Hollow Tide

Hollow Tide is an exploration adventure set in a flooded town you poke around at your own pace. There's no combat to speak of — it's about reading the environment, solving light puzzles, and piecing together what happened here. The mood does a lot of the heavy lifting, and it's gorgeous.

Movement is swipe-to-walk with tap interactions, which sounds clunky but works smoothly once you adjust. The puzzles are fair; none of them require a guide, and the game trusts you to notice things rather than spelling them out.

It's a short experience, maybe four hours, but it's the kind you remember. We'd nudge the developers to add a hint toggle for the one or two spots where the pacing stalls, but otherwise it's a lovely little trip.

What we liked

• Strong atmosphere and art
• Fair, satisfying puzzles
• A tight, memorable runtime