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Adventure Games Thread 2022 - We CAN use these things together

Digital Antiquarian wrote an entry on his blog for Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars


By the way, is the new Broken Sword any good?
Broken Sword 5 was good, the art style for the backgrounds was gorgeous and the figures were respectably close to the original aesthetic for 3D art on a budget. The story doesn't stray too far from the Broken Sword formula, of course there's a new conspiracy with supernatural implications, George and Nico are back and their chemistry is better than in the other post-2 games. It's well done and worth playing but isn't quite as entertaining as the first two games IMO.

This could also come down, partially, to burnout since I did marathon the Broken Sword series going into 5 and I was pretty burned out by the time I got to it. Still a solid game, though.
 
You know, I just realized Broken Sword 5 was released in 2013 almost 10 years ago, wtf.

I almost forgot they were working on that Beyond a Steel Sky game.
Yeah, to be honest I hope that whatever Revolution works on next is a new IP. I enjoyed Beyond a Steel Sky but it feels like they're limiting themselves staying tied to their legacy franchises. There is a stable fan base that will always come out for Broken Sword but IMO it starts to feel silly after a while when George and Nico are uncovering yet another ancient conspiracy. Part of what made BS1 so special was you didn't know how deep the mystery would go.
 
Shinigami: Shibito Magire coming west as Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II in 2023 for PS4, Switch, and PC - Gematsu
Aksys Games will release Experience-developed horror adventure game Shinigami: Shibito Magire as Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC in the west in 2023, the company announced.
Simple announcement without too many details, even the trailer Aksys Games uploaded is just the same Japanese trailer Experience put out a few months ago without any actual translated text lol. Still I'm happy the third Spirit Hunter game is properly getting an English release. I'm a fan of the series and it just dawned on me that the current Steam sale is probably the only time for a while these games will be (somewhat) reasonably priced.


20 dollars for the first game is not too shabby considering it's around 15 to 20 hours long.

This trailer for upcoming Sci-Fi adventure "Lost In Space" also looks pretty neat.

Ready for a brand new Lost in Space adventure?​

In this all new point & click adventure game you'll play as Will Robinson who will need your help to solve the mystery of his missing Jupiter 2 crewmates. After being trapped in a cave on a late night rock hunting excursion, Will returns to the spaceship, only to find that it's been attacked during the night! You'll team up with Dr. Zachery Smith and B9, the Robot, to unravel the story behind the disappearance of Will's parents, John and Maureen; his sisters, Judy and Penny and Major Don West. Their journey will take them on a perilous adventure across various locations from deep dangerous caves to convict-filled derelict spaceships!

Lost in Space will return you to the imaginative world of the beloved 60's television series. The game is designed to be the "fourth season" that fans have always craved since the conclusion of its three season run. Recreated with loving detail to perfectly capture the personalities of all the members of the Jupiter 2. From the precociously adventurous Will Robinson to the pragmatic yet protective B9 Robot. From the stoic and brave Professor John Robinson to the skittish, antic-filled Dr. Zackary Smith. This original adventure will also mark the return of numerous, famous villains from the original series.

  • Lost in Space lovingly recreates the wonderous world of the beloved 60's television series.
  • Experience an all-new story that continues the Robinson's adventures and serves as a interactive "fourth season" of the original series.
  • Match wits with some of the original series' most nefarious villains including Saticons, Invaders from the Fifth Dimension, the Giant Cyclops and more!
  • The game uses dialogue taken directly from the show as well as the original music including the iconic theme songs!
  • Work your way through lots and lots of challenging puzzles, knowing a multi-tiered help system is always there. If you need it.

I dig the retro-future vibes and the animation is nice as well.
 

Fuz

Banned
Agreed. That being said, I have heard ubiquitously high praise for the first game in the series. I'm going to check it out eventually even though the art is a massive turn-off for me.
I'm exactly in the same spot.
Apparently it's a really great game, but I... just... can't... with that art style. I just can't.
 
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Garage - This weird machine is said to create a bizarre dark world by working on the subject's subconscious mind.
The player character is thrown into an enclosed world filled with sewage, with decaying wooden buildings and rusted metals.
And he discovers that his body has been changed into something in between a machine and a living creature.
He wanders around this structurally complex maze-like world in search of a way out.

