Thinking some more about trying to bridge the gap from little game jam things to bigger projects... the other day I semi-jokingly referred to my philosophy as "make it exist first, then forget to make it good", but maybe there's something real to that?

Love this Mystlikes analysis from Devin, looking at ways Myst continues to inspire modern puzzle games and what we can expect from the genre going forward!

Mystlikes: highlights, trends, and prospects from the frontier of the atmospheric first-person puzzler · Thinky Games

A guided journey through the bewildering present and murky future of the thinky subgenre that once changed the world

thinkygames.com

Hi! I just launched a new three month DOS jam! Don't have enough free time to contribute to a standard game jam? This one's E X T E N D E D. Please feel free to join in, even (especially!) if you have no experience! It's a very casual vibe, and there are even a few assets to help start you off!

MS-TRES

A game jam from 2026-08-31 to 2026-12-01 hosted by Emmfoolery. It's time for another three month DOS jam! This is a casual, lighthearted jam, to encourage skill-building, community links, and the crea...

itch.io

It is similar to Void Stranger and Animal Well (the press doc explicitly calls those out), But it reminded me very much of an older euro-game design tradition, the 80s/90s flick-screen puzzle platformer worlds like Jet Set Willy and the Dizzy series. Or Below the Root, tho that's American.

Me, nodding knowingly: The beaks.

*puts leg around back of chair* You know what other game lets you wander around a virtual space with your friends solving Myst-like puzzles? mystonline.com/en/

Knytt has been faitfully recreated by @bitkidgames.com to run on current operating systems and was just released on Steam and GOG, completely free Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2656050/...

Knytt Classic on Steam

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the indie freeware classic, rebuilt for modern machines! Explore a maze-like planet as the Knytt, a peaceful being abducted by aliens, find your missing ship parts, a...

store.steampowered.com

Can't wait for the video essays about friction in Big Walk, like when you slide down a slope too fast and drop all your stuff.

✷ Magpie Archaeopteryx ✷

outer wilds fans when they learn information "this is just like outer wilds"

@bitkin.org On Chrome, all the clues on page 04 are weirdly cut off (fortunately Firefox works and it's easy to transfer progress).

In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by @videogameworkers.bsky.social. More than 100 games for 10+ bucks! Please share widely and donate generously! itch.io/b/3802/game-...

just so you know, this is the first time i see this flower ammo in la-mulana using the same graphics for [REDACTED] in EMUUROM was a coincidence i swear!!

bring back brad dourif for myst vi #bringbackbraddourifformystvi

Someone has (anonymously) reposted Cliff Johnson's _The Fool and his Money_ (2012) as a browser-playable game. www.the-fool-and-his-money.com My thoughts, going on a bit: blog.zarfhome.com/2026/07/the-...

If I had a nickel for every obscure mystery game that got a sequel this year about mermaids...

I've been on the "people interested in video game design should play more board games" train for a while, but I think that's no longer a sufficiently radical position.

Fachewachewa@fachewachewa.itch.io · 2mo ago

I love this so much. Quinn's very humble too, I'd argue his coverage lead to entire genres being created, in his place I'd be so fucking mad at the complete lack of curiosity from the industry. I mean, even more than I currently am. What he describes is exactly what I want when I complain like that

HeyMF

CNN@cnn.com · 2mo ago

The US space agency is looking to recruit four participants for its Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, a yearlong simulation program that is designed to replicate traveling and living on the Moon and Mars, it said in a press release earlier this month. https://cnn.it/4fchLb5

Disc changes? Villain explaining their backstory via stained glass? Mr Bones is Riven.

Would YOU attend a live Hypnospace concert with a real band playing music + as many of the original artists as can perform? Fill out this survey if you would, we need to know where to take it: forms.gle/rzkjR6t4SsWc...

Would you attend a live Hypnospace Outlaw concert?

Hello! Would you want to experience the music of Hypnospace Outlaw, live? I'm Jay Tholen, the creator of Hypnospace Outlaw, and along with Mike Rose from our publishing label No More Robots, we're c...

forms.gle

These are the games that stood out to us from the 6th annual Thinky Puzzle Game Jam!

Our picks from the Thinky Puzzle Game Jam 6 · Thinky Games

Check out our favorite new bite-sized games from the submissions to the 6th annual Thinky Puzzle Game Jam.

thinkygames.com

simple!

New game! For the Thinky Puzzle Game Jam, a first-person mappy puzzle: aspeon.itch.io/garden-of-th...

Garden of the Compass Rose by aspeon

A first-person puzzle

aspeon.itch.io

It is an actual crime that Full Bore is still at under 100 user reviews after 12 years. An excellent block-puzzling platform puzzler about uplifted pigs unraveling the mystery of why humanity went extinct. If you like puzzles, it's ~$2 now and very good.

Save 85% on Full Bore on Steam

Deep underground lies a reminder of Boarkind’s darkest hours. All it takes is one little boar to dig it back up. A block puzzler with an exploratory twist, Full Bore throws the player into an open wor...

store.steampowered.com

I need to inform everyone of the enchanting mascot for the MSX-fan magazine.

finally getting around to doing this thing where i play and review bird games from my spreadsheet. first up, Death's Door: https://twotwos.nekoweb.org/posts/door.html this post has bonus content in the form of a story about being a bird, which you might like if you are bird therian or something.

I was semi-lazy and limited myself to <150 Steam reviews so I could mostly overlap with the previous deep cuts meme.

Okay, so this is massive and we're terrified. Partnering with @play.breakthrought1d.org in the fight against diabetes, the ENTIRE inkle catalogue is on Humble Bundle right now for $20 -- including TR-49, all four novels, both Overboard! games, 80 Days, all four parts of Sorcery! ... everything.

The Complete Inkle Library

Adventure awaits in these beloved classics and new favorite games from Inkle! Get them at the price of your choice and support Breakthrough T1D!

humblebundle.com

Also on my "cool games developed by mice" list.

Dominic Tarason@dominictarason.com · 3mo ago

And another undersold gem - Eigengrau - which I've described as like Wario Ware as a shmup. Each level has a core theme and every single wave of enemies is some kind of funny, clever variant on it. There's like ten shmups worth of smart level design packed into this one.