Sable

Publisher Raw Fury

Developer Shedworks

Format PC (tested), Xbox One, Xbox Series

Release Out now

Typical. You wait ages for a heart-stoppingly beautiful indie game about self-actualisation, and then two come along at once. On the face of things, Sable could hardly be more different from The Artful Escape (see p116) – the latter’s linear, intergalactic quest with its goofy, celebratory vibe and single ending contrasts sharply to Shedworks’ austere sandbox, a vast desert world through which you’re invited to find your own way, with the opportunity to determine when it’s time to wrap things up. Yet both are ultimately games about discovering who you are: rather than an outlandish wardrobe and a fantastical backstory, this time you get to pick where you best fit in, where you belong. Which mask, it asks, are you going to wear? Where does your future lie?

You might figure that out in less than ten hours, or you could still be agonising over it after 25. Either way, your journey