New thinky releases from June 2024

Joseph Mansfield, 2 July 2024

Fortunately, June has been a little less chaotic than May, but nonetheless has brought us a great selection of new thinky releases to check out. Personally, I've started playing Star Stuff, a game that elegantly mixes real-time puzzling with programming, and have been really impressed with the puzzle design so far.

This month has also brought us a remastered version of the classic first-person puzzler Riven (check out Rachel's news post), a DLC for The Talos Principle 2 which promises particularly challenging puzzles, and much more.

As always, the games listed below are sorted by price, so you can find something within your budget — I'm certain you'll find something great to play!

Riven

Developed by Cyan Worlds

Uncover a story of intrigue, betrayal, and a civilization teetering on the brink of collapse as you solve intricate puzzles to unlock the secrets of Riven. Built from the ground-up and expanded from the award-winning original game released in 1997.

The Talos Principle 2 - Road to Elysium (DLC)

Developed by Croteam, published by Devolver Digital

Road to Elysium is a three-part coda that allows you to dive deeper into the world of The Talos Principle 2, reunite with beloved characters, and put your puzzle-solving skills to the test through a series of thought-provoking new stories.

Uncover the Smoking Gun

Developed by ReLU Games

Dive into 'Uncover the Smoking Gun', an immersive detective adventure. Find clues and dissect evidence, but don't stop there. Engage with suspects, where even the trivial unravels the truth. Watch information converge into surprising revelations. Are you ready to solve the mystery?

Thistlemine

Developed by Thistlebro, Fruitbat Factory

Thistlemine is a puzzle RPG that tells a story about the work that takes place within an Anomalis Exclusion Zone – a hostile environment where space and time are warped, and the thick miasma suffocates those trapped within.

Star Stuff

Developed by Ánimo Games, Astra Logical

Star Stuff is a deceptively cute programming puzzle game. Program and work alongside bots to tackle the most important (and undoubtedly safest) task in the galaxy: fixing a star factory. Ready for your first day on the job?

Push The Cat with WASD

Developed by Blink Hydrate

A cat-pushing puzzle game where narratives are puzzle levels. With an emotional story and a little bit of 4th wall breaking. By pushing the cat, you are pushing the cat to think, to remember why they are stuck in this game...

ReThink 5

Developed by Yaeko

ReThink 5 is a Puzzle Game in a peaceful futuristic setting, that features a variety of Puzzles that utilize Lasers and the behavior of light and it's colors to create challenging problems to solve.

14 Minesweeper Variants 2

Developed by Alith Games and Artless Games

Minesweeper but the rules are changing, again.

Leap Year

Developed by Daniel Linssen

Leap Year is a clumsy platformer about knowledge and discovery. Explore a compact, hand drawn world filled with hidden paths. Understand the game’s secrets to reach new areas and collect all the pages of your calendar.

Kitiplant

Developed by TACSOU

Adorable cats work together to solve puzzles in Kitiplant. Guide them through challenging grid-based levels, where they must share resources and carefully manage their energy to restore life to once-dormant forests.

GUNCHO

Developed by Arnold Rauers, Terri Vellmann, and Sam Webster

In this small scale, turn based tactics game, you spin Guncho's revolver cylinder to keep his bullets aligned to enemies. Fight your way through randomly generated shootouts. Upgrade your bullets and use tactical abilities to defeat your foes. Ride your donkey and become the ultimate Pistolero.

Cubicatch

Developed by Birchfruit

Cubicatch is a puzzle game where you navigate a mind-bending world as a cube, shifting between 2D and 3D, and use the properties of different blocks to solve intricate puzzles! Discover and master different mechanics in this unique and challenging puzzle game.

Chill Seekers

Developed by Lime Blossom Studio

Slide your penguins to safety in this relaxing puzzle game.