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Adventure Games Thread 2022 - We CAN use these things together
- Thread starter Vampire On Titus
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Vampire On Titus
Member
The Steam and GOG versions have worked fine for me on Windows 10.
There is a "recap" option on the menu as well, which I assume plays the 3 minute catch up video Microids put out pre-release, but I haven't actually clicked it.
Vampire On Titus
Member
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
did you use compatibility mode or something? I remember a lot of ppl complained you needed to dl some shit to make it work and also u had to play at some ugly res. If it has a recap thats perfectly fine.
Vampire On Titus
Member
I didn't need to use compatibility mode. It was low res but it didn't look bad to me so I didn't even bother using dgVoodoo or something else to change it. One thing that bothered me was the lip sync was super sped up because I guess its tied to performance somehow? But when I launched the Steam version a few days before the new one came out, that problem wasn't happening anymore. At least for the first game.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Finished Syberia The World Before, clocking it at 18 hrs & 22 minutes. It really is a great game and absolutely recaptures the series' spirit of wanderlust as well as the "magic" quality to Sokal's characterized European locales. Aside from some rough aspects to the start, the story is up there with the franchise's best. Microids found something to say with Syberia again, intelligently shifting gears to an introspective journey of self discovery for Kate. And Oscar Mk.III is fantastic. Music plays a big role in the game and fittingly the score by Inon Zur is just top notch. Plus the way it's used, I've got no doubt the theme of Vahgen will hit your emotions hard at least once during the game.
I do wish that the puzzles were more challenging. The intricate mechanical contraptions the Syberia series sees you futzing around with are pretty fun in themselves, and there are a handful of somewhat more challenging puzzles in the mix, but The World Before could have been edging into all time great territory if the gameplay had a bit more depth to it.
Regardless, it's still a great game that I had a great time playing and it's awesome to see Syberia back at it's full strength. I've seen some people decribe the ending as somewhat of a cliffhanger. I really wouldn't say so, it leaves a question open, but basically all of the game's core mysteries are solved by the end and the game 100% feels like a complete journey for Kate. Microids Studio Paris have proven themselves to be an extremely talented developer. It's very unfortunate that an artist with a genuinely distinct style & perspective like Sokal passed before his time, RIP. But I hope the studio will continue to produce high calibur adventures going forward. I'd love to play whatever they come up with.
I do wish that the puzzles were more challenging. The intricate mechanical contraptions the Syberia series sees you futzing around with are pretty fun in themselves, and there are a handful of somewhat more challenging puzzles in the mix, but The World Before could have been edging into all time great territory if the gameplay had a bit more depth to it.
Regardless, it's still a great game that I had a great time playing and it's awesome to see Syberia back at it's full strength. I've seen some people decribe the ending as somewhat of a cliffhanger. I really wouldn't say so, it leaves a question open, but basically all of the game's core mysteries are solved by the end and the game 100% feels like a complete journey for Kate. Microids Studio Paris have proven themselves to be an extremely talented developer. It's very unfortunate that an artist with a genuinely distinct style & perspective like Sokal passed before his time, RIP. But I hope the studio will continue to produce high calibur adventures going forward. I'd love to play whatever they come up with.
Vampire On Titus
Member
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
Also this might be cool for Amanita fans.
edit: game just vanished from steam wtf.
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Vampire On Titus
Member
I've been playing through Yotsume God -Reunion-, a remake of 2016's mobile JADV game that's now spruced up and containing no mobile gaming payment structure that you have to find mods to get around put up with. You play as a 15 year old girl named Mai, who's feeling unsure about her future and knows little of her past. She lives with her father and never knew her deceased mother, or any other members of her family. Until her grandparents passing prompts a trip to their old family house, near the shrine of the Yotsume God, then setting off a supernatural journey of self discovery -- as Mai uncovers her hidden family history and the secrets of Yotsume God.
