VERTIGROWL (2024)

Developer: ApeHardware
Platforms: Windows, Linux
Genres: Indie, Simulation
Rating: 4.2 of 5, 6 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.4 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 bureaucratic nightmare where you meticulously plan each move through a surreal, darkly humorous office building filled with cryptic puzzles and Lovecraftian undertones.

surrealdarkly funnyatmosphericpuzzlingtensepsychedelicsimulationhand-drawn

What players say

Players describe this as a surreal, slow puzzle game about planning moves in advance, with a story told through chat logs that explores the horror of mundane work. Some find the later levels frustrating, and opinions split on the writing and pacing.

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More by ApeHardware

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.