In Sammy Jukes: Twin Lakes, an unusually intriguing story is marred by instances of uninspired design, average voice acting and repetitive puzzles.

The Corruption Within is an entertaining exercise in gothic spookiness that understands what makes its particular subgenre tick, but its setting and characters are ill-served by the story’s hurried pace.

Rainswept bites off more than it can chew with its ambitious story of love, murder and loneliness, but within the sometimes confusing narrative strands there’s an involving game with a beautiful soundtrack to discover.

Though it suffers somewhat from a lack of polish, Nelson and the Magic Cauldron is a fun, if not necessarily funny, inventory-filled point-and-click experience.

Short but surreal, 103 presents an intriguing exploration of a dreamlike series of corridors that you can practically complete with both hands tied behind your back.

Short on both puzzles and in-depth narrative, The Station is all about atmosphere. If you’re a fan of immersive sci-fi exploration, turn off the lights, turn up the sound, and enjoy the ride.

Beyond its strong story it doesn’t excel at any particular elements, but The Beard in the Mirror is a pleasant little retro adventure, which a fan of such things will certainly enjoy playing.

DARKSTAR: The Interactive Movie is a game that takes a lot of patience to truly enjoy. It's not a game for everyone, as some are sure to be turned off by the rarity and simplicity of its puzzles, while others may not relish a return to the infamous days of live actors as their game characters, particularly when some of the acting reminds us why this isn't always a good idea.

While the storyline never really delivers on its suspenseful potential and we are still waiting for a new game engine that allows for expanded exploration, Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water's Edge does have a lot of good things going for it.

Mr. Shadow is a joy to behold with a high degree of challenge, though it stumbles more than once due to some obtuse puzzles and the decision to focus on style over substance.

Despite a few glaring deficiencies, The Watchmaker is a solid game. It offers firm value at its retail price and for the length of gameplay, approximately 20-30 hours, as well as for the degree of difficulty in its puzzles.

Emphasizing style over substance, Weakless provides plenty of gorgeous views to appreciate but little else to leave a lasting impression.

Tales from the Dragon Mountain 2 improves on the puzzles of the first game, but the other limitations remain and its ending proves unsatisfying.

An original and promising concept left unfulfilled by disappointing gameplay, Among the Sleep is recommended only to those who want to experience a unique take on the horror genre.

The idea is executed effectively, but the game is consumed too fast, leaving you wanting for more from this bowl of rice. These kind of gameplay mechanics need to be implemented on a larger scale to make a real impact.

Despite an innovative approach to an escape room-style adventure, with actions in one realm affecting another, the extensive hard-to-follow dialog, finicky controls and “to be continued” ending makes it difficult to recommend Flow Weaver as a worthwhile standalone VR experience.

Jack Keane 2 is a fun action-packed journey at times, made far more frustrating than it needed to be due to its clumsy interface and obtuse, pace-killing puzzles.

Although an aesthetically impressive achievement, the surreal Karma. Incarnation 1 is unfortunately let down by a confusingly abstract story that can be completed more by just following available steps than by any extensive thought.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this title, I couldn't get past Agatha Knife's many irksome issues, which quickly added up over the eight hours I spent with it. Although it charmed me with its adorable artwork and solid writing, the inexcusable amount of backtracking, (largely) simplistic puzzles and practically non-existent sound design derailed most of the fun I'd squeezed out of the game. I applaud Mango Protocol for tackling subjects that you don't usually encounter in point-and-click adventures, and I genuinely laughed out loud at some of Agatha's musings on religion, animal rights, and consumerism. Sadly, these moments of amusement lack strong gameplay elements to support them. It may still be worth a playthrough if you're into irreverent humor, smart-mouthed seven-year-olds and meat, but it's doubtful that you'll want to revisit the experience once you've introduced your flock to the Great Bleeding Pig in the sky.

Three episodes in, Legacies offers a highly scaled-back version of the familiar cops-and-lawyers formula that doesn't do the intriguing storylines full justice.

While it presents a much rosier version of its central characters than the historical record suggests, Dr Livingstone, I Presume? features a well-structured series of escape room puzzles that’s hindered somewhat by a repetitive soundtrack and use of color.

