Steam 10/10 New Free 1-Hour Hit Release Hailed As ‘Best Game Ever’

It’s nigh impossible to be an avid gamer without acquiring a backlog that, let’s face it, you’re never going to get through; must-play new releases are arriving thick and fast.

It’s for that reason, though, that it’s nice to play an exceptionally short game every once in a while.

You get the hit of rolling credits without ever harming your backlog, and that’s precisely the kind of experience free new offering The Queen’s Gondola can offer you.

Developed by Morning Crescent, The Queen’s Gondola is a “cosy horror anomaly game inspired by Victorian and Art Nouveau aesthetics” that’s landed on PC storefront Steam.

“Stuck on the Queen’s royal aircraft, you have been trapped in a mystical loop fuelled by dark magic,” begins the synopsis.

“Armed with nothing but your wits, keep an eye out for anomalies, and you might just find an escape.”

The Queen’s Gondola is set within a “dark elven fantasy world influenced by Eldritch horror”.

As the synopsis suggests, you’ll find yourself stuck in a supernatural loop where you’ll have to observe your surroundings in order to spot anomalies that may help you escape.

The Queen’s Gondola, Credit: Morning Crescent

It’s a pretty vague description, but The Queen’s Gondola is a very brief experience running for just 15 to 60 minutes depending on how observant you are.

If this isn’t up your alley, Steam is home to plenty of other free experiences:

The environment is totally hand-crafted with devs claiming that the game boasts a “chilling atmosphere throughout” and “a narrative that weaves through the game as you proceed successfully”.

The Queen’s Gondola is available in both English and French although it’s noted that it’s core gameplay is mainly visual, so it’s well worth giving it a go whatever language you speak.

Players Have Praised The Game’s “Cool” Atmosphere And “Engrossing” Gameplay

Correct at the time of writing, The Queen’s Gondola boasts a perfect score of 100% on Steam with one player even referring to it as the “best game ever”.

“This was the best game ever. I loved it. It was beautiful and you should definitely play it. This is one of my favourite anomaly games,” read one review.

Of course, The Queen’s Gondola probably isn’t the greatest game of all time, but this review certainly testifies that it’s very much worth your attention.

“Fun, short (more so for me since I largely knew what to look for) spot an anomaly game. Really cool atmosphere and music. I enjoyed the new anomalies and lighting too,” added another.

“Fun little game with a decent amount of anomalies that will last you for a couple rounds at least. And of course you can’t beat it when it’s free to play. Had a great time,” read a different review, with someone else adding, “For a relatively short experience, the various anomalies and the progressively unravelling story you discover as you progress is really interesting and engrossing.”

Of course, there won’t be much in the way of replayability here but you can’t really complain when this is a free experience.