Bold and Bizarre Games Bulletin - January 2026
HELLO! 2026 treating you alright so far or want me to beat it up for you?
It feels like an eternity since the last Bulletin, but here we are. As yooje we have five very offbeat games to share with you today, as well as the brand new Puzzletrunk puzzle: Oberon's Theatre .
Unlike previous puzzles, if you solve this, we'll give you your key for this month's partner game - the exclusive demo for Titanium Court, currently unavailable publicly elsewhere - INSTANTLY. Wild, I know.
Let's press on.
#1 Inside the Flesh Engine
Out Now, Steam, Itch.io | 1ncors
Look at this abomination. Inside the Flesh Engine first landed on my radar a few months back, and its grubby, meaty aesthetic lodged itself in my head-brain and refused to leave. Despite being rooted in survival horror, the game is pretty walking-simmy, more focused on The Vibes™ than much else. Opinions seem a little divided on this one, but there's no denying it leaves a mark.
#2 Imprinted
Coning Soon, Steam | Cobalt Lane
I'm a sucker for the whole fake OS thing, and Imprinted's is one of the most authentic and detailed I've tinkered with. The game and your interactions with the OS involve the search for a forensic specialist as you look to restore damaged audio recordings. The specifics of the role you adopt push you towards some very specific software and audio tools, but things quickly push into very different (read: occulty) territory which acts as the perfect contrast to the very logical, computery container the rest of the game fills.
#3 Death Howl
Out Now, Steam | The Outer Zone, 11 bit Studios
If there's one thing in this, the year 2026, that we do not need more of, it's soulslikes and deckbuilders. But a soulslike-deckbuilder? Yes ok, serve me up a portion; that low-fi but at the same time high-fidelity art style is also some welcome sauce. Hot! Death Howl brings its familiar-enough card system to a open-world formula that gives the core-loop a much more grandiose feel. The game is deep and dark, and brimming with character.
#4 Steel Century Groove
Out January 28th , Steam | Sloth Gloss Games
Show me somebody who hasn't dreamed of a being a mecha-pilot and taking on other mecha-pilots in giant-robot dance battles, and I'll show you a liar. Steel Century Groove is a rhythm-action game with surprisingly deep role-playing systems, all wrapped in a face-meltingly colourful wrapper.
#5 TR-49
Out Now, Steam | Inkle
TR49 is not bizarre in any traditional sense of the word - it's quite sophisticated, if anything - but it is a hugely novel concept, and a game that had to be included here. For fans of Inkle's particular brand of interactive fiction, TR49 will press the right buttons. The game puts you at the helm of a mysterious machine in the underbelly of an old cathedral. It's a WW2, code-breaking audio drama where essentially all you do is plum four characters into a machine, but the depth of narrative spinning out of its core concept is astounding.
Reminder! Pantaloon's partnered game for January is Titanium Court
Yes, this month we're giving you access to an exclusive demo for the four-time IGF nominated Titanium Court. We'll be dropping some keys on February 9th, but before then you bag yourself a key instantly by taking on this month's Puzzletrunk update, and escaping Oberon's Theatre.
This month, we've also pushed Puzzletrunk to Steam as a free demo, as we test out a few bits and pieces before we bring the game to Steam properly later this year.
Stuck? Use the Hint syntax 'clue for backstage [number]' to get hints via Discord.
GL.
Ok there we are. Back in the swing of things. To those of you that take on this month's puzzle, GL. And to those that don't, remember that everybody else will get the opportunity for a Titanium Court demo key on Feb 9th.
Ok bye.
pantaloon.