Lil’ Guardsman is a silly, high-fantasy take on Papers, Please that mixes deductive gameplay with goblins and wizards – what more could you want? Well, a tighter story with more consistent quality would have been great, but the end result is still very much worth playing for comedy fans.

It’s not as open-ended as other narrative RPGs and lacks a believable ending, but Rue Valley has an appealing graphic novel aesthetic and engagingly human time-looping story that avoids becoming too repetitive or frustrating each time it resets.

Conrad Stevenson’s Paranormal P.I. forces you to be patient and follow procedures to the letter, but once you get the hang of exploring haunted environs in search of ghosts, figuring out whose spirit is still lingering and finding the right way to get them to move on can be highly rewarding.

After two stellar Golden Idol Investigations spinoff DLC chapters, The Age of Restraint falters a bit under the weight of its complicated conspiracies, though it still manages to mostly deliver the goods. If only it wasn't so blisteringly hard to deduce its secrets.

Within its subset of casual adventures, True Fear: Forsaken Souls stands out due to its stalwart dedication to delivering peak camp-horror charm. Its story gets a bit wobbly, but after a long delay, the final part of the trilogy largely succeeds in giving some closure at last.

Gloomy Eyes is a dark but lovely fairy tale, revived from its previous VR-exclusive short film form and given new life with a welcome if fairly shallow layer of gameplay.

Flake: The Legend of Snowblind is a captivating cartoon adventure in a fun, intricately crafted setting, though its considerable charms are complicated by the fact that it feels more like a substantial first chapter than a full game in its own right.

The Bookwalker isn’t about inventing new wheels but combining familiar concepts in intriguing ways, ably marrying point-and-click adventuring and turn-based combat to provide a dark world to explore, filled with surprises that are ultimately more intriguing than its grand finale.

Though it would have benefited from more restraint, Hyperdrive Inn is a wild, multidimensional journey through a kaleidoscope of the possible and the impossible alike, with so much to see that you’ll need multiple playthroughs to experience the fullness of it.

After years of incremental improvements, the final release of SpaceVenture is a fairly entertaining experience tailored especially for Space Quest fans that’s still plagued by a significant number of unfortunate caveats.

The Adventures of the Black Hawk succeeds at copying—and I mean copying—the aesthetic that made the early LucasArts games so successful. While the copy doesn’t shine quite as brightly due to some inconsistent localization and general lack of polish, it is a consistently amusing and challenging adventure worthy of being in the conversation.

Though it doesn’t quite reach the heights it aspires to, Jusant is a lovely mountaineering adventure that makes for a refreshing change from the norm in both axis and pace.

Tourist Trap is a brief but enjoyable vacation from more difficult games, with a colorful cartoon aesthetic and great sense of humor but still able to surprise you with some darker layers to uncover.

The Abandoned Planet sends you on a not-too-strenuous journey through a visually enticing world full of mystery and menace, even if the protagonist’s hint-laden narration and surface-level characterization mean you shouldn’t expect too much more than that.

Looking and sounding perhaps better than ever, Murder Malady is everything players expect from a Carol Reed mystery, refined to focus on what the series does best. For a 20th anniversary release, it's not a grand and unforgettable outing, but certainly a welcome and enjoyable one.

Immortality is within reach for this stylishly produced noir detective thriller about the misery of eternal life, but limited world-building and player agency prevent Nobody Wants to Die from becoming a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Fun enough while it lasts, Confidential Killings gets in and out a bit too quickly with its tightly paced plot and lack of much challenge, all wrapped up in the glitz and glam of 1970s Hollywood.

Though let down somewhat by its graphical limitations, its well-written pirate story and a variety of nicely balanced puzzles make Cleo: A Pirate’s Tale an enjoyable experience overall.

A bewildering story is content to leave players floundering in the dark, but KARMA’s commitment to nonstop weirdness provides some gloriously unhinged nightmare fuel.

Bigger but not necessarily better, the unapologetically old-school Beyond Shadowgate plays virtually the same as the original, and fans should enjoy it just as much as its iconic predecessor from way back when.

