Jesse Makkonen’s 2015 horror adventure Distraint received a sequel in November 2018. Distraint 2 continues exactly where the first game left off: rock bottom. This time, however, the bailiff Price begins to climb back up and sets out in search of Hope. He confronts greed, guilt, fear, and pain, and finally listens to the voice of Reason. To me, Distraint 2 felt more mature than Distraint in terms of gameplay, visuals, and its horror elements. The story, too, is less naïve and more grounded, even though its dreamlike quality remains strong. In Distraint 2, the calmness of point-and-click adventure design blends effectively with an ominous atmosphere.

Game by: Jesse Makkonen

Distraint is a one-man adventure game by Finnish developer Jesse Makkonen. It was originally released in 2015, followed by an improved Deluxe Edition in 2017. This small gem nearly passed me by, and I only picked it up through GOG.com’s free giveaway earlier this year. Distraint tells a story about the collision between greed and compassion. The player controls Mr Price, who is forced to evict the underprivileged from their homes in order to earn a partnership in a successful real-estate company. The game’s ethics and narrative may come across as naïve, but there is something sincere and genuine about them. The audiovisual presentation is appealing and worth experiencing on its own. From a gameplay perspective, Distraint is simple and at times clumsy, though it does include a handful of interesting puzzle situations.

Game by: Jesse Makkonen