Labyrinth of the Forsaken is a highly successful blend of classic point-and-click adventure and survival horror, expanding on the Deep Sleep freeware trilogy with interesting new mechanics, immersive environments, and a compelling mystery at the heart of it all.

Out of Sight is a brilliant, and at times touching, take on classic survival horror, mixing stealth, environmental puzzling, and even the occasional chase sequence into its thrilling escape mission. It’s short and maybe a bit on the easy side, but the excellent pacing and terrific storytelling will keep players gripping their teddy bears with delight.

With its wonderfully drawn black-and-white world, a delightful animal cast, a story that goes from classic noir murder mystery to a plot of sci-fi proportions, and a genuinely funny script throughout, Cat Detective Albert Wilde delivers in spades.

In every sense of the word, Shadows of the Afterland is a spirited point-and-click adventure that weaves together a gripping post-mortem mystery into an ironically lively setting with a lot of heart.

Its emphasis on mini-games over traditional puzzles may not appeal to everyone, but Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale is a delightful and surprisingly poignant journey of self-discovery that isn’t always as sweet as it looks.

With its loveable cast of characters, just-right level of challenge, and compelling plot, Lucy Dreaming is a complete win for Tall Story Games and adventure game players alike. The puzzle difficulty ramps up beautifully, just as the plot becomes progressively more compelling until it reaches its incredibly satisfying payoff. I would encourage seeing this one through to the end, but I don’t think I have to: you’ll be hooked from the moment you press Play until the moment the credits roll.

The Holy Gosh Darn is the biblical time-travel comedy adventure game you never knew you needed in your life. This thoroughly charming journey through Heaven and Hell is a genuine treat that excels as much in its hilarious writing as it does with its unique brain teasers.

With a new storyline and new tweaks to the series’ co-op gameplay, We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip is an excellent start to this multi-part franchise installment.

The Midnight Walk is a stunning achievement in visual, audio, and narrative design. It may not present much challenge in overcoming its trials and tribulations, but the touching journey of The Burnt One and Potboy through a dark, disturbing hand-sculpted world of clay will surely light a spark that warms your soul.

With a sharp narrative focus, engaging gameplay, and a fresh take on its characters as younger men, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened functions as both a stellar remake and a compelling sequel to Chapter One.

A wonderfully surreal and heartfelt narrative adventure, to a T delightfully reinforces the important message that regardless of our perceived personal limitations, we are all “the perfect shape.”

Run TavernQuest smartly turns the text adventure conceit on its head with its choice-based selections and removal of players from the starring role to explore free will and existentialism with a comedic backdrop, leaving one contemplating what it means to be alive.

More of a narrative-driven game than a traditional adventure, Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) offers a uniquely immersive, emotional and compelling experience, exploring a culturally intriguing historical time and place.

It might feel bewildering at first, but deciphering glyphs to discover more about the vibrant and mysterious tower with its culturally divided people makes Chants of Sennaar a highly engaging and ultimately rewarding framing for the inventive language-based puzzles.

Full of intriguing setups and wickedly good payoffs, The Rise of the Golden Idol is more of the same winning deduction formula but with a fresh spin that shakes up the foundation enough to feel strikingly original once again.

Take our word for it: Great God Grove takes a fresh dialogue-based puzzle concept and places it in an imaginative world filled with unforgettable characters. It may not be particularly challenging, but the strong writing and gorgeous presentation make this a heavenly game of Telephone well worth picking up.

With The Bunker, Frictional has boiled the series’ gameplay formula down to its most salient and effective horror elements while trimming any excessive fat. For fans of horror, only three words are necessary: go play it!

Its obstacles may not put up much of a fight, but Rosewater’s sharpshooting lies with its wonderful production value and freedom of choice in this character-driven Western, earning itself a big “Yeehaw!” for fun and replayability.

With its beautiful scenery, heartfelt characters, and the weirdest wolves you’ve ever seen, The Night Is Grey is as close to a psychological thriller as an adventure game can get, worthy to be called an interactive cinematic experience.

Near-Mage will cast a powerful spell on fans of narrative-driven adventures. While it may not challenge puzzle wizards, it will enchant players with its beautifully vibrant locales and heartfelt tale of finding one’s place in the world.

Move aside, Laura Bow. Nancy Maple is the reigning queen of retro-styled murder mysteries in The Crimson Diamond, a clever, engaging, and satisfying tale that is sure to entertain fans of Sierra’s text-driven EGA classics while being accessible to adventurers new to this style of game.

Like a Sherlock Holmes investigation at the bottom of the sea, there are many compelling secrets to be unveiled in the gorgeous underwater scenery of Thalassa’s titular sunken ship.

A charming atmosphere, puzzles that are just right, and bonus secrets are all waiting to be unlocked in the fantastic escape room adventure Escape from Mystwood Mansion.

Although quite different from its predecessor, Another Fisherman’s Tale is another brilliant game from InnerspaceVR that combines a vibrant world, moving story, and reality-bending mechanics. An instant classic for both fans of virtual reality and narrative games.

Punctuated by a few big scares, Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM is captivating in its quieter moments, too, with an understated slice-of-life narrative, cultural authenticity, an underrepresented setting, and just the right amount of foreboding. The experience is heightened by a sensible sound design, an effectively eerie score, and an infinitely appealing paper cut-out visual style pulled off to near perfection. A few decisions that lead to unique content make it worth playing again as you fully absorb the detail and charm on offer, especially when a single playthrough is so short. Overall, this unassuming little ghost story adventure does just about everything right. It’s bite-sized indeed, but I truly enjoyed my brief introduction, and I can’t wait to see how this style of game plays out in long-form in the upcoming, full-length Third Eye Open sequel.

The nightmarish journey in Slender Threads isn’t for the faint of heart, but those with a morbid sense of humor will love the fun of unraveling the delightfully quirky goings-on in the strange town of Villa Ventana.

Boxville 2 builds on what was good about its predecessor, with even more square-shaped fun, can-do attitude and immensely big heart.

The Dark Rites of Arkham is another compelling thriller from Postmodern Adventures, blending Lovecraftian influence, retro-styled production and classic adventure gameplay into a beautifully eerie, wonderfully written murder mystery.