Andy Jones

The fairy tales and fables we knew as children have an incredible power to loom in our imaginations, providing us with sustenance well into adulthood. In a Western context, figures such as Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and the Three Little Pigs offer a comforting familiarity, while the witches and wolves that act as their antagonists serve as gentle metaphors for the forces of evil at work in our real world. Carcajou Games’ Once a Tale takes various characters from these stories and places them into a unique narrative captured in striking stop-motion animation with hand-crafted models and sets. While it does have its rougher aspects—and a fixed camera that creates some awkwardness—it also boasts solid puzzle-driven gameplay (with a dash of stealth), gorgeous sights and sounds throughout a beautiful world to explore, and a brilliant finale.

What differentiates, if anything, a game from a visual novel? Perhaps only overthinkers like me spend any time pondering such questions, and yet it may have a crucial relevance to the final word on Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files Trilogy Deluxe. While it presents itself with all the freedom of movement and interactivity expected of a game, this collection of four (yes, four, despite being marketed as a trilogy) bite-sized but engaging mysteries from developer Hakababunko is so undemanding that it may stray, for some, into visual novel territory. Boasting a stylish retro aesthetic and captivating twists, the stories play with perspective in fascinating ways, as well as with the information you gather—or that you think you gather—through working a case. For those content to witness such intrigue unfold from the distance offered by a novel, the Case Files are easy to recommend with little reservation. Those looking to wear out their figurative pipes and deerstalkers puzzling over clues will be delighted by a number of very smart subversions to investigative adventure tropes, but they’ll also likely find the experience as a whole to be full of unrealized potential. I am definitely in the second group.

OU’s description on Steam compares navigating its setting to traveling through “a mysterious world constantly changing like a book whose pages are flipped out of order.” It feels appropriate, then, that it takes playing through the game—and then playing through it a few more times—to get a handle on the purpose behind this gorgeous, charming adventure. But while getting there can be a bit puzzling (and not exactly in the way to which adventure lovers are accustomed), what is ultimately found at the other end of the journey is an intelligent, touching meditation on the importance of narrative art and the transformative powers it possesses. It features beautiful, hand-drawn artwork, music both technically impressive and masterful at mood-setting, and an attractive mixture of casual gameplay with a few environmental puzzles and episodes of engaging but easy combat. Some aspects do warrant criticism, particularly an over-coddling hint system and some questionable organization of the game world that hinders immersion more than is necessary. But given how little OU demands in terms of difficulty and length, the positives more than compensate for the negatives, making it well worth the time of anyone who loves adventure games, children’s books, or storytelling in general.

While the obscure logic in our favorite Golden Age adventure puzzles has faced no shortage of criticism, for many it was part of what first enamored us. Sure, the classics boasted imaginative worlds and storytelling a cut above what other games were offering, but there was also a romantic quality to getting stuck on a section for days at a time, to pondering what you might have missed at all hours of the day, to stubbornly refusing to consult a guide, and a deep satisfaction in finally being able to uncover the mystery and move forward. If this sounds like how you take your adventure, After You is tailored with your interests at heart. Heavy on the puzzles and light on everything else, it’s a game that knows what it is and embodies its mission unapologetically—for better and worse. It proudly boasts of its challenge, and in valuing adversity above all else, it sacrifices refinement that would have greatly improved the overall package, which is full of unrealized potential. Furthermore, while the game is certainly tough, design flaws account for a not-insignificant portion of the difficulty, and a repetition in puzzle logic makes for diminishing returns. Nevertheless, After You features an admirable assortment of headscratchers, some of which are very creative, and in the end offers a stimulating experience for the puzzle gluttons among us.

Frogwares has become well known in the gaming world for its interpretation of the great literary sleuth Sherlock Holmes. After a number of popular entries, the indie Ukrainian studio reinvented the franchise with Chapter One in 2021, delivering a fresh take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective in the form of an origin story. Their latest Holmes game is a blend of old and new, casting this updated portrayal of the character in a remake of 2006’s The Awakened, in which Sherlock’s investigations of disappearances around the world lead him into a dangerous confrontation with a cult who worship the Lovecraftian monstrosity Cthulhu. While Chapter One offered a rich open-world experience with multifaceted gameplay, The Awakened opts for an episodic approach with smaller maps and much less uncertainty. The result is an excellent game with tightly focused, immersive storytelling that is both a faithful recreation of the original as well as an organic follow-up that picks up just where Chapter One left off.

