Mutropolis is cute, with a great cast of characters, it’s certainly very charming to look at, and it maintains a very comfortable ambience. All of this is only accessible to you, however, if you can stomach old-school point-and-click puzzling.
With its fresh humour and intuitive puzzle-solving gameplay, Nine Witches is a compact and entertaining adventure game that will do nicely for fans of puzzle adventures and comedic games.
Metamorphosis is a brief and pretty adventure about controlling a bug, but it’s neither as memorable nor as striking as its inspiration. It’s not bad for a spin, but you’d really be served better by reading Kafka straight from the bottle.
Necrobarista as a game embodies many of the qualities you find in the game’s characters. It’s brash, it’s snappy and clever, it’s also more than a little sly, but it’s got an unbreakable emotional core that you can’t forget. If this is the future of visual novels, then pour me another one.
Like a work of Scandinavian wood carving, Röki is a finely-crafted, intricate adventure game that perfectly grasps the essence of puzzles, fairy tales, and family.
Cloudpunk’s overall narrative is perhaps a little less saturated than its glittering city, but the game is held aloft by its memorable characters and meditative driving gameplay.
Evan’s Remains tells a gripping, amazingly convoluted tale interspersed by irresistible puzzle platforming that left me wanting a lot more than what I got.
VirtuaVerse’s stylish and atmospheric presentation isn’t enough to save a game constricted by convoluted puzzles and an unlikeable protagonist.
If, like me, you have no qualms with breezy adventure puzzles and a bubbly narrative, Half Past Fate is a relentlessly sweet and adorable rom-com that charms the heart and soothes the mind.
In making its protagonist less powerful than the other characters of his world, The Flower Collectors becomes more powerful as a video game.
Superliminal is a little more clinical and flat than it deserved to be, but it’s still a spectacular, perception-bending experience that everyone needs to try. It sparks joy, and that’s a lot in itself.
In Other Waters is a game that knows full well who it’s for. Its relaxing style, UI-based gameplay, and descriptive biological writing all come together to instil a sense of adventure.
Lair of the Clockwork God is an irresistibly funny and thoroughly rambunctious adventure that had me full of amusement and admiration. It’s made its mark in the hall of fame for comedy games.
Stela’s tight platforming and beautiful yet oppressive atmosphere can only go so far when the game as a whole does little to impress.
Luna The Shadow Dust looks and sounds beautiful, and it’s a neat little adventure to have, so long as you can put up with some slow, trial-and-error puzzling.
With its sombre mood, innovative narrative design, and deeply poetic writing, Kentucky Route Zero is one of the most unique and important games ever made.
Wandersong is a game crafted with love, that depicts love, and that encourages you to love in turn. What better theme for a game about the power of music?
It’s hard not to recommend Sayonara Wild Hearts, simply because it works so well as both an album and a video game. Step aside music videos, we’re doing music video games now.
Mosaic’s moving dioramas produce strong and memorable images of a dystopia that’s all too real. The gameplay, however, seems to miss the point.
Untitled Goose Game is refreshingly original, and its penchant for nuisance taps into a vein of mischief that has never been approached with this kind of elegance.