MechaNika is a unique concoction of childlike presentation and mature content that doesn’t seem to know which audience it’s trying to please, and never quite manages to fulfill its own evident potential.

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.

While less a game than a very short, barely-interactive audio biography, Brukel does manage to bring the civilian horrors of World War II to life in a very unique, personal way.

Although the idea of blending role-playing elements with traditional adventure gaming sounds intriguing, The Council doesn’t do anything particularly interesting with either of them after a very strong introductory episode.

Indie French developer Coutal Games have created a unique world with charming characters in Suli: Fallen Harmony, but a lack of polish and a few puzzle problems mean that, like its flightless bird protagonist, it is unable to truly take off.

The gameplay concept is a good one and the license a natural fit, but rather than successfully complementing each other, the end result is a shallow, watered down version of each, neither fully game nor fully show.

Investigating a murder mystery tinged with political corruption from a balcony makes for a compelling concept, but the passive gameplay, slow pace and poor animation prevents The Flower Collectors from ever fully blooming.

Fire Tonight’s story of two lovers separated by a city going up in flames is charming enough while it lasts. Unfortunately, the attempt to reunite them isn’t nearly as exciting as it sounds, and the whole adventure is only marginally longer than the song on which it’s based.

Its unusual choice to feature an unethical protagonist is welcome, but even for an interactive short story The Death of Erin Myers is too short, as the story is not developed enough and the gameplay is too easy to create the emotional impact it strives for.

Misao’s potential for an engrossing, topical storyline is unfortunately shoved aside in favor of aimless exploration, but with the right expectations and a budget price, horror fans might find it worth a look.

Haters of happy endings—or happiness in general—are in luck, because Richard & Alice is a game so bleak and dreary that it’s hard to find any other purpose for seeing it through to the bitter end.

The Franz Kafka Videogame offers a highly surreal taste of the renowned author’s works in a linear puzzle-oriented experience, but lacks enough depth to truly do them justice.

Stylish to look at but short on substance, Lovecraft Quest: A Comix Game has a few fun puzzles to beef up its brief story, but too much repetition stops it from becoming a Great One.

The voice work and graphic design are both well done, if a bit utilitarian, but the dialogue and story need polishing to create a strong immersive atmosphere that a game like this really requires.

Many of State of Mind’s ideas sound great on paper, but as an interactive thriller it fails to establish proper stakes, with virtually no challenge, a world with few likeable characters, and a story sparse on purposeful events.

Puzzle fans will find The Guest a solid room-escape adventure, while story and exploration fans will have plenty of reservations.

Trackless feels like it’s trying to offer some kind of social commentary, but any deeper meaning remains unclear, and nothing of any substance is ever revealed. In the end, that leaves us with a cool blend of puzzle styles that is perhaps worth a single cursory playthrough for those looking for something a little different.

Ourea offers a tantalizing glimpse into the mysteries of a fallen civilization, but it’s so short that you’ll have little time to enjoy anything except the thought of what might have been.

With such finicky, problematic controls, a bit of third-party key-mapping magic may be your best bet to bring out the fun, colourful, puzzle-solving romp through ancient ruins at the heart of An Interesting Journey of Monsieur PAF.

The Birdwatcher makes for a somewhat enjoyable walking tour of Norrköping, but the detachment of story and gameplay makes for a surprisingly disengaging mystery.

It is much, much easier for me to recommend the game as a free browser-based Flash game than as a commercial product.

The Subject tries to take the helpless cat-and-mouse horror of games like Amnesia and meld it with player-guided puzzle solving, but doesn’t push either angle as much as it should. The result is a middling mix of both, though a welcome casual mode implemented post-launch at least puts the focus on gameplay over survival.

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.

Hostil feels like the bare-bones outline of a survival tale in an alien landscape. There’s enough effort and polish to demonstrate a legitimate attempt at a serious narrative, but it’s disappointingly hamstrung by its own brevity to really be effective.

A brief reboot of the cult classic series, Black Mirror does well to pile more richly atmospheric doom and gloom on the Gordon family, but is hobbled by creaking mechanics and poor design decisions.

Ghost of the Dusk is likely not going to help much putting Jake Hunter on the map in the West. For every step forward its main story takes, the side cases negate with dull and drawn-out sessions of tap-the-screen, making them feel more like padding that will try the patience of even devoted visual novel fans.

