The Curious Expedition (2016)
Released in September 2016 by a small German studio, The Curious Expedition has held me captive for nearly sixty hours. There is a thin line between enjoyment and compulsion, and the game is built precisely around that tension. It combines irresistible repetition with the thrill of discovery. Anthropology, archaeology, hunting and trade come together under an opportunistic spirit — and a proper explorer does not shy away from risk. Randomised events ensure frequent surprises.
Urban Pirate (2016)
Released in 2016, the retro- and underground-styled role-playing game Urban Pirate lets the player engage in social resistance — breaking taboos, if one chooses to see it that way. You steal and rummage through dumpsters in search of food, spray-paint trains, occupy buildings by your own self-declared principles, and smoke weed. The goal is to survive in an urban environment without any real job. It was entertaining up to a point, but the daily routines soon began to wear thin: stealing no longer felt like anything, and the parties were always the same.
This War of Mine (2014)
This game hardly needs an introduction or a recommendation from me, but in the name of certain honesty I still want to highlight it here. I’ve spent almost 40 hours with it, twelve of which just recently. Released in 2014, This War of Mine has been praised and awarded generously, and I can only confirm that it is both highly addictive and deeply moving. In the summer of 2016 the expansion The Little Ones arrived. The idea of children in the middle of war already broke my heart in advance, and I almost avoided installing it.