Thank Goodness You’re Here! is a quirky British adventure with a Benny Hill flair—its simple mechanics, offbeat puzzles, and charming dialogue make for a fun, if occasionally frustrating, romp.

However good the game is, it must be said that it is far too short, and the ending is a little rushed. Two days of gameplay is simply not enough for a modern adventure game.

If you like seeing stories from various personal angles, Virtue's Last Reward offers many hours of value, but you might feel betrayed by the storytelling grind of this longwinded horror adventure.

While not spectacular as a game in and of itself, the gameplay innovations it presents to the adventure genre might make it worth a try.

It may not be quite as good as the others, but it's still required gaming for the Layton-obsessed, and a high recommendation for anyone who loves puzzles.

Although the quality of immersion is excellent, it is somewhat transient, no doubt leaving many feeling short-changed. In the end, though, the intrigue and originality of the story make it a very important adventure game for all fans of the genre.

A Space for the Unbound is an example of an adventure story that will have the surprising and far-reaching power to move most people, whether or not they enjoy the ride the gameplay presents. It will particularly appeal to those players who have a fondness for the 16-bit console era, and those who like cats!

The game box touts 20+ hours of gameplay; for their target audience of preteen girls, I am sure this is true, but experienced gamers will finish it in significantly less time. Aside from that though, this game was still very enjoyable to play.

A slightly above average sci-fi adventure; recommended for those who don't mind slideshow adventures.

Without question, Rakuen is an ambitious indie endeavor and I admired many aspects of it—the Boy’s authentic child-like wonder in the face of real human tragedy, the funny and endearing inhabitants of Morizora Forest, and the mystery surrounding the Boy’s hospital stay, to name a few. But my dissatisfaction with the puzzles and ending make the game difficult to wholeheartedly recommend. It really comes down to what kind of game you’re in the mood for. If you want a game that’s mostly story, then the number and type of puzzles in Rakuen will likely turn you off. If you’re looking for more of a story-puzzle balance regardless of how well the two are integrated, you’ll probably have a better time with Rakuen than I did. And if you’re in the mood for a game to make you cry—well, this one will, I guarantee it. I just can’t promise it’ll be the catharsis you’re looking for.

In The Case of the Golden Idol, the mystery-solving is quite engaging up to a point. But overall, the narrative is frustratingly executed and the presentation is unremarkable.

Its limitations still show, but with a longer, funnier, and even wackier story, Time Gentlemen, Please! is an admirable follow-up to its freeware predecessor and well worth the small fee for people who've played the first game.

Whilst Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is a great visual improvement on the original, an unequivocal recommendation for what is essentially a graphical update doesn’t really fit our rating system – especially not when certain other areas of the game could have been improved upon.

A grander take on Her Story‘s FMV database search idea, Telling Lies proves Sam Barlow is still the master of the carefully crafted reveal, even if at times this particular web of deceit unravels a little too slowly.

A hybrid role-playing adventure game with high replayability and stunning 3D environments. In Betrayal At Club Low, players can customize their character and approach missions differently, using a dice mechanic that adds (not always welcome) randomness.

Although several welcome elements return, some undesirable changes to the established formula and exasperating design choices make Zero Time Dilemma a lackluster send-off to a cult-favorite series.

Superbrothers is a unique audio-visual experience that turns an old cliché into a refreshing and intriguing adventure, though it sacrifices gameplay to achieve it.

Roadwarden takes a page out of the choose-your-own-adventure playbook, incorporating combat, role-playing, and diplomacy into its visual novel trappings. Although surviving its world can be stressful, there is plenty of worthwhile adventuring to be had.

It’s still a little shallow in the gameplay department, but right down to the closing credits, it’s a lovingly thorough ode to retro games, and an amusing final adventure with some of the most colorful, acerbic, and silly characters you’ll ever virtually meet. If you can appreciate those things, then consider this game more than worthy of its pixels.

Kentucky Route Zero‘s second act keeps things weird, but feels a tad slight and uneventful compared to the first.

Whilst not performing any great new feats, The Miracle Mask is a solid first 3DS addition to the Layton franchise.

An outstanding simulation game with a remarkably strong narrative spine. Wylde Flowers is not hugely emotionally impactful, but is good fun – though given its genre, expect a bit of grind.

Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County will appeal to both series veterans and those looking to try out the mystery genre experience. The characters are quirky enough to be funny, and the lively changes in the environments and soundtrack are welcome. However, certain gameplay loops and drawn-out dialogues may drive impatient players away.

Danganronpa may not score highly with its excessive menagerie of gameplay mechanics, but if you’re morbidly curious and want to indulge your darker side, this unique visual novel adventure gets a solid passing grade.

Despite a few arbitrary cracks, Dire Grove is another (frozen) solid entry in the growing casual adventure library, and a worthy addition to the Mystery Case Files series.

The unique Mad Libs-style text presentation of Blackbar’s sci-fi social commentary is certainly engaging, but it works better as an innovative reading experience rather than a fully-realized adventure game.

Other than falling fowl of having too many unnecessary mini-games, Chicken Police intrigues with its eye-catching visuals, superb voice acting and peck-uliar film noir-style story.

It’s still a little shallow in the gameplay department, but right down to the closing credits, it’s a lovingly thorough ode to retro games, and an amusing final adventure with some of the most colorful, acerbic, and silly characters you’ll ever virtually meet. If you can appreciate those things, then consider this game more than worthy of its pixels.

999 is a gutsy, mature story that blends horror, science, and character-driven drama in intriguing, thoughtful ways. It's also backed by some sparse but solid gameplay, melding traditional puzzle types with a cohesive math-based theme that nicely suits its subject matter. Unfortunately, what could have been a taut psychological thriller all too often becomes a plodding, pace-killing narrative full of bloated, poorly-integrated dialogue.

Short on challenge but full of moments that can make you laugh or cry, Welcome to Elk is an intense and memorable narrative experience about a group of people dealing with the hardships of life.

The best game so far in the Nancy Drew series.

Agent A is a little amuse-bouche that should somewhat whet your appetite for the next tale in this hopefully ongoing iOS spy series.

The Walking Dead’s middle instalment begins with an overly long, slow burn, though it gradually builds toward the tense excitement that series fans have become accustomed to.

While The Haunting of Castle Malloy poses a genuine challenge that will take even experienced gamers between 10-15 hours, the unbalanced difficulty of the puzzles and mini-games combined with an uninteresting bunch of characters and locations results in one of the lesser Nancy Drew games on the market.

While this episode still hints at the underlying brilliance of the Chapman Brothers, it ultimately mucks about in too much pre-adolescent nonsense to carry much weight or ever feel very engaging.

All told, the second episode of Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People includes a little more talking and lot more collecting than Homestar Ruiner, with the same marginal amount of small-scale puzzling in between.

While this episode still hints at the underlying brilliance of the Chapman Brothers, it ultimately mucks about in too much pre-adolescent nonsense to carry much weight or ever feel very engaging.

Happy Game sends players on a shrieking, blood-soaked odyssey through the candy-colored hell within a young boy’s subconscious. Though it’s weakened somewhat by a less-cohesive third act, overall it’s a vivid interactive nightmare with a striking aesthetic and powerful narrative conceit.

Although the titular character is disappointingly all but absent from the affair, fans of Petronella Osgood and the Weeping Angels should enjoy this voyeuristic journey through the misplaced phone of a series extra in Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins.

Stories Untold is better than the sum of its parts, even if this collection of horror-themed interactive fiction vignettes never quite capitalizes on the potential of its concept.

While it has a few design decisions holding it back, the time-traveling joys of Wanderer promise a bright future for adventure games within the VR space.

3 Minutes to Midnight’s high production values and vibrant, idiosyncratic world recall the best of classic adventures, but it often goes overboard and requires a steep level of commitment from players to get the most from it, dampening the fun factor.

Looking better than ever but reducing the gameplay elements even further, Impostor Factory manages to weave a supernatural time travel murder mystery starring a whole new character into the series’ existing tapestry, giving the game a unique-yet-familiar flavor.

Though let down by weak gameplay, Read Only Memories is one of the most human games available this year, which is remarkable for a cyberpunk game dealing with robots and transhumanism.

The one-of-a-kind Dropsy’s heart is absolutely in the right place, but it’s tough to fully embrace a game with so much unwelcome filler.

