Games

[icycalm]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4739 ... ld_Garden/

Rediscover gravity and explore an Escher-esque world of impossible architecture. Witness infinity in first-person, and master its rules to solve physics-defying puzzles. Cultivate a garden to open new paths forward, where an eternal expanse awaits.

I stumbled onto this because in the ocean of ugliness that is the Steam Upcoming section, it stood out like a sore thumb even via merely it's thumbnail. You won't get an idea of what it's about by watching the trailer on Steam, so watch this instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5II-uyYmHQ

[icycalm]

Official site: https://manifold.garden/

Looks great. Love the URL too.

There is a devlog on TIGSource dating from 2013: https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=37314.0

[icycalm]

This ended up on Epic for now, for the low price of €15.99 (it's a four-hour game, apparently): https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p ... arden/home

I bought it and installed it on my Shadow, and was about to stream it, but these reviews convinced me not to play on the laptop and wait until I am home on my TV: https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/mani ... er-reviews

There are some beautiful eureka moments that is characteristic of all excellent puzzle games, but on the flip side, some puzzles leave a sense of having to grind out a solution. There is a freedom to explore any surface, and to fall freely through "space" without fear of death, and to arrive back where you started from, but on the flip side the infinite regression of the World within Manifold Gardens is also restrictive and repetitive. There is a magical beautiful side to the game, but on the flip side it is all hard edges and loneliness. At its best, the game is uplifting rewarding and visually stunning, at its worst it's a puzzle game in search of a puzzle.
Ultimately, you have to bow in deep respect and awe at the completeness of this immersive complex World, to drink in its majesty and get lost in its mysteries.
Highly recommended.

Also, be prepared to say "woah" a lot.