DINNER WITH AN OWL

DEVELOPER BoringSuburbanDad PRICE Free AVAILABILITY Released WEBSITE https:// boringsuburbandad.itch.io/dinner-with-an-owl

Iwas still in the mood for mystery when I found Dinner with an Owl. I mean, he’s clearly an owl, although no-one will let me say so. There’s definitely dinner, too, although this game is also (ostensibly) based on a time loop, so precisely why, or how, the contents of dinner keep changing forms part of its mystique. Mr Brown’s “guests” seem afraid of him, and his butler is endlessly thirsty for reasons that should become clear. It’s short, but free to play and I found it extremely satisfying. More games should have literally one puzzle.

Certainly, this game’s scope is very appealing. You’re introduced to every character, location and interactive element almost immediately. Then it’s a matter of listening carefully and figuring out a solution. As you start to solve it, the game will try to trick you, but just ignore that. At one point Mr Brown delivers clues through the menacing medium of song, in a way that channels David Bowie in Labyrinth. The music is richer than it has any right to be and the occasional animations are evocative. I love the art, even though I hate red.

“Minimalist” games are great, but they’re usually mechanical, like Mini Metro. What is the tiniest amount of content an adventure game can provide that leaves you feeling like you cared about characters and solved something meaningful? Dinner with an Owl gets a little bigger each time you play, but you’ll have to be observant to even notice, most of the time. Although I’ve played small adventures before, like Ben Chandler’s early collection, and adventure game loops, like Mars Underground, I’m not sure I’ve played both at the same time. Enjoy it with your coffee.