Desktop Explorer

(Very light spoilers ahead) I would've played Desktop Explorer all in one go through an evening if I wasn't the tiniest bit conscious of my sleep. I got quite addicted to it. The puzzles are very well balanced and paced, and the three major parts to the story offer up a change to the previous without feeling too out of place (like Inscryption cough cough). I understood the broad strokes of the story easily and its content felt not as trope-y as it could've been. Desktop Explorer is incredibly immersive. The sound design, the music, the way the game constrains and expands what you can do in a way that really benefits the puzzles... I streamed some of the game to my partner and they got the vibe immediately. There were moments I laughed out loud with some little jokes, and I was always excited to find something new, even if it was just flavour. My least favourite aspect was the short length of the later parts, it felt like the developer ran out of time. Some out-of-the-box thinking moments I can imagine could feel annoying to people here for the story or horror elements. Speaking of, horror elements in my opinion were quite light, which matched my preferences but couldn't for others. Overall, Desktop Explorer's an excellent adventure puzzle game, and I would probably put it in the top 5 of similar games I've played, like Storyteller, Blue Prince, the Case of the Golden Idol, and Return of the Obra Dinn (try those out, btw).