I’m absolutely terrible at games. I need walkthroughs to get through a 10-minute point-and-click. I don’t play anything with any action, jumpscares, or violence because I’m easily frightened by any remotely scary media. I die in games a lot. But I really like cute, relaxing games—think Ferry Halim’s Orisinal series, although somehow I’m terrible at those too—so here are some of my favorites! They’re all free, and all available on iOS and Android.
Two Dots
Two Dots is a bit more complicated than its predecessor, the popular game Dots, but the gameplay is still really simple. You try to connect the dots the way the game wants you to—usually in a square—and there are lots of different types of dots, such as meteors, which will clear a column of the gameboard when they’re at the bottom, and beetles, which need to be connected to other dots three times before “exploding” and flying away. There’s relaxing music and soothing colors, although if you’re colorblind, there’s a mode for that too. There’s also over 1700 levels, which is enough to keep you addicted for a long, long time.
I Love Hue
All right, this game is a lot less colorblind-friendly, but it’s still tons of fun. The concept is simple: arrange the colors in a way that “makes sense,” usually in order of hue and gradually progressing to different colors. It’s described by the creator as “a meditative, chilled experience with no timers, no move limits and no punishments for failure.” Whether you’re an artist who obsesses over color theory or just want to sit back and enjoy the soothing music and satisfaction that derives from putting the color grid in the correct order, this is a wonderful game for people of all ages. Make sure to take some breaks, because the levels increase in difficulty as you progress and this can cause some eye strain if you spend too much time squinting at the squares of color.
Poptropica
Poptropica, the love of elementary school children everywhere. It’s basically a website where you play on different islands based on different concepts, such as a haunted house, time traveling, etc., and you have a mission to complete on each island.
If you’re like me, then you played Poptropica obsessively on your laptop when you were in fourth grade, then forgot it existed for almost a decade. So accounting for that scenario, let me catch you up: yes, there’s a mobile app, and that’s not the only update. Many of the new islands have music, and you can download them so you can play missions offline. They’ve also improved the graphics and loading time for the newer islands. So if you haven’t logged into Poptropica for a while—or ever—then now’s a great time to start!
Dream Walker
Dream Walker was only released this year, and there aren’t that many chapters up yet, so it’s not too well-known. Google Play’s description reads: “a challenging, surreal, puzzle runner game where you explore a fantastic world of subconscious dreams and nightmares full of unbelievable physics, architectures and mind games,” but it’s really not that scary. There are no jump scares, no violence, and no gore, just a beautifully ethereal atmosphere well done atmosphere, with charmingly eerie music and graphics.
It’s also less of a puzzle runner and more of a puzzle walker, as your character moves at a leisurely pace to collect stars and reach the end of their journey, where they step into a mirror. Controls need some time to get the hang of, but once you’ve figured it out, it’s pretty simple, and there’s instructions to guide you at the beginning. There’s a sort of a half-dream, half-nightmare Alice in Wonderland aesthetic that’s more fascinating than frightening. Plus, you can collect people from the Addams family to use as your character!
Have a great time trying out these games! Disclaimer: I hope you enjoy them, but I take no responsibility for any procrastination caused.
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