Don't mind me, I'm simply microwaving an instant frog in Creature Packets

I feel this one largely speaks for itself, honestly. I could theorise on the fictional conceit of bringing packaged creatures to life using a microwave and also, sometimes, a blender, but to do so would be to stare into a gift horse’s abyssal oat hole so intently that…

…I was going to finish that with something about its molars staring back, but I had to quickly Google “do horses have molars?” only to misspell it. “Yes, horses can have a strong sense of right and wrong, and what is fair,” went the AI overview. “Some say that horses can teach people to live in the present and to be authentic.”

Thanks for that.

Anyway, Creature Packets is a short, name-your-own-price game by kenforest. You can find it on Itch here. It is not exactly a horror game, but the room in which you select creatures from a vending machine then cook them does feel like the sort of place in which a small slice of horror game could occur. It’s almost like a very elaborate Resident Evil puzzle spun out into its own thing.

There’s also a bit of an Overcooked vibe, without the time pressure. You’re given orders through a monitor, and you’ll need to read yellowing, crumpled recipes on notepad pages, haphazardly pinned about the room. These three bugs make a snail, these creatures make a frog - horrible chimeric procedures of that nature. I think my favourite thing about it is the vending machine. You can stick me in the most unnatural situation imaginable, and as long as the vending machine is in working order, I’ve at least got some sense of normality. I’ll ignore the fact that the vending machine appears to stock itself.

This one’s a Ludum Dare 56 entry. We previously covered this tiny game in which you Build The Sun, and this crunchy creature collecting deckbuilder, both by PUNKCAKE Délicieux.