10 Flaws That Stopped Video Games From Being Perfect

Made single-handedly by Lucas Pope, Return of the Obra Dinn is a puzzle title unlike any other. The game opens with an insurance inspector arriving on a ship, with the crew suffering from a severe case of being dead. Scouring for corpses, the protagonist uses his magical pocket watch to relive the last moments of each person, to decipher how they met their fate.

As breathtaking as the music and the dithering aesthetic is, it's the mystery that makes this indie so enchanting. Although there's an ocean of clues, nothing is spelt out, forcing players to rely on logic, observation, process of elimination, and guesswork. Gauging accents and languages is also pivotal at whittling down the identities of each passenger. It's tough, but players feel like a genius every time their deduction skills pay off.

Obra Dinn takes players on such a gripping journey, it's a pity it can only be experienced once. After playing this nautical whodunnit again, players can fill in all the answers, much like a kid cheating on a school test.

Because it's impossible to skip or speed up each passenger's memory the first time it's experienced, players have to wait for them to run their course, even if they already uncovered all the clues. So, not only is there no mystery the second time around, the riveting gameplay feels sluggish and tiresome.