@SpielzeugJanuary 29, 2025
One of two adventure games largely taking place in an odd bar that I definitely played before I could legally go to one (the other is the also-excellent-but-for-different-reasons Callahan's Crosstime Saloon). Despite the aforementioned similarities, The Space Bar is a very different kind of game. There's more of a sense of menace/danger, as you're hunting for a murderer whose face and motive are unknown to you, and the crowd they've chosen to hide in is literally so alien to you that from the jump you feel like it could be anyone in the joint. And the brilliance of the game is, to crack the case, you actually get to step into the unfamiliar boots/roots/tanks of its characters and experience their lives in ways that are equal parts empathetic and absurd. Though there is an overarching story, it also feels like an anthology about different beings navigating challenges in their pasts, which is fascinating. This game is absolutely worth playing if you like hard puzzles, mature (but not prurient) humor, and imaginative characters. Plus, a digital release on GOG would eliminate one of the most annoying things about playing the game on CD-ROM, namely the disc-swapping (which was considerable).