Thinky Third Thursday

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Thinky Third Thursday
September 2024

Welcome to the September 2024 edition of Thinky Third Thursday - a selection of puzzle releases from the last month, highlighted for your attention by Alan Hazelden of Draknek & Friends.

Recent news from Draknek & Friends

Sokobond Express

Sokobond Express, José Hernández's mashup sequel to Sokobond and Cosmic Express, is out now for iOS and Android. In the UK it already hit #6 in the puzzle category, putting it in great company!

Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant

Submissions for the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant close in 2.5 weeks - if you're a developer from an underrepresented group working on a thinky puzzle game, we strongly encourage you to apply!

LOK Digital

Some exciting LOK Digital news: it was recently featured in a double page spread in EDGE Magazine issue #402, is a finalist for Indie Game Contest 2024 in Strasbourg, and will be at IndieDevDays in Barcelona. Stay tuned, as we'll have more news to share real soon!

Recent thinky highlights


Slime Stretch, by Alan Hazelden (web)
Push slimes around to reach the exit of each level. I made this game for the recent GMTK Jam 2024, and I'm very happy with the result - among other things, it has the high honour of containing some of my most Bonfire-Peaks-esque puzzle design since Bonfire Peaks.


CATO: Buttered Cat, by Team Woll and GCORES PUBLISHING (Windows / macOS)
If cats always land on their feet, and toast always lands butter side down, what happens when you stick the two together? This is a charming, silly puzzle platformer about using the paradox to leap, jump and spin your way through the weird and wonderful levels.


Maxwell's puzzling demon, by muratsubo Games (Windows)
This thermodynamics-focused puzzler fits firmly into a category of puzzle games I affectionately call "cursed" - it's not for casual players, but fans of hard block-pushing games might find that this becomes their new obsession.


Can of Wormholes, by munted finger (Nintendo Switch release)
One of the best puzzle games of 2023 is now available for Nintendo Switch! Can of Wormholes is a delight, and it seems perfect for Switch.


Sokobond Express, by José Hernández and Draknek & Friends (iOS / Android release)
As mentioned above, Sokobond Express is now available for iOS and Android. Our latest published title, it feels very at home on mobile and we think you'll love its puzzle pathfinding. If you do enjoy it, please consider leaving a review, it'll be a great help!


UFO 50, by Mossmouth (Windows)
And finally, this is not primarily a puzzle game, but it does have puzzle games in it and one of the categories you can filter games by is "thinky"! UFO 50 is a collection of 50 games made by a fictional company for an alternate history games console. I haven't had time to dive in myself yet; it sounds like many games won't be for everyone but the variety should mean there's at least a few that you'll love.

Upcoming games to watch for


Miss Paint, by Twice Twice Studios (Windows / macOS demo available)
Use simple drawing tools to edit an image that's also a platforming level. I had a pleasant time with the demo - it looks simple but it surprised me a few times.


Locator, by Dormin (Windows open playtest available)
Fans of deduction games like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol should check out Locator - a sci-fi game about receiving photos from a crashed astronaut and figuring out where they were taken. I had a great time playing the playtest build and am looking forward to more!

Thinky releases from the past month

Free games:

Paid games:

New demos:

That's it!

What did you think of the slightly different format this month? Please get in touch with your feedback!

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