Or, at least, I'm assuming she does. I actually haven't gotten far enough into the game for real answers but I am having fun with it. SEEC, the game's developer, made a lot of improvements to the original mobile game. They added animations to the character portraits, full voice acting, improved localization, new music, improved puzzles, new scenarios with entirely new story & puzzles, and a bunch of bonus stuff & unlockables. Making this far and away the best version of the game, which is good considering many gamers don't follow mobile gaming and this will likely be people's first exposure to Yotsume God.
Yotsume God gameplay (mild puzzle spoilers from the early game)
The game's story is enjoyable and hinting at some big twists to come. They've already revealed that Mai was transported to the land of the dead at the halfway point I've reached, but there's clearly more going on and I'm looking forward to seeing what it is. I've also been really entertained by the humorous exchanges between Mai and Imigo, one of the shrine's keepers, they've got a good "hot & cold" dynamic. Which even comes through in some of the optional lines you get from using items on different characters. The video I captured isn't the very best of their banter (just wanted to give a general feel of the game) but you can get a sense of what they're like from it. Another thing to note is the quality VA. Even with the language barrier the tone and inflection sells a lot of the more emotional scenes. One scene in particular where Mai is being scolded by her father almost gave me flashbacks to my parents yelling at me as a child.
The puzzles are fun and moderately challenging. It's in the escape/trap/search ADV category, and as far as Japanese adventure games go, they're the closest in design sensibility to traditional/classic western adventures. There's a healthy mix of item puzzles, riddles, and some dialogue puzzles. There's also some mild choice based branching and a flow chart, but overall I'd say the game is fairly linear. There was one puzzle that could have been better represented in English. In Japanese the word "Yotsume" (四ツ目) contains the Kanji for "four" and "eye" (四 and 目), the game does tell you earlier on that Yotsume God also means "four eyes god," but there's a particular puzzle where that fact should be emphasized. In the original Japanese game this would happen by default since within the word itself you would see the characters for "four" and "eye." In English it just says Yotsume which makes thinking of what you need to do more of a strain than was intended, I think. There is a good hint function to avoid this kind of road-bump from becoming a frustration, and I haven't run into any other issues of this nature -- but, yeah, it's unfortunate.
Other than that the streak of no disappointments in 2022 continues (barring the possibility of this game crashing and burning at some point). After this I may have to dip back into 2021 and play a game much raved about by Fuz: The Captain. Been in a bit of a Star Trek-ish mood and I think it could scratch that itch.
Or, at least, I'm assuming she does. I actually haven't gotten far enough into the game for real answers but I am having fun with it. SEEC, the game's developer, made a lot of improvements to the original mobile game. They added animations to the character portraits, full voice acting, improved localization, new music, improved puzzles, new scenarios with entirely new story & puzzles, and a bunch of bonus stuff & unlockables. Making this far and away the best version of the game, which is good considering many gamers don't follow mobile gaming and this will likely be people's first exposure to Yotsume God.
Yotsume God gameplay (mild puzzle spoilers from the early game)
The game's story is enjoyable and hinting at some big twists to come. They've already revealed that Mai was transported to the land of the dead at the halfway point I've reached, but there's clearly more going on and I'm looking forward to seeing what it is. I've also been really entertained by the humorous exchanges between Mai and Imigo, one of the shrine's keepers, they've got a good "hot & cold" dynamic. Which even comes through in some of the optional lines you get from using items on different characters. The video I captured isn't the very best of their banter (just wanted to give a general feel of the game) but you can get a sense of what they're like from it. Another thing to note is the quality VA. Even with the language barrier the tone and inflection sells a lot of the more emotional scenes. One scene in particular where Mai is being scolded by her father almost gave me flashbacks to my parents yelling at me as a child.
