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.