Florence

Florence is a short interactive comic about a relationship that speaks through puzzles instead of words: solving jigsaw pieces unlocks memories, dragging a finger across the screen simulates nervously typing a text message or a first kiss, and the difficulty of the puzzles rises and falls depending on how easily or with how much difficulty the characters' relationship is going at that moment. The controls are built purely for touch – no menus, no text to read, just gestures that match what's happening in the scene, from assembling a five-piece puzzle during an argument to a single piece during a reconciliation.

The game was created by a small Australian studio built around a creator who previously worked on Monument Valley, and since its release Florence has become one of the most frequently cited examples of so-called narrative games on mobile – titles that don't emphasize challenge but emotion and atmosphere. Visually, the game uses a pastel palette and simple illustrations that resemble a graphic novel more than a classic game, and the music accompanies each chapter according to the mood of the relationship, from excited infatuation to silence after an argument.

It can be finished in under an hour, which for Florence isn't a shortcoming but an intention – the game wants to capture one complete life arc, not offer dozens of hours of content, and a longer runtime would dilute what it's meant to tell. It's a paid title without ads or microtransactions, so it's played through in one piece and without interruption, exactly as its creators intended, and a single longer sitting is enough to finish it.

Why play it: For anyone who wants to experience a short, emotionally powerful story about a relationship told through gestures instead of words, ideally in one sitting.