The meat of the game comes in those flashbacks into various gaming types, and it's here that the game shines brightest and dullest, at various points. What we learn is what I'm not going to hint at, but it's complicated and esoteric enough that on finishing the game, RPSers have been sharing theories as to what certain elements might have been about, swapping ideas of what might have been going on at the deepest levels. What follows involves exploring the inn with a range of the characters, as well as delving into each of their gaming pasts to learn what brought them to this moment.

The phone rings, he answers it, and he's told there's going to be a murder, and one of the people at the bar will do it. And there's a barman, who has invited them all to the inn. You've got a space marine, a post-apocalyptic survivor, a 90s platform rodent, beat-em-up hero, and so on. The opening scene is of a bar, in an inn, frequented by a collection of gaming archetypes. (I've just realised, mid-writing this, I wrote almost the same intro for my Pony Island review - well there we go.) For everyone else, I'll be as spoiler free as is humanly possible. Let me put in the caveat that it gets a little bloated in the middle, but I otherwise heartily recommend it. But how do I convince you to play if I don't? Well, for those who trust me, don't read on, just go buy this, to experience something unlike pretty much anything else you've played. If I want you to enjoy the same experience I did, then I can tell you nothing about the game. A game that defies me to tell you anything about it, not that I'm convinced you'd believe me if I did.

I'm very delighted to report it's the extraordinary The Hex. So clearly I was interested to see where developer Daniel Mullins went next. Pony Island was one of my favourite games of 2016, a Trojan horse of astoundingly clever ideas and arch critique, and incredibly funny.

The hex game kitchen hologram