Hob

I cannot recommend this game enough. It is very much more puzzle oriented than hack and slash. The dialogue is some of the best I've ever experienced. There are no tips, which especially for puzzle games is incredibly refreshing. FITFO at its purist. The levels are flawlessly designed to include enabling shortcuts to prevent repetition. The environment is dynamic and engaging/engageable. Exploration pays off, even accidentally. Lastly, it flows. There never seems to be a stopping point and you can quickly lose yourself in the game, yet with the significant amount of autosaves, you can stop and pick up whenever. Highly recommended.

This is a very "tactile" game. By which I mean it involves a lot of satisfying interacting with the world with lots of clicking and grinding and whirring. It's a game that first and foremost wants to spark your imagination by showing you cool environments with cool sounds and making you feel like you're part of something huge and complex. I'd call it one of the few actually good walking simulators. It actually has gameplay, which is something I need all my games to have.
The gameplay is centered around exploration and observational puzzles. There are not many if any logic puzzles, which for me is good because I don't like being held up. While combat is not the main focus of the game there is a fair bit of it and it is perfectly fine. Not deep, most of the moves and abilities you learn are not necessary or not needed often, but that's fine, not every game needs deep combat. If you're someone who is good at video games though, you should play at the very highest difficulty level. The game is far, far too easy otherwise.
I don't think there's anything this game does badly, but it only really excels in a couple ways. But those two aspects are so good it propels into what I consider a hall of fame game. Its environments and atmosphere are stellar. The game does a great job raising intrigue and making you curious. You'll be asking yourself what is all this? Who built it? What is it for? It's one of those "just a little further and I'll stop" games. The art style of the world makes interacting with it feel like playing with a very cool toy as a kid. The sound design is fantastic, really makes the world feel alive.
The second thing this game does great is the progression system. Leveling up your character in this game requires exploration, which is almost always very rewarding. The game gives you many opportunities to find upgrades of different varieties in out of the way places. It pays to go the wrong way in this game and to double back. It plays a lot like a metroidvania game in that you will gradually unlock new ways of traversal and tools to explore and there is cool stuff to be found. Sometimes even finding neat little things in the world will help you, like petting an animal or relaxing to look at the view. If you play on the highest difficulty which you probably should, you may appreciate having those upgrades at the final boss. Pay attention, remember what you've seen in the distance and look for hidden paths.
I especially love your weapon in this game. The mechanical sword is like a keyblade and it starts to really look cool as you forge new versions. It's my favorite video game weapon. Even though the combat is not deep in this game, the sword and progression system make it very fun for me, even if it's a fairly casual romp. It doesn't usually challenge you that much but it will keep you engaged, which the least I can ask.
I liked this game so much on nintendo switch that as soon as I saw it on sale on steam I knew I had to snap it up to play on my steam deck oled. Very good decision, the deck is the superior way to play. Use the medium graphical settings and cap your fps at 45. Perfectly smooth enough for this game.
As much as I love this game I think if you're on the fence about it you should wait for a sale. It's not that it isn't worth 20 bucks, it's just such a good deal for around 5. You'll feel like you made out like a bandit if you end up liking it. And since it probably isn't for everyone, if you don't like it you won't feel like you're down that much. I hope you will give this game a try someday, and allow it to fill you with a sense of childlike wonderment and fun.

As a casual player who prefers open world puzzlers with lovely graphics, stunning set designs and clever gameplay I do recommend playing Hob to anyone. Having played through a bit of it I would gladly pay full price for a continuation of it. Darling game, 10 out of 10 do recommend.

Game itself is a quite fun exploration game with mostly straight-forward puzzles and some relatively mediocre combat.
The big glaring flaws are I had one crash right after a cutscene right at the start of the game, and that it apparently decided to not save for an hour and I had to redo an entire section because of it. Jumping can be a bit annoying with a controller because of no d-pad movement mixed with no forced horizontal movement causing jumping just a tad to the side quite a lot.
Personally I found the game more fun than not, but it definitely could've been better.

Very fun puzzle mechanics but the map layout confused the fuk out of me. The map could've done better to help guide the player. Otherwise, solid game 8/10.

Beautiful game. I wish there were more games like this. It's a pity Runic is gone. I hope the main developers make another game like Hob. Maybe Hob 2, or a spiritual successor.

The perfect game. The best blend of puzzles and exploration, light fighting and simple progression, all in a visually stunning world. Plus, a story without a single word really said is a beautiful thing.