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Fossil Hunters (2018) is a casual action-adventure game where you play as a fossil-hunter! You combine different fossil parts to make weird dinosaur skeletons to sell to a mysterious Collector. There's 30-ish floors in the digsite, and the further down you go the more weird stuff shows up. Also, there's a background mystery about missing fossil hunters? Plus cute art.

It's a simple concept but really fun...at least for about an hour or so.

Game play is VERY repetitive and is literally just digging up fossils, combining them into skeletons, and selling them to the Collector. Obstacles to your success are cave-ins, bugs, and falling off ledges. Unfortunately, I didn't have the patience to keep playing until I finally unlocked a store, which might've had something I could buy to help with the attacking bug thing.

A review on Steam says there's about 15 hours of play time, which is a very good value. However, I was way more interested in the missing fossil hunters backstory and expanding the (ultimately useless) field guide than I was in the actual game, and I definitely didn't want to play 15 hours of just digging up fossils.

There's a co-op option which I think would make this much more fun (and faster) to play. This would be a cute, casual party game for a group of friends-- or maybe really young kids who don't mind repetitive game play as much.

Price: $14.99

Available for Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Playstation 4. I played the the Mac version at first and my computer suffered a lot-- plus you really need a controller to play. I then bought the Switch version and played that!

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Jenny LeClue, Detectivu (2019) is an adventure/mystery/puzzle game starring the titular character, a kid detective living in what only SEEMS to be a boring small town.

I picked this up for the Switch as a) I love mystery games, b) it has (excellent) full-cast voice acting, and c) it's kinda more on the visual novel end of things, such as having dialogue choices. And it's 80% off right now: score!

Immediately got sucked into the story, which is framed through the narrator/mystery writer whose book series which Jenny is a character in. He's forced to change up his regular book formula due to abysmal sales, including adding a murder and REAL mystery plot points. The whole game has his narration running throughout, and there's even some neat scenes where the book text hovers in the physical world as Jenny moves through it. It's very meta.

Jenny is dealing with a lot of personal stuff in this game, and her dialogue choices all involve either being kind, mean, friendly or distrustful. Normally I play as nice as possible, but tbh Jenny isn't a very nice person right now and so I thought it'd be more true to her character to be more stand-offish. That said, the major plot points seem to happen no matter what you do. Like, I refused the walkie-talkie but it shows up later anyway as it's a necessary plot point. Also stuff in your journal changes, such as a page with your personality type, but I don't know how that ties into the rest of the game. Reviews from other players say there IS no differences and it doesn't matter what you choose, so I guess it's not that important.

I'm planning on playing it again and trying the other dialogue option route, just to see. I also need to go back and find the rest of the stickers and postcard scraps. (I love it when games have little collecting side quest things.)

The puzzles are, for the most part, pretty easy to solve if you pay attention to your surroundings. I only used help guides twice, when I was nearing the ending and too impatient for the mystery to be solved to properly look around.

Honestly, I'd have liked to have seen slightly more difficult puzzles the further you went into the game. For instance, the "connect these wires to jump start this thing" puzzle appears three times, and it's all the same difficulty. Mostly puzzles become more difficult due to running back and forth between pieces, which takes forever because...

A couple niggles: the setting/tone screams kid-friendly game, but the dialogue is aimed more at teens/adults. There's also an extended section in a collapsed mine full of ghosts and skeletons that aren't exactly kid-friendly...

Walking is PAINFULLY slow, and running is just a slow gallop. It felt like moving through molasses. It took SO much longer to move through places than it needed to, especially considering there are several times you have to backtrack to get somewhere else.

And finally, the ending is a cliffhanger! It turns out this is an episodic game-- not something mentioned anywhere except in the reviews I didn't read until I already finished the game. Whoops.

Still, despite the disappointment of having an incomplete ending, I really enjoyed playing Jenny LeClue, Detectivu. It feels substantial, unlike some other puzzle games which tend to be shallow. And I love how the story gets more and more twisty the further you go into it. I'm planning on picking up the next part to this series, whenever it comes out!

Price: $24.99 (on sale regularly)

Available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, and Playstation 4(?). I played the Switch version and it took me about 5 hours to complete the story (with 83% completion for stickers/postcards).

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Wandersong (2018) is a puzzle adventure game where you play as a bard trying to save the world despite not being the Hero. The game mechanics are focused around music (because you're a bard!), though Deaf/HoH and colorblind players can still enjoy the game because there are directional indicators that don't rely on hearing notes.

I really, really enjoyed this game! I loved the art, the characters, the music, and especially the little special sprinkles of joy throughout. There's multiple LGBTQ+ characters, including the Bard who is canon nonbinary, as well as characters of color and characters of all ages. A well-rounded cast of people to populate an adorable world.

The art is cute and colorful, and the colors shift slightly between each chapter of the game. Also, each "dungeon" area was different. My favorite was the Moon/Sun castle area-- you have to jump at stars, sing to activate them, and then float through space to make it to the next ledge. Very pretty and super fun to play through.

The dialogue in particular was really well done: you can talk to over 100 characters and they each have something unique to say.

