Get up to 85% off some of the PCs weirdest adventure games, all to benefit 'humanitarian relief in Ukraine'

Botanicula - Official Trailer - YouTube

Amanita Design, the Czech studio best known for Machinarium and the Samorost trilogy, is currently offering up to 85% off all its games, with money from all sales going to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

"From March 26 to April 2, we're donating 100% of the proceeds from all our games and DLC to People in Need to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine," writes Amanita in a Steam announcement. "Your contribution will help provide food, warmth, home repairs, and essential care to families and individuals suffering under the ongoing Russian aggression."

The deal includes heavy discounts on both Machinarium and the Samorost series. The original Samorost, which launched as a browser game in 2003, is actually free to download, while Samorost 2 is currently available for $1.50/£1.28, Samorost 3, the biggest and arguably best game in the trilogy, is reduced 85% to £2.54/$3. As for Machinarium, which remains Amanita's most famous and celebrated game, that's available for £5/$6.

In my opinion, though, the highlights here are the games Amanita developed in the latter half of its existence, all of which are wilder and weirder than either Samorost or Machinarium. 2012's Botanicula is a marvellous comedy adventure about microscopic organisms, and remains one of the funniest games I've ever played. 2020's Creaks, meanwhile, is a spooky, atmospheric adventure with incredible art that saw the developer diverge from its point 'n' click roots to a slightly mechanically broader puzzle-platformer. That's down to £5/$6.

Phonopolis - Teaser Trailer #2 - YouTube

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Amanita's current project is Phonopolis, an adventure game with assets all hand-made from cardboard, where you play a dustman called Felix who suddenly finds himself at the forefront of a revolution against a dystopian regime. "Loosely inspired by the works of Karel Čapek and George Orwell, the story of Phonopolis explores themes of social manipulation and individualism, but keeps the overall experience playful and light-hearted," its Steam page explains.

Each of Amanita's games is on sale individually, but you can also buy the full Amanita bundle, which includes all the game's soundtracks, for just over £25/$33. Not bad for eight of the weirdest, most imaginative adventure games you'll ever play. The deal runs until April 2.

Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.