Thimbleweed Park, Semispheres, Phoning Home & More!

Thirty years ago, Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick were a couple of scrappy young developers working on a quirky little game called Maniac Mansion. Three decades have passed and two of the biggest names in point and click adventure games have returned to a genre they helped popularize. And that more than anything else is the reason why I'm excited to check out Thimbleweed Park, coming soon to the Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux and a whole bunch of cell phones.

I'm also excited because the trailer shows off a lot of incredibly detailed locations that seem to be fully constructed using pixels and sprites. The trailer hints that this is more than a murder mystery, and may even involve some supernatural shenanigans. I'm eager to see what these two guys have cooked up and if it will bring back the spirit of Maniac Mansion. My only real concern is that the trailer's overuse of "bleeping" out profanity got on my nerves, but I'm curious to see how it all works in context. Thimbleweed Park is scheduled to come out early this year. [WATCH THE TRAILER]

Speaking of point and click adventure games, I also have my eye on a game called Bad Dream: Coma. Based on the trailer, this is more along the lines of Myst than Maniac Mansion, but I won't hold that against it. I'm a big fan of the hand-drawn graphics and the trailer suggests it goes in a dark and twisted direction.

What intrigues me is that there are different paths to take, so there may be some freedom in how you play Bad Dream: Coma. I'm not expecting anything like what Telltale does, but the graphic imagery certainly makes me wonder what kind of choices I'll be making. The trailer leaves me with more questions than answers, but it's definitely right up my alley. Bad Dream Coma will fall asleep in February. [WATCH THE TRAILER]

Moving beyond the world of point and click adventure games, Semispheres appears to be a stealth action game where you control two characters at the same time. The trailer is short and limited on details, but it looks like you'll be moving the two characters with different analog sticks and planning diversions in order to complete the missions. I like the simple look and can see this becoming incredibly difficult in later levels. I can also see how it could go wrong if the levels are too long and they don't adequately innovate on the concept from level to level. They don't show much, but what I've seen looks appealing. Semispheres sneaks it's way to Steam this February. [WATCH THE TRAILER]

Despite referencing E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in the title, Phoning Home is more Wall-E at Jurassic Park than Drew Barrymore pre-drug habit. One look at this trailer and I knew I had to play it. I'm already a big fan of adorable robots going on big adventures, and it looks like the world they're exploring is truly epic. Lush forests, endless deserts and even a huge giant standing in the way, the trailer is surprisingly effective. Unfortunately, the trailer doesn't spend much time going over what you actually do in the game, but that doesn't matter, I'm ready to go on the ride. Phoning Home will hit Steam on February 7. [WATCH THE TRAILER]

Earlier today I was complaining that Toby: The Secret Mine was a fun 2D platformer with no original ideas. Boor looks different. It seems like Badland Games' newest platform-puzzler will follow a little girl who can clone herself. And that's just the start, because the trailer also shows off anti-gravity gameplay, boss battles and a unique world to explore. But it's the suggestion that there may be a deeper story attached that really has me looking forward to what Badland has in store for us. Boor hits Steam on February 14. [WATCH THE TRAILER]