Factory Balls, a game about using all manner of odd tools to paint spheres in specific patterns, was a big hit in the Flash era of the internet. After its big expanded re-release in 2019, the game is getting an all-new sequel next month.
Welcome to Thinky Third Thursday, curated by Alan Hazelden of Draknek & Friends – a monthly roundup of thinky puzzle games that have caught my eye.
This Tuesday brought us a bounty of new releases all lining up on the same day: the stained-glass logic puzzle quest Artisan of Glimmith, the Nazi-hunting detective sim The Ratline and after nine years, the Zachtronics automation game Opus Magnum gets its first official DLC in De Re Metallica.
Micromega is a physics-based puzzler about guiding a fragile sphere upward through a debris of dead machines.
Both debuting this week, two puzzle games featuring immediately attractive premises: a literal puzzle platformer that lets you connect the levels together at will and a spell crafting adventure with wide open options for creativity.
Taking place in a Latin American town that mysteriously vanished off the map, this upcoming indie detective game emphasizes first-hand exploration of a non-linear web of interconnected events, going back in time to discover for yourself the true secret history of this place.
Matches made and tactics schemed / no more yielding but a dream.
Map out the borders between two warring kingdoms
A massively anticipated game and a recent awards favorite both broke new ground this week: the deckbuilding sequel Slay the Spire 2 is now available to play in early access on Steam, and the super popular Blue Prince has released on Nintendo Switch.
Herd is the latest release from the mind behind the fan favorite puzzle books LOK, Abdec and more. Here's my take on this impressive looking "solo puzzle boardgame."
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