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OQUONIE (iOS)

BY DEVINE LU LINVEGA

Oquonie is what would happen if Animal Crossing started taking college classes on dadaist poetry and surrealism. Swiping through monochrome rooms and collecting strange runes from creatures speaking an indecipherable language, you start to worry that your turnips might be rotting—I mean, worry that you’re moving in circles. The minute Oquonie suspects you might be getting too comfortable, your avatar transforms from a humanoid to a rabbit. Why not. 

Perfect for: Native Camilare-speakers, animal lovers, scholars of Kafka

Playtime: Aimless hours

TxK (VITA)

BY LLAMASOFT

Remember Tempest? We do. You know who else remembers Tempest? Jeff Minter. TxK is the game that Tempest would eventually grow up to be if Atari hadn’t stopped making Tempest games in 1994. You know who didn’t stop making games in 1994? Jeff Minter. TxK looks more like the acid-induced teleological end of Tempest than a “definitive edition” or even an update. The game is pure insanity. Buy it for the colors, the music, or as an excuse to fire up your Vita.

Tempest 2000, and enjoying the Vita’s OLED screen

Playtime: This depends entirely on how good you were at Tempest

ANGVIK (

PC)

BY ALASTAIR JOHN JACK

You may think Angvik‘s strength lies in the fact that you can play as a sweet old man dressed up like a pink sheep who summons explosive sheep. But beneath the fluffy exterior is a steel heart. Angvik has you hopping around as one of six classes, furiously dodging enemies and trying to make it to the end in one deathless glory run. If the old man keels over once, the game restarts. There’s enough variety to keep you going though, as long as you don’t mind repeatedly seeing a man burst into a bag of bones.

Perfect for: Anyone with a grudge against their grandfather, fans of Cave Story and Ghosts & Goblins

Playtime: 1 – 2 hours