The Glasswood Trail

The Glasswood Trail is an adventure game with almost no combat and a lot of looking. You play a mapmaker sent to chart a forest that quietly rearranges itself, and your job is to notice what changed and draw it. The drawing is done by tracing paths with your finger, which is oddly soothing.

It leans on small puzzles tied to the landscape. A tree blocking your path yesterday might be a bridge today, and you have to remember. The game trusts you to pay attention, and it rewards that with little story beats hidden off the main route.

Visually it's the best-looking thing I've reviewed in months, all soft watercolor and drifting light. It's short, around four hours, but it stayed in my head long after. Play it with headphones.

What we liked

• Soothing finger-tracing map mechanic
• A forest that changes between visits
• Gorgeous watercolor art and sound