STRANGE ANTIQUITIES is part puzzle game, part escape room, part Gothic horror, set in the Victorian village of Undermere. I played the free demo and had such a good time, I went straight to Steam and bought the full game.
In this cozy little slice of Dark Academia, you work for Eli White, the proprietor of an occult shop, selling and studying magical jewelry, relics, boxes and other artifacts. Eli has frequent business elsewhere, for various plot-related reasons, and you are left alone to assist the afflicted, cursed and increasingly disturbed and distrurbing residents of Undermere.
The items in the shop remind me a lot of the unique finds and handmade jewelry I sell on my website, JunkWitch.com. I also love a good story and solving puzzles, so this game ticks many of my boxes.
STRANGE ANTIQUITIES is the 2025 sequel to Strange Horticulture, a game I definitely want to play now. Both were developed by Bad Viking, a pair of brothers based in the UK.
~ J.L. Hilton
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HAPPY GAME is a 2021 singleplayer point-and-click horror adventure by Amanita Design, makers of Machinarium, Chuchel and Pilgrims, all games I’ve played and enjoyed in the past. I love their unique, creative style of gameplay and graphics.
“Happy Game is not a happy game,” warn the developers as the game begins, and HAPPY GAME is definitely not silly like Chuchel or charming like Machinarium. It is a psychedelic nightmare.
Available for PC, mac and Nintendo Switch. Rated “T” for teens, due to blood and violence.
~ J.L. Hilton
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The neighborhood is overrun with zombie cats in HIDDEN CATS: ZOMBIE HUNTER, a 2025 hidden object game by Sons of Welder and FM Simple Games Studio.
I love hidden object games and I’ve played several where the hidden objects are cats. HIDDEN CATS: ZOMBIE HUNTER seemed perfect for the month of October, and it only cost US$1.20 on Steam.
It’s not a long game and there’s only one scene. I’d happily play several more levels. Searching for ammo in order to “reload” was a fun game mechanic. The whole vibe, enhanced by the music, really put me in the Halloween spirit.
~ J.L. Hilton
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DATE EVERYTHING! came out in June 2025, and is the first game developed by Sassy Chap Games, a studio formed by professional voice actors Ray Chase, Robbie Daymond and Max Mittelman. It includes over 11,000 hand-drawn art assets and an ensemble cast of over 100 voice actors, including some of my favorites, Matt Mercer, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Ashly Burch, SungWon Cho, Felicia Day, Neil Newbon and Courtenay Taylor.
I watched a bit of the game on YouTube, and DATE EVERYTHING! looked like a silly, casual dating sim with a few naughty twists. So, I started livestreaming the game on August 19, just for something lowkey fun to do while I chilled and chatted with viewers.
To me, someone in her 50s, most of the storylines felt like PSA’s for people struggling to “adult,” and I’m way past that. But that’s understandable and forgivable. After all, how many people over 50 are out here playing dating sims? I know I’m not the target audience for this game.
I also don’t have a problem with pronouns, representation, body positivity or sexual content. I think these are some of the game’s strengths, along with creative character designs and excellent voice acting. The 100+ fully-voice characters in DATE EVERYTHING! represent a variety of ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultures and personalities.
The biggest problem I had with DATE EVERYTHING! was that way too many of the “dateable” characters were delusional, dishonest, selfish, abrasive, manipulative, deeply traumatized, narcissistic or all of the above. The game should’ve been called Psychoanalyze Everything! or Everything Needs Therapy! There were only a handful I’d consider healthy enough to let anywhere near me IRL.
Maybe the creators and contributors to DATE EVERYTHING! were trying to subvert expectations, parody the dating sim genre, or teach some life lessons by showing players who NOT to date. But, that kind of content just wasn’t fun for me.
There I was, wanting to play something casual and fun, and instead I was being threatened, yelled at, insulted or providing free therapy to a bunch of personified objects I would sell at a yard sale, first chance I got. (I’m looking at YOU, air fryer!)
Characters can hate you, rather than love you or be friends, but I often found the “hate” relationship status to be unpredictable and confusing. Some characters I definitely wanted to hate me, but others I actually liked, all the way up until things went bad.
