Perusing the DRM-Free Treasures of the Humble Trove

Humble Trove

“There are as many ways of loving as there are people, and that wildflower variety is the great beauty of this dimension of existence.” – Rumi

What is the Humble Trove?

The Humble Trove is a collection of over 90 DRM-free games that is included in all tiers of the Humble Choice monthly subscription. The trove is updated every month and also includes ‘Humble originals’ that are not available anywhere else.

Here are some mini-reviews for a hand-picked selection of the games currently included in the trove:

The Bridge

The Bridge - Key Art

The Bridge is a logic puzzle game that aims to make the player reevaluate their preconceptions of physics and perspective.

Our full review can be read here!

Lyric Sonata

Lyric Sonata - Key Art

Developer: David Kanaga
Released: April 2018
Price: N/A

Platforms: Windows, Mac
Available on: Humble Original
Engine: Unity

Lyric Sonata is described on the Humble Trove as ‘a miniature side-scrolling adventure across music notation platforms, for solo cursor‘. It is a cute and relaxing experience with no direct objective or scoring and requiring little to no precision. Players must simply use the mouse to drag the cursor across the screen creating potentially soothing music along the way! The artwork is varied and makes up a number of simple but surreal environments that add a nice touch to the game.

Overall, Lyric Sonata is a pleasant addition to the Humble Trove. Its simple sandbox feel and calming atmosphere make it perfect for little breaks and stress relief, though it wouldn’t remain entertaining over longer sessions. As such, the main downside is the lack of save function which means the shorter play sessions would quickly get repetitive.

Orwell

Orwell Title

Orwell is a dystopian point-and-click game in which the player takes on the role of ‘big brother’.

Our comparative review of Orwell 1 and 2 is available here.

SOMA

SOMA - Key Art

Developer: Frictional Games
Released: September 2015
Price: £22.99 – £24.09
Engine: HPL Engine

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PS4
Available on: Steam, Humble, GOG, Microsoft, PlayStation

Psychological, sci-fi horror game SOMA is an unsettling story about identity, consciousness, and what it means to be human. The player finds themselves in an underwater facility called PATHOS-II with a dead radio and very limited resources, alone save for the ever-present and lurking threat of corrupted humans, deformed creatures, and even an inscrutable omnipresent A.I. SOMA mixes its unsettling narrative with a variety of gameplay mechanics, such as puzzles, stealth and survival to create a really immersive experience.

The horror elements were generally well-executed and included the odd jump scare amongst some very tense moments escaping and hiding from monsters. The enemies often hindered the ability to fully explore the environment, which is littered with documents and other items to peruse. Following feedback on the initial release however, Frictional Games introduced a safe mode to combat this. Finally, the atmospheric sound and dark, evocative underwater visuals help to bring cohesion to the various aspects and add to the disturbing story-line.

Once Upon a Crime in the West

Once Upon a Crime in the West Title

Once Upon a Crime in the West is a murder-mystery game, a ‘whodunnit’ with a snowy, wild west theme and setting.

Detailed coverage of this game can be found here.

Summary

Overall, the Humble Trove includes an interesting mix of games with something to satiate most tastes. It works as a great bonus to the pricer Humble Choice options but is also good value on its own at only £3.99 a month with regular updates and additions!

Like your games DRM-Free? Check out David’s article ‘What is GOG?‘!

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