Rob and John Donkin have teamed up again! Ninja Bear and Purple Teddy thought they had those monsters under the bed safely locked away this time, but as is the way of all villains, they have escaped. Fortunately, rather than making a break to Acapulco via plane or boat, they have taken the "strange floating platforms in space" route of escape, and they docilely stand in place while you figure out the puzzle and use the power of physics to bring them to justice.

Switch between controlling Ninja Bear or Purple Teddy by hitting [S], and use whatever guns (hotkeys [1] through [6]) the level offers to aim with your mouse and shuriken, blast, bounce, disintegrate, or simply float away all the monsters, while avoiding hurting either hero. In addition to the game's main monster blasting puzzles, the game contains a fun hidden object bonus in the form of 24 yin-yang symbols hidden throughout the game. Simply click on a symbol to collect it. Once you've completed all 44 levels, consider trying out some user levels or create your own in the level editor.

Our bear heroes may be cute, but they're essentially whiny teenagers in cuddly form, more interested in getting to play Skyrim than saving the world, and possessing somewhat disturbingly deep voices which seem to speak only in memes. If that's to your taste, then great, but even if it's not, just mute the sounds (although don't miss the great original music) and play it anyway, because it's one of the best physics puzzles to come out in a while. The levels contain an excellent variety of challenges, from ones which call for timing, to tests of your aiming skills, to ones that require a little out of the box thinking. There are even a few levels with some wicked red herrings. And since three levels are open at once, if you get stuck on a level, you can always move ahead and come back to it later. It's really a game that has what players enjoy in mind, so take a break from Skyrim yourself and try it.

Play Ninja Bear and Purple Teddy

Ever since the NES days, gamers have known that there is no greater friendship than that of a boy and his blob. It's as true for Fancy Pants Styled stickmen living in a world of notebook paper, as it was in Blobolonia. And considering how crazy that notebook paper world can get, they'll need to push their teamwork skills to the limit. Otherwise... they'll just end up Crumpled.

An artistic platformer by Oslo Albet, Crumpled purports to have a little of everything, including, quote, "parkour, cooperative puzzles, bullet time, combos..." That's a pretty accurate description, and it's always fun when a minimalistic game packs itself to the brim with movement mechanics. Movement is fluid, and the levels are cleverly designed. The big negative though is the controls. Albet has done the "control two characters at the same time" thing quite well in the Fireboy and Watergirl series. Here though, the mouse/keyboard integration is wonky, and, since the stick figure is moved with the [WASD] keys, having jump be the [spacebar] instead of the [W] feels weird and often breaks the flow. Combine that with some shoddy hit detection when you make platforms with the blob, and you have a recipe for frustration. If you can acclimate yourself to wonkiness, though, you'll find Crumpled to be a neat little gem that you'll want to stick with.

Play Crumpled

"One night, taking a stroll through town, I came across a mysterious door. Without thinking, I knocked on the door, and entered the room..." With those fateful words Tesshi-e began its very first game. The very early escape games were modest efforts done up with crude 2D cartoony graphics and the genesis of puzzles seen in later, more polished escapes. In a fit of nostalgia Tesshi-e has gone back to that very first game and re-imagined it using its trademark dazzling 3D style and jazzed up the puzzles. The result is Mild Escape 1 (remix), a trip down memory lane and this week's escape from the everyday.

Wander around the beautiful and sparse room, pick up everything that isn't nailed down, solve your way through lots of puzzles, unlock a few drawers, and eventually you will be back to your evening stroll, with or without a happy coin in your possession. The tidiness of the room makes for very little pixel hunting which is nice considering that Tesshi-e still hasn't even today discovered the joys of a changing cursor. The game is in English or Japanese, so remember to make your choice at the beginning, before that oh-so-familiar piano tune drifts out of the speakers.

Amazingly, Mild Escape 1 is Tesshi-e's 70th room escape effort, a massive achievement in room escape designing. For years they have been entertaining us with unique and challenging puzzles and life-like graphics, and once again they have brought the challenge and the charm to their latest effort. For this mid-week break Tesshi-e goes down memory lane and drags us along for the ride with this wonderful, nostalgic look back that brings those old, simple designs into the stunning present. Just remember, in real life, don't be wandering down any alleys and opening mysterious doors. Really, it's not safe.

