An offline game spawned from classic browser RPG Kingdom of Loathing, West of Loathing hits the hitherto unknown sweet spot between comedy, dramatic tension, stat building and interactive fiction. It's not the longest game in the world, particularly as you'll want to charge through it like a raging cow, but it's perfectly formed, with plenty of replayability. A must-play addition to any RPG fan's library. And thank you, Asymmetric, for the Linux support.
Fran Bow is easily among the best adventure games released in the past decade. A mystery that unfolds across multiple planes of reality, it weaves an entrancing tale and has a brilliant and distinctive art style that deserves to decorate goths' lunchboxes for years to come. Its plot and characters are truly original, and its handling of mental illness and (possible?) psychosis doesn't feel exploitative. The game's emotional content is finely balanced - moving, dark and sweet in equal measure, it never strays into cliche or cheap emotional trickery. The puzzles all fit together tidily, with only a couple that rely on obscure mechanics, rather than simply requiring a bit of thought, and the rhythm of puzzle solving ebbs and flows alongside the plot. Although it has a lovely musical score and atmospheric sounds, the game is fully text-based, which makes it great to play if you have to do it in silence