The puzzles are fun and moderately challenging. It's in the escape/trap/search ADV category, and as far as Japanese adventure games go, they're the closest in design sensibility to traditional/classic western adventures. There's a healthy mix of item puzzles, riddles, and some dialogue puzzles. There's also some mild choice based branching and a flow chart, but overall I'd say the game is fairly linear. There was one puzzle that could have been better represented in English. In Japanese the word "Yotsume" (四ツ目) contains the Kanji for "four" and "eye" (四 and 目), the game does tell you earlier on that Yotsume God also means "four eyes god," but there's a particular puzzle where that fact should be emphasized. In the original Japanese game this would happen by default since within the word itself you would see the characters for "four" and "eye." In English it just says Yotsume which makes thinking of what you need to do more of a strain than was intended, I think. There is a good hint function to avoid this kind of road-bump from becoming a frustration, and I haven't run into any other issues of this nature -- but, yeah, it's unfortunate.
Other than that the streak of no disappointments in 2022 continues (barring the possibility of this game crashing and burning at some point). After this I may have to dip back into 2021 and play a game much raved about by Fuz: The Captain. Been in a bit of a Star Trek-ish mood and I think it could scratch that itch.
RAIDEN1
Member
The thing is, even though Simon the Sorcerer will be part of the Amiga Mini, it is a bit pointless playing that versions when the PC versions available are far superior....and I don't think it will be one with voice-acting either...same goes with the fact of putting any Monkey Islands, or Beneath a Steel sky on the mini...much less Indy Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (should you want to add those games that is..)
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SweetShark
Member
Which game was there before vanish?
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
Home & About - Catie in MeowmeowLand - Adventure Game
Catie in MeowmeowLand is beautiful point-and-click adventure game, set in super-bizzare cat’s world down the rabbit hole, that will be released in 2021.
catieinmeowmeowland.com
no idea why they removed it.
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Fuz
Banned
Home & About - Catie in MeowmeowLand - Adventure Game
Catie in MeowmeowLand is beautiful point-and-click adventure game, set in super-bizzare cat’s world down the rabbit hole, that will be released in 2021.
no idea why they removed it.
edit:
There's a demo here: https://www.gog.com/en/game/catie_in_meowmeowland_demo
Vampire On Titus
Member
The curse of the ancient Trantons family forces young Miss Susan leave for a deadly journey, where she is about to face many inhabitants of the world of the dead, find both friends and enemies, and get answers to the most important questions on who is the true killer of her entire family.
One day, a daughter was born to loving parents in the old family castle of Trantons. The girl was named Susan.
Her father, Mr. Grinn, was an extraordinarily charming and charismatic man loved madly by his wife and daughter. However, Mr. Grinn died in mysterious circumstances.
Susan's mother, miss Agatha, was grieving over her husband's death. She could not bear the bitterness of loss, as if a shadow wandered through the castle.
Those close to Agatha could not bear to look at the mental anguish of their daughter and decided to marry her off to a worthy person. This turned out to be Mr. Austin, a rich man of considerable presence of mind.
Life seemed to be getting better, the stepfather became the head of the family, taking the widowed Agatha and little Susan under his control
The balance in the family was short-lived, though.
It was as if a black cat ran like some misfortune, sowing evil and curses...
Castle of Secrets is a storyline-based psychological adventure horror game.
Lose yourself in a fully voiced 3D mystical tale.
Amazing and original art – 3D world featuring hand-drawn 2D characters and animations.
A variety of puzzles with different difficulty levels of inscribed in the storyline.
Over 30 interactive unique characters each having their own unique personality.
Original soundtrack.
Plot twists rely on player's decisions
Items that you find can be moved in 3D space in any direction.
The camera can be moved in any direction.
The game features a full inventory with a brief item description.
Collect and combine items to complete quests
Iria, a girl from the small town of Antumbria, receives a VHS tape from her father asking for help. From this message, Iria will dive into her memories, where she will have to use her father's old video camera to explore her memory and discover her family's dark secrets.
Will she be able to find the truth hidden behind the lens of the camera?
