Quite a good selection of short games this week, covering a wide variety of genres. We have a platformer, shooter, adventure, visual novel and puzzle game. My favorite this week was Hidden Cats in New York. I absolutely love these short hidden object games.

Ratyrinth (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4)

Ratyrinth released on April 24th. The game was published by Eastasiasoft and developed by Eastasiasoft and Solluco. There is one achievement list on Xbox and a cross-buy stack available on PlayStation,

Ratyrinth is a simple platformer with a nostalgic retro vibe. Its levels are brief, allowing for multiple retries until you succeed. Most levels allow you to take as much time as you need to work your way through. Occasionally a side scrolling boss level with occur. However, my experience with this game was rather frustrating. The controls lacked responsiveness, particularly noticeable in the later, more challenging levels. The completion is quite short, estimated at 30 minutes to an hour+, but is skill dependent.

Hidden Cats in New York (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4)

Hidden Cats in New York released on April 24th. The game was published by Silesia Games and developed by Nukearts Studio. There is just the one version available on Xbox, however on PlayStation there’s a stack available on PS4 and PS5.

Hidden Cats in New York is a relaxing hidden object game. This is the second game in the series. Your job is to find cats hidden around the map. As you uncover cats, the map gets colored and finding special cats unlocks extra maps. I find it super satisfying playing through these games. Completion time will take around 1-2 hours.

Aery – Cyber City (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4)

Aery – Cyber City released on April 26th. The game was published and developed by EpiXR. There is one achievement list available on Xbox and a regional stack available on PS4.

Aery – Cyber City follows the same formula as the other titles in the Aery series. As a player, you navigate the skies as a bird, collecting various items scattered throughout the levels. Intermittent narrated segments attempt to provide context to your flight, though at times it feels aimless. While these games are marketed as “soothing,” I find them rather frustrating, often encountering glitches and noting they are essentially rehashed versions of previous installments. It would greatly benefit from a feature to direct players towards the next collectible. The completion will take approximately 1-2 hours.

Horrific Xanatorium (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows, PS5, PS4)

Horrific Xanatorium released on April 26th. The game was published by KEMCO and developed by Pageratta. Just the one achievement list available on Xbox, however the stack is available between PS4 and PS5.

Horrific Xanatorium is a very quick visual novel if you use the options to speed up all the text. I’ll admit … I didn’t read the text. The completion is very easy and without a guide it took me 15 minutes to finish.

Zombies, Aliens & Guns (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4)

Zombies, Aliens & Guns released on April 26th. The game was published by Ratalaika Games and developed by 9Ratones. Again, there is just the one version on Xbox. For those on PlayStation the game is cross-buy and has a trophy stack.

Zombies, Aliens & Guns is a 2.5D action shooter. The game consists of 33 levels of alien and zombie carnage. Most levels require you to shoot your way through while following waypoints to pickups until you reach the final destination. Occasionally you get thrown a twist with a vehicle, survival or boss level. I had fun playing this one. The short levels make it easy to jump in and out, perfect for quick gaming sessions. Completion will take around 2 hours.