"Garage: Bad Dream Adventure" was originally released as a PC adventure game in 1999. In this game, the player character enters his inner world through a psychotherapeutic machine. He is turned into an odd-looking biological machine and searches for a way to escape from that world. Because of its unique world setting, it is described as one of the top 3 warped games or bizarre games.

It is basically a mystery-solving exploratory adventure game. But it also has many RPG elements such as character development through body modifications and intricate fishing system. And the story questions the ambiguity of escaping from the world and staying in the world.

One of the features of Garage is its detailed world building. Elements like energy circulation, ecosystem and how the world came about are intertwined tightly, and are reflected in the game system, bringing to life the feel of the deep another world. The unique feeling of strangeness and anxiety surrounding the whole game, even though it is not a horror or depressing game, is created by these settings and system.

In this remastered version, almost all images have been retouched, videos have been revised using AI frame interpolation, user-interface and game balance have been improved, and new chapters, subquests and multiple endings have been added.
Bizarre JADV game saved from obscurity, Garage Bad Dream Adventure, is out on PC today.
 
Another one bites the dust.


This was on KS and was supposed to be a sci-fi classic point-and-click adventure game but they changed it and gave us.....this pos. Just watch the trailer at your own risk rofl. They are also selling.....cosmetic dlc.....hahawtf were these devs smoking?
 


New info on Project M (not that one, the other one) is imminent as NOVECT will be showing off the game at BitSummit. Pretty cool since I thought the earliest we'd see anything significant would be TGS in September. Plus, there's a new video in the tweet showing a little bit more than we saw in the reveal trailer.

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Touch Detective collection Touch Detective: Rina and the Funghi Case Files announced for Switch

A collection of all three Touch Detective games (and other spinoff mobile games) has been announced for the Switch. Touch Detective was a series of really charming adventure games for the DS and 3DS, it's not a series that gets brought up much anymore. So I'm surprised and glad they're doing this collection, which also converts the dual screen controls to single screen.

Fingers crossed they announce an English localization too, which would mean the third game is finally receiving an official translation.
 
ive seen many people recc wadjet eye games and unavowed. well i finally got around to playing the unavowed demo on switch and must say it really impressed me. was just loving the attention to detail, themes, and writing. unfortunately the puzzles were lackluster and barely any at that within the demo. but it was a neat experience. really made me want to buy the game and see it through.

just wanted to toss my coin in the cup if anyone hasnt played it, or is even interested in checkin out the switch demo, its worth it.
 
Hey, just found out about this game, has anybody played it? It's very pretty (and it's cheap)


I found it just ok. Religion/Politics and History are not something I am fond of unless it's some sort of mystery/Indiana Jones stuff so don't expect anything super mature like game of thrones shit or any fantasy stuff, it's very simple and it has some interesting moments tho very few. Gameplay was meh. For 2 euros tho, go for it.
 
Hey, just found out about this game, has anybody played it? It's very pretty (and it's cheap)

Yeah I started it and enjoyed myself, haven't gotten around to finishing the last episodes yet though.
Started playing through Ken Follet's The Pillars of Earth and I'm enjoying it quite a bit, so far. First thing about it is that it's absolutely gorgeous. All Daedalic games tend to have very high quality art, but the style and craft in Pillars of Earth is a cut above their norm, I think. Everything from the stylization, to the brushwork of the environments, down to the character designs is top notch imo. Even the use of post processing effects are tastefully done without overpowering any of the scenes, which I find rare. I think the lip-sync could've been better during some of the conversations, but that's really the only nitpick.

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(Character designs walk a fine line of being distinct while not dipping into caricature.)
It's really nice to finally enjoy all this great art in a Daedalic game without running into the roadblock of the studio's writing. Which historically just doesn't connect with me, especially their sense of humor. Quite the contrary with Pillars of Earth, I've found myself fairly engrossed in it's slow moving character drama. Currently, the plot revolves around a political struggle for England's throne and how that impacts a Prior struggling to rebuild his crumbling cathedral, a Mason's family looking for work and an outlaw mother and son. I'm at the tail end of Book 1 (of 3) and the stage has been well set for all manner of back-stabbings, double crossings and general underhanded maneuvering. So I'm looking forward to seeing just how spectacularly all my choices will blow up in my face.

