Hollow Tide Expedition

Hollow Tide Expedition is a slower, moodier game about exploring a flooded world in a small boat. You uncover the map bit by bit, solve light environmental puzzles, and piece together what happened here through scattered notes and ruins. It's less about action and more about atmosphere, and it nails that.

The art and sound do a lot of heavy lifting. Rain, creaking timbers, distant thunder, it all pulls you in. Movement is simple, mostly steering and the occasional dive to grab something, so nothing gets in the way of just soaking it up.

If you want constant challenge, this isn't it, and a couple of puzzles left me wandering longer than I'd like. But as a calm, story-rich adventure to play with headphones on, it's a lovely little trip.

What we liked

• Gorgeous, moody atmosphere
• Satisfying gradual map discovery
• Perfect for calm, headphone sessions