Though a few artistic and technical blemishes stifle the immersion, Demons Never Lie remains an engaging if not particularly challenging narrative adventure.

Lair of Clockwork God blends adventure and platforming to mixed effect, but it’s a very accomplished game overall, bursting with enough variety, style and humour to keep you surprised and entertained throughout its surprisingly generous play time.

On paper, The Suicide of Rachel Foster promises a spooky ghost tale grounded in the drama of a family driven apart. While some of that potential is eventually made good on, the road there is a bit too bland and unengaging to make the whole experience shine as brightly as it should.

Kentucky Route Zero’s short, elegiac coda sweetly and sadly puts a pin on this drawn-out but richly rewarding magical realist episodic series.

Although scouring Dark Fall: Ghost Vigil’s haunted Harwood House for supernatural signs can be tedious at times, the puzzles that lurk within its genuinely dark and spooky walls are anything but.

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.

While Dry Drowning’s conclusion may be overly complicated, the visual novel-styled journey of tracking down a serial killer in a future dystopian city more than makes up for it.

The latest Carol Reed detective escapade fires on all cylinders, as Geospots crafts a compelling tale and fascinating quest through awesomely eye-catching vistas.

LUNA: The Shadow Dust is an audio-visual delight, with charming hand-drawn animation accompanied by a stellar soundtrack, though its gameplay isn’t very inventive and is ultimately more a case of style over substance.

It’s sometimes too convoluted for its own good, and its macabre take on certain subjects might turn some players off, but the complete five-part Sally Face is a worthwhile and wholly unique gaming experience that has to be played to be believed.

Mosaic will be a worthwhile experience for that certain type of gamer who can appreciate style over substance in the service of an artistic statement. Without much in the way of gameplay, it’s more of an experimental atmospheric experience than a traditional piece of interactive entertainment.

Jupiter & Mars is the kind of game you need to go into completely aware of what to expect. Its gameplay and narrative are likely a bit too shallow for newcomers to take the plunge, but those in the mood for a chill ocean exploration experience will definitely find some enjoyment here.

Discolored is a surreal and atmospheric experience that is less a well-rounded adventure than puzzle game, yet it is very satisfying and enjoyable to play. Just be prepared for it to raise a lot of questions and leave you to supply your own answers about the strange events unfolding around you.

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.

Artematica’s video game adaptation of Morbus Gravis is underdeveloped, unbalanced, and borderline unplayable. Only the most dedicated of Druuna fans need subject themselves to the game’s insurmountable frustrations.

As standard as both the point-and-click gameplay and production values are, Nobodies manages to carve out its own niche by giving players’ twisted imaginations a bit of free rein.

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.

The Cinema Rosa is moody and atmospheric and succeeds admirably as a mix of retro-theater nostalgia and supernatural exploration. Its story is never delivered with clarity, but it’s a brief experience worth having, especially if you have any love for classic film.

The laid-back nature of the simple but fun exploratory gameplay coupled with the soothing music and lush scenery make A Short Hike a relaxing adventure filled with not only humor but the tenderness of personal connections.

While The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets doesn’t actually offer up a curious tale at all, it is worth a look for the creative model-sized VR worlds available to play around with. It won’t last long, but this one’s a family-friendly puzzler that especially the youngest among us will enjoy.

We. The Revolution’s striking looks and memorable moments are all too often overshadowed by myriad gameplay mechanics and a constrained, confusing plot.

Tangle Tower will captivate you from the start with its amusing art-themed murder and keep you hooked thanks to its likeable cast of characters, stellar production values, and clever logic puzzles.

Alternate Jake Hunter: DAEDALUS – The Awakening of Golden Jazz is a visual novel-adventure aimed at gamers who delight in plot twists and dialogs and are willing to overlook repetition and graphical discrepancies.

It’s over before you know it, but Feria d’Arles is a warm and hilarious throwback full of clever puzzles and wonderful characters in a vibrant, colorful version of Provence.

If you can get past all the timed events and repetition from multiple deaths, the slick-looking Deliver Us the Moon will reward you with an an evolving story and interesting characters in an evocative sci-fi setting filled with challenging obstacles to overcome.

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.

Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard expands on its predecessor’s strengths with an even wider cast of loveable, eccentric characters to question, all the while keeping the original’s sunny charm and humour.

Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem trades in brainteasing puzzles for a greater focus on an interesting story and a large cast of characters, but is hampered by rough edges that even four years of development couldn’t smooth.

Although marred by some technical issues at launch, as well as some poorly-implemented action sequences, the charm of this world and pull of its story are enough to make Blacksad: Under The Skin an engaging adaptation of the popular graphic novel series.

Groundhog Day wasn’t exactly a property screaming for a sequel. However, Tequila Works’ next-generation time-looping adventure successfully manages to pull players into its familiar small-town Americana vibe for a cute new story, albeit one saddled with some VR control issues and inevitable repetition.

More a psychological thriller than pure horror game until the final stretch, Blair Witch won’t scare you so much as drive you barking mad (in both good ways and bad).

Life Is Strange 2 explores a touching, special relationship between two brothers that will make your heart hurt in the best possible way.

