I played a lot of great games in March, and I wanted to offer a quick summary of my favorites so no one misses out on them. I’ll be listing them in descending order, starting with my favorite, ones I would consider must-haves. Click on the links for reviews and walkthroughs where you can find the green download buttons if you like what you read.
My absolute favorite game that I played in March squeezed in on the very last day of the month. Puzzle House: Mystery Rising is PugaPuma’s first game and it completely blew me away. Sure, some things could have been improved upon, but what we got is a really unique and gorgeous 3D puzzle game with elements from Fireproof Games’ the Room. It’s the first of a trilogy that they’re working on and it left me aching for more. You can read my full review here and my walkthrough here.
Glooze by Riada International Pty. Ltd. has a funny name (see Urban Dictionary) but don’t let that keep you from playing this artsy Threes-like game. I’m a big fan of Threes, but I think I’ve put in more hours playing Glooze. Instead of numbers, you have procedurally generated blobs of art that change with each game. It’s a bit more simplified because there are no 1’s and 2’s to match together. You simply match weird blobs that look the same to create a different blob. You need to keep track of the upgrade sequence if you want to reach for a high score. The art is what keeps me coming back for more, and I still play the game almost every day. It’s been my go-to game on the train and even late at night in bed. You can read my full review here.
The Trace: Murder Mystery Game by Relentless Software is a highly polished 3D whodunnit with some aspects of the Room. You play as Detective Simon Pearce, investigating a crime scene where anything can be a clue. You find objects, scan them for evidence and then put two and two together to determine what happened. It’s a very satisfying experience, albeit a bit easier and shorter than I’d like. You can read my full review here and my walkthrough here.
TouchTone by Mikengreg is part reflecting puzzle game, part disturbing story about surveillance. It features minimalistic artwork and some tough-as-nails puzzles that should keep you busy for quite some time. I’m still working my way through the last chapter of the game, as some of the levels are very difficult. You get a lot of them, too — around 150. If you like challenging laser reflecting puzzles, you definitely want to give this one a try. You can read my full review here and my walkthrough here.
Adventures of Poco Eco – Lost Sounds by Possible Games has a lot of similarities to ustwo’s Monument Valley. It features gorgeous low-poly artwork and a cute main character. It was also designed alongside Iamyank’s new LP, which is used as the game’s soundtrack. The music is relaxing, but also had me bopping my head along to it. The puzzles are more kid-friendly than adult-friendly, but all ages should be able to enjoy it. You can read my full review here and my walkthrough here.
Panmorphia is the first game by developer lkmad, and it uses real photographs taken around Cypress as part of its artwork. It does have some flaws that made it a bit frustrating at times, but overall it’s a beautiful game with some really unique concepts. Also, the developer takes criticism very well and is working to fix the issues I mentioned both for this game and her future games. I’m always willing to support a developer who listens to feedback. You can read my full review here and my walkthrough here.
Ryan North’s To Be Or Not To Be is a competely ridiculous choose-your-own-adventure interactive novel by Gamebooks giant Tin Man Games. It’s based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and lets you play the part of Hamelet, Ophelia or the ghost. Anything is possible in this version of the story, so you can’t take it too seriously. The interface is user-friendly and allows you to easily try new paths whenever you want. It’s a very relaxed gamebook for those (like me) who get stressed out by those with more difficult choices. You can read my full review here.
Heartbeats – A Graphic Puzzle by Esben Kjaer Ravn (Kong Orange) is a very short but interesting puzzle game in the style of a graphic novel. The first three levels are free and then you can unlock seven more for $0.99. There are some skill-based puzzles mixed in with the relaxing cerebral ones, and it’s also inconsistent in its difficulty level. But it’s still a unique game that is worth checking out. I didnt write a review for this one, but you can see my walkthrough here.
REBUS – Absurd Logic Game by Jutiful is better in theory than execution. I really do like the idea of it, as well as the colorful art style, but some of the puzzles are too easy and repetitive, while others don’t make sense even after you know the answers. The keyboard is also a disaster, forcing you to type slowly amd carefully so as not to make any typos. Still, it offers a lot of free content that’s at least worth checking out. I didn’t write a review, but you can see my walkthrough with all answers and explanations here.
I had high hopes for Criminel by 4PM, but was, sadly, very disappointed. The idea is that you walk around crime scenes in 1890 Paris, taking photos of evidence. The game looks great, but there isn’t all that much to actually do and it’s far too easy. If you’re itching for a murder mystery game, I’d recommend The Trace over this. But if you’re still curious, you can read my full review here and my walkthrough here.
I didnt do a monthly roundup for February, so I wanted to give a shoutout to some great games I played during that month. You should definitely check out my reviews for MediaCity Games’ The Lost Fountain and Snowman’s Alto’s Adventure. I didn’t write a review for Lone Wolf Games’ Blackthorn Castle, but you should definitely play that one as well if you like point-and-click adventures. I also have a walkthrough for it here.
And that’s everything! I hope you pick up some of these games and enjoy them over the weekend. Let me know which ones you liked best and if you want me to do something like this again next month.
Happy gaming! 🙂
Great list. Dead on as usual!
I loved The Trace I mean loved it. Poco Eco & TouchTone were very good as well & lots of fun to play. I’m Just getting into Puzzle house & it’s a gorgeous game. I still love that opening scene. What a unique way to start a game. I’m going to check out Glooze based on your insight. Thanks for list & all the great reviews.
🙂
Yes – I like this “roundup” of March games with the footnote for February.
I get a lot of my gaming ideas from your posts and always check out what you recommend.
I haven’t finished Puzzle-House or Panmorphia (like so many others) but eventually I will get back to everything started.
I loved Blackthorn Castle and The Lost Fountain too! Poco Eco is on my wishlist!
I play 2048 Animal daily since I bought my iPad Mini and I love that it never ends! You get to click “continue” and it takes you back to the previous saved game and I have reached 3 million and the alligator so far! I will check out Glooze and you can look for 2048 Animal by indygo media.
Sounds interesting! Will check it out. 🙂