Adventure games that hand you the map and say 'good luck'

There's a specific pleasure in games that don't hold your hand, and adventure titles are rediscovering it. Hollowreach doesn't give you a marker pointing at the objective. It gives you a lantern with limited oil and a city that goes on forever.

Playing it, I found myself sketching mental notes, then actual notes, about which corridors connected. When I finally circled back to a locked door with the right key, the satisfaction was entirely mine because the game hadn't done the thinking for me.

This kind of design lives or dies on atmosphere. If the world isn't interesting to be lost in, you just get frustrated. Hollowreach nails it with sound, so even empty rooms feel like they're holding a secret.

Not everyone wants this, and that's fine. But if you've ever felt like modern games explain too much, spend a weekend somewhere that trusts you to figure it out.