Rusty Lake Hotel

Rusty Lake Hotel is a 2D point-and-click puzzle game from the makers of the Cube Escape series. You play the hotel's butler over a week of five dinners, and each animal-headed guest's room is a self-contained puzzle box that ends with preparing them as the next meal. It suits solo players who like short, dark and surreal puzzle games, and fans of the wider Rusty Lake story.

About 93% of nearly 3,000 Steam reviews are positive. Players praise the hand-drawn art, the per-room music and the mix of creepy and oddly cozy, and many recommend it as a starting point for the series. Puzzles are generally called easy to moderate, and most finish in two to three hours, with extra achievements for different choices.

The macabre theme is the main reason for negative reviews; some players find killing the guests unsettling or gross. A few also dislike that early choices can use up items needed for alternative outcomes, forcing restarts for completion. At its very low price it is an easy recommendation unless the dark humour puts you off.