I really like
Yesterday Origins' approach when it comes to inventory and puzzle-solving. Where most adventure games have you applying the objects you've picked up to various hotspots in the world, or if you can combine the items, then each other,
Yesterday Origins finds a way to force the player to back up their action by frequently requiring some kind of reason behind the action you are taking.
This is done by not only adding inventory items to your collection, but also facts you learn as you talk with or examine other characters. So, when you decide to rub a poisonous frog on the inside of a tankard, you have to also provide the fact that you want to induce hallucinations in your guard, or maybe you need to see where a thief has stored some stolen property. The action you will want to take will have to be backed up by the fact that you've already determined this character is the thief first.
The addition of these non-tangible inventory items adds an interesting depth to the standard inventory puzzle problems as it either makes sure the player isn't just randomly trying everything they have with everything else, or if they are, then they will also end up knowing why they are doing it, because they will have to supply some piece of motivation to the action in order to accomplish it. Naturally, not every inventory puzzle requires this extra bit of information, but many of the bigger problems do. For instance, you only need actual inventory items to put together an RC controller, but if you want it to actually move the RC vehicle you want to connect to, you will need a little something extra.
It's a simple, but elegant mechanic that adds just a bit more depth to the puzzles the game puts in front of the player. As a result, Yesterday Origins is a solid game that any adventure fan should want to tackle. What's better is that you don't really need to have played through Yesterday in order to delve into this title. While the previous game is great to help establish John and Pauline's recent past, given how much of this story is about John's early life, it isn't really necessary.