In the memories of her past, Iria will be able to use her video camera to affect objects, moving them backwards, forwards or pausing them in time.
Find out what happened to Iria's father, a famous horror film director, and what events led up to his tragic disappearance.
Set in a small town in Spain, the story of Iria and her family is linked to Galician society in the 1990s, as well as to horror cinema and the influence it had on her.
Two games dropping later this month. Both seem somewhat interesting, I'll follow up and see what impressions and reviews are available for them. Castle of Secrets has a distinct style, looks like goth Paper Mario. Pretty cool but certain aspects seem a bit sloppy, such as the unnecessary physics for using items. TAPE seems to be using a neat time mechanic for environmental puzzling. IDK if I'll be playing either anytime soon with Chinatown Detective Agency also dropping in April, and Norco burning bright in my backlog but these seem cool enough to give a look.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Finished playing Yotsume God - Reunion- and that's a great game. Without saying too much about the story the actual mysteries revealed about the Sagara family and Yotsume God are genuinely interesting and pretty damn heartbreaking too. I can see why this game had built up a decent niche of fans on mobile. Although, I am glad I experienced it for the first time as this significantly improved version. The voice acting, new music, and even the little animations they added go a long way. In some ways, despite being clean and high def, it does still have the constraints of a budget title. Particularly in the BG art, which look to be photographs with liberal color grading and filter use applied -- some areas painted over. It's tastefully done for what it is, I've certainly seen & enjoyed games with far worse, but this art style always has a "cheap-ish collage" look to it compared to fully painted backdrops. Yotsume God's roots as a mobile game also show in it's UI design. Which translates decently enough to a mouse, but was clearly designed with touch devices in mind. But this are very minor issues in light of everything the game does right.
The game takes place almost entirely in the Sagara shrine, which opens up more & more as the story progresses. There's a fun mix of inventory puzzles, riddles, and choice based challenges. Near the end of the game much of the gameplay consists of meta-navigation through the branching paths to unlock new options that will allow access to previously gated endings. Some endings are more tragic than others, but even the more "positive" ones tend to have a bittersweet aspect to them. I also appreciated that the game isn't overly-long. The main scenario can be completed in ~6 hours and the bonus scenario in ~2, so going through everything to get all the endings never felt like a chore. That bonus scenario is must play as well, so even people who played the original should consider this release.
The only thing that's really stopping Yotsume God from being a super enthusiastic recommend from me is the price. Currently sitting at 30 dollars you could buy 3 comparably good, or better, indie adventure titles for the price of Yotsume God. This seems to be a thing Japanese companies keep doing. It was the same way with the Spirit Hunter series, great games but 50 dollars each in a market where comparable games max out at around 20. Even a fairly cheap looking game, that by most accounts isn't very good, like Abyss of The Sacrifice is 40 dollars. They're not really "this looks cool, maybe I'll take a chance" prices. I was really looking forward to this game and I'm satisfied with what I got but I cant recommend it over something like Perfect Tides which is 15 dollars less. Maybe that's not fair and all these games should be valued at a higher price. But it's hard to ignore that a lot of these releases are so much more expensive than other comparable games.
At any rate, if you ever see it on sale it's a good time, I'd give it a 8/10.
At any rate, if you ever see it on sale it's a good time, I'd give it a 8/10.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Ron Gilbert already playing mind games with the April Fools double fakeout announcement. I can only suspect what he's got up his sleeve for this. We already know his design chops are exactly where they should be with Thimbleweed Park.
Hype!!!
LOOK BEHIND YOU! A THREE HEADED APRIL FOOLS!
Fuz
Banned
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
Vampire On Titus
Member
Ron Gilbert never lied.
Alter_Fridge
Member
Alter_Fridge
Member
I love how Murray is back and LucasFilm games is back
Please be a physical version!
Please be a physical version!
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wow this is gold lol good on ron.
