Hollowreach Expedition

Hollowreach Expedition is the kind of game you play with headphones on at night. You explore crumbling ruins, piece together what happened there, and solve environmental puzzles that lean on observation rather than brute logic. It trusts you to notice things, which I loved.

The pacing is deliberate. There's no combat to speak of, just movement, light puzzle-solving, and a growing sense of place. Controls are a simple tap-to-move plus a context button, and it never got in the way of the mood.

A couple of puzzles leaned a bit obscure, and I checked a hint once. But the atmosphere carried me through, and the ending stuck with me longer than I expected from a mobile title.

What we liked

• Gorgeous, melancholy atmosphere
• Puzzles built on observation
• No filler combat or grinding