Adventures in Storytelling
Why you shouldn't wait: A mid-season reflection on Life Is Strange 2
With three of five episodes now complete, we've taken the unusual approach of exploring why it's worth catching up now instead of waiting until the end.
The Red Strings Club
It sets a low bar for interactivity, but this dialogue-heavy cyberpunk sim serves up an intriguing narrative experience.
Please Knock On My Door
This minimalist interactive drama excels with its hard-hitting, intensely personal examination of dealing with depression.
The Pillars of the Earth
The complete three-part adaptation of Ken Follett's epic historical novel proves to be a monumental achievement in interactive storytelling.
The Invisible Hours
Gameplay is nowhere to be seen, but this voyeuristic whodunit provides a compelling murder mystery in the style of immersive theater.
Detroit: Become Human
Quantic Dream's gorgeously cinematic neo-noir android thriller misfires on the larger story beats but nails the more choice-driven personal moments.
The Inpatient
Our diagnosis: The horror-themed VR pseudo-prequel to Until Dawn is afflicted by both story and gameplay deficiencies.
Walden, a game
Walking a mile in Henry David Thoreau's shoes proves to be more of a tedious chore than an inspiring transcendental experience.
Batman: The Enemy Within – The Telltale Series
The Caped Crusader's second season doesn't pack the same punch as its predecessor, but does save the best for last.
Hidden Agenda
A gritty police procedural takes over from the campy horror of Until Dark, providing thrilling multiplayer fun but still without much actual player control.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two
The second season stays true to the source material, but isn’t likely to build much interest outside of diehard series fans.
Finding Paradise
While not quite reaching the heights of its predecessor, To the Moon fans won't regret their time with this thoughtful character-driven sequel.
Adventure Hour: Scéal, Leaving Lyndow
You'll flit through these two short but lovely explorations of serene pastoral settings without ever having to walk away.
Late Shift
In lieu of traditional adventuring, player choice drives this cinematically impressive interactive live-action crime movie.
Batman: The Enemy Within – The Telltale Series: Episode One – The Enigma
Riddle us this: What has great production values, compelling characters, hard decisions, and mind-numbingly easy gameplay?
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier
The zombie survivor franchise is still alive with plenty of bite, though the third season covers a lot of familiar ground.
Night in the Woods
This stylish slacker drama branches into intriguing darker themes, but is too rooted in aimless repetition to build any momentum.
What Remains of Edith Finch
This creative, emotionally powerful exploration of a family's tragic past soars to impressive storytelling heights.
Corpse Party
The revived Japanese port is bigger and gorier than ever, though more an old-school visual novel than interactive adventure.
Batman: The Telltale Series
The Bat-season is now complete, exposing both the light and dark elements of a somewhat uneven five-part thrill-ride.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episodes One/Two: Ties That Bind
The new season kicks off with a two-part debut that's slicker than ever, though it ventures largely through very familiar territory.
Burly Men at Sea
This charming Scandinavian folktale may be lite on gameplay but offers a surprisingly hefty choose-your-own-adventure experience.
Adventures in Storytelling: Fragments of Him, Virginia
These stylistically different him-and-her games are both emotionally powerful but broken down by largely non-interactive storytelling.
Chase: Cold Case Investigations – Distant Memories
This extremely short and disappointing 3DS detective mystery from former Cing designers never really builds up any momentum.
Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode One: Realm of Shadows
The first episode pulls its punches somewhat, but gets the series off the ground with a solid stage-setting debut.
1979 Revolution: Black Friday
Iran's struggle for independence is recounted in cinematic style, though providing just a partial picture with little to actually do.
The Beginner's Guide
The Stanley Parable's Davey Wreden leads a thought-provoking, experimental reflection of games-as-interactive-art.
The Walking Dead: Michonne
The now-completed three-part miniseries has a compelling protagonist, but the formula may be starting to outlive its welcome.
Minecraft: Story Mode
Building on Mojang's colourful world, Telltale's five-part season is now complete, with one bridge piece left over for expansion.
That Dragon, Cancer
Pulling no punches, this exploration of one family's courageous battle against terminal illness is a deeply moving experience.
Masochisia
This raw, dark and disturbing story-driven experience cuts to the bone of child abuse and mental illness.
Caffeine: Episode One
This three-part sci-fi exploration series barely begins percolating with a debut installment that doesn't fully mine its premise.
Game of Thrones
The House Forrester saga comes to a head in the dramatic season finale, though a key story branch gets lost in the woods.
Tales from the Borderlands
The final episode pays off handsomely in a wonderful series short on gameplay but packing loads of narrative punch.
Beyond Eyes
This lovely watercolour journey demonstrates how beauty can still be in the eye of the beholder even when the beholder is blind.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
There are no living people or puzzles to find, but there's a mystery to uncover by those who see the light in this gorgeous open world adventure.
Home Is Where One Starts...
Those who enjoy puzzle-free exploration games may find themselves drawn home once again.
Epanalepsis
This minimalist short story starts out strongly, but can't repeat its early success through multiple eras of abstraction.
Drizzlepath
This exploratory journey has plenty of gorgeous environments, but no puzzles and only a sprinkling of obscure storytelling along the way.
Adventures in Storytelling: The Detail, Grail to the Thief
They may not be everyone's cuppa, but two very different quests await for the puzzle- and even visually-impaired.
Adventures in Storytelling: Unrest, The Shopkeeper
From ancient India to Victorian England, you couldn't buy a puzzle in these experimental narrative experiences.
The Old City: Leviathan
Submerged beneath the gorgeous visuals of this surreal exploration is an abstract story that never really grips.
A Bird Story
Far more story than game, this short but sweet tale from the developer of To the Moon really soars in its poignant simplicity.
Adventures in Storytelling: The Maker's Eden, 80 Days
Light on gameplay, heavy on reading, adventures like these are turning the page to a newer breed of visual fiction.
Adventure Hour: Stranded, The Moon Sliver
For some short but sweet adventuring all in one sitting, these two solitary exploration games should be just the right speed.
The Novelist
This haunting family drama offers a different type of Choose Your Own Adventure in between its stealth-based gameplay.
The Stanley Parable
You can choose to do differently, but you'll surely want to buy this outstanding storytelling experiment that turns videogame control on its head.
The Secret World
A secret no more, Funcom's hybrid MMO may just expose adventure gamers to a whole new world of story-driven horror/sci-fi/fantasy roleplaying.
Adventures in Storytelling: Home and The Thirty Nine Steps
Two unique interactive experiences were on display at the Games Developers Conference, and our first-look tells the story.
Dear Esther
It may not even be a game, but this beautifully surreal story-driven exploration offers plenty to write home about.