermittent breaks when you get a periodically come across some artwork pieces that have their own puzzles to solve. As your character makes his way through this world, you gradually realize the plot and the nature of the characters you find. The puzzles are challenging and never boring. It’s not a violent game but gentle with a satisfactory ending. I’m very tired of games that leave me in limbo waiting for a subsequent games to purchase in order to determine the fate of my character only to find out my doom is my inevitable future with no chance of salvation. I’m sorry; I need a little hope right now. If developers have the power to create a world and story for others to enjoy, why not create one that inspires and doesn’t depress. Amanita games leave me inspired. I hope to see more from them. A sequel to this game would be welcome.
– Real player with 30.2 hrs in game
Beautiful game by the Amanita Team. I’ve been following their games for years and i’ve finally got to properly play one of them and it couldn’t be better!!!
This game features a very charming, very dark and very grotesque art style that it only gets better as you go along.
It has a sort of “Kafka” vibe to it: The story of the game starts with our main character staying on his room, looking bored with life, until one sudden unexpected movement makes a crack on the wall, leaving some strange marks, upon inspection we found the entrance to an subterranean passage which leads into the origin of these tremors…. and a whole cast of strange beings which live in the earth below…. passage upon passage upon passage, its laberintical, babilon like, almost. The journey starts very slow and even monotone much… but soon you will find your way through different places, sometimes rooms, sometimes a cave…. the atmosphere starts to change, the colors follow suite and there will be plenty of variety (graphically speaking).
– Real player with 13.7 hrs in game
Umbra: Journey Home
Avoid Light. Solve Puzzles. Pursue Answers.
You play a floating stone creature trying to find where your friends have gone. Along the path, entering lights will cause you to lose control. You must move objects to create shadows in order to proceed.
Light & Shadow Puzzles
If you touch light you lose control of the stone creature. Create shadows with objects to pass through.
Mysterious Story
Who are you? Where are you? What has happened? Find clues, view Memory Crystals, experience environmental storytelling and narration.
Secrets
Secret puzzles, stories, locations, and more.
Watercolour Texture
Customizable procedurally generated textures. Customize their speed, size, quality and look.
Skippable Sections
Find hidden ‘Skip Crystals’ to skip over that “one puzzle” and continue on your merry way.
Antichamber
I will be honest. When I first played Antichamber I didn’t like it. The visuals put me off, not because I wanted better visuals but because I had this dumb notion that if the graphics were not good then how could I trust that the puzzles were watertight? Once I finally overcame this utter stupidity, I was ready to play Antichamber. Not all puzzle games need to be visually awesome like Talos, Witness and Portal. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I was high…..but I couldn’t have been high because when I started getting into Antichamber I felt like I was REALLY high….like call me an ambulance, my brain is turning into jelly, high.
– Real player with 22.7 hrs in game
The game opens with players spawning in a small, black room with a cartoon-style picture of a fetus on the wall. The first thing the player sees are these words: “Every journey is a series of choices. The first is to begin the journey.” Players then turn to find a second wall labeled “All You Need to Know” that displays the options and the control scheme for the game, as well as a third wall labeled “Choose Your Destination” that acts as Antichamber’s sort of level select feature. The map on this wall is initially only one room big, forcing players to select the very first room with only a vague idea of what this first “level” might hold for them.
– Real player with 13.8 hrs in game