Play Mild Escape 1 (remix)

At first, To Nothing sounds like a misnomer for SuzumeDr's newest escape game. You start out in a somewhat sparsely furnished room with nothing in your hands except a black-and-white sports bag. You dump out the bag's contents and instantly all the slots in your inventory are full.

You navigate around the room by clicking the edges of the screen when the arrows appear, and clicking on anything worth investigating. You manage things in your inventory by clicking them to select them for use, or double-clicking to examine them more closely. The catch? As you go around and solve puzzles, every object in the room and in your inventory will... disappear, one by one. That nightstand by the bed? First thing to go. The TV on top of the minibar? Try not to grow attached to it. That pair of pliers? Its minutes are numbered, too. The cabinet by the door? Poof. The pack of chocolate candy? Hope your sweet tooth wasn't aching.

It's hard to be original in a well-established genre like the room escape, but SuzumeDr is definitely good at his trade. As with his previous works (Triangle, Lift for Life), the puzzles are well-designed (albeit a little obscure in one or two places), the graphics are clear but not distracting, the sound effects are fitting, and the theme's execution is simply perfect. The game's a little on the easy side, but there's nothing wrong with that. To Nothing is a game worth playing through for your weekday buzz. Just be careful, there's no telling what will vanish from the room next. Possibly even you!

Play To Nothing

Another day, another handful of hours spent puttering around in his little cave home. Muu doesn't know it, but his ordinary life is about to undergo a big change when an explosion rocks the land, and he sets out to investigate it... maybe even becoming a hero in the process. Muu: Just Another Day is a short retro platformer by Miktar that serves up a delightful old school vibe with some simple yet challenging gameplay.

Use the [arrow] keys to move, [Z] to jump, and [K] to activate easy mode if you're having difficulties and feel like having a game be condescending to you. It triggers some extra helper boxes (with flattering chickens on them) to make some of the platforming easier, but can't be disabled once you turn it on. Despite some issues with certain surfaces being difficult to jump on or off of easily later in the game, Muu's beautiful design and adventurous vibe make this a little gem worth checking out. After all, couldn't we all use a little more motivation to stick our heads out of our caves now and again?

Play Muu: Just Another Day

In the idyllic moments before sundown, the slant of the sun's rays often sketch a sentimental hue over the landscape. Those moments of gloaming have been scribed in time by many a poet and artist, and Jonas Kyratzes takes it a step further in Arcadia: a Pastoral Tale, an interactive fiction game of exploration set in a dateless pastoral state.

Kyratzes, who also created one of 2011's best, The Book of Living Magic, says Arcadia "is not a race... It is a stroll, an afternoon walk." Keep that in mind as you play. Play, in this case, means reading the text, pondering the circumstances, and choosing your next action by selecting a highlighted word. The path you travel depends on your choices, with multiple options bringing several new discoveries. Because of this, you'll want to play through more than once. As for what the game is "about," since discovery is an integral part of playing Arcadia, let's leave that unsaid for now and talk instead about its merits as a game overall.

Casual gamers realize the general public doesn't give our esteemed game developers enough notice or credit for their creations, that there is sometimes a prejudice against this artistic domain as if its moniker denotes insignificance and immaturity. Without knowing the depth of lyricism and creativity that can compose a game, they'd even mistake the entirely textual Arcadia as not a game. What defines a game is as varied as what defines a sport. Games are distinct from work; they're entertainment, an amusing pastime, and involve the player at some level. Good games are more than that—they resonant with their players at an innate level, tapping our logic or reflex or dexterity in pursuit of a goal or a win. Arcadia does all of this by providing choices then rewarding our decisions lavishly with rich prose.

Absent is the possibility of losing, but winning or losing are only a means of providing resolution at the end of a game. It is here that Arcadia excels the most because Arcadia's denouement is naturally beautiful, surreal and meaningful; it is as if Thomas Cole is the player's muse, that this isn't a narrative simply told to you, it is an archetypal romanticism in which you're enveloped; you play for the experience, for the discovery, and for the escape. Arcadia: a Pastoral Tale elevates the oft undervalued browser game onto the loftier plane of artistic poignancy.