The Last Case of John Morley transitions from a film-noir mystery into a psychological horror that reveals just how fragile the human psyche is, prioritizing atmosphere over detective work in its short run time.

Valiant Heart: Coming Home’s limited release strategy is a self-inflicted wound, but this beautiful WWI side-scrolling sequel is a fairly fun, lightly educational little three-hour engagement free to those equipped to play it.

The Anchor of Memory, like all Isoland games, is a unique experience that will appeal to a player's quiet, thoughtful, poetic side. Light on story and heavy on bizarre puzzles, this game lives up to its predecessors in every way, making it a solid addition to the franchise.

Twilight Oracle is a nostalgic ride through a zany fantasy world, though even its witty banter can’t hide the fact it’s a short story with a simple plot only good for a single afternoon’s fun.

Like an interactive multi-episode spinoff of the TV show, The Expanse leaves room for improvement but offers a solid sci-fi experience in which time seems to fly by.

The SCUMM-style interface and some poorly clued objectives might not appeal to modern players used to easier games, but for old-school genre fans, The Legend of Skye provides a wonderful dose of nostalgia, transporting you back to the golden days of point-and-click classics.

Its short length prevents Neon Hearts City from shining as brightly as it could, but slick production values, solid writing and simple but entertaining gameplay make for an intriguing enough tour while it lasts.

While not flashy or revolutionary, with the occasional questionable narrative choice, Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders offers exactly what it says on the tin: a solidly entertaining collection of murder mysteries designed specifically with lovers of good ol’ classic point-and-clicking in mind.

The follow-up to NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is too self-referential to make waves with anyone not already familiar with the series, but longtime fans will find more of what made them just that in Rising Tide: adorable talking animals, a ton of dialogue, cozy point-and-clicking, and a jarring cliffhanger that leaves room for the next game.

Focusing more on the story than the spooks (though the spooks are good when they materialize!), An English Haunting is a solid, user-friendly paranormal tale with strong production values, even if it lacks the compelling characters and dialogue of the best horror fiction.

The beautifully atmospheric Tales from Candleforth is a fairly solid occult puzzle mystery with plenty to enjoy while it lasts, though it’s missing some polish and depth as the final key ingredients.

While it doesn’t quite reach the allegorical heights it aspires to, if you like text adventures or simply enjoy games that subvert the role of the player, then [I] doesn’t exist should keep you solidly entertained for a few hours.

Lara’s last three adventures from Core Design play differently enough from the first trilogy that serious fans will want to check them out. However, with inconsistent visual and mechanical upgrades, and a higher overall difficulty, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is not a good jumping-in point for newcomers.

Looking Up I See Only a Ceiling is an extremely short but nightmarishly eerie micro-experience. Its manga stylings and sensible puzzle design make it enjoyable to play, though even with its post-game replay options, it feels like a ton of potential for expansion was simply left unexplored.

CARIMARA: Beneath the forlorn limbs is an attention-grabbing introduction to a strange and original fantasy world that features an engaging spin on the detective genre, but our time there is so brief that it’s hard to come away fully satisfied.

Cute characters, great story, beautiful soundtrack, STAT! Fall of Porcupine may lack in the gameplay department, but it’s impossible to not fall in love with this charming character-driven tribute to our underappreciated health care workers.

With its limited interaction, Know by heart… may have worked better as a book or film, but it’s a beautiful game with a touching personal story that never loses its focus on the people of a quiet town in crisis.

As the final installment of the Immortal John Triptych, Death of the Reprobate provides more of the same fun Monty Python-esque humor, signature Renaissance-era aesthetic, and enjoyable puzzles that Joe Richardson fans have come to expect, even if some aspects are starting to wear thin the third time around.

Despite a puzzling choice to include some timed dexterity-based sequences, if you enjoy moderate lateral thinking challenges and dying often in creative and gruesome ways, Is This Game Trying to Kill Me? surely fits the bill.

