I cannot overstate how much I love Blue Prince. It’s an absolute masterclass in design, and oozes thoughtful passion. Every mechanic interlocks with intent, it rewards curiosity without ever hand-holding, exquisitely links story and gameplay, and its puzzles are a seemingly endless cascade of satisfying eureka moments. Smart, stylish, deep - Blue Prince instantly joins the ranks of the best puzzle games of all-time. Go in blind, bring a notebook.

A wonderful addition to the deduction genre. Roottrees channels the spirit of Obra Dinn through a unique, research-heavy lens. Immersive, intricate, and deeply rewarding - few games so elegantly reward attention to detail. Must play for fans of the genre.

Utter chaos in the best way. An absolute fever dream of retro vibes, unhinged builds, and a ball named Nubby that makes numbers explode until the game crashes. It’s five bucks and way more fun than it really should be. If you need a quick dopamine hit, just get it.

A surreal mystery built on perception, memory and art, wrapped in a cryptic, looping narrative. Its design deliberately disorients, making you feel lost - both physically, within its maze-like setting, and mentally, as you untangle cryptic symbols, shifting perspectives, and hidden logic. Like a living puzzle box, every solution peels back another layer of meaning, rewarding deep engagement and lateral thinking. Very good.

A solid follow-up with a “refined” UI (which I’m still not sure whether I like) and quality-of-life “improvements” (which I didn’t really feel necessary), atop weaker storytelling and puzzle design. The mystery unfolds a bit too predictably, and some puzzles feel like busywork rather than meaningful deduction. Still enjoyable, but an unfortunate step down.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle captures the spirit of the franchise with gorgeous and detailed environments, solid puzzles, and engaging first-person exploration. While stealth mechanics feel a bit basic, it’s fine, and overall this is a faithful, at times thrilling tribute to the series.

Wilmot’s Warehouse is a beautifully designed sorting puzzle game with minimalist art and a chill vibe. Its charm lies in its simplicity, offering a focused experience that’s perfect for fans of traditional jigsaw/sorting puzzles. It does exactly what it sets out to do, so a quick look will let you know if you’ll like it or not.

GMTK’s Mind Over Magnet is a polished and charming little game; its mechanics are introduced smoothly, and it has some clever moments. Overall though, its core feels a bit uninspired, and its lack of depth keeps it from rising beyond the feel of a project to learn the craft rather than a passionate execution of a vision. Still, it’s an admirable achievement worth checking out.

Lucas Pope’s Moida Mansion is a retro-inspired, hyper-stylistic, first-person adventure that’s free to play in your browser. Set in a spooky mansion, you must rescue friends while dodging a lurking “monsta.” It’s a massive throwback to my time growing up with LCD handheld games - that boot screen really took me back! It’s short but satisfyingly tense, offering a fresh spin on Pope’s knack for puzzle design - perfect for a quick escape around Halloween - even if it doesn’t reach the depth of his more substantial work.

Neva is gorgeous to look at and… “fine”, but doesn’t quite meet the high standard set by GRIS. While its art style and sound design are captivating, the story and gameplay mostly feel a little derivative. The narrative lacks coherence, and a surprisingly simplistic theme is ultimately underwhelming. Combat and puzzles add variety but feel underdeveloped. Ultimately, Neva impresses aesthetically but lacks the thematic depth and compelling drive that made GRIS so good.