Play Arcadia: a Pastoral Tale

Sure, Earth is nice and all, but you gotta admit... it's strictly squaresville, daddy-o. (Am I hip? I want so badly to be hip.) Since most of us will never get swept off our feet to intergalactic adventure by a two-headed alien president, we'll have to settle for the next best thing. This week's Vault looks at some of those games that have best whisked us away to other places we'd ordinarily never get to visit. That's right; each and every one of these developers are going to act as your personal Willy Wonka or Ms Frizzle. They love you that much.

• Aether - Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaeil combined their dark powers to create this unique physics puzzle adventure back in 2008, and wound up taking home top prize in that year's Best of Adventure category. The game follows a lonely boy who befriends a monster that comes out of the sea and takes him on a journey into the stars and the world beyond. Combining a striking dreamlike design with surreal, unique gameplay, Aether delivers an experience like no other... sort of like a children's book combined with an MTV cartoon. Each of the worlds you'll visit is distinct and has a puzzle to solve, but getting there is half the fun, and after just a few moments swinging around like an interstellar Spider-Man you'll be hooked.
• Mr. Coo: El Laberinto Esférico - I'm a sucker for unusual design and comic book flair, and this bizarre adventure puzzle from Nacho Rodriguez definitely succeeds at both, and then some! Gorgeous animation leads the way through this unusual journey about Mr. Coo, who has fallen to his death but somehow still manages to have a dream about a labyrinth full of strange obstacles. It's part choose-your-own-adventure and part puzzle, and although having to restart on death can become annoying, it's still well worth experiencing for the high quality of design and distinctive oddball characters.
• The Fog Fall - While technically Mateusz Skutnik's atmospheric point-and-click adventure series is more alterna-future than "another world", as anyone who has played Fallout will tell you; there's just something fascinating about the end of the world and the idea of society continuing on in some fashion after it. Speaking of Fallout, there are definitely some similar themes and concepts, but this eerie series is well worth experiencing for its own merits. You survive day to day in a grim existence with your family in a bomb shelter. Until the day you look outside and see the fog rolling in. It's creepy, it's fascinating, and with all the trademark style and design of Mateusz, it's easy to see why The Fog Fall has been one of the community's favourite series for years.

While we welcome any comments about this weekly feature here, we do ask that if you need any help with the individual games, please post your questions on that game's review page. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and rediscover some awesome!

Your grandma was pretty rad. Not only was she giving Indiana Jones a run for his money, she claims she stumbled across an ancient place decades ago in her travels where the people were able to control the seasons at will. She's too old to continue on now, but she's entrusted you with a relic from that place, an old stone heart, that she believes is the key to solving the mysteries there and restoring the balance of nature. The Lost City for your iOS device is a gorgeous puzzle adventure from Fire Maple Games (creators of The Secret of Grisly Manor) that might be somewhat light in the challenge department, but delivers a beautiful and engrossing expedition sure to speak to the Indiana Jones (or River Song) in you. Ancient artifacts? Mystical energies? I am so there.

All you have to do is tap around to investigate. Interactive areas aren't always highlighted, but you'll usually get a fairly obvious visual indicator of someplace that has something to tap on. Items are stored in your backpack, and when you tap on that to open it, you not only gain access to a handy map that tracks where you are, but your journal which jots down various clues and also lets you view a walkthrough right there in the game if you so desire. (If Grandma's journal can do that, I kind of think she was just being lazy when she didn't solve all this the first time through, don't you? For shame, Granny.)

Also available: The Secret of Grisly Manor for browsers, iPhone (iOS), Android, Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire!

Even without the handy-dandy hint/walkthrough function, however, it's unlikely The Lost City would provide much of a challenge for fans of the genre. There aren't really any surprises, and the straight-forward design means it's usually very clear what items you'll need for any situation as soon as you find them. This shouldn't be taken as a mark against it, however; with its beautiful design and accessible gameplay it's the perfect casual treat to sneak some time in with whenever you get a chance. It's the gaming equivalent of one of those relaxation CDs, something with whales or panpipes, or whales playing panpipes or whatever (panpipe whales?). Its friendly user interface and beginner-ready gameplay coupled with its beautiful style also makes it perfect for roping in non-gaming friends and family members. Looking to get away from it all but don't want the journey to be too challenging? Then chart a course for The Lost City.

iPhone, iPod Touch:
Download The Lost City (iPhone and iPod Touch)