One minute, I’m hanging out watching sports with the vacuum, next minute he hates me. Or I’m dancing and smooching the sizzling breaker box babe, next thing I know he’s throwing me out of his bar. Just because I can’t make heads or tails of a kitchen sink mystery, now my magnifying glass is pissed off.
I couldn’t tell if I bungled storylines because I misunderstood subtext, because they needed a little more editing, or because the game was just plain ol’ glitched. Because there were a lot of glitches, such as incorrect item images, images popping up at the wrong time, mismatched dialogue/responses, softlocked quests, and more.
I played for 35 hours, mostly just trying to progress some of those softlocked storylines, but I didn’t bother finishing about half of the quests, which means I also didn’t “realize” anyone into becoming an actual human and getting them the hell out of my house. Not that it mattered, anyway, since I couldn’t realize any objects that hated me and get them gone. Why in the world would I want to be surrounded by things that loathed me? Yikes.
Then there are the in-game content warnings, which allow players to skip any characters’ storylines they might find too spicy or upsetting. I don’t understand why some characters had warnings and others did not.
The enthusiastic fan had a warning because of her stalker-like behavior, but the creepy guy peering at me through the HVAC vents was okay? The junk drawer had a warning because he’s a hoarder, but the air fryer, fridge, stove, treadmill and breaker box could be frightening, aggressive and hostile, without any warnings at all?
I appreciate that the devs didn’t want to trigger anyone affecting by hoarding, but abuse survivors? Well, fuck us, I guess.
DATE EVERYTHING! has an interesting concept, but I feel like the devs were a bit too ambitious. The complexity of a branching narrative with its cast of 100 characters seemed to get away from them, and the constant bugs, tonal shifts and inconsistencies really threw me off.
The character designs and voice acting were great but the writing was all over the place, and much of the content wasn’t even about dating. Some were mini-adventures, mysteries, shaggy-dog stories, couples counseling, individual therapy sessions, supernatural seances and other subjects that weren’t about dating at all.
When I found storylines engaging and endearing, if not particularly romantic, I didn’t mind. But many were repetitive, confusing, unfunny or so boring I started falling asleep in the middle of a livestream, which has never happened to me before.
Several conversations went something like this:
“Hmm.”
“…”
“Ugh.”
“I – uh uh”
“I don’t know.”
“Cool.”
“…”
“Whatevs.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Yeah.”
I got so tired of clicking “X” to advance this kind of boring, pointless “writer has to hit the word count” prattle, I wanted to huck my controller at the screen.
After my husband watched a few in-game encounters, he asked me if this was a game for middle schoolers. Yeah, no, DATE EVERYTHING is rated “M 17+” for mature adults over 17, due to alcohol and drug references, partial nudity, strong language and sexual themes, including references to sex, bdsm, threesomes and sex toys.
I had a great time with some of the stories and characters, such as sorting through memories with Lady Memoria, going on dates with my desk, falling in love with the wall, helping a ghost in the attic, and playing a D20’s “Grottos and Gargoyles” campaign.
And I love the idea of bringing together so many voice actors, artist and writers, to make a dating sim with so much representation.
But, I’m just so sorry, DATE EVERYTHING! I don’t want to see you any more.
DATE EVERYTHING! is available for PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Windows PC and Nintendo Switch.
~ J.L. Hilton
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THE FORGOTTEN CITY has been out since 2021, and it was a Skyrim mod before that, but my youngest daughter’s been after me to play it so today’s the day.
Now I’m completely hooked and loving it. It’s a narrative-driven time travel mystery adventure. Lots of talking and walking, tons of history and mythology, and a general creepy vibe.
This is the video of my first time-loop day. I’m planning to make a video of each game day until I finish. There are multiple endings, so I might reload and try to get more than one.
THE FORGOTTEN CITY is rated “T” for teens, due to alcohol references, blood, mild language, suggestive themes and violence.
UPDATE AUG 12, 2025: This turned out to be one of the best games I’ve ever played. It took me about 14 hours total to see all four endings, though it would probably go a lot faster for someone who’s not trying to record intros and outros, read lore out loud, react, and all that stuff I do for YouTube videos.