Like a bingeable TV show, American Arcadia is slickly presented and tightly paced, resulting in a charismatic and entertaining theme park ride of an adventure, even if the simple characters and somewhat unfocused approach to gameplay doesn’t foster much lasting impact.

Designed for ease of play, what the culturally distinctive EQQO lacks in depth, it makes up for with its charming, multilayered allegorical story.

Sanya’s very simple gameplay won’t challenge anyone over the age of its young protagonist, but even for adults, this quaint, lovely side-scrolling adventure is like a nostalgic trip back to childhood.

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is a gently paced, vividly colorful paper adventure filled with memorable afterlife inhabitants and a simple but fun time-looping premise. It’s a shame, then, that the character arcs often fail to reach the same satisfying conclusion for the player as they do for these wayward souls themselves.

The magical world it sets up begs to be explored more deeply than it is here, but while it lasts, the hour-long Arcane Investigations largely succeeds in its promise of being a Phoenix Wright-inspired fantasy mystery.

Midnight Saturn combines futuristic sci-fi and film noir sensibilities in a short but perfectly okay detective case that is best described as average in just about every respect.

Midnight Girl looks and sounds like a slice of ’60s cool, drawing you into its atmospheric world and keeping you moving. Your life as a burglar doesn’t always match the glamour of the movies, but it’s still a lively if all too brief escape.

Superfluous Returnz isn’t superfluous at all, as its not-so-super hero’s bumbling (and occasionally credibility-defying) antics offer an all-too-brief breath of fresh country air.

Cluttered level design and a lack of polish somewhat mar this episodic series debut, but they don’t stop Twogether: Project Indigos from being a fun and clever prison escape with its endearing telekinetic and telepathic leads.

There’s no real challenge and very little gameplay in this craftily created 3D visual novel, but The Wreck’s main character’s personal story will pull you in and leave you feeling fully invested in seeing her through the worst – and perhaps last – day of her life.

Echoes presents an intriguing mystery through a gorgeous progression of graphical styles, albeit with little to do besides clicking through dialogues and finding the occasional hidden piece of information and making subtly impactful choices.

Toning down the puzzles this time around wasn’t the best idea, but otherwise Lifeless Moon delivers more of what made its predecessor enjoyable for the most part, gorgeously presenting its well-told story of a scientific experiment gone wrong, and the peril and promise of the unknown.

Light on gameplay but rich in atmosphere, the short but sweet stories that make up Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files are full of entertaining misdirection and unique subversion of perspective.

There isn’t much in the way of brain teasers, but Spiral is a heartwarming story with a heartbreaking premise that follows its mentally deteriorating protagonist on his last trip down memory lane.

There are no grand mysteries for Sherlock Holmes to solve in The Beekeeper’s Picnic, but rather a cozy, charming, easy little adventure about the world’s most famous retired detective dusting off his deduction skills for worthwhile personal reasons.

It may not be the most polished or user-friendly game, but Delirium’s zany night at home with two teens and a talking stuffed bunny proves to be a fair bit of fun.

Thief’s Shelter pulls you into a beautifully eerie mansion to investigate a strange, supernatural mystery full of fun puzzles, yet its limited freedom of exploration to solve the case yourself can be a bit frustrating.

The Supper: New Blood has the right recipe for a darkly delicious cartoon adventure, though repetition and limited gameplay opportunities work against its sinister premise, and its campy but fun B-horror shocks elicit diminishing returns long before its last course.

Officially localized three decades after the original release, Clock Tower: Rewind is a perfectly passable way to experience what was once officially a Japan-exclusive piece of horror history. This is the real, first Clock Tower experience warts and all, along with a smattering of goodies that will delight longtime fans – even if it feels like an inconsistent package throughout.

It may have a bare-bones story and some wonky gameplay mechanics, but Life of Delta is a visually beautiful journey packed full of enjoyable puzzles with a sublime soundtrack to go with it. Although it didn’t completely live up to my expectations, its charming robot protagonist did his best to keep me entertained for the short time we shared together.