Frogwares’ previous take on the most famous sleuth to grace the pages of Western literature has provided a substantial portrait of the character at the height of his investigative prowess, but Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One shows us how he became the world’s greatest consulting detective, and for the first time allows him to operate in an open world. As an origin story, Chapter One sets a young Sherlock loose on a fictional Mediterranean island to solve cases, fight criminals, and unravel an old personal trauma he has repressed from his memory. Between five core mysteries, a couple dozen or so smaller missions, and a handful of bandit lairs (these and all other combat scenarios being optional)—along with numerous DLC cases adding even more items and quests—this entry to the franchise serves up an admirable amount of engaging and varied gameplay. The main story cases also offer an element of choice and an intriguing ambiguity that adds depth to the experience. There are a few instances in which their experimentation fumbles—particularly when it comes to dispersing material across an overly large game map—but overall the acclaimed Ukrainian developer has delivered a compelling adventure that honors both the lofty expectations of its title character and the reputable work they have done depicting him in prior installments.

I’m a fan of good horror—there’s nothing like that spine-tingling sensation that digs down deep, haunting for days to come. But I’m also kind of a baby—hit me with something that demands I spend too much time in sheer terror and I’m likely to retreat after a few hours to watch The Golden Girls with the lights on. So for me, the bite-sized Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM was a perfect match. This debut offering from Cellar Vault Games is a brisk and charming experience with a unique aesthetic, a poignant story, and some genuine thrills amidst an eerie atmosphere in a setting—an apartment complex in Malaysia—that we rarely, if ever, get to experience in games. While very short, even when considering a few choices that can lead to different content, 7PM is nevertheless exceptional, a stand-out ghost story tucked into a slice-of-life adventure.

Adventures have been around long enough to coincide with the development of virtually every type of gaming experience that exists today, and increasingly they have begun to incorporate other gameplay elements themselves. While such experiments vary drastically in quality, Domino Digital's Peregrin demonstrates that such genre-bending can be very effective, as it manages to seamlessly mix an adventure game interface with unique environmental puzzle solving, some short stealth segments and a turn-based RPG-styled combat system. The presentation is highlighted by gorgeous artwork, solid voice acting, and immersive world building, all put together with an exemplary professional polish and craft. It isn't perfect—notably, there is a sense of separation between gameplay and story, and the short runtime allows neither to develop to a desirable depth. With a modicum of expansion, Peregrin could have been a masterpiece; what we are instead left with is something more like a hearty and savory appetizer trying to pass itself off as an entire meal.

Fairy tales and children’s literature are replete with morality tales intended to help mold good little boys and girls. One of the most famous and celebrated of these is Carlo Collodi’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. Collodi’s message of passive obedience makes sense within the context of his work, as Pinocchio does a lot of truly nasty stuff. But how might we perceive such a message if our hero appears to be entirely innocent? Kaleidoscube’s A Juggler’s Tale grapples with this question, examining the relationship between the teller of a story and its subject—in this case, a protagonist literally bound by her narrator’s strings. In showcasing this theme, it treats players to beautiful art and a blend of light platforming with an assortment of engaging environment-driven puzzles, rounding things off with a commanding narration and a sweeping, cinematic score. Aside from a short length (about three hours) that limits the scale of the adventure, as well as a moment or two in which the interface gets slightly in the way, there really isn’t much to criticize in this gorgeous and memorable tale of growing up and the value of independence, even when it requires embracing certain consequences.