Alter_Fridge
Member
Would have liked pixel art, still hoping that's an option
Vampire On Titus
Member
Well, the game has been in development for 2 years at this point and is coming out this year. I wouldn't expect them to change art styles or have an option for pixel art.
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
We have enough pixel art stuff anyway.
Fuz
Banned
It's not a matter of pixel art. It's a matter of Steve Purcell.
Besides, LeChuck's Revenge had scanned painting for backgrounds. Just the characters were "pixel art", if we can consider that - at that age - "pixel art". I think it's a different concept now. It stemmed from necessity of resource management, to get as close as possible as artworks - nowadays it's the opposite process.
Besides, LeChuck's Revenge had scanned painting for backgrounds. Just the characters were "pixel art", if we can consider that - at that age - "pixel art". I think it's a different concept now. It stemmed from necessity of resource management, to get as close as possible as artworks - nowadays it's the opposite process.
RAIDEN1
Member
Part 3 was the last great entry....haven't checked out the 2009 versions though from Tell TaleIt's not a matter of pixel art. It's a matter of Steve Purcell.
Besides, LeChuck's Revenge had scanned painting for backgrounds. Just the characters were "pixel art", if we can consider that - at that age - "pixel art". I think it's a different concept now. It stemmed from necessity of resource management, to get as close as possible as artworks - nowadays it's the opposite process.
Vampire On Titus
Member
The classic era of Lucas Arts was absolutely brimming with top tier artistic talent like:
Mark Ferrari
(btw if you want your mind blown, check out Mark Ferrari's color cycling demos)
Peter Chan
and, of course, Steve Purcell
The art director for Return To Monkey Island is Rex Crowle, co creator of "Knights and Bikes" and creative director for Teraway and Little Big Planet.
Would I put him up there with my favorites from the LucasArts old guard? No. But he is a genuinely talented artist with a cool style and I'm willing to see what he does with it. The art in the new trailer looks cool to me but I need to see what the human characters look like.
Monkey Island has been host to a bunch of graphical styles over the years. There's big differences even between the EGA and VGA versions of Secret.
Even Steve Purcell's MI illustrations have changed over the years from the exaggerated realism of the OG covers to the more cartoony style he's done from Tales onward (which I adore). So, at the end of the day, I'm not married to a particular art style for the series. In a perfect world would I have loved a traditionally animated Return To Monkey Island in the style of the MI2 Steve Purcell illustration above? Absolutely, that would be my ideal. But I'll take pretty darn good that actually happens vs a perfect impossibility.
But I still reserve the right to bitch endlessly if they fuck up Guybrush and Elaine's character design.
Mark Ferrari
(btw if you want your mind blown, check out Mark Ferrari's color cycling demos)
Peter Chan
and, of course, Steve Purcell
The art director for Return To Monkey Island is Rex Crowle, co creator of "Knights and Bikes" and creative director for Teraway and Little Big Planet.
Would I put him up there with my favorites from the LucasArts old guard? No. But he is a genuinely talented artist with a cool style and I'm willing to see what he does with it. The art in the new trailer looks cool to me but I need to see what the human characters look like.
Monkey Island has been host to a bunch of graphical styles over the years. There's big differences even between the EGA and VGA versions of Secret.
Even Steve Purcell's MI illustrations have changed over the years from the exaggerated realism of the OG covers to the more cartoony style he's done from Tales onward (which I adore). So, at the end of the day, I'm not married to a particular art style for the series. In a perfect world would I have loved a traditionally animated Return To Monkey Island in the style of the MI2 Steve Purcell illustration above? Absolutely, that would be my ideal. But I'll take pretty darn good that actually happens vs a perfect impossibility.
But I still reserve the right to bitch endlessly if they fuck up Guybrush and Elaine's character design.
