interactive storytelling Archives

AppWizard

February 11, 2026

The 10 Best Funny Games

Games often feature unintentional humor, such as NPCs delivering lines amidst chaos or characters in absurd costumes. Some games intentionally embrace humor, effectively combining player agency and comedic timing. Promise Mascot Agency is a mascot management simulator with a narrative filled with quirky characters and absurd situations, where players manage a mascot business while navigating organized crime. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery involves players solving lighthearted mysteries in Cowboy County, featuring humorous scenarios like a haunting sloth and a vandalized sign for an invisible wizard. South Park: The Stick of Truth is an RPG where players engage in LARPing, featuring juvenile humor and absurd combat mechanics, with contributions from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Octodad: Dadliest Catch allows players to control an octopus pretending to be a human, with humor stemming from its physics-based gameplay and emotional stakes. The Stanley Parable is a meta-narrative game where players make choices in an empty office, exploring themes of choice and consequence through clever writing and humor. West of Loathing is a 2D side-scrolling adventure set in the wild West, filled with jokes and witty dialogue that reward player exploration. Portal 2 features witty dialogue and absurd scenarios, with the character Wheatley providing comedic relief as players solve puzzles. Time Gentlemen, Please! is a point-and-click adventure where players seek to watch a Magnum PI marathon, leading to absurd plot developments. The Secret of Monkey Island follows Guybrush Threepwood, a bumbling pirate, and features humor through insult sword-fighting and pop culture references. Disco Elysium presents a hungover protagonist navigating a chaotic world, blending humor with deeper themes of pathos and tragedy.

AppWizard

January 29, 2026

BBC Studios Introduces ‘Bluey’ To The Minecraft Universe

BBC Studios is launching new downloadable content (DLC) for Minecraft on February 5, allowing players to explore Bluey’s world. Developed by Jigarbov in collaboration with BBC Studios and Ludo Studio, the DLC features Bluey’s home as an interactive environment where players can meet Bluey, Bingo, and their parents. Activities include searching for hidden keys, unlocking new rooms, and engaging in mini-games like I-Spy and Hide and Seek. A free Chattermax Mask will be available in the Minecraft marketplace until March 6 for players using Minecraft Bedrock.

AppWizard

December 28, 2025

Counterfeit Monkey is so magnificent a text adventure that I’m convinced the puzzle genre went wrong when it added graphics

Counterfeit Monkey is a text adventure game that emphasizes creative problem-solving through linguistic manipulation. Players solve puzzles by altering words, such as transforming "chard" into "card" by removing the "h," or creating a "car" from "garbage." It is categorized as a parser game, where players input commands to navigate the game world. Released for free on New Year's Eve in 2012 by Emily Short, the game is celebrated for its narrative innovation and intellectual depth. Another related game, Fallen London, is an expanding choose-your-own-adventure novel, and in 2023, its creator directed Mask of the Rose, a visual novel that allows players to craft narratives.

AppWizard

December 2, 2025

The best PC games of all time in 2025

Since 1873, Rock Paper Shotgun has annually curated a selection of the finest PC games, beginning to document this list in 2021. The definition of the best PC games evolves each year, reflecting the current team's tastes. They aim to highlight personal favorites, intentionally leaving out other important titles. The team will unveil their selections for the RPS 100: 2025 Edition throughout the week. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth features dual protagonists Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu, blending serious themes with surreal humor in a turn-based RPG format. Inscryption challenges players in a card game against a gremlin in a haunted forest, known for its creativity and unexpected twists. House Of The Dying Sun is a space combat game inspired by classics, offering exhilarating battles and intuitive controls. Dragon's Dogma II introduces the Unmaking Arrow, adding unpredictability to its gameplay. Devotion is recognized as a top horror game, exploring despair through a masterfully crafted narrative. DayZ is a survival mod for ArmA II that retains its core essence despite updates, emphasizing player interactions. Wreckfest is a driving game focused on chaos and enjoyment rather than just winning. Dyson Sphere Program immerses players in factory building across planets with smooth gameplay. BattleTech incorporates mercenary economics into tactical gameplay. Full Throttle is a classic adventure game with high production values and a gripping narrative. Deep Rock Galactic features procedurally generated environments and cooperative gameplay. Stray portrays a cat navigating a dystopian city, creating an immersive experience. Return Of The Obra Dinn involves investigating a maritime mystery through unique gameplay mechanics. Plants Vs Zombies is a charming tower defense game appealing to all ages. Pentiment explores 16th-century life through a monk's perspective, enhancing storytelling with its art style. Gorogoa offers a unique puzzle experience with hand-drawn art. Conquests of the Longbow blends historical authenticity with engaging gameplay in the Robin Hood saga. Into The Breach presents a tactical challenge with innovative mechanics prioritizing civilian safety. The Stanley Parable encourages exploration and choice, thriving on humor and inventive design. Peggle encapsulates randomness and joy through its simple premise. The next reveal of the 80th to 61st best PC games will occur tomorrow, with previous selections available from 2021 to 2024.