Love ’em or hate ’em, the 1980s were certainly a distinctive period, with vibrant colors, bold styles, overproduced music, and cheesy action flicks—and of course a major breakthrough for adventure games. Not Another Weekend, an homage to this decade and the point-and-click offerings it spawned, offers a delightful blend of puzzle-driven escape and irreverent humor, with an intriguing dash of horror to boot. Its premise is certainly simple, but it’s got a fun, quirky story, clever moments of self-reflexivity, and plenty of solid gameplay to keep you engaged throughout. Occasionally it sacrifices depth for a quick pace, but all things considered it’s a highly enjoyable nostalgia-fueled adventure that wonderfully emulates the era in which games very much like this first came to prominence.

While the 21st century has seen the definition of adventure games take an increasingly amorphous shape, there are still some developers faithfully sticking with the point-and-click fundamentals that many of us first fell in love with. This is fortunate, as a game like Pirita Studio’s Mutropolis demonstrates that a well-crafted traditional adventure can be just as enjoyable today as it was in the age of Sierra On-Line and LucasArts greatness. An archaeological mystery set in a fun futuristic setting, Mutropolis boasts a series of creative and challenging puzzles, a compelling story full of twists and turns, and an atmosphere as refined as it is quirky. With only a few minor missteps in the third act, this game is sure to appeal to classic adventure enthusiasts, offering an immersive experience with engaging gameplay to match.

Adventure game enthusiasts are surely aware that the genre developed from text-based creations in the mid-1970s, graphics being a somewhat later innovation. Those early technological developments shared an interesting parallel in the print world with Bantam Books’ Choose Your Own Adventure series. Cowleyfornia Studios’ Sarawak, described by its designers as a “literary mystery game,” is in many ways more Choose Your Own than Colossal Cave Adventure, but it deserves a seat amongst modern works that continue the traditions of interactive fiction. It suffers some from a limited and inconsistent use of music, a sparsity of gameplay, and most seriously from a weak choice mechanism, but it also features a strong narrative and an inspiring interface with stylish design features and beautiful art. A short game, Sarawak should be a perfectly pleasant experience for those who approach it without the expectation of it being more than what it intends to be.

Sometimes artists find that the stories they wish to tell are too big or complex to be constrained to just one mode of expression. One strategy for navigating this dilemma is to blend various styles together into a mold that subverts easy categorization. Independent developer Markus Oljemark has chosen just such an approach for The Girl of Glass: A Summer Bird’s Tale. Crafting a work that alternates evenly between segments of traditional point-and-click adventure and turn-based RPG combat, this genre hybrid is an artful execution of two types of gameplay worthy of Broken Sword and Final Fantasy comparisons alike. With near-equal weight given to both aspects, including a potentially significant challenge during the combat-intensive portions, any recommendation must come with a substantial caveat for fans of one and not the other. But those who cherish both adventure and roleplaying will find The Girl of Glass a wonderful experience with beautiful art and music, a captivating world, a strong narrative, and highly engaging gameplay.

Pamali is a four-part anthology (the first three of which have been released at time of writing), with each stand-alone entry devoted to a particular ghost. The first installment is The White Lady, which explores the mythology behind the Kuntilanak, described by StoryTale in their free DLC Indonesian ghost book as the spirit of a woman who died while giving birth. Convincingly disturbing in its atmosphere and presentation of horror game tropes, The White Lady is an immersive choice-driven adventure that is just as effectively educational. While it has some particularly pronounced weaknesses—mainly a certain amount of randomness and minor bugginess compounded by a woefully flawed save system—it is nevertheless a uniquely intriguing experience that tells its story with an unexpected amount of depth and artfulness. And with 35 possible endings, The White Lady has an extraordinary amount of replay value.

Investigation has always lent itself naturally to adventure games. Several of the genre’s greatest protagonists are either professional detectives or amateur sleuths solving mysteries for their own personal ends—or just adventurers who at some point have to borrow from the investigator's toolbox to progress. Unlike real life, games have typically been constructed so that if you do everything right, all of the pieces fall into a perfect script of success. But as the genre has developed, it has become increasingly defined by player choice, introducing the very real possibility of failure. What if you could say the wrong thing and alienate someone with information you needed? What if you could make the wrong decision, sending you irreversibly down an undesirable path? Or even more challenging: what if you did everything right and were still confined to a path that would yield limited results?