Vampire On Titus
Member
AI gameplay trailer showing off some of the new puzzle mechanics they've added to the game. Going over some of the stuff we've heard the crew speak about in prior interviews plus some new features that hadn't yet been revealed. I can already tell the investigation parts will be significantly leveled up from these additions.
Danjin44
Fuz
R
rkofan87Alter_Fridge
Member
The classic era of Lucas Arts was absolutely brimming with top tier artistic talent like:
Mark Ferrari
(btw if you want your mind blown, check out Mark Ferrari's color cycling demos)
Peter Chan
and, of course, Steve Purcell
The art director for Return To Monkey Island is Rex Crowle, co creator of "Knights and Bikes" and creative director for Teraway and Little Big Planet.
Would I put him up there with my favorites from the LucasArts old guard? No. But he is a genuinely talented artist with a cool style and I'm willing to see what he does with it. The art in the new trailer looks cool to me but I need to see what the human characters look like.
Monkey Island has been host to a bunch of graphical styles over the years. There's big differences even between the EGA and VGA versions of Secret.
Even Steve Purcell's MI illustrations have changed over the years from the exaggerated realism of the OG covers to the more cartoony style he's done from Tales onward (which I adore). So, at the end of the day, I'm not married to a particular art style for the series. In a perfect world would I have loved a traditionally animated Return To Monkey Island in the style of the MI2 Steve Purcell illustration above? Absolutely, that would be my ideal. But I'll take pretty darn good that actually happens vs a perfect impossibility.
But I still reserve the right to bitch endlessly if they fuck up Guybrush and Elaine's character design.
God Damn Elaine was fire haha
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
AI gameplay trailer showing off some of the new puzzle mechanics they've added to the game. Going over some of the stuff we've heard the crew speak about in prior interviews plus some new features that hadn't yet been revealed. I can already tell the investigation parts will be significantly leveled up from these additions.
OMG, this looks FANTASTIC!
Fuz
Banned
"The difference between calling a Steve Purcell and calling a random guy"
and
Man, I seriously went through all the stage of grief at this point.
Feels like when a dear relative dies.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Fuz, you talk a big game, but I know you're a secret Rex Crowle fan and I have the shocking proof!
Fuz
Banned
You're gonna pay for this.Fuz, you talk a big game, but I know you're a secret Rex Crowle fan and I have the shocking proof!
plushyp
Member
I finished it last week and it's perhaps the most unique gaming experience I've had in a long while. The deliberate choice of old-style dithering graphics really adds to the atmosphere. From the story to the music to the face reaction mechanic, the entire game is unsettling in a good way and never overstays it's welcome.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Yes, all the shapes and figures obscured in dithering creates a very unique vibe. It's an eerie game even when not that much is happening, and I'm sure the full thing explores that feeling much further.
I'll probably play through it after I get around to NORCO. Seems like a safer bet than Chinatown Detective Agency, which is unfortunately getting very mixed reviews.
Oh totally missed the price tag. Well I'm going to wait for a discount, also because I just read that devs decided not to implement manual saving from the beginning but you have to finish a case for the game to save and manual saving is allowed after the first three cases.. Wonder what made them decide so.
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Vampire On Titus
Member
Looking forward to CTD from what I can see in the reviews the reason for the varying scores isn't the story-telling or even potential pitfalls of the real world investigation mechanic. The biggest issue seems to be bugs and other technical problems. So, since I've got a ton of other games to play anyways, I don't mind waiting for a patch or two.
Also quoting this here for people who didn't see the other thread.
More info at Yurukill's official site.
New trailer for the Japanese adventure game / bullet hell combo, that looks to be a mix of Zero Escape, Ace Attorney/Danganronpa, and... I'll go with Ikaruga. Interestingly enough, according to the game's website, they've incorporated evidence based deductions into the shooting sections as well.
Who knows how this mix of styles will turn out, but it looks interesting.
Also quoting this here for people who didn't see the other thread.
GreenAlien
Member
Cat Museum
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