By its very nature, OneShot‘s persistent world experience is incredibly difficult to distill into words accurately, but those who dig quirky or emotional tales and don’t shy away from something completely different should seriously consider taking this particular plunge.

Telltale's production quality is remarkable, and they must be commended for at least pushing the series violently towards what is sure to be a fascinating climax. However, the game must also be criticized for the inconsistency of its flow and the near-complete lack of original locations and characters (Stan's delightful return notwithstanding).

Whilst Around Every Corner relies a bit too much on action sequences and not enough of group-building with its new characters, it effectively manages to draw hope and desperation to new emotional highs and lows, ultimately ending with the most dramatic conclusion so far.

Although it doesn't quite match the classics, The Blackwell Legacy has more to offer than just nostalgia. Its appeal will depend on how interesting you find the story.

The fact that this game excels at the end makes up for the slow beginning and mini-game robbery, but only to make it just as good as the last two episodes.

Hadr’s literal disappearing act is intriguing for the mellow hour or so it takes to complete, though the lack of puzzle complexity makes the game’s great concept seem somewhat underutilized.

Pushing the envelope in several key ways that will appeal to those who are adequately equipped, else Heart.Break() is that rare game that’s enjoyable and yet can’t be outright recommended for all to play.

In anticipation of that potential, every adventure fan should consider this an essential play, and go into it with the understanding that this is a very good and very fun game-just not the best Telltale has to offer.

A time-bending, physics-based VR puzzler isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. However, Transpose stands out even within its niche with some truly innovative gameplay mechanics that puzzle fans should definitely check out.

Although rough around the edges in the story department, The Last Cube hits where it counts: fun powers used to solve clever logic puzzles in intriguing sci-fi environments.

The Unfinished Swan is a creative experiment that’s worth a play, even if some aspects feel incomplete.

The fact that this game excels at the end makes up for the slow beginning and mini-game robbery, but only to make it just as good as the last two episodes.

Situation: Comedy is a very fun way to spend a couple hours for a very reasonable price. It will be up to Episode 3 to really start building more momentum, though.

The Lost City is a swift, undemanding adventure that chooses to parade as relaxed mobile entertainment, rather than capitalizing on its potential to be a more memorable adventure gaming experience.

Murder by Numbers combines the unlikely trio of maths, melodrama and murder in a stylishly animated equation that is somewhat unbalanced by its repetitive Picross puzzles.

Much like its classic inspirations, Kelvin and the Infamous Machine is a fun romp through a wacky history that is good for anyone looking for a lighthearted adventure.

Though still an enjoyable adventure with high production values, The Last Wind Monk marks something of a tonal shift in the series. Part of what made The Inner World so appealing was its charm, and the sequel ends up leaving a little of that behind in favor of a darker story full of challenging puzzles.

Generally overpriced for the offline game, especially considering there's no actual game in the online "game."

Telltale’s second Batman season packs a punch with its action, audio and morally questionable main villain, but falters when it comes to making the most of its plot or detective gameplay potential.

What The Last Show of Mr. Chardish lacks in particularly engaging gameplay, it makes up for with a beautiful art style, a variety of settings, and some interesting ideas about art and identity.

Wayward Strand is an intriguing game; a gripping story brought to life by well-executed graphics, music, interface, and voice acting.

Detroit: Become Human looks and sounds great, and includes key player choices throughout, though it could have benefited greatly from a tighter script. While it’s commendable that Quantic Dream tried to cover hot-button issues in a big-budget video game, it works better when focused on the personal character moments than the bigger themes that don’t dig deep enough to make a meaningful impact.

Lost Ember’s animal body possession provides some fun moments but the lack of anything substantive to do with it makes for a beautiful but surprisingly empty experience.

The game is entertaining, and a worthwhile purchase for any DS owner who enjoys a lot of story in their games and doesn't mind the occasional lame puzzle.

No Going Back struggles to build anticipation for a conclusion that is clear from the outset, but once past the point of no return, the final episode ramps up to an exciting choice-driven conclusion with five different endings.

Despite the mounting criticism, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is a decent enough game in its own right, and fans of the series can expect much of what they enjoyed in previous offerings.

Very similar to its predecessor with a few improvements in pacing and story, Chaos on Deponia is a solid adventure that fans of LucasArts-style comedies will likely enjoy.

