Will the cake be a lie here too? Portal 2: Desolation is an upcoming very high-quality looking mod and they have revealed the first look.

"'Desolation' tells the story of a cybernetically-enhanced test subject named Diana Mendez. After sustaining injuries, Diana is fitted with Aperture’s BRACE cybernetic system, featuring a suite of robotic upgrades including an integrated Portal Device. When a relentless threat emerges, she must embark on a perilous journey that will see her uncover Aperture’s mysterious past… and maybe even face her own."

It's been in development for a few years now and it's finally getting closer to release! This is a full standalone story mod too, not just a few levels stitched together. An original story, characters and location for an ambitious sounding experience - exciting!

Check out their new footage below:

Watch video on YouTube.com

We've spoken with developer Joshua Ashton, who many readers will know from their work with Valve on projects like DXVK (the Direct3D to Vulkan translation layer) who mentioned to us that Portal 2: Desolation will in fact use DXVK Native. Ashton mentioned how it's a native build of the game with DXVK Native being used directly as opposed to Wine, with a bunch of "custom stuff hacked in as well too like BC7 texture support and compute shaders in D3D9". So we should see some good performance from it on Linux.

You can follow the game on Mod DB and Twitter .

Driving trucks has probably never been this challenging before with on-screen controls, Frick, Inc. from Kenney is a fantastic idea for a game.

Frick, Inc. is a game about being frustrated. The name is part of this joke, it's frick-inc-frustrating. The hilarious kind though, with you swinging little trucks around a track by pulling levers and flicking switches, all with on-screen controls and you can only do one thing at a time. Challenging? Sure, annoying as hell but fantastic at the same time.

Joining Kenney's other game Pixross , it has hopped on over from itch.io and joined the many thousands of Linux games available on Steam directly.

Watch video on YouTube.com

As it's a very clever idea, it also didn't take long for a mobile game developer to completely rip it either. Such a shame how often that seems to happen to indie developers. I know that a game idea often repeats through developers and games with Zombies, Battle Royale, Deck-builders now too and so on in a loop but seeing it like this - done so blatantly is sad. Kenney's original version with Frick, Inc. is well worth picking up though.

Since we last wrote about it, the game had a major update too adding in:

• 10 new levels
• Improved road visuals
• Shows best time on level selection screen
• More accurate time display

Now you can pick it up on Steam if you prefer, or itch.io as before.

After releasing for itch.io first Pixross, the nonogram puzzle game from Kenney, has now hopped on over to Steam and it also had a sweet upgrade for both stores.

"Pixross is a picture logic puzzle game featuring 150+ unique puzzles, customization and extra challenges for each puzzle. Unlock new puzzle packs or customization options by completing puzzles!"

If you've never played it the mechanic is simple and effective: you count numbers and try to get the correct amount of blocks coloured on each line. Simple logic but it takes time to get through.

This has been, without a doubt, one of the nicest experiences I've had with a Nonogram puzzler (some of you probably know it as Picross). I don't want to rehash the things I said about it before, which you can read about here but it really is quite lovely. A very relaxing atmosphere, with some nice little customization progression to give it a bit of a personal touch as you play through it.

A recent update to the game that arrived just before the Steam release also added new content including:

• Added 10 new 'Holidays' themed puzzles
• Added 2 new 'Holidays' themed backgrounds
• Added 2 new 'Holidays' themed tile styles (snowflake and star)
• Added option to disable colors during gameplay
• Added ability to toggle clues by hand (only in non-automated mode)
• Added Steam achievements
• Fixed issue related to delayed sound effects
• Raised price of gashapon machine
• Improved puzzles: Painting, Tea, Crab and Goldfish

Now you can buy it on Steam in addition to itch.io .

As one of my absolute favourite games from 2019 , Baba is You really is an exceptional puzzle game that really makes you think outside the box and break some rules.

The thing about Baba is that you're pushing around and combining logic blocks, to change the rules of each level to be able to actually solve it. The idea is just brilliant, it works well and it's quite challenging too. Have you never seen it? Check out the trailer below first to get a good idea of what to expect:

Watch video on YouTube.com

While there is a lot of included content, more is always nice - and they just delivered.

With a Beta now available for a built in level editor, along with the ability to load up from a set of featured levels. You can also input a level code from anyone on the internet to play their creation, which is being shared on a new official Twitter account . It's a fantastic addition and allows you to be seriously creative. Due to the block pushing mechanic, along with lots of logic blocks you can make some wild levels.

Try out my own quick creation with level code "F3MH-4LZS". You can see it in the picture below.

Pictured - the Baba is You level editor running on Linux.

I fear for my free time with this addition. Playing with it is really fun. I can only imagine what people with a far more creative mind than me can come up with.

You can try out the level editor right now on itch.io (free until released fully) or on Steam with the "betatest" opt-in Beta for owners. As for where to actually buy it if you don't own it: Humble Store , itch.io and Steam .

With some pretty impressive visuals at time, the upcoming side-scroller INZANE is one to keep on your watch list or help fund it if it catches your attention like it did mine. Confirmed to be coming to Linux and Windows, with macOS planned later.

"An experiment plagued by psychological suffering, which is fleeing from itself and other threats, wandering through a world in which reality and imagination are not far apart. A 2D cinematic side-scroller with a fascinating mystical atmosphere and detailed hand-crafted world. Exciting and complex puzzles that are unique in their own way."

Check out the first trailer below:

Watch video on YouTube.com

They're hoping to raise €25,000 by January 24, 2021 on their Kickstarter campaign.

