Tag: Cerebral Puzzle Showcase

Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar – Demo Impressions

Quantum zoomies.

Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar

Developer: Abandoned Sheep

Release Date: 21 May 2026

Portal with cats – Become entangled in a quantum puzzle adventure! Mittens gains the incredible power to be in two places at once. Explore twisted test chambers, make mischief and evade capture by a whisker! 🐈🐈‍⬛

Every cat game that I see triggers my scepticism and I don’t know where that has come from, I can’t think of a single cat game that I have tried that has actually dissapointed me. In fact, they generally tend to be full of heart, humour, and quality in their own way. Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar continues that streak delightfully.

Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar takes the concept of Schrodinger’s Cat, and a literal cat burglar, and fuses them together into a puzzle game in a way that feels like it was born with the universe. For those who are familiar with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, this game controls similarly. One half of the gamepad controls one cat and in an instant, you can split into two cats, the second being controlled by the other half. It takes a bit of brain rewiring to start with – I can see why it is part of the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase – but soon enough it feels natural, and the speed and agility of the cats encourage getting stuck straight in. Zero pussyfooting around here.

The opening cutscene set the tone for the game, displaying the exact amount of seriousness necessary for a concept such as this. Lazy Susan is our hedgehog handler as we infiltrate a facility, solving puzzles of permanence, quantum physics, and steal cash to spend on fashion. Whether or not the fur density is actually fur density is down to interpretation but either way, the customisation is a joy and the bonus of this being Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar is that you have two cats to dress up rather than just one. Purrfection really.

It could just be big bones.

The puzzles were mind bending enough that I had to pause a couple of times to figure it out, and the addition of optional puzzles is a treat. If you take the time and go the extra mile you will be rewarded with currencies, which as far as I could tell so far, go towards the aforementioned fashion. If you don’t then it is no big deal, the rest of the story awaits. A fantastic demo that I had installed for far too long before finally playing. I stand corrected about putting it off and recommend any puzzle heads and/or cat fans to check it out!

Demo Length – 1hr
At a glance
+ TWO cats
+ Fantastic use of the concept
+ Feels great in the hands
+ Optional puzzles count towards optional fashion
+ The customisation is lovely
+ There is a built in hint system
+ Animations feel fluid and sharp, especially when splitting the cat.
+/- The demo made me pause to think, I have no idea how complexity will continue to increase

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Database Detective: Minor Crimes Division – Demo Impressions

The most engaging, useful, hilarious online course I have ever taken.

Database Detective: Minor Crimes Division

Developer: Thomas Hsu

Release Date: July 2026

Solve criminal cases through the power of SQL queries! Help out the city of Los Zorangeles by becoming a Database Detective in this new (unpaid) work from home opportunity.

Database Detective: Minor Crimes Division is truly the type game that I have wanted for my entire life.

It is your first day on the job as a Database Detective, which entails examining evidence and searching through databases to solve who commited these most heinous crimes, taking them off of the streets for good. You can then sleep soundly at night knowing that that elderly lady will never litter, ever again.

The game teaches you SQL, a real life programming language used to interact with databases. Through the brilliantly written manual for dummies and contextual practice, you will learn the basics. Each case adds on a new feature. Using those new features alongside what you have already learned allows you to find the data that you are looking for, and find that pesky perpetrator.

I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the best online course that I have ever taken. I am currently 3 chapters into a Python course and the entire process so far has consisted of ‘watch me do this’ and ‘copy that’. The reason Database Detective works so well is that even from the very first case, it does not tell you the answers directly. The instructions are very clear on what you have to do but you have to engage your own brain to input the commands relevent to the tables that you are working with. The entire process feels less like learning and more like solving a really satisfying puzzle.

