What Did We Play Yesterday?

I was having a bad time, and after trying and failing to calm my brain down I started digging through my Steam library trying to find something that would distract me. Mountain isn't a game, it's a toy. You poke it and look at it, and spin it around, and occasionally, something unexpected happens.

So I flipped the mountain upside down and examined the roots. I zoomed out and admired the peace of space. I zoomed back in and touched trees and flocks of birds escaped, so I kept doing that. I figured out how to play music and made some songs. Eventually, an umbrella popped up, and I poked that. I was circling the mountain and just sorta vibing when I heard a car horn, and a bus floated through the sky and landed on the mountain. I poked it, and it beeped.

This game did exactly what I needed it to do, and about 25 minutes later I felt so much better. IDK if I'll ever play it again, but this game did exactly what I needed it to do in the moment. That is the value of experimental games, or game-like toys, or game experiences. Some reviewers have called Mountain a digital pet rock or a rock tamagotchi and that's a good description.