Free games of the week

Ever wonder what happens out in space? Discovering lost recordings left inside alien structures by a previous astronaut might peak your curiosity. This astronaut wanted their final words and thoughts to be documented, but they don’t seem to have made it back to Earth. While you float across space, listening to the different entries, try to discover what truly happened in this part of the void. If space is not your thing, perhaps trying to communicate as a raven in a world full of humans, or reliving memories around your favorite convenience store, is what you want to do this weekend. You could also raise a childhood hero, or even just eat some meatballs! It's all up to you - I just provide the games.

Looking for more free games? Check out our round up of the best free PC games that you can download and play right now.

The Alpha Device by Xiotex Studios Ltd

Explore outer space, floating through vast, decaying structures seemingly constructed by extraterrestrials. These structures are everywhere - sometimes with gaps between them and other times tightly packed together. You are able to float in-between them, looking around for green dots and exploring the areas you find interesting. These dots are transmitting bits of story, told from an astronaut’s perspective - a beautiful narrative voiced by David Hewlett for your ears to listen to as you float around.

You do not change or affect the story in any way - there are no decisions to make. Instead you can enjoy the mystery around what has happened in the void of space. This space structure is lovely to explore as is, providing lots of little spaces to glide into and lots of openings to explore. The atmosphere and creepy overtones of listening to the various messages that evidently had to do with the reason why you are in space, now adds to the mystery and curiosity as you play. It is worth noting that The Alpha Device is only playable with a controller - so you will need to have one plugged in before going out into deep space.

A Raven Monologue by Mojiken Studio

Instead of being unable to communicate with Earth, this Raven is unable to communicate in a world full of humans. He is silent, unable to ever cry out, but still attempts to interact with humans in his town without ever saying a word. A Raven Monologue is a short, experimental and silent story - a game that doesn’t quite fit into any genre. You are able to move the story forward, seeing what each new page brings, or push it backwards and see what happens if you retrace your steps. The raven you are controlling is collecting different objects to build a beautiful cage sculpture.

As you collect these different objects, you get to explore the entire town around you, interact with various townspeople, and listen to beautiful music. Once you have collected everything, you can head back, and see how the town and people have changed - living the silent life of this raven. Even though this game is a rather quick play, it is something extremely different and very worth taking a look at.

Konbini by Kano / Robin Beaurepaire / Andréa Pedrono

Like the previous game, but with more words and minigames, Konbini takes you through the memories of someone who lived in Japan and frequented a convenience store. This store is average - typical even. It is by a bus stop, which is convenient if you get on and off the bus often. This shop isn’t close to where you live, nor is it generally en route to wherever you are going. It just exists and sometimes crosses your path. You are able to click on various parts of the store - the vending machine, bus stop, and arcade machine inside of it, for example.

These will show you memories and allow you to interact further with whatever is going on. You can put an obscene amount of coins in the vending machine or play through the arcade game while trying to read the story with it. These mini-games and tasks accompanying the story, add a lot to the game as a whole. These stories are very relatable - taking you to a memory you may even find relatable yourself…

Dungeon Dad by Flamebait

This action based game has you creating memories for your child - by sending them into the dungeon, coaching them on how to fight, and gambling away the money you make from them! You always wanted to be a hero, however, you didn’t make it there. Now, you will live your dream through your very own child and become an ultimate hero and adventurer. You are able to send them into the dungeon and school them in defence and attack.

They will defend and attack on their own, but your instruction will certainly help them along - and the only cost is their self-esteem. Once they want to come back from the dungeon, they will let you know! You can force them to stay longer, or allow them to come back before seeing the loot they collected. This loot can be spent in the shop on armor, swords, and ways to help the kid out. Or... it could be gambled into potentially even more cash! It is all up to you - you can be the parent your child needs or make your child into a hardened killer.

Borgo the Cat by Aaron Fimple

Ever wanted to just eat meatballs? How about discovering and eating meatballs as a giant round cat - rolling over to your spherical friend to then chow down? Though this might not be a memory you had in your own head, it is surely something worth experiencing! In Borgo the Cat, you play a silly, round cat - solving physics based puzzles in this platformer. You can roll and jump your way through different levels, all in the name of spherical meat! You can move the camera around the level, viewing some hidden areas and items sometimes, before making your way to the goal.

This meatball is very tempting, but sometimes you will need to push buttons, move boxes, or even break walls to get to your food. As Borgo, you are a very adorable little cat, well worth the cost of a single bit of food. Making your way through each level does take some time, but the game itself can be completed quite quickly - leaving you a bit hungry for more!