Hollow Tide Expedition

Hollow Tide Expedition is a hand-drawn adventure that oozes atmosphere. You explore a city swallowed by water, poking at objects, solving environmental puzzles, and slowly uncovering why everyone left. The art is gorgeous and the ambient sound design does a lot of the storytelling.

Puzzles lean on observation rather than obscure logic, so we rarely felt stuck for the wrong reasons. There is a gentle hint system if you want it, tucked away so it never nags you. Each chapter reveals a little more of the mystery.

It is a short game, maybe five hours, and there is no combat or fail state. If you want a calm, beautiful story to sink into over a few evenings, this is a lovely pick.

What we liked

• Stunning hand-drawn flooded city
• Fair, observation-based puzzles
• Relaxed pace with an optional hint system