Hollowroot Trail

Hollowroot Trail is a slow, moody adventure that trusts you to wander. You guide a lantern-carrying traveler through a layered forest, poking at odd objects and piecing together what happened here. There is almost no hand-holding, which is exactly why it works.

The puzzles are environmental and logical rather than cryptic for the sake of it. Most of the time the solution is right there once you notice the right detail. We spent a good while just sitting in the ambient sound, which is unusual praise for a phone game.

It is a shorter experience, maybe four hours, but it stays with you. If you like games that set a mood and let you breathe, this one is a gem.

What we liked

• Beautiful, unsettling atmosphere
• Puzzles that feel earned, not obtuse
• A story told through what you discover