At the Earlier this yearI could not have predicted how packed May would be in terms of games. The biggest release on the calendar was Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2which we now know is good, but beyond that, it didn’t feel like May was going to be a big month for gaming. Then the month began and it quickly became clear that Spring 2024 was going to be full of great titles and a bevy of top-notch Puzzle games.
May began harmlessly, with no signs of the upcoming gaming buffet. Then, on May 9, the mood changed with the release of two titles that earned a place in the zeitgeist – Animal fountain And Land of the Crows. The first, a deceptive Metroidvania from developer Billy Basso, is an absolute shock. It’s not that anyone thought the game was bad, it’s just that no one noticed that the game failed to reveal its true self. While Animal fountain
SFBGames Land of the Crows is not as groundbreaking as Animal fountainbut his loving ode to the enigmatic gameplay of the original resident Evil offers another variation on the same theme.
Cut to a week later and Simogos Lorelei and the laser eyes has helped make May a special month. It is a twisted puzzle box set in a spooky mansion steeped in the influences of French Nouvelle Valve cinema. The long list of puzzles requires logical thought processes on the part of the player and a penchant for looking at problems in unconventional ways. It is a brain teaser that will test your problem-solving skills as much as your narrative understanding.
This parade of publications ended with Paper Trail
For those who love deep, almost masochistic puzzles that require hours and lots of cooperation to solve, there is Animal fountain And Lorelei. For those who like their puzzles a little simpler and with a dose of action, Land of the Crows is a passable resident Evil Clone. The beauty of Duck Detective is his comedic tone. Finally Paper Trail is pure mechanical puzzle fodder. That’s a lot of options for fans of the genre who are yearning to sink their teeth into something, and they’re all different enough that you can enjoy them all without getting bored. And to top it all off, each title is relatively short compared to the dozens of hour-long RPGS that so often take center stage in the AAA scene. Lorelei And Animal fountain are the longest and can last almost 20 hours, but Duck Detective can be done in an afternoon.
With June just around the corner, it’s impressive to see how fantastic May’s releases were, especially considering all of these titles are indie games. What’s even more impressive is that these are just the puzzle games! May also saw the release of the cinematic sequel to Ninja Theory Hellblade 2the narrative powerhouse that 1000xRESISTand more. As I write this, the month has even more to offer, with An axe-inspired Metroidvania Nine Sols is due to be released on May 29th. Luckily, things will be quieter in June, so we can all catch up on the May release. Actually, I remember Elden Ring: Shadow of the Earth Tree comes out June 21st, so… I guess you better use your time wisely until it’s all used up.
.