Android Marketplace:
Download The Lost City (Android)

Nook Apps:
Download The Lost City (Nook Color/Nook Tablet)

Amazon Appstore:
Download The Lost City (Kindle Fire/Android)

Who knew that everything through the looking glass was actually made of cardboard? Yamada Box Legend is a quirky fantasy game that sends you spiraling into the Cardboard World after being the stooge for a magician's vanishing act. A team of students calling themselves Arcane Kids, including Tom Astle (creator of Spikes Tend to Kill You), produced this graphically pleasing puzzle RPG adventure that will draw you in with its bizarre characters and engaging gameplay. In this Lewis Carroll-esque 3D world, you take on the task of exploring different cardboard realms, led by the helpful (and perhaps sinister) nudging of various rabbits. Filled with mischievous characters and challenging environmental puzzles, the only thing that may prevent you from hopping right into this surreal delight is a severe case of leporiphobia.

To explore the critter-filled world you've found yourself in, you'll need to use the [WASD] or [arrow] keys to move yourself to and fro and the [spacebar] to jump. Move the cursor to rotate the camera and to direct your character's movement. Left click in order to pick up objects, hold down the right mouse button to target, and then left click once more to toss the held item. Scattered about the game, you'll find different boxes with portals to new worlds, and it's up to you to jump in [E], solve the problem inside, and jump back out [Q].

As you wander about, be prepared for instructions or requests from a carnival of creatures. An angry bear needs your help, a mob of rabbits wants you to obey, and a gerbil desperately wants to save a princess. Each box in the game transports you to a different place, though some are for moving from one level to the next and others have the problems you need to reason through that will help you succeed. The puzzles presented may seem straight forward in the beginning but as you delve deeper you may find yourself scanning the screen frantically for some type of clue, whether real or imagined. The cluttered landscape of jumbled magician's tools will seem less like a behind the scene's tour and more like a descent into a rabbit takeover.

Exploring this imaginative little cardboard universe is made all the more entertaining by the well paired music that accompanies you through the various challenges. The camera angling can sometimes be awkward, and if you're using a Mac with a single button mouse or touch pad you may find yourself having mild difficulty with the controls. However, in the face of the humorous dialogue and nicely crafted brain teasers, it's possible to endure the added challenge with a Cheshire Cat-like grin. Unlike some other Unity games, Yamada is crisp instead of clunky and shows a promising example of the great direction NoxiousHamster can take this tantalizing hybrid.

Play Yamada Box Legend

Does the world seem a bit dull, lackluster and noisy? Robamimi never fails to delight escape-the-room aficionados with beautiful yet minimalistic interior design, light puzzles that require thought without enervating the brain, and buoyant endings that leave us smiling in accomplishment. Sound Color R (or "Otoiro" in Japanese) is true to Robamimi form in all these respects and this time the puzzles all focus on, as you would guess, color and sound.

As ocarina, violin and xylophone melodies mark the easy pace, move about the room following the arrow keys, clicking on anything that begs closer examination and keeping an eye out for clues, no matter how surreptitiously found. The cursor changes to indicate hotspots and a hint button will guide you in the right direction if you get stuck. All hues are labeled where necessary so chromatic subtleties are never a stumbling block.

In length and difficulty, Sound Color R is closer to the Snow Dance end of the Robamimi escape game spectrum than to the Hermit Rabi and the Wonder Fountain or Ancient Scripts end. Only a few tasks hinder your way through the two rooms and out the final door. With its seamless, intuitive quality to gameplay, a neatly organized inventory, and lack of misdirection, Sound Color R turns a graceful and serene diversion into a spark of vibrancy and music to light up your day.

Play Sound Color R

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We've all had that problem. You know, the one where the Netbots start to plug up the kitchen sink so the water doesn't drain. Or the one where the Netbots keep your bowling ball from coming back down the ball return at the local bowling alley. Managing the Netbots can be quite a tricky task, as a group of scientists find out in Maik Haider's Netbots, a puzzle where you have to learn to divide to conquer.

In each level, you'll find a field of Netbots that need to be cleared away. However, they can only be cleared away in specific formations found on the left side of the screen. To clear a cluster, click and drag with your mouse to trace the shape of the cluster. When you release the mouse button, the Netbots will turn the color of the shape you've chosen to indicate that they've been cleared. If you can find a way to split up the field to clear all of the Netbots using all of the shapes provided, you're on your way to the next challenge!

