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.