The learning part is outstanding, but that isn’t the only thing that impressed me so thoroughly. The entire package of this game is a delight. You aren’t just solving any cases, you are solving the pettiest of crimes. The entire process feels completely ridiculous, not least when the air horns go off and confetti fills your screen on a successful arrest. It is a hilarious time that will make jumping back in to learn so much more of an easier process than picking up a book or watching a video would. The CopOS that you are navigating is thematically perfect, and I can feel a passion for not only teaching, but teaching through a quality product oozing through every interaction. 

I have no SQL experience and the demo took 1 hour. I wouldn’t say I am competent by now but the handbook is a fantastic reference and I presume any future cases will allow you to build on the basics while also introducing more complexity.

Some games are worthwhile because they make you feel something, help you see the world in a new light, or provide invaluable distraction. Database Detective is valuable as it showcases the astronomical potential for educational games, with the genuine potential to change the course of lives by making learning accessible, engaging, interactive and fun. I truly see the future of learning being infinitely better because of projects like this.

Demo Length – 1hr
At a glance
+ Genuinely educational
+ Great humour
+ Builds on itself
+ Seamless
+ Learning disguised as a puzzle

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Funeral for the Sun – Demo Impressions

When logic meets the surreal.

Funeral for the Sun

Developer: Nicolás Cid Delgado

Release Date: Coming soon

Search the ashes of an abandoned Latin American town and uncover 500 years of secrets. A non-linear mystery where you travel back in time and untangle the complex history of a community cursed by supernatural forces.

The final demo that I tried from the Thinky Direct 2026 was the demo for a game that I already had on my wishlist, Funeral for the Sun. We play as a historian on her attempt to unravel the past of a town doomed to flames and time.

Of all the games that I have tried that have evoked Return of the Obra Dinn in some way – my favourite game of all time might I add – Funeral for the Sun has come the closest to capturing that magic so far. Don’t get me wrong, Funeral for the Sun has its own soft, painterly art style, its own story to tell and its own unique way of telling it, but exploring the environments, discovering clues from the past and encountering the drama along the way is reminding me of the reasons that I like the genre. It is not only for the deduction of the logic puzzles – however smart that makes me feel when I have some success – but the story that unfolds along the way, the surprises, unexpected turns, and the oddities that provide another level of intrigue.

In less than 45 minutes I was given enough clues, enough fulfilment and enough strangeness to really want to continue beyond what is currently available. Exploring the same scenes in both the past and the present in order to fill out our journal, put names to faces and make the connections between them is an endlessly satisfying process, presented seamlessly. I will be keeping my eye on this one!

Demo Length – 30min-1hr
At a glance
+ A satisfying deduction system
+ I have no idea where the story is going to go
+ Drama ramps up quickly
+ The way the past and present work together to present puzzles and solutions
+ The colour palette is evocative and art style recognisable
– Only being able to save a limited amount of journal entries felt restricting

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Deductopia – Demo Impressions

A clever, cozy use of a deduction style format.

Deductopia

Developer: Nightwell Games

Release Date: Coming Soon

Explore the scenes, find clues, and sort out people, pets, and belongings in this cozy slice-of-life detective puzzle game. Fans of Duck Detective, Little Problems, and The Case of the Worst Day Ever will enjoy this new deduction game for all ages.

I have tried a lot of demos for Obra Dinn and Golden Idol likes (admittedly I still have yet to play Golden Idol beyond the demo), and Deductopia has been my favourite so far. It is a logic puzzle to its core and it did all of the right things. The UI is intuitive, the clues are just enough, and it pushes you in the deep end, giving that delicious initial overwhelm that unravels through exploration, turning ‘how the heck am I ever going to do this?’, to ‘if this is this then that must be that’, at a satisfying fast pace. It throws you in a scene, provides you with some questions, some clues and some solutions, and says, ‘have fun’.

