Most of my media pages here are just logs of what I've seen/read/etc, but these are specifically games that I...recommend? Generally recommend?

'Detective' games.

Short games.

Point-and-click adventure games.

1000xResist -

American Arcadia - A stylish, charming game in which an unwitting participant and a stage technician work to escape from a Truman Show-style reality TV show. A satirical retrofuturistic 2.5D puzzle platformer.

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs - A surreal game where you and your fiancée are the last humans in the universe, and you navigate an open-world universe of alien airports run by dogs while staying in touch with the person you love. Absurd, sometimes repetitive, and the dog graphics are straight up stock photos, Dog Airport Game is still funny with a surprisingly touching story about love and long-distance relationships that has more effort put into it than you may at first realize.

Aviary Attorney - In 1848, with Paris once more on the brink of revolution, your role is a defense attorney, taking on clients and trying to uncover the truth. Also, you are a bird. Fanciful art from a 19th-century caricaturist and period appropriate music, but more importantly has good writing. Unlike a certain other detective game, you are able to miss evidence and potentially even fail a case, with the game continuing regardless. The game has multiple endings and actually has a lot more depth than you may expect from the concept.

Beacon Pines - I might call this "cozy horror". The storybook setup has you playing as both the reader of the story and the main character, Luka, a child discovering the secrets of his mysterious hometown of Beacon Pines. Explore different branches of the story and use 'charms' you find to unlock new options to uncover the mystery of the town.

Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel - An old, simple exploration game with no objective, plot, or win condition, just a series of fun worlds to explore for its own sake. It's all about discovery, with many secrets and interactibles. Probably the most all-ages game on here. Made by the guy who later made Myst.

Crow Country -

EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER -

The Forgotten City - Travel two thousand years in the past to the last days of a mysterious ancient Roman city where if any one person 'sins', everyone dies. Utilize the time loop you're trapped in to discover the mystery of the city and its destruction. Fun story with engaging characters.

Ghost Trick - One of those games that's best going into with no prior knowledge. A DS game adapted fairly recently for PC, Ghost Trick has stylish art and character designs with wonderful, lovingly made animations by the creator of Ace Attorney. You find yourself waking up dead, with no memory of your life - or death. But you find you have 'ghost tricks', which allow you to go back in time four minutes before the deaths of others, where you can attempt to change their fate by manipulating objects to solve puzzles. One dead woman seems to hold the key to solving your murder - but you only have until sunrise to uncover the mystery. I deeply love this game: it's funny and charming with a wonderful cast of characters. Go play it.

Hypnospace Outlaw - You play as a moderator on an alternative version of the internet which people access in their sleep. Hunt through a variety of old internet-style websites, hunt net wrongdoers and solve puzzles as Y2K approaches. I absolutely love exploring the loving parody of the old internet, and the way the story is told and characters are introduced, though of course in the name of period accuracy it can be hard to look at for people with flashing light sensitivites. Really strongly recommended bit of storytelling if you can deal with that though.

Inside - A moody 2D platformer with great atmosphere and storytelling. Beautiful, atmospheric, and haunting.

In Stars and Time -

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist -

Jazzpunk - A surreal, incredibly absurd retro-futuristic comedy about an espionage agency in an alternate Cold War. Though there's a story, a larger part of the game is simply exploring the bizarre open world and parodying old spy movies.

Later Alligator -

Mediterranea Inferno -

No One Has To Die -

OFF -

Outer Wilds -

Slay the Princess -

There Is No Game -

Series

AI: The Somnium Files -

Don't Escape -

Fear and Hunger - One of the reasons I'm hesitant to say that I necessarily recommend these games.

LISA - The other reason I'm hesitant to call all of these games recommendations.

Purrfect Apawcalypse -

Rusty Lake -

Saints Row - GTA's fun cousin. Ok, I haven't actually played GTA, but does it let you spray sewage on people's houses or punch satan? I think not. The series started of as a fairly grounded clone of GTA, with a bit of silliness as it poked fun, becoming even sillier in the second before completely jumping the shark (but in a good way imo) in the third. It then went searching for a whole school of sharks and decided to jump over them too. When the series was rebooted I lost interest, but I still love the original 4 games and their DLC. You become POTUS with Keith David, playing himself, as your VP. I think you already know from this description whether these are the games for you.

Zero Escape -

Unfinished games

Clown Meat: Currently a demo only. A post-apocalyptic platformer in which you play as the incredibly charming Clown Meat (named thus because he is a little clown made of meat) on a mission to make friends and journey to a Jovian clown. Horror, but comedic.

Endacopia: Currently a demo only. A retro-style point-and-click with horror elements. I absolutely love the art and animation style - it does an excellent job invoking that classic Pajama Sam style with a highly interactive setting.

Misericorde - As an anchoress, Hedwig has spent most of her life within the confines of her cell, her daily life dedicated to scripture and prayer. But when a nun is murdered, the Mother Superior decides to turn to the Hedwig as the only one who couldn't have been involved - and thus the only one she could trust. Hedwig has to adjust to life, come to terms with her guilt from breaking her vows, and piece together the truth while trying to avoid being the next victim in whatever dark conspiracy circles the abbey. A visual novel with a great cast of characters and excellent OST, one volume released so far.

Scarlet Hollow -

South Scrimshaw - Technically debatable whether this is an actual 'game', but I enjoy it nonetheless. It's an illustrated visual novel in the style of a fictional nature documentary about an alien whale. Great storytelling, speculative biology, and worldbuilding. Currently one chapter out of four planned has been released.

Spare Parts -

Your Turn to Die: The final chapter is still being developed. A "death game by majority", Your Turn to Die is a visual novel about Sara Chidouin, who finds herself, her friend Joe, and nine strangers trapped in a strange place, and are eventually compelled to participate in a sort of death game. Unlike the certain other killing game visual novel which it inevitably gets compared to, the game is more complicated than simple murder and investigation. The cast of characters are strong, and the story is interesting so far. It avoids a lot of the drawbacks that plague its more popular cousin in the genre, but being almost entirely developed by one person obviously leads to a lower production quality and some pretty slow updates.