Unless you are either a die-hard fan of puzzles or analog horror, and really don’t mind a lackluster and increasingly tiresome version of both, there are far better and spookier games out there than Amanda the Adventurer.

A little too unrefined with a bare-bones narrative, After You is nevertheless packed with engaging and demanding puzzles, some of which inspire creative thinking.

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.

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.

Being a feline makes Cats and the Other Lives a fun and playful game for the most part, though the storyline you uncover along the way gets darker and darker, and all the more compelling because of it.

Intruder in Antiquonia‘s pleasing aesthetic and rural charm with flashes of something deeper aren’t quite enough to compensate for the hurried storytelling and pedestrian puzzles.

The gritty, realistic urban setting is stunning, but the story of The Safe Place is so drearily centered on poverty, crime and abuse that succeeding in cracking the more difficult inventory puzzles becomes more of a struggle than a pleasure just to progress and see more misery unfold.

DE-EXIT is an ambitious and mostly well-crafted adventure, with great puzzle design, charming visuals, and an immersive cinematic flair. Not all of its ideas play out equally well, and a slow first half combined with minor technical issues make it a bit hard to break into, but those who stick with it until the end won’t regret the effort.

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.

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.

Its length – or rather its extreme lack of it – is difficult to overlook, but Beyond the Wall is a cute and charming little adventure in the same style as many of the classic Amanita games.

Laughs are at the forefront of Repella Fella, a crude, gory, and yet occasionally earnest adventure. Ease of play allows the jokes to come fast and furious, and despite some issues with the pace of storytelling, this game is sure to provide hours of delight to its intended audience.

Live the life of a starving student or investigate dark occult secrets. It’s your choice in Dreams in the Witch House, a roleplaying/resource management/point-and-click adventure hybrid that makes for a very challenging, occasionally frustrating but often fun balancing act.

Perhaps the next closest thing to a real-world ghost-hunting expedition, Incubus offers plenty of paranormal phenomena to keep you busy and satisfy your fears and fantasies.

Ashina: The Red Witch isn’t an ambitious game, but as a short and simple retro-styled narrative adventure, it is fun and functional enough for a mild recommendation to those who enjoy this style of anime fantasy.

The idea behind this quirky anthology of four very distinct anecdotes is commendable, but its blink-and-you-missed-it brevity does not pair well with its already limited chill factor, leaving The Creepy Syndrome feeling not particularly worthwhile.

You can’t help but feel like a true conspiracy theorist exploring the beautifully eerie pixel art world of Mythargia with all its mysterious supernatural elements. As a journalist in search of clues about secret human experiments, a bit more control over how to compile the evidence into your article would’ve been welcome, but collecting it all feels very rewarding along the way.

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.

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.

Vlad Circus is fun and scary in all the right ways. With locked doors, monsters, a mysterious circus director and a hallucinating main character, it may not be the greatest show on earth but has plenty to entertain unsuspecting visitors.

If an hour-plus playing politics with The Expanse’s Chrisjen Avasarala sounds like your idea of a good time, “Archangel” is a match made in heaven. For all others, it’s merely an undercooked diversion that adds nothing new to the main storyline.

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.

Golden Idol Mysteries: The Lemurian Vampire serves up a fitting conclusion to the elaborate and electrifying mystery started in The Spider of Lanka, making that game’s satisfying story feel even more complete. Rarely do mystery games make observational deduction this much fun.

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.

The Season’s Greetings DLC views Lake‘s world through very different eyes, offering reassuring familiarity while shaking things up just enough to make them fresh again. Retaining the same slow, puzzle-free style and relatable characters, it’s not for everyone but will surely feel like the perfect gift for fans of the original game.

Time loop mysteries require a delicate balance of challenge while rewarding players for both their successes and mistakes. In Orten Was the Case, the play control and action elements can upset that balance at times, but the twelve-minute puzzle itself hits all the right beats and proves to be quite satisfying.

OU deserves enormous credit for its superb art and its distinct, ambitious style of storytelling, providing a memorable high-concept experience only slightly hampered by questionable design choices.

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.