NUTS (v1.1.55)

Melmoth Forest turns a seemingly gentle wildlife survey into a tense, inquisitive mystery. NUTS is a first-person narrative adventure where you play a young researcher assigned to study an unusually elusive squirrel population, but the animals’ odd behavior soon suggests that your work is not as routine as it first appears. Its warm blocks of orange, gold, and deep black create a striking retro-futurist wilderness, while the quiet isolation and radio conversations give the investigation an uneasy edge. The tone is thoughtful rather than frightening, built around curiosity, solitude, and the satisfaction of noticing what others miss.

Days are spent driving through forest trails, consulting a GPS and map, then placing surveillance cameras at points where squirrels may travel. At night, you return to your research base to fast-forward through the recordings, compare locations, spot movement, and use the evidence to decide where the next camera network should go. Progress comes from understanding routes and patterns rather than collecting upgrades or winning fights; there is no combat, no conventional stealth, and little pressure beyond solving each observation problem. Objectives gradually become more demanding, asking you to cover wider areas, anticipate animal behavior, and use the limited camera supply intelligently.

What separates NUTS from most exploration mysteries is how directly its detective work is tied to practical field research: your conclusions depend on the cameras you chose to install and the footage you are patient enough to examine. The tactile map-reading, chunky technology, excellent ambient sound, and fully voiced story make the compact forest feel far more alive than its stylized visuals initially suggest. It is a focused single-player experience rather than a sandbox simulation, so players looking for action or endless replay value may find it slight. Anyone who enjoys the quiet investigation of Firewatch, the observation puzzles of Her Story, or a short mystery with a distinctive visual identity should find plenty to appreciate here.