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.

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.

We Were Here Together provides a great assortment of co-op challenges that will test your ability to communicate vocally as well as to solve them together.

Making good use of its modest presentation, Moonrise Fall is an enchantingly bittersweet and beautiful game filled with intrigue and environmental obstacles to overcome. While you won’t get answers to all of your questions by the end, it’s still well worth investigating this surreal mystery.

Argonus and the Gods of Stone takes elements of real Greek mythology and shuffles them about to create a fantastic, engrossing new experience that feels like it fits in antiquity.

Rather than treating Mary Shelley’s creation as the monster of so many horror movies, The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature is true to the spirit of the original novel and is a treat for the eyes and ears.

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.

While The 13th Doll never quite equals its seminal inspiration, fans of The 7th Guest will find much to enjoy in this fan-created, puzzle-centric follow-up. Those new to the series, however, will probably feel left behind.

The Antidote is a charming and brain-teasing throwback to the weirder adventure games from a bygone age. Its focus on abstruse puzzles might be a turn-off for newer fans of the genre, but its tightly written script and peculiar visuals offer a memorable experience that should be worth a classic adventure fan’s time.

With a fun off-screen companion and an interesting story to delve into based on real-world concerns, The Bradwell Conspiracy is a fairly enjoyable experience even if a weak ending and an assortment of glitches hold it back from its full potential.

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.

Moons of Madness ditches the cold New England setting of Lovecraft’s eldritch tales for the dry, arid wastelands of Mars, and what results is a textbook example of how “cosmic” cosmic horror truly can be.

The Great Perhaps has a lot of good ideas yet fails to devote enough attention to them, raising lots of questions but not answering many. While the artwork and music are highlights, they’re not enough to balance out what is otherwise a disappointing experience.

Forgiveness features a few memorable puzzles and its presentation is top-notch, but inconsistent design choices and the promise of a story that never materializes render it frustratingly unfulfilling.

Bad Dream: Fever rises above its predecessor due to several design improvements. While staying true to the nightmarish concept and the leaps of logic that entails, the sequel offers more solid footing for those willing to take the plunge into the surreal.

To play, or not to play? If you like Shakespeare, definitely. But even if you dozed through high school English, the clever premise and time-loop puzzling make Elsinore a world worth exploring.

A faltering sequel that borrows even more liberally from well-worn horror tropes than its predecessor, Outlast 2 ends up a middling entry despite its high production values and some shining moments of found footage fright.

A variety of engrossing “choose-your-own” quests based on real-life travel memoirs, Wanderlust Travel Stories’ vividly written text will have you longing to start your own exotic adventure.

An intriguing, beautiful mystery with a deep and memorable lead character, Jenny LeClue – Detectivú delivers in just about every way.

Angelo and Deemon attempts to pay homage to the classic age of adventure gaming, but outside of a promising early premise it fails to deliver on its potential. Between frustrating puzzles and an exasperating translation, there are few reasons to travel down this highway to hell.

Balanced firmly between satisfying puzzles, survival horror gameplay, and an amusing story that satirizes the grind of corporate life, the odd but thoroughly engaging Yuppie Psycho has all the makings of a cult classic.

A slapstick romp through a stylish kingdom of loons and beasties, Pilgrims’ simple but inventive card-based inventory system and replay opportunities turn a slight game into a journey you’ll want to complete again and again.

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

Apart from a few pulse-pounding moments in an otherwise generic haunted house story, the weakest link in Silver Chains is that it’s just not very scary or engaging enough to survive as an adventure game otherwise.

Player agency may be minimal throughout, but for those willing to work through all the reading, Lightstep Chronicles provides a gorgeous and compelling story of Artificial Intelligence gone horribly wrong.

Where the Bees Make Honey throws half a dozen different gameplay types at the wall, but with such an abbreviated play time very few of them are able to stick.

While intentionally vague on backstory, The Sojourn provides a solitary journey through relaxing vistas littered with enjoyably mind-bending navigational puzzles.

Don’t be fooled by the glitter and sparkles: Little Misfortune is a surprisingly dark but very engaging grown-up tale about a little girl trying to find beauty in life’s ugliness.

With its creatively whimsical yet sincere approach, entertaining mechanics, memorable story, likable characters and vibrant world, Wandersong proves to be one of the most memorable and endearing games to come out of an independent studio in recent times.

While predictably light on actual gameplay, Supermassive’s kick-off to their Dark Pictures Anthology is a welcome return to form that ticks all the right boxes for a scarily good time. Whether alone or with friends, raise the sails and weigh anchor aboard Man of Medan’s ghost ship if you dare.

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.

As a Saw-inspired escape room adventure, Play With Me is a concept that works well on paper, but too many design choices inevitably stack up to an unsatisfying slog through one keycode puzzle after another.

Trails and Traces is an easy, modestly designed but enjoyable little comedy about pirates, detectives and megaphones, but it ends before it’s able to fully find its footing.

When it isn’t bogged down by overly long conversations and cutscenes, Neofeud presents a compelling vision of the future clearly influenced by science fiction tropes of the past.