The acting is good and the central mystery is intriguing enough to want to see it through, but Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? isn’t able to rise above its repetitive nature and lack of any real gameplay to maintain interest all the way to the final unveiling.

The FMV mystery Jessika supplies a thought-provoking if uncomfortable story, though a number of flaws in the interface and to a lesser extent the English translation take focus away from the tale it’s trying to tell.

The Fabled Woods delivers an intriguing trio of interconnected tales with a nice coat of production polish, but the game’s brevity and lack of interaction result in a power hike through the heart of the wilderness instead of a more compelling, slow-paced stroll.

Rallying in its final third to finish on a high note, Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story just manages to overcome its earlier humdrum sections with a multilayered tale of deceased souls.

Hoodwink establishes an interesting premise in a unique setting, but its ease and occasional frustrations spoil some of the fun in this (undisclosed) episodic debut.

If a unique and lengthy visual novel is what you’re craving, WILL: A Wonderful World could fill that particular void. So long as you can accept its rapid tonal shifts, constant despair, and uneven writing, the fate-shaping wordplay delivers something fresh and enticing.

Though Fate of Kai features a clever gameplay concept and enjoyable comic book aesthetic, its simple puzzles, slight story, and a few notable moments of frustration keep the game from reaching its potential.

May's Mysteries is a substantial puzzler that is sure to satisfy fans of logical and mathematical brainteasers, but offers little of interest for those seeking more.

Proving too slow-paced and repetitive for its own good, Root Letter fails to seal the deal on its promising set-up, though it may yet pave the way for improved Kadokawa mysteries to come.

Just Take Your Left is a skillfully animated wacky cartoon adventure that will frustrate as much as it entertains due to its bugs and poor player feedback.

Although it might be worth checking out Red Comrades Save the Galaxy for the sake of novelty alone, don’t expect too much from either the plot or the puzzles. You’ll just end up confused anyway.

Firewood is effective in its creepiness, but it’s hobbled by a confusingly disjointed story, overly simple puzzles and a brutally short playtime.

The debut installment of Montague’s Mount is very pretty and atmospheric, but the lack of plot, puzzles or scares so far should have you waiting until the next episode before you decide whether to climb on.

Unfortunately, the game's confusing plot, lack of human contact, static scenes and frustrating gameplay had simply worn thin.

Too unremarkable to share in its predecessor’s cult status and too clunky to rival its modern competition, Yume Nikki – Dream Diary is a reverential yet surprisingly unfaithful reimagining of its 2004 namesake.

In Sheep’s Clothing is a very disappointing episode that starts slow and never picks up much steam. It all falls on the finale now to redeem this uneven series.

It has an interesting, thought-provoking story and takes an innovative approach in combining different gaming genres, but Headspun’s implementation is uneven and results in equal measures of fun and frustration.

Outside of the story failings, which are really inexcusable after three/four complete games, there’s some solid adventuring to be found in this hellish town. The problem is that the game takes one misstep backward for every step forward. Excellent puzzle ideas are hindered by flawed implementation, while the dramatic shifts in gameplay are likely to alienate many players. Were hour-long, fright-free puzzles the missing link for survival horror fans? Were adventure gamers clamouring for punishing platforming sequences and boss fights? There’s a market in the middle, to be sure, but even for them, Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh is too uneven to fully embrace. There are things here to enjoy, but be prepared for an uphill climb.

Ultreïa is beautiful to look at and its robotic world is creatively imagined, but a chronically underwritten story means there’s not much else to recommend beneath the surface.

If the numerous technical problems are fixed, this is definitely a game that would-be detectives will want to pick up. Until then, most players will want to take a pass.

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

This game is a quick snack, clocking in for me at about 15 hours. Though rough in a few spots, it has some very interesting puzzles and challenges that I really enjoyed.

Chronique des Silencieux features striking story beats, characters, visuals, and music. However, the gameplay frustrations and technical issues become tremendously irritating, so players may question whether they want to push through to the end.

Conarium’s story is a fine addition to the Lovecraft universe, but doesn’t make for a compelling gaming experience, so only the acclaimed horror author’s devotees will likely find much of interest.

The Tree of Life is a game that may appeal to hardcore adventure gamers, but be prepared to overlook a lot of very fundamental faults.

