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.

The surreal presentation may draw a lot of the attention, but Maggie’s Apartment proves equal parts strange, artistic, and entertaining as you slowly peel back the quirky layers of a mystery that proves deceptively deep.

Breathtakingly beautiful and fiendishly logical, XING: The Land Beyond will spark your ingenuity and kindle a keen delight as you trek its entrancing pathways.

Danganronpa 2 is a sequel adhering to the motto, Don’t change, just improve. Some of the same problem areas are still present, but much has been smoothed out or enhanced for a superior entry over what was already a good first effort.

Although falling short of its full potential, Tokyo Dark tells an intriguing mystery story and nicely integrates elements of both western and eastern cultures, combining point-and-click adventure-style exploration and simple puzzles with visual novel-length conversations and multiple endings, some more satisfying than others.

Offering the same abundance of barely-integrated gameplay as its predecessors but with new protagonists and smaller cases, the gorgeous Layton's Mystery Journey is ideal for puzzle fans on the go, though at times it sacrifices quality for quantity.

Although the story is ultimately a disappointment, Ahnayro’s highly-polished puzzle mechanics, dreamlike atmosphere, and budget-friendly pricing make this a very worthwhile buy for gamers who yearn for something a little different.

Without question, Rakuen is an ambitious indie endeavor and I admired many aspects of it—the Boy’s authentic child-like wonder in the face of real human tragedy, the funny and endearing inhabitants of Morizora Forest, and the mystery surrounding the Boy’s hospital stay, to name a few. But my dissatisfaction with the puzzles and ending make the game difficult to wholeheartedly recommend. It really comes down to what kind of game you’re in the mood for. If you want a game that’s mostly story, then the number and type of puzzles in Rakuen will likely turn you off. If you’re looking for more of a story-puzzle balance regardless of how well the two are integrated, you’ll probably have a better time with Rakuen than I did. And if you’re in the mood for a game to make you cry—well, this one will, I guarantee it. I just can’t promise it’ll be the catharsis you’re looking for.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is engrossing, disturbing and erudite, and though it’s a little lacking in plot it’s full of welcome ideas.

The Low Road’s tale of espionage is told in a fun, quirky fashion that manages to hold your attention and keep a smile on your face throughout its short playtime. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel and falters slightly on occasion, it is a lovely experience that is definitely worth your time.

This Monty Python-inspired puzzler has a great sense of humor, generally fun puzzles, and a clever collage presentation. If you’re a fan of absurdist send-ups of religion, Four Last Things should be number one on your list of games to play next.

A little more story and gameplay variety would have filled out its generous play time better, but there is plenty of reason for both puzzle and platforming fans to enjoy RiME.

If you cherish piecing together clever, dramatic plot fragments and don’t mind lots of backtracking while rummaging through dimly-lit locales, then you owe it to yourself to play Empathy: Path of Whispers.

Lone Echo has left me wanting more, but not just because of the loose ends left in the story. In the days since finishing the game, I can’t seem to shake it – like a memory I keep turning to whenever my mind wanders. Immersive mechanics; an intimate, character-driven story; and a detailed, believable world all come together to create an experience I could genuinely lose myself in. Hopefully we won’t have to wait for a sequel before another game gets VR this right.

Stories Untold is better than the sum of its parts, even if this collection of horror-themed interactive fiction vignettes never quite capitalizes on the potential of its concept.

Danganronpa may not score highly with its excessive menagerie of gameplay mechanics, but if you’re morbidly curious and want to indulge your darker side, this unique visual novel adventure gets a solid passing grade.

The Turing Test gets a high passing grade for its many engaging puzzles, but marks deducted for a storyline that never fully connects.

Paradigm is a uniquely creative blend of art, music and consistently humorous gameplay. It’s an absurdist adventure like no other, and one that’s earned its place among the classics.

Loaded with quirky humor and challenging yet satisfying puzzles, Chronicle of Innsmouth works as both a retro adventure game and a loving tribute to H.P. Lovecraft.

Ultimately, Sandra and Woo in the Cursed Adventure is a game of heart and rough edges. It brings the web comic to life with some style, and tries to fill the protagonists’ world with chewy puzzles and meaty minigames, but manages to try a little too hard and winds up falling over the line from fun but tricky to hair-tearing and occasionally obtuse. The appeal is all about character, and sending the heroes to a fantasy world really helps to bring that out; just don't hope for too much of a tight storyline. If you're already a fan of the comic, it's easy to recommend this game. And even if you’re not, so long as you're patient (or like to think outside the box), you'll likely find Sandra and Woo to be entertaining companions for an unexpected journey.

The Frostrune is an enjoyable adventure game for both experienced and inexperienced players, with challenging puzzles and an atmospheric setting from a rarely-explored culture.

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.

The Sexy Brutale is a game I can happily recommend to just about anyone. The well-crafted environment, appealing music, and enthralling characters should appeal to virtually everyone who enjoys a good plot-driven game, and the overall mystery leads to a satisfyingly heartfelt conclusion. I reached that point in about eight hours’ time, though I dilly-dallied quite a lot on the way in order to leave no stone unturned, so seasoned adventurers will certainly be able to finish it even sooner. The lack of challenge may turn some people off, but surely only the most diehard puzzle fanatics. The simple fact is that it’s hard not to have a good time voyeuristically exploring this strange mansion and piecing together all the information you can find to save the lives of your masked cohorts. It’s a blast to do again and again, which is good because that’s what The Sexy Brutale continually invites you to do.

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.

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.

Full Throttle is another cherished page from the annals of genre history restored for a brand new audience. Though the remake will have limited appeal to those familiar with the highly polished original, the game belongs in the library of every adventure gamer, and it’s as enjoyable now as it was two decades ago.

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.

Kate Walker’s latest expedition to save the hapless Youkols is fraught with development missteps on multiple fronts, making Syberia 3 a mammoth disappointment.