Three Browser Games To Liven Up Even The Dullest Of Weekends

If you like your entertainment immersive and interactive, we've got a series just for you. On weekends, #TheBufferZone will bring you one game that absolutely deserves your time and attention. All of our picks can be played on a PC.

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THIS WEEK — for no particular reasons than ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — we bring you not one, but three games to make your day more bearable. More specifically, three games that you can play — for free, no less — from the comfort of your browser, and moreover (perhaps even more importantly), finish in a single sitting (although, no shame in taking your time).

We're talking witches, ghosts, emperors, spiders, cats, dragons, spooky times, happy times, sad times, the whole nine yards. So, time to grab some hydration, open a new tab, and put your thinking caps on.

Blackout (by FRESH)

Like any good story, this one begins with you taking a tumble off a rooftop and waking up with no memory of where you are, or who you are. Finding yourself in a spine-tingling old house strewn with bodies, spiders and foul liquids, you need to figure out the answer to the age-old question — what the heck is going on?

A perfect balance of humour, creepy and weird, this point-and-click adventure calls for some sharp-eyed exploring and Nancy Drew-ing, but never gets frustrating as you well know that all the solutions you seek lie within the confines of a few rooms.

Halloween music, '90s aesthetic, a wicked house and a witchy, quipping protagonist — it's an all-you-can-eat buffet of cosy horror.

Play here.

Six Cats Under (by Team Bean Loop, Mosu)

You know it's serious when grandma dead and buried under a bookshelf is not the most pressing matter of the day. Because… cats.

When the cat lady suddenly dies, her precious kittens are left stuck in the house! It is up to you now to guide granny's spirit to get the front door to open and help them escape! But not so fast: Gran has limited poltergeist powers, and the best we can hope for is to sparingly interact with the surroundings and influence the house cats themselves to open said door to liberation. Once again, easier said than done.

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Deceptively straightforward and immensely fun (unless you begin to think about death and who we leave behind — but then again, who has time for that, ugh), this clever little point-and-click puzzle packs a bit of a punch behind all its catty cuteness. Helping grandma out with household chores has never been this exciting!

Play here.

Sort the Court! (by Graeme Borland)

Perhaps the most accurate representation of a monarch — and how a royal court functions — ever committed to a browser screen, Sort the Court! is a perfect game to sort your spiritless day out.

Sitting on a (very) high throne with a (too) big crown on the head, and surrounded by gold like a dragon in a mountain, you play a king or a queen ready to make big, important decisions for your kingdom. But lest you think such a task might be a bit complicated and daunting, I mean — imagine all the power (and responsibility, *of course*) — well, all you have to do is choose between a yes or no response to any and every problem or opportunity that presents itself.

And who presents them? We have everyday people, ghosts, wizards, skeletons, pirates, grandmas(!), cats(!), witches(!), sultans, vampires, and so, so many more that we won't spoil here because the (huge) characters are half the fun. The other half being making sure you are good on three parameters — a growing population, a good happiness index and an ever-growing treasury. That said, you can be as generous or chaotic as you desire.

Rife with jokes, recurring bits and consequences-of-your-actions, this laid back adventure is as delightful as it is addictive.

Play here.