Sometimes infernally frustrating and plagued with inconsistent design, the deeply morbid Lucius nevertheless contains some diabolical fun for those with loads of patience and a strong stomach.

The platforming-adventure hybrid Between Me and the Night benefits from an impressive audio-visual presentation, but falls flat when it comes to narrative and puzzle integration.

Some Distant Memory tackles serious topics—love, mortality, and environmental destruction chief among them—but its short playtime means it never has the chance to explore them in much depth, and its discovery-based play style may leave players wishing they had more to do.

Although it doesn’t feel entirely phoned-in, SIMULACRA 2 fails to either build on its predecessor’s style or provide enough worthwhile substance of its own, making for a sequel that isn’t quite transmitting at full strength.

There’s a fair bit of fun to be had sneaking about the workplace in this first-person fixed-time thriller at first, but The Occupation ends up overstaying its welcome due to some clumsy implementation.

As an extremely short prologue to a bigger upcoming game, The Whisperer shows a strong proficiency in building fear, but less so for resolving a satisfying mystery.

Night Call is neither a great mystery nor a great cabbie simulator, but if you like dialogue and weird characters, this unique visual novel-style adventure is an interesting distraction.

1954: Alcatraz has a great premise, but the execution falls flat.

A Long Road Home won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and may even attract the altogether wrong audience given its JRPG aesthetic, but there are enough positive aspects that a good time shines through from time to time.

Ultimately, Jekyll & Hyde is a bit like its dual protagonists: a very mixed bag.

Despite the polished presentation, The Descendant is by-the-numbers sci-fi that rarely ventures out of its modest comfort zone. It won’t win an Emmy, but it does manage to entertain throughout its five brief episodes.

Definitely the low point of the series, The Cain Killer is obviously still a must-play if you’re invested in the Cognition series thus far, though it reminds us that Phoenix Online has a lot of room to grow.

While Crystal Key II does have its charms, none of them are strong enough to save it from being average and lacklustre.

With its lack of puzzles, unapologetically bleak atmosphere and ungraceful presentation, Saint Kotar, will not be for everyone, but embrace it for what it is and you may just find it endearingly janky every step of the way.

If you enjoy retro sounds and graphics, Paul Pixel may be worth the amusement it provides in its very brief play time, but you’ll need to accept a lack of any depth in both story and gameplay.

A solid, unexceptional adventure and a potentially engaging diversion. Unfortunately the plot, for all its intricacies, fails in what should have been a primary objective; holding the gamer’s interest.

Favouring style over substance, Detective from the Crypt certainly looks pretty but an unengaging story and pedestrian gameplay leave little impression otherwise.

In Rays of the Light offers a solitary experience, letting you explore some ruins after a catastrophe cleared them of any human inhabitants. Unfortunately, the lack of any actual substance makes the gameplay feel as gloomy as the setting is.

Despite a lovingly crafted 3D reimagining, Colossal Cave recreates the original too closely to appeal to much more than game history buffs and nostalgia seekers – or very patient players who don’t mind repetitive, arduous gameplay.

There are promising aspects of Don’t Forget Me, like its choice-based storyline and thought-provoking gameplay concepts, but clunky writing, poor localization and flawed puzzle implementation keep it from realizing much of its potential.

Sir Typhil’s short introduction in Unicorn Dungeon would have been far sweeter without the tacked-on dungeon crawling that detracts from what’s otherwise a solid if unspectacular fantasy adventure debut.

The setting is inviting and the puzzles are solid, but unless you're a devoted series diehard, desperately seeking something new for your Wii, or have friends to join you in multiplayer, I suggest you consider leaving Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident to gather dust on the store shelf.

Despite some solid production values, Morningstar: Descent to Deadrock is just too short and uninspired to strongly recommend.

Consistent enjoyment of AntVentor is hindered by its gameplay frustrations, but its charming main character and gorgeous visual design make for an interesting first stepping stone for the rest of the trilogy.

A solid but unremarkable casual experience, The Mystery of Haunted Hollow surrounds its creepy tale with a nice variety of easy puzzling and places to explore.

Putt-Putt Joins the Parade is a decent first outing for the cheerful purple car that will make its younger audience smile, but a number of limitations reflect its status as Humongous’ first junior adventure.