Densha

Title: Densha

Genre: Puzzle

Completion Time: Approximately one hour and fifteen minutes

The next time someone claims games can't be art, hit them with this.

Interesting:

The way the game plays with certain concepts is phenomenal. I don't want to spoil the sense of discovery so I will just tell you it deserves full marks. 5/5

Fun:

 Fun is not really the point of this game at all. Parts of it can get tedious, particularly carting around the stepladder. That said, it moved smoothly and I never got stuck for too long. (Take copious notes and be sure to reference the included translation file.) 3/5.

Moving:

I already gave it 5/5 for interesting, so if I could give it 6/5 for moving then I would. This game used a phenomenal blend of visuals, sound, story, character, and surrealism to pack all the emotional punch of a good short film. I may have gotten some bonus chills because of my Japanese heritage, but I imagine this will affect anybody. 5/5.

An intense experience in a beautifully crafted package. Highly, highly recommended.

Misadventure (Highly Recommended)

Title: Misadventure

Genre: Action, horror

Completion Time: One hour and twenty-three minutes, including many, many deaths and game-overs. I'm pretty bad at these games. After mastering it, a single run-through took ten to fifteen minutes.

An arcade-style horror game best played full-screen at night.

Interesting:

The premise is that this is a portal to the demon world disguised as an old Atari-style game, and they do some neat things playing with that idea. I won't spoil them for you but it adds heavily to the game's appeal. In addition, although it is a simple arcade-style game on the surface, environment and enemy mechanics are both unique and fun to play with. 5/5

Fun:

I'm the kind of person who rage-quite the third time I die. But in this game, the constant deaths slowly become more and more spread out, leading to a feeling of mastery. The first time you blow through a series of rooms that had repeatedly killed you when you were first playing, you will feel awesome. Not to mention that the game makes extremely satisfying use of a (semi-)invincibility mechanic. 5/5

Moving:

Not emotional in the typical sense, but "weirdly unsettled" is definitely an emotion. This game creates a neat atmosphere of horror through graphics, sound, and gameplay. Not exactly weighty, but it definitely accomplishes what it was aiming for.  3/5 

A combination of concept, gameplay and atmosphere makes Misadventure an absolutely gripping game.

Hanamushi: Flower Insects

Title: Hanamushi:Flower Insects

Genre: Point-and-click adventure

Completion Time: One hour and fifty minutes to complete the main story, parceled out in pieces over a couple of days and with occasional referencing of a walkthrough.

A surreal, haunting, and oddly endearing Japanese point-and-click adventure.

Interesting:

For the most part this is a fairly standard point-and-click adventure, although the dress-up mechanic is interesting in that it is both functional and aesthetic. In addition, the artist has scattered galleries of his other work throughout the game, which is a neat concept. 3/5

Fun:

Without a walkthrough this would have been too frustrating to be worth my time (since the entire world is mostly open, realizing that you missed something means having to comb over at least a dozen screens). With the walkthrough, it was smooth and pleasant if not particularly exciting. Sadly, I have to dock a point for two minigames with aggravating interfaces. 2/5

Moving:

This is another one where the real power is in the aesthetics. The characters are intriguing in design, and the whole world is beautifully executed with a very unique style. The ending was not mind-blowing or anything, but did provide a satisfying and affecting wrap-up that was worth playing through to.  4/5 

While not really meant to be played in one sitting, Hanamushi: Flower Insects provides a lovely little world to drop into during your coffee breaks.