But more than that: they each have something INTERESTING to say. It's not just repeating three phrases, or random unhelpful info. These characters have EMOTIONS! They philosophize! They wonder about their life, the world, each other, etc. and they're actually personally interested in the Bard and want to be their friend. It's adorable, and it made the game much more enjoyable and impactful.

Alongside the dialogue thing is a well-written story. Saving the world isn't just about defeating bad guys and using a big sword; the actual Hero character is really mean, and Bard and their friends struggle to handle that situation alongside the inevitable end of the world. There are other, smaller stories happening too-- two countries have been at war for so long that they've forgotten why, a pirate captain searches for his mermaid, some ghost infest a town and scare the neighbors.

Then there's the character growth and individual stories happening between the Bard, their friend(s), and the various people they meet. It's incredibly detailed and rich for a puzzle/adventure game, something on par with what I'd expect from a visual novel. There aren't any storyline choices, but if you choose to skip most of the dialogue then you'd miss a huge chunk of what's enjoyable about the game and story.

Wandersong is actually pretty simple and easy to play, and there's not really a "collect these things and level up" aspect or really anything beyond the main story. There's lots of cute puzzle games that are fun to play, but don't interest me beyond a few hours of play. Wandersong kept me hooked for three days! What makes it special is the story, and the fostering of deep emotional connections to the people who populate that world. It an INTENSE game and well worth picking up, especially if you enjoy games like Undertale or visual novel games.

I absolutely adored it!

Price: $19.99

Available for Windows, macOS, Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. I played the Switch version, which is currently on sale for a few more days.

After finishing Wandersong I went looking for "behind the scenes stuff" and found out that the creator was determined to make an uplifting game to make people feel better (paraphrased). It 100% worked and I'm so happy I played it.

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The Hex (2018) is a multi-genre mystery game starring six protagonists from different fictional video games. The main story is a murder mystery (sort of), but each protagonist has their own goal which then culminate into a wowzer of an ending. They're also self-aware-- they know they're video game characters-- and their creator also plays a part in their story. The more you unravel their backstory, the more interesting and exciting it gets.

It was super fun getting to try out different genres, actually. I normally only play adventure/puzzle games, so it was neat to try out shooters and strategy games. And despite switching genres with every character, it's actually pretty easy to play. That's great for people who don't normally play certain types of games, as it means you won't get stuck somewhere too long. And if you die, it just resets to immediately before your death. Nice!

The best part was finding the different pieces of the story and unraveling the protags' stories and the ACTUAL main story of The Hex. There's tons of stuff to find, like weird glitchy things, "hacking" into game parts, secret clickable things, etc. A lot of it involves "breaking" the game in some way, or doing things totally incorrect for whatever genre you're currently in.

For instance, in one part of the game you get a power-up from the villain, which then breaks the normal game mode but allows you to do things necessary for The Hex's storyline. In another part, you literally go "behind the scenes" to the game creator's bedroom. There's lots of little things to find, all very meta to The Hex's game and the video game industry.

It's obvious that The Hex was made by someone who really loves video games, and who loves playing around with the medium of video games. I really enjoyed playing it!

Apparently there's a second secret ending if you play through again, too. I haven't done that yet, but I'm definitely adding it onto my "sometime in the future" list.

Price: $10

Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. I played it on macOS and it took me about 8 hours to finish.

This was part of the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality.

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Secret Little Haven (2018) is a visual novel (with some puzzles) set in 1999. You play as Alex Cole, a teenage trans girl stuck in an unhappy situation with only her computer for a creative outlet.

If you're a fen who grew up in the late 90s/early 00s then this will hit HARD on the nostalgia feels. Alex and her friends are fans of a Sailor Moon-esque magical girl show and Alex spends most of her time hanging out on a fan forum and chatting in ICQ-style program. There's also a doll maker, a desktop pet, and other early 00s computer stuff that sent me right back to my early teen years.

There's some really clever little things in this game. At one point you have to use terminal commands to do a little hacking past some parental controls! Another puzzle put a text file on my ACTUAL computer (not the game computer), breaking the fourth wall in a neat way.

Gameplay is basically clicking and reading text, centered on interaction between Alex and her friends (and father). You can choose certain dialogue, and depending on how the conversation goes you'll end up with more or less friends at the end of the game-- important because ( spoiler ).

Massive warning for flashing lights/jiggling screen when chatting with Dad. There's an option to turn off the worst of it, but it's till pretty jittery even then. Also, a content warning for parental abuse, gaslighting, emotional abuse, etc.

Took about 3 hours to beat. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it for people who like both visual novels and odes to early Sailor Moon fandom.

Price: $5

Available for Windows, macOS, Linux. I played the Mac version.

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Thing-in-Itself (2017) is an interactive short story with very little player input, no win/lose conditions, and no branching storylines. It's about a relationship that recently ended, and the emotions that come up due to loss. The title is from Kant, so if you're into philosophy you'll probably love this game.