Fantastic game. I cried at the canon ending. Well-written, great voice acting, tons of fun, loads of history and mythology, and no major bugs, far as I could tell. Bethesda Game Studios should hire these people to work on The Elder Scrolls VI.
~ J.L. Hilton
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“Diddling” is the gentle euphemism my parents used for “masturbation” when I was a kid in the 1970s. So you can imagine the hilarity when I first watched this video.
“Warming up are some of Britain’s champion diddlers…”
“This man is the crown prince of the diddle, a champion among champions, whose prowess at the diddle has won him many international diddling awards. Davy Glen was an undisputed champ until he retired from full-time diddling a few years ago…”
“A large crowd of diddling enthusiasts are here to cast a critical ear over every diddle…”
Annie Bell (diddling competition adjudicator): “I’m looking for continuity. I like to have the thing going on, all the time, the diddling part must be continued. I look for good timing and liveliness of feeling.”
“… (here’s) the only contestant, so far, choosing the seated position…”
“This international contest ended with a communal diddle…”
“Let’s face it, diddling is harmless, diddling is fun, and above all, diddling is free.”
I honestly would’ve thought this narration was a joke, but it’s from the BBC Archive!
~ J.L. Hilton
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TRUE FEAR: FORSAKEN SOULS PART 3 is the third and final game in a trilogy ten years in the making. All three games feature protagonist Holly Stonehouse uncovering family secrets in various creepy places including a crumbling childhood home, haunted asylum, and abandoned high school.
The developers, Goblinz, gave me a Steam key for myself and some others to give away. If you’re interested in getting a Steam key, let me know in my YouTube comment section.
Parts 1 and 2 are some of the best point-and-click games in the genre. I’m disappointed that TRUE FEAR PART 3 doesn’t have any hidden object puzzles, since they were so well done in previous installments, but I’m still enjoying Part 3. They’ve gone heavy on the lore and storytelling, and tense cutscenes add a lot to the experience.
Part 1 came out in 2016, which I played it on my YouTube channel. Part 2 came out in 2018 and I streamed that one on Twitch. Part 3 was just released this month, in April 2025, which I’m playing on PC.
The Try-It Tuesday video, above, is just the first in my playthrough of TRUE FEAR PART 3. I will continue playing this game and uploading videos to YouTube. Episodes are edited, but only irrelevent portions removed. The series will include solutions to all puzzles I encounter.
I can’t find ESRB information for Part 3, but Parts 1 and 2 were rated “T” for teens, so I assume Part 3 is rated “T” as well. It launched on PC and macOS, but the developers told me they will release the game on mobile around mid-May and console versions will be available a few months after that.
TRUE FEAR PART 3 contains references to child abuse and self harm. If you or someone you know needs help, please contact 211 (US and Canada), 111 (UK), 0800 111 0 111 (GER) or an agency in your area.
~ J.L. Hilton
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MACHINARIUM is a 2009 singleplayer point-and-click puzzle adventure by Amanita Design, makers of the game Chuchel that I played earlier this month. I’ve been wanting to play it for several years, but for one reason or another, never got around to it.
Since this week’s Try-It Tuesday falls on my birthday, and since I enjoyed Chuchel so much, I decided to finally play MACHINARIUM.
If you’ve ever played a point-and-click adventure game, you’ll understand the basics: Find objects and figure out how to use those objects to progress. Sometimes you’ll need keys to unlock something, a ticket or code in order to open a door, a tool to make or break something, or your wits to solve a puzzle.
MACHINARIUM offers a unique art style, mysterious world and compelling story for our charming little protagonist, a robot named Josef. You begin the game in a junkyard and work your way back into the city, as the story unfolds through environmental storytelling and animated thought bubbles.
Many puzzle adventures are set in the human world and filled with things we easily recognize and understand. But in MACHINARIUM, I enjoyed the challenge of playing in an imaginary robotic reality, because I couldn’t be sure exactly how to interact with my strange surroundings. How would I obtain sunflower oil in a metal city, make a cigarette for a robotic inmate, or lure a mechanical dog back to its owner?
I spent about 6 hours playing MACHINARIUM and earning all 12/12 achievements. The videos are edited down to about two and a half hours total, so that gives you some idea of how much time I wandered around experimenting and trying to figure things out.