While some of the game's puzzles range from simple to moderately tricky, all can be solved with a bit of trial and error, and a number of puzzles have multiple possible solutions. If you get stuck on any level, a short countdown timer will activate a clue for you, suggesting the starting places for a few pieces. Can you split the Netbot population to clear away a disaster? If so, can you come by the local bowling alley and unstick the ball return? I really want my lucky bowling ball back.

Play Netbots

Sorry. You're too late. You're already dead. Game over! You snooze you lose... right? Well, maybe not quite. In Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, an iOS port of the original puzzle adventure game by Capcom, you play a freshly dead spirit who wakes up in the middle of a junkyard to find a helpless young woman and a mysterious gunman having a standoff over your corpse. Things aren't looking good for her, but with a little otherworldly help she might just make it out alive, and you might find out who you are and what happened to you in the process... or you might just vanish when the sun comes up if you can't figure out how to use all your ghostly abilities in time. No pressure.

Since you're dead and incorporeal and whatnot, you can't do the usual adventure game stuff like using items or even moving around under your own power. By switching to the Ghost Realm, you'll freeze time and be able to jump your soul to nearby objects, which is not only handy as a means of transportation, but also allows you to directly influence the world. Certain items can be used to perform Tricks; anything from opening a door to moving an object or just causing some sort of malfunction. Just hit the button to hop into the Ghost Realm, and then drag your soul from object to object to get around. You can only move to certain items nearby, so you'll need to plan your route carefully to get around. The bar at the side of the screen will tell you what, if any, Tricks you can perform in the item you're inhabiting.

It's through your Tricks that you can get around and learn things, but also change what happens in the Living Realm... maybe even change someone's fate. See, you also possess the ability to go back in time four minutes before someone dies. That might not sound like a lot to you, but if you pay attention to your surroundings and experiment, you might figure out just the right moment to intervene or set up a chain of events that will save the day... for now. As it happens, there are a lot bigger things going down in town than one or two extra corpses. Strange figures are on the prowl, the spirits are restless, and it seems like everyone but you knows something big is going down tonight... and I don't just mean that hairstyle.

Analysis: Ghost Trick is, in a word, gorgeous. Also colourful, swanky, hip, and funny. It looks like the best jazz music sounds. It animates beautifully on the iPad, and comes with a style and flair all its own that makes it a joy to behold. It's easy to get smitten with its cast of vibrant, quirky characters, and their expressive body language packs a ton of personality and detail. (Is Detective Cabanela the best? Trick question. Of course he is.) As you might expect, coming from the team who brought you Ace Attourney, the tone walks a tightrope above the twin pits of absurdity and seriousness, sometimes dipping a toe into either one. It's weird, surreal, and supernatural in all the best ways with plenty of off-beat humour and memorable moments that are worth experiencing.

More annoying is the game's habit of endlessly reiterating information you already know in little scenes and dialogue exchanges. What? No. Stop playing that cutscene again. I paid attention when it happened five minutes ago. Stop narrating what's happening, I have eyes! Fortunately, it's refreshing to play an adventure game where the puzzles are so very different, less "use item x on item y" and more "Rube Goldberg waiting to happen". While the timed scenes add pressure, paying attention to the surroundings and animations will give you plenty of clues, and experimenting is just plain fun besides. Timed scenes definitely get harder as the game goes along, however, and having to re-watch certain scenes of dialogue over and over if you mess up and need to restart can get frustrating. Oh well, you know what they say. You have to crush a few hitmen to make an omelette. Or... something.

The first two chapters of this game are free on the App Store, with additional chapters available for purchase in chunks, or as a whole game for $9.99 USD. And do you want to know something? That's a steal. That is highway robbery on the developers, because with all its charm, cleverness, and high production values Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is more than worth the price of admission. I can't remember the last time a game had me laugh aloud or just grin at it in delight like a dope. If you're looking for something packed with distinctive style, weirdness, and some seriously unique puzzle-based adventuring, you owe it to yourself to at least try the demo. You'll be glad you did.

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad:
Download Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (iPhone and iPod Touch)
Download Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (iPad)