DARQ’s rich atmosphere and clever central gameplay mechanic should overshadow any misgivings about its short length and narrative abstraction.

Too short for its own good, The Artifact has some fun and interesting game mechanics but the experience is over before it can leave a lasting impression.

The five-part Odysseus Kosmos and his Robot Quest sets up an interesting sci-fi story with a beautiful pixel art presentation, but it has a number of flaws that create an uneven experience overall.

Dr. Doyle and The Mystery of the Cloche Hat presents a captivating murder mystery with a fantastic old-time aesthetic and an interesting if slow-paced take on standard adventure game staples.

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.

Adventures of Isabelle Fine: Murder on Rails provides a fresh take on the detective investigation but gets sidetracked by overly repetitive puzzle sequences and an extraterrestrial storyline that’s not as stimulating as its human subplots.

Bear With Me‘s DLC prequel episode The Lost Robots is an entertaining addition to the Paper City universe, with plenty of stylish laughs surrounding an intriguing whodunit.

The Black Widow is an interesting reflection on the real life case of Louisa Collins, the last woman hanged in Australia, but doesn’t provide enough depth or any surprises to make it truly memorable.

While the short, casual room puzzler The Tower of Beatrice has an intriguing premise and interesting recipe potion mechanic, they simply don’t make up for the nearly non-existent story, poor English translation and largely generic gameplay.

The Idiot’s Tale is just a fun game to play, with a sarcastic, irreverent humour that permeates everything and lovingly throws shade at classic adventure titles. There are a couple of potentially serious negatives, but these are completely overshadowed by the enjoyable overall experience.

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 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.

A lush, expansive, genre-bending adventure, Golden Treasure is worth seeking out for a fresh new experience, even if not all of the game’s ambitious elements fit together snugly.

Unlike its renowned predecessor by Sierra, Gold Rush! 2 fails to strike it rich. A historically interesting, slightly educational narrative can’t save the experience from its mind-numbingly easy puzzles and poor presentation in every respect.

Vane manages to successfully present an intriguingly surreal world, but its aimless story and execution keep players from deriving much satisfaction from visiting it.

Another quality addition to the stable of games in the Black Watchmen universe, NITE Team 4 puts players on the hot seat of an elite hacker of a clandestine organization. Although some elements could have been executed better, the main game’s 25-plus hours of cyberwarfare goodness alone make this a must-have for existing Alice & Smith fans, and a great way for genre newbies to try their hand at some pretend hacking.

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.

Though it lacks the strong narrative underpinning of its better inspirations, there is a lot to like in Epitasis for those who enjoy the gameplay of The Talos Principle, The Witness and similar exploratory puzzle games.

Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure looks amazing and will make you laugh, but its inability to tell a coherent story prevents this comedy cosmic horror adventure from fulfilling its abundant potential.

It ends way too soon and could really use a better backstory, but Alt-Frequencies is a simple and fun game that is totally worth playing for a unique new experience, and even more so if you have affection for FM radio.

Though its gameplay isn’t very deep, Sea of Solitude is a beautiful, at times poignant adventure that will linger with you long after you’ve left it in your wake.

As its title suggests, Yet Another Hero Story is a very by-the-numbers point-and-click fantasy adventure, but it’s generally a good one with great characters, a funny story and a compelling visual design.

For those who won’t be deterred by the endless deaths and time-looped backtracking in Outer Wilds, its intriguing mystery and non-linear exploration of an entire solar system will be a novel and deeply engaging experience.

It requires a great deal of patience and perseverance, but those who enjoy exploring and can embrace the nonsensical and peculiar should appreciate the surreal charms of Strange Telephone and its journey into the unknown.

It’s a short and simple point-and-click adventure, but Clam Man is so packed full of grin-inducing jokes that it’s bound to brighten up your day.

With a high-res graphical overhaul and all-new voice-overs, Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! HD is an amusing pirate-themed romp filled with memorable characters, puzzles and puns, all at a manageable challenge level that any fan of point-and-click adventures, new or returning, can enjoy.

Though it muddies the waters by needlessly cramming in a boatload of gameplay mechanics that drown out some of the fun, The Sinking City delivers a believable turn-of-the-century Lovecraftian setting and infuses it with fittingly macabre story beats that would do the author proud.

Taking the retro look to a whole new level with its distinctive 2-bit(ish) graphics, The Land of the Seazogs is a fairly fun and challenging little science fiction point-and-click adventure.

Similarly to its predecessor, a striking presentation is not enough for Layers of Fear 2 to overcome a jumbled menagerie of cliches, jump scares, and overwrought writing.

Smile For Me combines an engaging story with fresh gameplay ideas, a relatable and quick-witted cast of characters, and an impressive sense of style in a memorable experience that is worth any adventure gamer’s time.

Once you have mastered the interface and navigation challenges, Observation will sweep you up in a compelling story of human and machine interaction that offers a refreshing spin on a familiar sci-fi formula.

Despite an underwhelming ending, Harvester of Dreams’s strong start, intriguing main setting and attention to little details makes this an enchanting journey to embark on.