MACHINARIUM is rated “E” for everyone 10+, with comic mischief and depictions of smoking. At one point, a robotic “cat” is stunned with electricity but not harmed. Some of the puzzles and game mechanics may be challenging for younger players, but there’s an in-game hint book and an online wiki.
The video above includes levels 1-10. If you’re looking for other levels, check out my other Machinarium videos below.
~ J.L. Hilton
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This week’s Try-It Tuesday falls on April Fool’s Day, so I wanted to play something fun and silly.
CHUCHEL is a 2018 point-and-click comedy adventure game that reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland, Adventure Time, Loco Roco, Spongebob, Centaur World and Terry Gilliam’s wacky Monty Python animations. It’s got old-school Muppet energy, with cute and/or creepy critters, catchy tunes and loads of humor.
I laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed this indie game by Amanita Design, the Czech developers who also made Machinarium, another game I’ve been wanting to play. Since playing CHUCHEL, I’ve also added their games Pilgrims and Happy Game to my wishlist.
Beneath the silliness, though, CHUCHEL is a parable of life. Chuchel and his frenemy Kekel are constantly fighting each other to compete for a limited resource (a cherry they call “gizzabub”) which is constantly being manipulated by a larger, more powerful force in the shape of a giant black hand (God? capitalism? government?), enticing them to constantly chase after the object of their desire while also punishing them for doing so. Eventually, we find out that the malevolent force, which resembles a big, hairy drain clog, has been hoarding thousands of cherries all along. But the pair learn to work together to change the drain clog monster and share the cherry.
At first, I thought maybe I was reading too much into it, but then there was a level where the drain clog actually offered Chuchel and Kekel a red and blue pill, and that’s a little too on-the-nose to dismiss.
This video includes levels 1-8. There are 30 levels total and I’ll be playing those in upcoming videos. Total play time is about two hours, depending on how long it takes to figure out each puzzle and how much you goof around.
I found most of the puzzles and gameplay to be easy, but there were a handful that stumped me for a few minutes. I don’t think CHUCHEL is meant to be super challenging though, just funny and fun.
The game is normally $10 on Steam but I got it on sale for $2.99.
Since it’s a Czech developer, I thought maybe the name might mean something in that language. So I checked Google translate and “chuchel” means “he snorted.” “Kekel” means “he cackled.” Also, the pronunciation is more like “KHOO-khill,” not “CHOO-chill,” if Google is to be believed. So, that’s how I say it in my videos.
However, I only found out AFTER playing the game and uploading my videos, that the official pronunciation is “chuh-chull” according to the game’s one-year anniversary video from the developer. Dang it!
CHUCHEL is rated “E” for everyone and PEGI 3. There are a few bits of potty humor and a lot of cartoon violence (like the original Bugs Bunny cartoons). I think the only thing that would make it unsuitable for children is that a few of the puzzles are a bit complex and might frustrate them. But it would be a great game for a child and parent to play together.
~ J.L. Hilton
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URBAN JUNGLE is a singleplayer cozy houseplant gardening simulator and puzzle game developed by three-person team Kylyk Games and released in March 2025.
Similar to Unpacking, URBAN JUNGLE is an object placement game that progresses through the stages of someone’s life via the places they live. There’s more dialogue in URBAN JUNGLE however, and even some dialogue choices as you talk to family members.
I don’t know if dialogue choices make a difference in the game, as I’ve only played two out of a total of eleven chapters so far.
The puzzle aspect is in the form of maximizing points based on houseplant variety and preferences for light, water and adjacent foliage, and completing objectives that require finding and interacting with objects in each scene.
There’s also a creative mode, which I prefer because I enjoy decorating each scene, rather than worrying about point values.
Unfortunately for me, I have shoulder problems so I use a touchpad on my laptop, not a mouse, and I couldn’t figure out how to rotate items, which seems to require a scroll wheel. But all other gameplay worked just fine with the usual left and right clicking and dragging. I could also zoom in and out by swiping my fingers together or apart on the touchpad.
There’s a free demo on Steam and the full game costs $11.99. Rated “E” for everyone 10 and up.
~ J.L. Hilton
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