Adventure games that don't hold your hand too tightly

Point-and-tap adventures live or die on their puzzles, and the common failure is making them either insultingly obvious or unfairly obscure. Hollowreach lands in the sweet spot by keeping clues visible if you actually look.

I replayed a couple of its rooms to see how the hints work. Nothing is spelled out, but everything you need is on screen — a note, a worn mark, a sound. That's the kind of design that makes solving it feel like your own idea.

The trade-off is pacing. These games are slow, and they ask for patience. If you rush, you'll miss the detail that unlocks the next step. Played calmly, offline, with sound on, it's one of the most atmospheric things on mobile.

My tip: don't brute-force it. Put the phone down, come back, and the solution often clicks on the second look.