Shady Part of Me offers an interesting and entertaining take on the light/shadow dichotomy used as a puzzle mechanic, though the lack of a strong narrative to bind it all together (when one is clearly hinted at throughout) does raise a single but important warning flag.

The Trace is a brief and easy but fun exploration-filled murder mystery that will have you engaged from beginning to end.

The five single-character segments in 400 Days results in fleeting bouts of entertainment that are cut short too early and only tease at the prospect of something more substantial.

Overall, I think this game will be good for newcomers due to the large number of standalone obstacles.

A little more story and gameplay variety would have filled out its generous play time better, but there is plenty of reason for both puzzle and platforming fans to enjoy RiME.

Transference is a solid, polished experience that plucks equally at your tension wires and heartstrings. Though it seems to end almost as soon as it has begun, it makes the most of its quick pace with some impressive production values and an intriguingly atmospheric narrative of a troubled family.

The most devoted series fans will probably still love it, but newcomers should check out life as a defense attorney first. The rest of us are likely to find it entertaining enough at times, but a little too meandering, a little too mediocre to fully live up to the Ace Attorney legacy.

While certain areas of Sarawak are more developed than others, the end result is a well-crafted, beautiful mystery adventure with a uniquely literary feel that’s cleverly enhanced by an inspired interface.

These puzzles are varied, logical, and make sense in the train's historical context, and there is something simply enjoyable about investigating the different characters and piecing together clues to the mystery of both Lori Girard's disappearance and Jake's old mine.

A charming old school comic adventure that's definitely worth a play through if you can get past the graphic weaknesses and the main character's voice.

The Mooseman is a beautiful and moving art game that tells the story of a shaman’s journey to bring light to the world. It’s short but well worth playing for the atmosphere and creativity on display.

Returning visitors to Rusty Lake’s particular brand of quirkiness will find The White Door to be a more focused and serious game than previous outings, while newcomers are welcome to jump right into a standalone adventure that strikes an even balance between psychologically interesting and weirdly off-putting.

The Siege of Spinner Cay is very good, but doesn't quite make the series great. I continue to enjoy every minute with the TMI episodes, but know that there is stronger comic momentum that can be attained.

Still There’s elaborate puzzles and willfully obscure explanations may scare off casual players, but stick with this meditative adventure and you’ll find much to enjoy within its thoughtful depiction of a lonely life in space.

Genesis Noir’s gorgeous graphics may be mostly in black and white, but its cosmic journey through Earth’s past is anything but, though at times it’s a little too convoluted to be as ingenious as it could have been.

Not perfect, but still gorgeous and very enjoyable.

Well-versed in early 1900s Viennese culture, The Lion’s Song practically plays itself, so the main draw of this four-part interactive anthology is its beautiful sense of time and place.

FixFox is a fun romp through an alien planet as a furry MacGyver, although the long playtime does make proceedings repetitive.

Freud’s Bones is a decent game: a unique premise brought to life by well-executed graphics, music, and interface. However, the monotonous puzzles could frustrate players.

A Case of Distrust is a stylish and solid mystery adventure, but with no chance to solve it yourself, you may be left wondering what your role in this game actually is.

With each game, this franchise keeps getting better. Justice Is Served is entertaining in the same way as a TV show. You'll enjoy it while it lasts, but when it's over, it's over—time to flip the channel and find something else.

Beautiful and bittersweet, When the Past Was Around is a brief but touching point-and-click adventure with simple puzzles that tells a tale of loss and love through gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and elegant, memorable music.

Haunted is a fun and well-balanced adventure that's highly enjoyable on the surface, but lacks the depth to be truly great.

Though its puzzles are not quite as sharp as its predecessors’, We Were Here Forever provides plenty of co-op fun and finally delves into what’s happening in the world.

Players looking to tackle Pode on their own will experience a cute, fun puzzler with at least a few moments of challenge before the end. But those who bring a friend or significant other will arguably reap the greatest reward in this short but sweet wordless tale of love and friendship.

Lucifer Within Us shows a lot of promise, with a creatively imagined setting and a unique take on its subject matter, but this tale of daemons and detective work seems so determined to cross its own finish line that it never feels fully realized.