Paper Bride (2021)

Developer: HeartBeat Plus
Genres: Adventure, Casual, Indie, RPG
Rating: 4.6 of 5, 2,258 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 4.3 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A slow-paced atmospheric puzzle game that feels like unraveling a spooky traditional Chinese folk tale through careful observation and deduction.

atmospherichorrormysterypuzzletraditionalnarrative-drivencasualsupernatural

What players say

Players praise the Chinese folklore setting and the atmospheric horror, but note that scares rely heavily on jump scares. The puzzles range from intuitive to extremely tricky, and some feel arbitrary. A common frustration is that using any hint locks the achievement, forcing a full replay. The story is well received and the game is short, around four hours.

Screenshots

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More by HeartBeat Plus

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.