Botanicula

Botanicula is a humor-filled point-and-click adventure from Amanita Design, the Czech studio behind Machinarium and the Samorost series, scored by Czech band DVA. Five little tree creatures — Mr Lantern, Mr Twig, Mr Poppy Head, Mr Feather and Mrs Mushroom — set out from their home tree to save its last surviving seed after the trunk is overrun by parasitic invaders. There's no dialogue and no text, and the storytelling happens entirely through gesture, sound and detailed scenery.

More than 150 unique locations branch out across the tree and its surroundings, each rendered in Amanita's familiar collage-of-natural-textures style and packed with hidden animations. Most screens reward poking at every element for a small payoff — a creature blinks, a leaf reacts, a hidden bonus pops up — and the game is openly built to be combed through rather than rushed. There are hundreds of small animations and an unusual quantity of optional bonuses tucked into corners for vigilant players.

The five protagonists each have a slightly different ability or personality quirk, which the puzzles use to encourage switching between them, and the tone is gentle enough to recommend to non-gamers, partners, families and older players who don't usually pick up a controller. The soundtrack by DVA leans into vocal samples and acoustic textures, and an end-game bonus rewards players who paid attention to the details earlier on.