If I had known going in that FAR: Lone Sails, the first game by developer Okomotive, was a platformer in the vein of Limbo, I probably would have passed on it. I’m not particularly against platforming, but like Limbo, Unleaving, and many other games of its ilk, there’s virtually no story and hence little motivation to what you’re doing. I was able to tolerate the bare-bones experience thanks to its brevity, easy of play, and some neat visual effects.
I tend to give detective mysteries a wide latitude when it comes to plausibility. Real detective work is mostly boring and spicing it up with smoking guns and gotcha interrogations is often necessary to make it entertaining. Contradiction, the first game by Baggy Cat, is a full-motion video mystery that sees you investigate the death of a local college student by shaking down everyone that’s been in contact with her. A user-friendly interface, enthusiastic performances, and the occasional deduction make this a fun ride, though the sheer implausibility of every waking moment make this hard to take seriously.
Publisher: Sony Developer: Supermassive Games Year: 2015 Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5
Rating: 7
The first game I played by Supermassive was The Quarry, and it appears I was a bit spoiled. I heard great things about Until Dawn, but I didn’t own a Playstation. And then they released it on 2024 on the PC, but my computer couldn’t handle the specs at the time. I finally got around to it this year. And I wished I had played Until Dawn first. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but I couldn’t help thinking the entire time how they improved the choice-based horror formula in nearly ever single way a few years later
Publisher: Raw Fury Developer: Dogubomb Year: 2025 Platform: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2
Rating: 8
While I’m certainly not an adventure game purist, I have never particularly cared for roguelikes. I already have a difficult time with any randomness in my games; the thief in Zork drove me bananas and the random monsters in King’s Quest still anger me. So an entire map that is procedurally generated? Just saying it makes me anxious, so it’s no wonder I was hesitant to give Blue Prince–by first time developer Dogubomb– a chance despite its endless accolades. I needn’t have worried. Dare I say I even found the game’s randomness exciting at times, with no small thanks to the mostly ingenious surrounding puzzles and compelling backstory.
Can an android become sentient? Bet you’ve never experienced that kind of story before. But in case you have, The Talos Principle does a decent job of engaging in this discussion while sending you through about a hundred or so environmental puzzles. Clearly inspired by the Portal series, The Talos Principle is significantly more difficult and significantly more serious. And while I found it to be repetitive at times and the story not as engrossing as I was hoping for, I still had a blast working my way through it.
Publisher: Arctic Arcade Developer: Arctic Arcade Year: 2024 Platform: Windows
Rating: 1
As The Adventures of Zomboy begins, you are craving brains so badly that nothing else matters until you get some. Thankfully, there’s an aluminum can of brains near your bed and a can opener in your RV. It’s a good thing, too, as Zomboy is a pacifist zombie who’s just trying to figure himself out and what the future holds. Sadly, neither of these things occurred in the 53 minutes it took me to click through this pocket-sized adventure.
Publisher: Powerhoof Developer: Powerhoof Year: 2025 Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Rating: 7
Even though they have become infinitely more polished over the last fifteen years, I often find myself underwhelmed by modern point-n-click, inventory based adventure games. Many hold the player’s hand a little too much, but mostly I just find many of them have uninspired puzzle design. If I’m going to be carrying around a dozen unrelated items in my pockets, I want to be excited about their possibilities. The Drifter understands this, consistently delighting me in ways I hadn’t felt in a long-time. While the story about a homeless man wrestling with his past and future doesn’t quit hit the emotional punches it strives for, I still had a blast from beginning to end.
Publisher: Annapurna Developer: BlueTwelve Year: 2022 Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XBox Series, Switch
Rating: 6
Stray, an epic adventure about a lost cat, is as adorable as one could possibly hope for. A realistic physics engine combined with inane feline habits steals the show. And while gamewise and plotwise there are some missteps, there’s enough here to give the experience emotional weight beyond “Ooo, there’s a kitty!”
Publisher: Inpleron Developer: Wrong Organ Year: 2024 Platform: Windows
Rating: 4
On originality alone, the critically acclaimed, psychological horror Mouthwashing would rate much higher for me. And it certainly evoked an emotional response that I won’t soon forget. But that doesn’t negate the fact that for most of my playtime I was not enjoying myself.
Publisher: No More Robots Developer: Tendershoot, ThatWhichIs Media Year: 2019 Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Rating: 5
If you ever lament how we moved from the early internet days where there were no links to anything and every site had frames and auto-playing music, then Hypnospace Outlaw was made for you. I was a teenager during those days, and while this game sent me on a huge nostalgia trip, I found it mostly just overstimulating.
Death By Troggles 
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