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.

Even though a disjointed visual style and overly no-frills approach holds Zof back from greatness, fans of Myst-like puzzle adventures will find much to enjoy about the wide variety of surreal environments and enigmatic machinery that make up its difficult but fair puzzles.

Reveling in its own eccentricity, Trüberbrook’s quirky characters, stunningly vivid backdrops and engaging dialogue for the most part make up for some flaws in its ambitious but rushed narrative.

A surprisingly moody piece about esoteric organizations and human nature that never takes itself too seriously. Brendel’s low-budget adventure game will permeate players minds and have them contemplating the existence of the Lifestream even as they shower at six a.m. in the morning.

The new directions the game goes in dilute the qualities that made the first Dark Fall so great, and it ends up being much less immediate, real and frightening than its predecessor.

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.

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.

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.

If you are looking for a brain-teasing experience full of complex puzzles to blow your mind, Memento Mori has little to offer along those lines. But if you are fan of story-driven adventures, you'll find a promising new adventure to fill your needs in this gripping psychological drama (albeit disguised as a conspiracy thriller) with one of the most shocking and memorable endings the genre has seen in a long time.

Tales from Candleforth is a solid, although brief, Room Escape-like adventure, with a few nightmarish scenes you may never forget.

I should also point out that The Scorpio Ritual is a short game—six to eight hours of play spread across four main locations—and it culminates with an unusually abrupt ending.

MIND is a great-looking first-person puzzler with a nice atmosphere and promising but flawed gameplay that’s often held hostage to a narrative that falls flat on its face.

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.

You shouldn’t play with your food, but it’s necessary when dealing with the creatures of Snaktooth Island. While the creative design and catchy music are tasty side dishes, Bugsnax‘s main course of monster-catching gets a tad stale before the end.

The second Initiate outing replicates much of what made the first game so enjoyable, this time with three playable protagonists sharing the spotlight. But the vague nuggets of narrative still fail to deliver, and are once again easily eclipsed by the satisfaction you’ll get instead from cracking the many puzzles.

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

You may not want to live there, but the return trip to Ravenhearst offers a little something for casual gamers, puzzle lovers, and adventurers alike.

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

While the story is anything but deep, underneath Pan-Pan’s pretty face beats the heart of a solid puzzle-adventure that provides a couple hours of light-hearted entertainment.

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.

Shrug Island is a short but scenic getaway with a tropical sorbet-flavored design that provides a relaxing experience of gentle puzzling fun.

This is a solid sequel in the franchise and while it doesn't really break any new ground, it does make some minor but important improvements that make it the best game in the series.

Perhaps the Codex will finally bring an unheralded series the attention it deserves. There's no new content, but those unfamiliar with the series should definitely give this release a closer look.

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

Though it never really rises above its simple premise, the gorgeously immersive Beyond Blue may just be as close to deep-sea diving as you can get without a wetsuit (or the stress).

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.

Uniquely enigmatic but occasionally tedious, Path to Mnemosyne creates a dizzying world of alluring visuals to fill with a generally gratifying collection of puzzles based on observation, memorization and timing.