Intelligence (2026)

An absolutely lovely puzzle game, a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Intelligence was a joy to play. If you love games like Return of the Obra Dinn, Case of the Golden Idol, and The Roottrees are Dead... this one will scratch the same itch. It was refreshing to experience a mystery/detective game within a sci-fi space theme. The story is engaging and each clue had me excited to find out more about each mystery. It took me a little while to get used to the GUI functions (like how and when to copy/paste text, and how best to manage windows with the pinning function). I think these elements could have been optimized a little more. I ended up using the "hint" function twice in game just because I didn't have the patience to review all the evidence within the limited GUI framework. But these quirks weren't enough to deter me from my curiosity in solving the mystery, and overall enjoyment of the game. Above all, I appreciated how this game rewarded my curiosity and trusted me to figure things out without too much hand-holding. It didn't feel easy, but it also wasn't difficult to the level of feeling unfair. The "objectives" steer you towards bread crumbs, but allow you to draw your own conclusions. There are unexpected fun surprises, which I won't spoi…

found this gem while looking for metroidbranias to play. really good game! loved the interface and the mechanics. i also appreciated how the hint system works cause i did need a nudge here and there. super fun, wish there was more

Really nice and sweet deduction game. A few hours long, you can figure out everything from the text although the game doesn't penalise you for guessing a few times.

Super fun game. Better than I expected. Basically you're tasked with finding your lost spaceships and also some alien ships after one of them attacked your communication hub. To do that you have tools like a telescope, a communication tool, a probe, a destruction analysis, and an engine identifier. Coordinates are used often, but thankfully you just have to copy and paste with a couple of clicks. You'll also be decoding some alien symbols and words, which is fun. You can take notes, but unfortunately you can't edit them (so you have to make another one if you want to change something). I also would've liked a faster way to compare engine signatures, because many of them are similar. Be prepared to compare engine power levels, energy levels, weights, and the presence of several chemical elements at several sites to deduce who was where (you have a list of usual chemical residue for each type of weapon, so don't worry). The story somehow kept me on my toes with new twists every now and then, and I was super invested at the end. I wish there were more songs, though. After a while they repeat a lot. A special song for the ending scene would be nice, too.

The UI is a little bit rough and the ending felt fairly simplistic but I liked this! I appreciated the way the objectives guide you to the next available deduction without being too hand-holdy or giving anything away.