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MORPHOPOLIS (PC, IOS, MAC, ANDROID, BLACKBERRY)
BY MICRO MACRO GAMES
Morphopolis reveals the beauty of a world humans tend to describe as gross. Roaming around as an aphid, your objective is simply to explore the expansive world ahead, discovering hidden objects, new places and fellow insects. The world is a puzzling place—especially in this point-and-click adventure. And if you get lost eyeing the flowers, trees, and bugs in this colorful game, then you’ve discovered the wonders of an insect’s paradise.
Perfect for: Insect enthusiasts, visual artists, those who hate bugs but can’t help but be slightly curious
Playtime: A puzzling hour or two.
COUNTERSPY (PS4, PS3, VITA)
BY DYNAMIGHTY
CounterSpy looks like Danger: Diabolik, thinks like le Carre, and plays like James Bond. It’s the type of game that inspires all sorts of cross-media comparisons, but once you get into its fluid style of play you’ll be thinking of CounterSpy only. Sneak your way through randomly generated secret bases and keep the thinly-veiled US and Soviet analogs from destroying the moon. Just don’t expect a pat on the back from the higher-ups.
Perfect for: Q, M, Strangelove, and Smiley
Playtime: A few sneaky hours.
ROGUELIGHT (PC)
BY DANIEL LINSSEN
If you’re afraid of the dark, Roguelight is not the adventure for you. In this roguelike (get it?) your main enemy is the ever-darkening dungeon. So you wield your fire arrows, lighting the path to safety, avoiding bats, spikes, and other things that emerge in the dark. For many, this will be all uncertainty and fear. On the other hand, if you’re the type to light a midnight trip to the bathroom with a Maglite? Your game has come.
Perfect for: Bats, Katniss Everdeen, kids who weren’t scared of Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Playtime: As long as the darkness is impenetrable.