The Visitor (Note: Not The ABBA Album)

I've yet to rattle on about my love for Samorost and Samorost 2. Flash games I loved so much I bought the CD soundtrack. (If you've never played them, go do so right now.)

I'm sure there's a genre title for the sort of game, where you have a background on which obvious items can be clicked, triggering animated events. It's minimal interaction, maximum art. Done badly, it's the worst sort of pixel-hunt. But done well, it can be really very beautiful.

The Visitor can't exactly be described as "very beautiful", but it is done well. An alien creature grub crashes to earth on a meteor, and in a very short game, you help him make his grisly way through a nearby homestead. It's so refreshingly gruesome, reversing your instincts and having you aid the revolting alien creature to achieve his goals. There are quite a few awkward moments where the next click doesn't feel natural, but it's generally possible to muddle past them, and no great chore to click about until you find the right order. And while there's only one true puzzle, it's a fun one. Go play.

It's the work of one Zeebarf, and is his first project of this type. So off to a flying start. Apparently there's talk of a sequel, and a longer project he's already working on. Big thanks to reader Will for the tip-off.

And now I'm listening to the Samorost 2 soundtrack again.