The entire game is set in one bedroom. You can interact with the objects in the room, kinda. You can pick things up, throw them away, etc. but it's all tied to the story. The colors and object descriptions change depending on the protagonist's mood, which is a neat touch. The art style is very flat-- all the objects are 2D, but in a way that looks like a 3D object got squished back into 2D, if that makes sense.

Took about 20 minutes to play. Afterwards, I felt sad and frustrated because there wasn't much to do except watch the protagonist get more and more upset. Since you can't interact in any meaningful way, there's nothing you can do to change the story. An interesting concept but more conceptual than what I usually enjoy playing, tbh.

Price: $2.49

Available for Windos and macOS. I played the Mac version.

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Purple Noise Echo (2018) is an early access game still in development, but it has a really great look and will probably end up being a fun game. It's an "ambient tactical" game in which you play a "silicon entity" (sort of a robot?) who has to wander around and gather resources. You can only see a few spaces around your robot body at a time, and it's very dark and semi-spooky (in a scifi kinda way, rather than a gothic horror way). Great background sounds/robot noises, and the robot design itself is awesome.

However, the gameplay still needs work. There's not a lot of instructions and it's not super obvious what you're supposed to do, or why. Maybe rescue somebody? Apparently that's the point, as the description says: "The game is about discovering the hard way: the mechanics, the place, the story and more."

That might work better in a fully-finished game, but in an early access game it just means you're clicking around trying stuff and then the game crashes. And I think even in an exploration game, it's a good idea to have a story element or a specific goal, to make it worth the effort of finding out that stuff in the first place.

Purple Noise Echo made my Mac slow down to the point that I thought it might crash the COMPUTER, so I had to shut it down after 7 minutes. Despite that, I thought it was a good beginning to what seems like a neat game.

Price: $7.00

Available for Windows and macOS. I played the Mac version.

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Luminous (2018) is a retro-style platformer starring a BIPOC protagonist who has to save the world by rekindling the light. It's got a great style with very strikingly stark colors and pseudo-1980s graphics, plus a really good soundtrack. Plus: the story is not as straight-forward as it seems at first, with some unique twists to the genre/game style.

However, I couldn't finish playing and eventually gave up after about twenty minutes. I had a few problems: one, the light lines-on-dark background style actually made my eyes hurt after a while. Two, I have no patience for trying to jump onto a ledge exactly right in order to move forward in the story and that's basically the whole game. And three, I had a SUPER difficult time killing the monsters-- not sure if that's on purpose or if I just can't get the hang of the controls, but it was annoying.

If you're good at platformers, you'll be fine. And I think the style and unique story elements make it worth checking out!

Price: $1.00

Available for Windows and macOS. I played the Mac version.

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Anodyne (2013) is an action/adventure game. I specifically downloaded it because of its comparison to Legend of Zelda, and in style it's definitely reminiscent of the early GBA Zelda games. You play as human male Young, who is tasked with saving the world but doesn't seem all that prepared as his main weapon is a broom.

The main goal is to collect keys (and gems) to open portals to new places in the world, and then...do something. Fight boss monsters, maybe. Eventually you pick up new tools/power-ups, unlock new locations, and meet new characters (who do nothing). It's pretty straight-forward except for the stuff that's just a little...off. There's a pervasive sense of dread and unease throughout the game, and it makes for a really interesting playing experience.

So, I never actually finished playing this. Something's slightly iffy with the fighting element-- like, it's off by a few pixels, so attacking a thing meant missing it most of the time-- it was very frustrating actually trying to kill things. (Maybe that's the point?)

I also got lost, all the time. I'd make it to a new section of the world, then had no idea what to do, where to go, or how to move forward. The priests would just tell me to look for keys, but actually finding a key was VERY difficult. Routes were blocked by something, like a boulder, that needed a power-up skill to get past, but I had no clue where to get that power-up which meant more wandering around. Unfortunately, there's no walkthroughs for this game, so I couldn't even muddle my way through with instructions.

I played for about two hours and then put it down, and just never picked it back up. I do think people who like to really explore and dig deep into a game with little guidance would enjoy Anodyne. For me, I don't particularly enjoy wandering around the same three areas trying to figure out how to open something for an hour. I liked the music and the art style, and the game concept is cool, but I needed a Navi or something.

Price: $9.99

Available for Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile. I played the Mac version.

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adjacency (2017) is a 2D abstract puzzle game where you click shapes to move colors around into other shapes. It looks like a perfect mobile game, honestly, something you can zone out to while listening to podcasts.

Has a good selection of customizable options depending on how you like to play. Like, you can turn on/off the score and par, depending on whether you feel anxious or emboldened by seeing how you stack up against the computer.

60 total puzzles; I played maybe 5 before ditching it. Love the ambient background music! (Available as a separate download, too.)

Price: $2.99

Available for Windows, macOS and Linux. I played the Mac version.

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Misthold Welcomes You

tozka plays (video) games

Fossil Hunters (2018)

Jenny LeClue, Detectivu (2019)

Wandersong (2018)

The Hex (2018)

Secret Little Haven (2018)

Thing-in-Itself (2017)

Purple Noise Echo (2018)

Luminous (2018)

Anodyne (2013)

adjacency (2017)

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