Parents' Guide to Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

SUPERBROTHERS: SWORD & SWORCERY EP is the story of a female adventurer on a quest for an artifact known as the “trigon trifect,” a not-so-subtle reference to the Triforce of Legend of Zelda fame. This general description might make the game sound inviting to a broad audience, but its quirky aesthetic and distinct narrative style is targeted at a much more niche group: Fans of art house games.

With its old-school yet oddly modern 8-bit visual motif and ethereal score, Superbrothers pays tribute to inspirations as diverse as David Lynch (seen in a character known only as the “logfella”) and Robert E. Howard (our protagonist is a Conan-like warrior from the North) while providing a wholly original story hosted by a self-aware narrator who frames the entire experience as “a brave experiment in Input Output Cinema.” Expect quirky features such as the ability to tweet every line of dialogue via your own Twitter account as well as a game clock that syncs up with real-world moon cycles. It may not appeal to folks looking for the next Angry Birds, but it's a bona fide treat for fans of bold and innovative indie game design.