An artfully made take on the familiar story of an alien invasion, Somerville’s visual design and interesting scenarios form an engaging experience, though some confusing puzzle design and a plot that holds the player at arm’s length keep it from truly being out of this world.

Don’t let the cute cartoon style and adventure game humour fool you: in its brief play time, Last Christmas deals with some of the darker elements of the season in a horrifying yet compelling way.

A sequel that’s put in the work to expand its predecessor’s horizons is commendable, but for Deliver Us Mars this doesn’t always work out perfectly. Still, it offers another thrilling adventure for deep-space explorers, with welcome character moments that make it a little less solitary this time around.

Delivering everything series fans should expect by this point, Dead Drop is another soothing romp with Carol Reed through Swedish countrysides and dilapidated buildings, elevated by a fun hook and some decades-old KGB intrigue that helps to make up for the more humdrum moments.

The Mildew Children tells a great witch story with impressive lore and tricky dialogue challenges wrapped up in a beautiful side-scrolling presentation, though the endless roaming and long conversations are likely to take their toll on your attention span.

In celebrating a love of music, Blue Wednesday is less a full-fledged adventure than a casual version of “Piano Hero” with some dialogue, exploration and other mini-games mixed in, all wrapped in a cutesy-looking but uncomfortable story about whether it’s worthwhile chasing your dreams.

Beautiful, unexpectedly emotional, but frequently frustrating, Simon the Sorcerer is back in an intriguing if uneven series prequel reboot.

Autopsy Simulator’s puzzle elements may be dead on arrival, but the well-researched autopsy cases presented in the unsettling atmosphere of an isolated coroner’s office injects enough thrills to give the game some measurable signs of life.

Bugs and translation issues stop this adventure from reaching the stars, but with its wonderful hand-painted graphics, quirky characters and delightful puzzles, it is difficult not to have a good time with The Journey of AutUmn.

Harold Halibut is a curious fish, using its retro-futuristic, painstakingly handcrafted world and cast of weird but relatable characters to tell a heartfelt but ambling, puzzle-free story that’s (in the best way) more soap opera than space opera.

Experienced adventurers can probably cruise through Enypnion ReDreamed in their sleep, though some of the logic puzzles might be responsible for a few nightmares. Overall, though, it’s a short but charming little journey through the subconscious that may just remind you of your own childhood nighttime fantasies.

After a long hiatus, the perennially youthful Nancy Drew is back in Mystery of the Seven Keys. The pendulum has swung back from the greater focus on story and character interaction in the previous installment, but fans of the classic series will doubtless welcome the renewed emphasis on puzzle solving this time around.

Monolith earns science fiction cred with a witty sidekick robot, a beautifully drawn alien world and many clever puzzles relevant to the genre, though an uneven story, shaky dialogue, and poor characterizations may turn off players less willing to endure them to get to the good parts.

As a bite-sized new dive into the world of Still Wakes the Deep, Siren’s Rest doesn’t quite measure up and will likely leave you hungering for the meatier, more fulfilling experience of the base game.

The Alex Hill series debut Whispers at White Oak Inn nicely captures the lo-fi charm of early Nancy Drew mysteries with clear affection for its inspiration, but stumbles somewhat when trying to stand on its own.

Urban Myth Dissolution Center’s bold art and an even bolder concept isn’t quite enough to spice up this slow-burning mystery visual novel with limited detective elements.

Combining several gameplay styles with a protagonist-switching, fourth-wall-breaking story makes RE:CALL feel almost experimental at times. But since its disparate elements ultimately work reasonably well together, it’s an experiment in storytelling that could be worth checking out.

It’s Grim Up North’s first (and so far only) chapter puts a comedic twist on the concept of alien body snatchers in Yorkshire, delivering a fun but flawed point-and-click adventure/turn-based RPG combo experience.

The Extrication is still far from a masterclass in horror, but this better sophomore effort in the Bridge Curse franchise has shown it’s learned a few lessons along the way.

