Adventurezator‘s heart is in the right place, but for all its charm and potential, neither the game itself nor its built-in user creation system is quite there yet.

Perhaps better suited as a jumping-off point for newcomers than existing fans, Dog Mendonça and Pizza Boy is a perfectly serviceable game in its own right but falls just short of the mark set by the graphic novels.

The Land of Lamia is a quiet yet intriguing little project featuring a fantastical world and satisfying puzzles, but it doesn’t feel like a full game and will ultimately leave you wanting more.

With myriad design and localization flaws, it’s best to let Undercover Missions: Operation Kursk-141 rest at the bottom of the ocean.

Although it wastes most of its narrative potential, for anyone who just wants to play a game chock-full of fun and unusual puzzles while exploring a charming and nostalgia-inducing environment, A Short Tale provides plenty of entertainment for a few hours.

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.

A love letter to gamers who prefer first-person, devilishly difficult, puzzle-heavy adventures, Catyph offers tasty dollops of sci-fi and a hint of Myst.

If you’ve got a few hours to spare, the colorfully casual Royal Trouble sequel is a breezy way to spend them, though there’s no escaping some disappointment at its slight puzzling and story.

A charming game about two robots surviving the apocalypse, Wanda has a surprising amount of humanity packed into its fairly short playtime.

Remade as a modern text adventure, Lifestream is a clever supernatural mystery that is not without its flaws but manages to be better than the sum of its parts.

A lighthearted distraction that may be more appreciated by the younger crowd, Tick’s Tales has a degree of charm but never really delves into anything more substantial or interesting.

Some slick visuals and good intentions can’t make up for the fact that The Grandfather is simply too short and under-developed to deliver on its intriguing premise and experimental aspirations.

Dishing up triumphs and frustrations in equal measure, The Eyes of Ara is a game no puzzle lover should miss, while story-driven adventurers should consider themselves sufficiently warned.

If you have a strong masochistic urge to inflict a few hours of excruciating, pretentious sociopolitical ramblings interspersed with bouts of petty cruelty and vulgarity upon yourself, Désiré is the game for you.

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.

A revival of a classic adventure series, the episodic King’s Quest is itself an instant classic, giving each new installment its own unique focus. Wise, brave, and compassionate adventurers alike should definitely consider having a crack at it.

Barrow Hill: The Dark Path is a competent throwback to old-school horror-themed point-and-click games. It doesn’t break any new ground, but it does its forebears proud.

A little mechanical clunkiness can’t hide the heart beneath Tales, which shines with a love of stories, puzzles and humanity.

The superficial use of Asian motifs and a playable dog protagonist aren’t enough to flesh out the universal themes of life and death in the stylish but extremely short Don’t Disturb.

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.

With an art style as beautiful as the princess you’re aiming to save, Little Briar Rose is a fun but familiar jaunt through a comfortable, old fairy tale.

This haven for my eyes and ears was also an unrelenting obstacle course for my brain. Though it often left me frustrated, I know there are puzzle-patient adventure gamers who will relish this unusual combination and just might find themselves elatedly over the moon.

Midvinter is actually a decent little game, though for something that touts itself as a cross between Monkey Island and Over the Garden Wall, it is neither funny, deep, nor imaginative enough to really warrant such a comparison. While it is impressive that the game was created by just one person (and a composer), its flat characters, sub-par voice acting, and lack of story and gameplay depth left me feeling like it might have been improved by collaboration to expand its scope. Still, if you have an interest in the unique setting and culture of Scandinavian mythology and want a relatively challenge-free game to finish in a single sitting, Midvinter would certainly fit the bill.

Escape from Pleasure Planet is one of the few games attempting to hone in on an underrepresented thematic niche, which is very laudable. However, while it incorporates its homosexual elements very tastefully, it isn’t nearly as successful at being an enjoyable game. Hindered somewhat by technical shortcomings and a lackluster story, what really sinks the deal are the inconsistent, sometimes unfair, often frustrating or joyless changes in gameplay that force players to participate in filler tasks that are poorly explained, if at all. What results is an experiment that has a praiseworthy premise but falls short of providing any actual fun. I’d like to see Captain Tycho Minogue return for more galactic exploits, but this isn’t the game to cause his star to rise.

While Among the Innocent has a solid foundation for a tense psychological thriller, this exceptionally short game as a whole never really comes together and is neither intriguing or scary.

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.

The Last Time is a fantastic little point-and-click adventure game that puts story and character first. As a tale about growing old within the framework of a murder mystery, it is skillfully told and hits many emotional points on its way to the finale. Though it's a bit too short for its own good, it's definitely worth a few playthroughs to experience the different actions you can take and, most of all, to be fully sucked into the story and appreciate the quality of such relatable characters that inhabit this melancholy, dreary but darkly humorous world. A stellar effort and highly recommended.

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.