AppWizard

November 27, 2025

Galaxy Princess Zorana is like if you made BG3 passive checks into a whole game, a great tale of political intrigue, and will give you like 4,000 ways to die embarrassingly

Galaxy Princess Zorana's reign ended abruptly during a space-football game orchestrated by the Pope, resulting in her untimely death. The event was broadcast live, shocking the citizens of her interplanetary realm. Zorana, the inexperienced heir to a fractured empire, struggles with court politics and her education after her father's suspicious death. Players engage in a sports event to gain favor with the church, but her awkward interactions lead to an unfavorable outcome at Space Old Trafford. The narrative emphasizes the complexities of leadership and the balance between diplomacy and espionage.

AppWizard

November 10, 2025

The dispatching minigame in Dispatch is good enough to be a standalone game

The Superhero Dispatch Network receives a variety of calls, ranging from mundane issues like cats in trees to intense situations such as hostage negotiations and supernatural activity. The game "Dispatch," created by former Telltale employees, features interactive storytelling with choices that affect the narrative, including character selection and team management. Each character has unique stats based on their backgrounds as reformed villains, and players must analyze job descriptions to choose heroes with the right attributes for missions. The game includes a percentage chance of success for missions and incorporates a choose-your-own-adventure style for certain scenarios. The narrative unfolds over six episodes, with two remaining, and the player manages the dispatch office while engaging with the story arcs.

AppWizard

October 28, 2025

You can get every single one of Telltale’s The Walking Dead seasons for $5—which is around $1 per 10 hours of game

Steam has launched an Indie Horror Showcase featuring discounted games. Telltale's The Walking Dead series is available for £4.19, which includes Seasons 1 through 4, the 400 Days DLC, and the Michonne side story. The offer is valid until November 3. Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 1 is noted for its significant impact on gaming history and storytelling.

AppWizard

October 25, 2025

Dispatch’s superheroic efforts have changed my mind about its episodic release schedule

Dispatch is an interactive storytelling game created by veterans of Telltale, designed as an interactive television experience with a structured episodic format. The first episode, titled Pivot, features players as Mecha Man, a superhero dispatcher managing missions for a team of heroes. The game adopts a release strategy of two episodes at a time, with the second episode, Onboard, enhancing the gameplay experience. Players report a desire to discuss episodes with others, reflecting a shift in mindset towards savoring the experience rather than rushing to the next installment. The first season is set to conclude within a month, with episodes released weekly, fostering community discussion and revitalizing the episodic format.

AppWizard

July 27, 2025

I played a visual novel about the terror of having a ‘casual’ boss and a job that wants you to conform to society’s expectations—but not the ones involving economic stability

Truer than You is a visual novel that explores the gig economy, where players navigate tasks through a mobile app similar to Fiverr. Players engage in various gigs, such as helping an artist create a video or accompanying socially isolated individuals, with their performance rated on a scale of one to five. The game highlights the pressures of gig work, as players may feel dissatisfied with a four-out-of-five rating. It is available on platforms like Steam and itch.io, offering a demo for players to experience its narrative.

AppWizard

July 20, 2025

11 best video games of 2025 (so far) on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X and PC

In 2025, the gaming landscape features the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and a variety of notable titles across platforms like PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. - Split Fiction by Hazelight Studios is a co-op game where players control rival authors Mio and Zoe in a simulation of their imaginations, emphasizing collaboration and real-time interactions. - Assassin’s Creed: Shadows by Ubisoft returns to stealth gameplay with dual protagonists in a vibrant Feudal Japan setting, offering over 100 hours of gameplay. - Lost Records: Bloom & Rage by Don't Nod presents an engaging narrative with dual timelines, exploring a supernatural mystery through character interactions. - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive is a turn-based RPG known for its unique art style, intricate combat mechanics, and immersive storytelling. - Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves by SNK revives the classic fighting game series with smooth animations and a new REV system for varied gameplay styles. - Doom: The Dark Ages revitalizes the franchise with a medieval-inspired combat system and a focus on world-building and storytelling. - Monster Train 2 by Shiny Shoe builds on its predecessor's success with a deck-building experience featuring new equipment cards and clans. - Rematch by Sloclap is an online soccer game that emphasizes precision and offers a competitive atmosphere with a unique arena setup. - Death Stranding 2 by Kojima Productions delivers an emotional narrative with themes of fatherhood and redemption, showcasing Hideo Kojima's storytelling prowess. - Donkey Kong Bananza by Nintendo utilizes the Nintendo Switch 2's capabilities, offering classic gameplay with destructible environments and open-ended experiences.