Bigger and better than its predecessor in some ways, more bloated and less focused in others, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is an intriguing sequel for those on the right wavelength for this kind of gameplay-lite narrative experience.

Necrophosis creates startling scenes of cosmic horror and meshes existentialism with religion, yet repetitive item hunting and a lack of sustainable tension dilute the potentially potent core of the experience.

At first the unusual art style and uncanny hand-animated world of The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo feels uniquely captivating, but delve a little deeper and its raw mechanics and unclear puzzle design make for a gameplay experience as fragmented as its protagonist.

Sailing through the Slavic- and Icelandic-influenced world of Selfloss is often a breathtaking sensory experience, but unengaging puzzles, buggy features and an ill-conceived final twist mean its pleasures are largely limited.

Cantaloupe Chronicle is too uneven to make the front page news, but there is some relaxing fun to be had with chasing news stories and overcoming small-town inventory obstacles.

Fans of Firewatch are likely to enjoy this similarly designed walking simulator set in the northern wilderness, though Arctic Awakening’s story fails to bring enough tension or wonderment to match its acclaimed predecessor.

Wormventures: Barrier 51 is a funny point-and-click comedic adventure with challenging puzzles that will surely charm players but can also frustrate with some tedious pacing and lack of polish.

Open Roads is a short but emotionally stirring character drama that is, fittingly, more about the journey than the destination, without so much as a speed bump challenge to slow you down in the latest narrative adventure from the creators of Gone Home.

Even with a bit of open exploration, Saltsea Chronicles is essentially a visual novel – a character-driven, story you read on screens of charmingly beautiful backgrounds. It’s a stress-free piece of interactive media that invites players to help write the unfolding tale, but those looking for deeper gameplay won’t find any swashbuckling, seafaring action in these calm seas.

Desolatium is an unapologetically old-school node-based adventure in the vein of turn-of-the-millennium cult classics like Dracula. Its mix of wildly different art styles doesn’t work as well as it could, but those who don’t mind a bit of pixel hunting will likely enjoy its budget presentation, generally solid puzzle design and atmospheric story.

While Supermassive’s formula is starting to need a bit of a punch-up, and the H. H. Holmes Murder Castle is surprisingly less compelling than the earlier anthology settings, The Devil in Me is still a solid slasher story for horror fans to enjoy.

Paws of Coal is a cute and fun little animal detective mystery, featuring some intriguing deduction puzzles and a whole lot of brilliant writing to read, though it is difficult to overlook the fact that it is just a prelude to a larger adventure and not a complete game on its own.

Skeler Boy is a beautiful micro-sized horror adventure filled to the brim with scares and quirky challenges throughout its short runtime, though it ultimately feels like a compilation of homages that never manages to find a voice of its own.

Bent Oak Island’s budget limitations and lack of polish certainly hold it back, but you can get some good fun out of its twin protagonists’ sibling banter while trying to prevent a summer vacation from ending in disaster.

While there are certainly aspects that work in Hauma’s graphic novel-styled exploration through Munich to unearth a mystery about an ancient relic spanning the ages, the game’s pacing and finicky inventory puzzles demand some patience to get to its best stuff.

Rendezvous offers cyberpunk with a distinctive Indonesian flavour. Its awkward combat and simple puzzles may soon be forgotten, but its gritty story and pungent atmosphere will stay with you.

Don’t Nod spins a thoughtful yarn about friendship and trauma, but Lost Records can’t find the right tonal balance to guarantee a hit.

Caravan SandWitch is a calm, atmospheric journey that’s pleasant to play, but held back by repetitive tasks and a lack of momentum.

Hercule Poirot: The London Case is a mixed bag for fans of Agatha Christie and adventure games. They will be thrilled to put the little Belgian detective through his paces once again, but the mystery itself doesn’t fully satisfy.

Questioning and confronting suspects in Chronique des Silencieux can be very fun if you’re a patient reader willing to ignore the often faulty English translations and some technical issues to really appreciate this intricate detective story set in 1970s France.