Immersive, confusing, or just plain weird video games can be hard to come by. Sometimes it’s hard to find good projects that scratch that itch, especially after you’ve checked out every A-list immersive experience on the market already. You’ve sunk an unhealthy amount of time into The Black Watchmen, there are never any PokeStops around, and you just need something new to do.

Luckily, I have been stalking you. Don’t worry, I’m here to help. My cameras aren’t on all the time, so forgive me if there is a game on here you’ve played, but for the most part, I think these should be fresh experiences. Enjoy!

Blackbox

Platform: iOS

Price: Free

Link: Here

Blackbox is a puzzle game with one central mechanic. You don’t directly use the touchscreen.

Your settings, your phone’s buttons, your time, your location, what your phone knows about itself, and what your phone knows about its surroundings are all fair game though. It’s a game about what an app can know, what your phone can know, and figuring out what part of their knowledge you need to tap in to.

Instead of bombarding you with advertisements, the pricing system consists of two things. If you get stuck, you can always purchase extra hint credits. And for those up to the challenge, extra-perplexing level packs can be bought for puzzle pros.

As of this writing, Blackbox has amassed over 4 million downloads, won an Apple Design Award, and has ranked in the top 5 for free puzzle games in over 30 countries. It is an incredibly accomplished game, and for good reason. It’s incredibly surprising to me that I have never seen it recommended to ARG fans. If it sounds like something up your alley, I highly suggest checking Blackbox out as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed.

Stories Untold

Platform: Steam

Price: $9.99

Link: Here

Stories Untold is one of those games you just can’t describe that easily, especially if you’re recommending it to someone and want to avoid giving too much away. Like many great games, the genre can be difficult to easily pin down. It’s certainly an homage to classic text adventure games, but at the same time mixes the gameplay with more modern adventure mechanics, such as point-and-click gameplay and even free-roaming sections towards the end of the game.

What you do with these mechanics is ever changing, mainly because Stories Untold is an anthology. The game consists of four intertwining short stories: The House Abandon, The Lab Conduct, The Station Process, and The Final Session. Each chapter plays somewhat differently, and all of them rely on a different form of horror.

While I wouldn’t call Stories Untold extremely scary, it is certainly a psychological experience that screws with your head. It’s not terrifying to be commanded to use mysterious lab equipment without knowing what you’re doing, but you’d prefer to know what you’re testing on. Nor does being in a remote Arctic research station always spell trouble, but you start to feel the isolation when you pick up on hints there may be something wrong with the outside world.

Stories Untold has also seen its fair share of positive attention. The game has been nominated for many awards since its release in February 2017, and many major gaming outlets have given the game 4-5 stars. One of my favorite quotes about the game comes from Game Informer’s review, where it was described as ”a treasure trove of gruesome and morbid delights” by journalist Javy Gwaltney.

It’s an indie horror experience with the polish of an AAA title, but has the heart and soul you can only find in a passion project. If you seem interested, I urge you not to spoil the ride for yourself.

Eversion

Platform: Steam

Price: $4.99

Link: Here

Eversion is a happy, cute platformer where nothing bad happens whatsoever. Nope, nothing freaky is in this game at all. You play as Zee Tee, a flower on a completely wholesome mission to rescue the princess of his land.

The primary feature of Eversion is the evert mechanic, which allows our hero to travel between dimensions to solve perplexing platforming puzzles. And I assure you, there are absolutely no dimensions that are disturbing in that 00’s Newgrounds pixel art way. Zero. Though the best part of Eversion is that there are certainly not a few different cruel-but-clever twist endings to uncover. Every ending is 200% wholesome and satisfying.

In all seriousness, Eversion is a very entertaining game that is a relic of the age of the internet it originally came out in. The game itself isn’t very long at all, in fact, I think it’s best played in one sitting. But that doesn’t change my admiration for what the game does, even if it does it in a fairly small amount of time.

You can also download an older Eversion version (hah) for free on the developer website. Though the Steam edition has added updated graphics and an extra ending. No matter which route you go down, I think you’ll enjoy your time with Eversion.

I hope you enjoy these games! It’s the least I could do to repay you for letting me steal your spare house key.

Wait, you didn’t know about that? Well, I uh… I think that’s my signal to go then. You know, I really had a great time breaking and entering today. We should do it more often. But for now, I should really get out of here before the police arrive. Uh, see you again soon? Too much? Yeah, too much.

Stalk the stalker:

PM Twitter: @PuzzlingMatters

Author’s personal Twitter: @Ekatclan