Thinky Third Thursday
October 2024
October 2024
Welcome to the one-year anniversary of Thinky Third Thursday! 🎂
Looking back over the past twelve months, it's been great seeing so many fantastic new thinky puzzle games both announced and released - almost too many to keep up with, but we try! But most importantly, thank you for your support over the past year: all your excellent recommendations, insightful discussions, and for sharing the newsletter within your communities. We couldn't do it without you.
Highlights from Steam Next Fest
It's that time again, where Steam Next Fest features thousands of new demos for upcoming games. I've chosen five of our favourites to focus on, but see below for a longer list of thinky games that are taking part.
The House of Tesla, by Blue Brain Games
If you enjoyed The House of Da Vinci, or for that matter any game in which you're locked in a room and have to tinker your way out, then you'll probably enjoy The House of Tesla's demo. It's packed with physical, tactile puzzles of sliding panels, connecting wires, and electrical circuits. What makes The House of Tesla really special however is how gorgeous it is, from the tiniest detail viewed up close to the eerie rain-streaked landscape beyond the window.
Puzzle Depot, by Laughing Manatee Games
Push crates, roll barrels, and fight mutated insects in this delightful post-apocalyptic adventure. This is a real labour of love - it's been in development for about a decade! The lack of undo is slightly awkward (especially so when there's a prominently displayed move counter onscreen at all times) but the demo won me over with its polish and solid puzzles.
The Lilliput Workshop, by Cotton Game
Assemble a train track and hit "play" to watch it trundle around a little wooden world of soft colours and cozy music. The demo, though limited, offers a promise of complexity in the types of tracks you can place and the automated contraptions that can be created from them. One of the most interesting things about this demo though is the tantalisingly locked "free play" mode where you'll be able to create and share your own levels and I suspect we'll see some creative hidden gems come out of this.
Squid Grid, by Michael Pohling, Osama Yahya and Head Scratch Games
Delve underwater and learn the nuances of sealife behaviour. Don't be fooled by the cartoony graphics, there's plenty to chew on here - the demo contains 50 levels and the full game promises more than 200, and based on the pace of mechanics introduced in the demo that seems like a great sign.
The Rise of the Golden Idol, by Color Gray Games and Playstack
The Rise of the Golden Idol returns with an updated demo, ahead of its release next month on Nov 12th. If you've already played through the first demo you can skip right to the new content and explore the strange blue house behind door number 7 - it's once again murderous mischief, and I enjoyed scouring a new crime scene vignette for clues.
Thinky releases from the past month
Free games:
- A Snail's Tricky Trail, by Dollamenu
- 4-Directional Control My Beloved, by Notan
- The Last Blue, by Futuregames
- てんてん虫(Walking Dots), by nebu soku
- Mini Beasts, by cassowary
- Pusherfish, by galactical
- Meticulous Microbes, by aspeon
- Critter Switcher, by torcado, keestak, sirmilkman
- The Skyscraper Plagiarism Agency, by Dee <3
- CONSTRICTOR, by Beep Yeah!
- Moving In, by Sky Chan
Paid games:
- Rats in a Cage, by Superdeep Borehole ($19.99)
- The Puzzle Maker: Cebba’s Odyssey, by Arcaneworks Inc. ($11.99)
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, by Nintendo (59.99)
- Exographer, by SciFunGames and Abylight Studios ($19.99)
- All You Need is Help, by Q-Games Ltd. ($19.99)
- One S'More, by Kleene Games ($13.99)
- Snapstick, by My Dog Zorro (17.99)
- Townframe, by norrimo ($6.99)
- Pa!nt, by BIBGames Inc. ($8.99)
- Merge It, by Fewjix ($4.49)
- PortalBox, by FancygodGame ($3.99)
New demos (first time playable):
- ABI-DOS, by ABI.DOS.SOFTWARE
- AmaZoo, by Turbo Soda Games
- Attrax, by FluffytheGameDev
- Block Factory, by OverPowered Team and Shiro Unlimited
- ChipWits, by ChipWits, Inc.
- Chroma Zero, by ekorz and ZeroXP
- Clockwork Rabbit, by OnionMilk
- ColorSweeper, by ARRKKA
- Cubin, by Limsod Games
- Duckthing's Rolling Rooms, by Duckthing Games
- eleMENTAL, by Connor Snow
- Glitch Dungeon Crystal: Babushka Quest, by jakeonaut
- H+H=H2, by Feishiko
- Hare 136, by Haremonic Games
- Hat Helpers, by Noah Waltman
- Jin & Jan, by Reference Games
- Millumi, by Marcel Kuebler Software
- Park It!, by Mishleto
- Path of the Oxiflame, by Jan Malitschek
- PLUG IT IN, by unSAME
- Proverbs, by Mark Ffrench and Divide The Plunder
- Take Notes, by Stoneware Game Studio
- The House of Tesla, by Blue Brain Games
- The Sacrifice, by Welcome Back Games
- The Valley of the Architects, by whaleo
- Tiny Robots: Portal Escape, by Big Loop Studios and Snapbreak
- Wordban: a text-based Sokoban game, by Beibi Technology Co., Ltd.
Updated demos for Steam Next Fest:
- Block Shop, by Foolbox Studio
- Bloxolotl, by MGandi
- CLONY, by YORUROJI
- Currently Unstable, by Momento
- Gnomdom, by Vivi and Dana
- Great God Grove, by LimboLane and Fellow Traveller
- Hogtie, by Alacrity Studios
- Is this Game Trying to Kill Me?, by Stately Snail
- Little Ghosthunter, by Cellenite
- Mistified, by SpiceBound Studios
- Nurikabe World, by Hemisquare
- Observe, by Observe Our Games
- Puzzle Depot, by Laughing Manatee Games
- Recovery Phrase, by WeDidIt
- Reel and Riddles, by Rapid Rabbit
- Reviver, by Cotton Game
- Robot Detour, by Nozomu Games
- Rogue's Hexagon, by Aaron Ziganek
- Rules & Rodents, by Gravy Crew Games
- Say Cheese, by Dudeeki
- Squid Grid, by Michael Pohling, Osama Yahya and Head Scratch Games
- Stig, by Miriam and Lage
- Sudoku Topology, by Smart AI Games
- The Lilliput Workshop, by Cotton Game
- The Rise of the Golden Idol, by Color Gray Games and Playstack
- Time Chess, by 无远弗届 Wanderlust
- Total Reload, by TORSHOCK
- Valley of Shadow, by Synersteel Studio
- Void Carrier, by Strive Continually
- Wilmot Works It Out, by Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg and Finji
That's it!
Did you play any great demos from Steam Next Fest? Please get in touch with your recommendations!
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