You can fund it on Kickstarter and follow on Steam .

Spread across 100 levels that increasingly test your ability to think about movement for multiple characters, #AkiRobots is an absolutely charming puzzle-platformer out now. Note : key provided by the developer to our Steam Curator .

It looks easy, it starts simple enough and then when you get further into it the whole idea really comes together to melt your brain. #AkiRobots is a fine example of how to make a single simple design idea and do it perfectly. The levels are all quite small too, and it keeps everything easy to understand but it's what they do with this compact style that really is impressive and a joy for a puzzle game fan.

You're not just moving characters in AkiRobots, which is what makes it interesting and unique. The environment reacts to every step with these weird robotic moving platforms with faces going up and down, left and right. You move, something else moves. It's not about timing though, it's all about the correct movement order. Before you know it you're controlling a robot, 5 or 6 platforms that are pushing various blocks around and more all at once just to get that little robot to the circuit.

Check out their trailer:

Watch video on YouTube.com

While the game is quite sweet, the icing on the cake is that it also has a built in level editor. You can remix the included levels or entirely make your own and then share them.

Feature Highlight:

• A unique simple-to-grasp game mechanic that anybody can understand
• 100 increasingly mind-bending levels
• Ability to remix existing levels or create entirely new ones via the level editor
• Cross platform level sharing via the level code system

An easy recommendation for lovely family-friendly puzzling.

You can buy #AkiRobots on Steam .

Want to build your own crazy dream-world perspective puzzles? Superliminal now has a level editor available in Beta.

Probably one of my absolute favourite Linux releases this year, Superliminal works on what you see and how you see it. It's all about perception as you move objects around to resize them against what you see, and also line up what you see in the environment to make new objects pop out. It's absolutely wonderful.

When it released on Steam and came with Linux support in November, they allowed the important of any 3D model with the Steam Workshop but that was a small step. Now you can create entire puzzles and levels.

Check out the level editor in action:

Watch video on YouTube.com

Looks like the Steam Workshop is filling up too with lots of objects and levels being created by the community. Given the unique gameplay mechanic, I can't wait to see what elaborate designs people can come up with.

You can buy Superliminal from GOG and Steam .

Kenney, creator of masses of free and paid assets for game developers has released a second game with Pixross. It's a picture logic puzzle game with tons of levels and it's great. Note : key provided by itch.io press access.

Seems like Kenney is on a bit of a roll now, after releasing their first commercial title with Frick, Inc. back in October . Across 150+ unique puzzles Pixross has you attempt to find the picture hidden inside, using logic to count the squares that need colouring in on the board.

Plenty of other games have done the same thing, however this has a certain wonderful charm to it I've not experienced with other similar titles. Pixross is a bit of a devilish delight. It lets you easily slide in and enjoy it with a fantastic tutorial, followed by 15 Beginner levels that make you feel smart. Then you get to the Intermediate levels and the challenges of it begin to sink in as you're calculating across a grid four times as big.

The customization it offers as a reward is a very nice touch too. Each time you complete a level you get some stars, which are then used to turn the handle of those little sweet machines where you stick a coin in and turn the handle. This then gives you new backgrounds, new pattern styles, grid styles and more. It's simple but effective at pushing you to do a little more without affecting the gameplay. One of those little niceties.

You can do more than just change shapes and colours though. There's options you can tweak to change the behaviour of the game including turning off the penalties system which acts like lives making you restart, so if you want it be super chilled-out you can. You can also turn on a hint at the start of each and more. Lots of nice touches to make it a thoroughly enjoyable logic puzzle game.

If you want it to be extra challenging you can do that too. Through a simple button in the menu, you can enable certain challenges like having the puzzles mirrored at random to mix things up a little. Pixross is well worth it, I really don't have a bad thing to say about it making it an easy recommendation to pick up. The presentation and audio work done on it are exactly as you want them to be for such a  game. Not flashy but pleasing to look at while your working things out.

If you enjoy Nonogram / Picross styled puzzle games, there's tons of content here to go through.

You can buy Pixross on itch.io .

Fold Stories from OtterWays recently caught my attention, as a brand new adventure puzzle-platformer with a really quite wonderful style and setting.

Set in what they're saying is a dreamlike origami world where you start as a simple sheet of paper. From there, you learn how to fold into different shapes to progress through the levels. During your journey you come across various other creatures, and collect pieces of the story scattered throughout.

Watch video on YouTube.com

Explore this combat-free and safe environment filled with beautiful landscapes in which you can serenely discover the reasons for your journey. Evolve with the paper sheet, to grow and change your perspective on the world as you change shapes to move forward. Acquire new capabilities and features as you fold into different animals, rabbit, frog, bat, crane and even more shapes to progress in this place and solve the puzzles that block your way out. The world’s scenery changes as you start to unravel the story.

This introspective journey might as well be an eye-opening experience and change your perspective too.

The developer, OtterWays, mentioned in an email that all their games are and will be compatible with Linux as they "actively support Free and Open Source Software". They're clear about this on their official website too, where it mentions the philosophy of free and open-source software is part of their culture and the "very essence of the studio" as they feel it "encourages sharing, collective and community creation, between studios but also with players".

OtterWays already have Sweet Love released on Steam which is a "minimalist platformer with a committed message", plus their next title A Comfortable Burden is also due out soon which is a "cute and colorful time management game". Personally though, I'm excited for Fold Stories.

You can wishlist / follow Fold Stories on Steam . It's not due out any time soon, with a current release target being 2022 but clearly worth keeping an eye on.