Every once in a while, a duck drops into a pool. Unable to control anything besides the camera, you watch it drift away – maybe it bumps into another duck, maybe something funny happens as the ducks interact with each other. Relaxing music is playing. Life is good. What a great, almost meditative game. Unless you’re willing to go deeper…

What we love: There are so many ways to enjoy Placid Plastic Duck Simulator. You can use it as a screen saver, as a soothing experience or as a collectible game (there are hundreds of ducks and an album where you can contemplate and rename them). There is also… something else. You’ll start noticing some unusual ducks. Maybe a hidden message or two. To get you started, look for a door with a security code on the first level. It is very hard to open.

Quick tip: Outside of tough mysteries scattered across multiple levels, look for ways that different ducks can work together. For example, there are ducks that can light things on fire, several others holding something flammable and some that spew water. You’ll need some luck for them to meet, but it’s always a moment of joy when they do.

Meet the creator: Turbolento Games is an indie studio comprised of a group of friends based in Rome, Italy. If you go deep enough, you’ll see hints of the country in the game.