Something that I really appreciate about Deductopia are the difficulty options. There is the option to experience these levels in two different ways. Easy mode checks your answers as you go, informing you if you are correct or potentially going down the wrong path. Hard mode waits until you have inputted all of your answers and deduced the entire scene to reveal whether you made any mistakes. Hard mode was exactly the kind of challenge that I am after. If you give me a way to brute force a puzzle I will, I just can’t resist it so for me, easy mode would have had me gaming the game rather than playing the game. I only bring this up because, while I am glad it exists for the folk that prefer to play that way, a lot of the reward of a deduction games for me is the dopamine flood I get when I get confirmation of my answers. From my experience so far, this is always 10x better when lots of information that you have been chipping away at all gets approved at once. These options allow me to flex whatever brain muscles that this works, while also providing reassurance that if I get stuck later down the line, I am not hung out to dry, easy mode will be there for me.

The demo offered 3 of 12 scenes to explore and solve. It took me 30 minutes total, so this is not going to be a long game. It does however seem like it is going to be an extremely satisfying version of what it is. Low stakes, sit down with a cuppa and a biscuit, and be the observation hero that everyone needs.

Demo Length – 30 mins
At a glance
+ Difficulty settings
+ Thoughtful UI
+ A good ratio of clues:deduction so far
+/- Trusts that the player doesn’t need handholding
+/- Short

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Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School – Demo Impressions

Stupid-smart puzzles. Genius, dumb fun. Clever all around.

Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School

Developer: Coin Crew Games

Release Date: To be announced

Class is (back) in session with Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School! Get a first look at next year’s curriculum with this new playable demo. Escape from a death-defying introductory puzzle course, kick it with new and familiar faces on campus, and enjoy a sneak peek at our brand new quest system!

There is something to be said for frantically zooming around a scene, on the clock, clicking on every little thing to help find your puzzle solutions and at least 50% of the time being provided with a pun instead. Whether the jokes land or not doesn’t matter, it is a delightful experience and surprisingly enough, the majority of them do.

Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School is the upcoming sequel of Escape Academy, where you are student at Escape Academy, learning to… well, escape. The pressure is high and the consequences for failure can be deadly, but that is just another day at the prestigious school. The entire premise and the writing alongside it are the dumbest of fun and I couldn’t have more affection for it. The sequel feels like an expansion of the formula of the first game in the most exciting way.

The writing is fun, the vibes are peak, and the gameplay is equally strong. There are themed escape rooms galore and the demo gave a wonderful and substantial taste of the variety ahead. Between main puzzles there are optional side puzzles, an abundance of your peers to chat to with the best – and worst – names, and an ever expanding environment to explore as you prove your capability by not dying in class.

I am usually allergic to rushing, in games and in real life, but in the case of Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School, I do recommend choosing the timed option, providing you are at least a semi seasoned escape roomist. The urgency adds a lot to the atmosphere of the game and so far I had enough time for every puzzle while also thoroughly exploring every nook and cranny of the room. You will never know whether a one liner will be worth the 10 seconds of your precious time until after you have read it, and that was a gamble that was always entertaining to take. If you prefer though, you can turn the clock off and take the game at your own pace.

Everything feels so serious and yet so light-hearted simultaneously. You will solve a puzzle so intelligently to be greeted by the dumbest joke. The puzzle itself may be a dumb joke. That is what sets this game above so many other puzzle games for me, and why I recommend it so highly. Despite the silliness, I even had to pull out a note book a couple of times! There are local and online co-op options available too.

Demo Length – 1-2 hours
At a glance
+ Engaging puzzles
+ Abundant jokes and amusing writing
+ An improvement of an already great game in the way that great sequels are
+ New open world providing more opportunities for laughs and brain scratchers
+ Substantial demo really shows what you are getting into
+ Snappy pacing
+ Difficulty options

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Noob’s Picks – Thinky Direct 2026

Thinky Direct features, as you may have guessed, games that make you think. Every variety of puzzle that you can imagine, and some that you can’t.

Considering I am so hit or miss with puzzle games – more of a reflection of my thinky abilities and perseverance than the games themselves – I am delighted to have a full, top 10 picks from the Thinky Direct 2026!

