Samorost 3 (Steam, iOS, Android)
Some games blow your mind, some thrill you to bits, some have you hurling the controller in frustration. But some give you a warm fuzzy feeling right down to your toes. Amanita Design, a Czech game studio, have spent the last decade or so turning out a series of beautifully chilled out adventure games that feel like playing through an indie animated short. I first came across the studio in Botanicula, arriving in a bundle of indie games, and its organic, distinctly Eastern European stylings stood out by a mile in a sea of boringly ironic snarky adventure fare.
This latest installment (and the first in HD), Samorost 3 follows “a curious space gnome who uses the powers of a magic flute to travel across the cosmos in search of its mysterious origins.” So, not exactly Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare then. What you get instead is a whimsical, imaginative and pretty as hell puzzle game that surpasses all else Amanita Design have done. The first in the series is free to play on the developer’s website, so settle back with your favorite relaxant and give it a whirl. You’ll thank us later.