The best games I've played recently

February 16, 2014

Though I will happily play a typical AAA-style video game when an appealing one comes along, most of my gaming time recently has been spent playing casual puzzle games and more experimental things, so I’ve divided my list into those categories.

Puzzles

Threes  iOS
Beautiful design, simple rules and surprisingly deep strategy.

Blendoku  iOS, Android
Crossword puzzles that use colors instead of words. Like color theory excercises turned into a surprisingly fun game.

Enjoy Sudoku  iOS, Android, OSX
This isn’t a particularly attractive version of Sudoku, but it’s become my favorite. It’s the only Sudoku app I’ve found that helps you learn more complex solving strategies.

Experimental Narratives

Blackbar  iOS, Android
A game told through censored letters. Puzzling out what words have been blacked out to advance through the story is surprisingly compelling.

Device 6  iOS
A beautifully designed short story turned into a puzzle game. Sometimes frustrating, but interesting and clever. The developer Simogo’s other game Year Walk is very different in presentation (more like an adventure game) but also worthwhile.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons  PC, PS3, XBox
An interesting take on tightly tying a game’s control scheme and story: you play both title characters at once, controlling one brother with each analog stick. I loved the dark-but-beautiful fairy tale setting, and though the plot was a little heavy-handed it was still affecting.

999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors  3DS
A visual novel and escape-the-room game hybrid. The plot is ridiculous, but I found the game enjoyably suspenseful and creepy regardless.