The games are in alphabetical order for convenience.

Deductopia

Developer: Nightwell Games

Release Date: Coming Soon

Explore the scenes, find clues, and sort out people, pets, and belongings in this cozy slice-of-life detective puzzle game. Fans of Duck Detective, Little Problems, and The Case of the Worst Day Ever will enjoy this new deduction game for all ages.

Wishlist Deductopia on Steam here. There is also currently a demo available and you can read my full demo impressions here!

Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School

Developer: Coin Crew Games

Release Date: To be announced

Class is (back) in session with Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School! Play in solo or co-op and explore an all-new campus, escape life-threatening puzzle rooms, and unravel a conspiracy as old as the school itself — all before the bell rings.

Wishlist Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School on Steam here. There is also a demo available, you can read my full demo impressions here!

From Ruins – A Detective Adventure

Developer: DigiTales Interactive

Release Date: 2027

A new-gen detective adventure combining deduction gameplay with a gripping story full of twists and turns. Gather clues, establish connections, and solve a series of increasingly challenging cases. Will you uncover the feud that began at the end of the world?

Wishlist From Ruins – A Detective Adventure on Steam here.

Funeral for the Sun

Developer: Nicolás Cid Delgado

Release Date: Coming soon

Search the ashes of an abandoned Latin American town and uncover 500 years of secrets. A non-linear mystery where you travel back in time and untangle the complex history of a community cursed by supernatural forces.

Wishlist Funeral for the Sun on Steam here. There is also a demo available, you can read my full impressions here!

The Granny Detective Society

Developer: Team Empreintes

Release Date: 2026

Play as Madeleine, a retired granny recruited by the Granny Detective Society (basically the FBI… but add dentures). Investigate your neighbors, figure out their names and professions, and uncover all their secrets in this no-murder detective game full of white hair and mugs of tea.

Wishlist The Granny Detective Society on Steam here. There is also currently a demo available!

Hello Again

Developer: Soup Island

Release Date: To be announced

Hello Again is a time-looping adventure about mystical ruins, ancient secrets, and goofy weirdos. Play as a hapless ferret shipwrecked on a strange island, stuck inside a strange time loop. Explore forgotten ruins. Befriend silly strangers. Solve time-bound puzzles. Repeat for the rest of eternity.

Wishlist Hello Again on Steam here.

The Land Forgotten

Developer: Daria

Release Date: To be announced

A hand-painted adventure puzzle game where language is magic. Explore a mysterious land, decipher ancient scripts, and solve language-based puzzles to uncover the secrets of a lost civilization.

Wishlist The Land Forgotten on Steam here.

Lock In

Developer: FLEB

Release Date: 2027

An escape-the-room puzzle game. Solve locks to unlock locks. Unlock locks to unlock more locks. Lock in.

Wishlist Lock In on Steam here.

Pikku Adventure

Developer: Pikku Studios

Release Date: Q4 2026

A challenging puzzle adventure about learning an alien language. Explore a strange world and meet its cute inhabitants. Decipher the language and earn their trust. With every word learned, you will uncover more secrets. Can you solve the mystery of this world and decide the fate of the Pikku?

Wishlist Pikku Adventure on Steam or play the demo here.

Servant of the Lake

Developer: Rusty Lake

Release Date: Aug 2026

Death isn’t the end – it’s your last chance. Solve haunting puzzles and make choices that matter as you guide Vale across the underworld. Will regret follow her into eternity?

Wishlist Servant of the Lake on Steam or play the demo here.

What a start to the Summer Game Fest 2026 season, we have had with the Six One Indie Showcase and now the Thinky Direct. I have played 5 demos from the former and now have 5 downloaded from the latter.

All of these games are featured as part of the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase, where there are sales, bundles and even more demos. If I get a chance I might do a further highlight post but for now… go and fill your wishlists!

Watch the full showcase here.

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