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(Narrative choices come in a variety of forms.)
Pillars also does something I think TTG should have employed more often. Which is that, rather than having mostly all narrative choices come down to a freeze frame/slow down "this or that" moment, they more often emerge naturally from the object/environment interaction the player engages in. Both have their place but the latter allows for a more immersive experience that can make use of some puzzle solving. It also lets smaller moments build into bigger rewards. Like early on theirs a small puzzle to cure some venison, it's possible to miss the solution and continue with the game, but doing so successfully will help you ingratiate yourself with a character who initially dislikes you.

Seems like a fairly long game (for an adventure game, so I'm expecting like 10~15 hrs). I hope the quality keeps up throughout because this could be a real winner. Also, if you've been keeping up with the Epic Game Store giveaways then you probably have this claimed somewhere within the dark, untouched, recesses of your library tab. That's how I'm playing it and I almost feel guilty playing it for free. Well, not really, but I assume that's what someone with a conscience would say.
One of the few Daedalic games I've played and enjoyed (usually their writing doesn't click with me). Def worth it for 2 dollars.
 

protonion

Member
I started the Centennial Case on ps5. Bought it during the sale.

It is an FMV adventure with a (so far) simple clue system.
Basically you gather clues from each scene and connect them to current mysteries.
This creates hypotheses that you present and if correct you advance the plot.

The gaming part doesn't seem that deep however it is very well shot and it has me hooked!

Worth a play for sure.
 
Heads up for anyone who is about to play NORCO. One of my biggest issues with the game, the over-aggressive hinting (to the point where the game straight up tells you puzzle solutions at times), is being addressed by the devs in a forthcoming August update:
Just wanted to provide an update: we haven't forgotten about this feedback. We're implementing a feature called "expert mode" that will eliminate a lot of hinting and signposting and create a more challenging experience. We're hoping to have this finished in time for our next minor release in August. Will keep the forum up to date here if that changes.
-From a Steam Thread about this criticism.

This won't make the game super tough or anything, but it should make the overall experience more satisfying. So it's likely worth the wait for ppl who haven't played it yet.
 
Two new games out today:

We've got a choice-based narrative adventure from INTERIOR/NIGHT, which is headed by an Ex-Quantic Dream dev named Caroline Marchal. She formerly did design work on Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls. The high rez still painting art-style seems to be polarizing from the YT like/dislike ratio, but far as I'm concerned, I like it. Looking forward to trying it out.

There's also Stray, BlueTwelve's cat adventure game that's gotten a lot of attention for its visual flare and cute animal protagonist. Although the developer has been up front about the game's genre since they began showing it off:
At its core, Stray is an adventure game. It tells the story of a cat who accidentally falls into a weird, mysterious city and his journey to return to his family. Exploration is a key element and as we love to add lots of details to our environments, we hope players will enjoy looking for all the little bits of hidden lore that we’ve added across each level.
It seems that the chase sequences featured in the trailer have given people the impression that this is a platformer, or just confused them about what type of game Stray is altogether. A similar perception/reality gap hit Beautiful Desolation hard (where people assumed it was a cRPG) so I'm hoping the same doesn't happen with Stray. By most accounts it seems like a fantastic game with the only major complaint being playtime.
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I've also stumbled upon this fantastic looking Chinese adventure game, Sunset Hills:

Love the look of this game and the melancholic vibe of the trailer. The dev has shown off some more of the environment art on twitter and it's fantastic:
 

TripleSun

Member
Oh, I think I misread. I thought you said the playtime was too short, but you were just quoting the reviews, my bad.

Generally 7 hours is good enough for an adventure game, I think. Not sure why people think it's not enough.
7-8 is fine but I generally like them if they are 10-15 hours. Gives more time to get invested in the characters. And also depends on how much they are charging for the product if it’s less than 10 hours.
 
Oh, I think I misread. I thought you said the playtime was too short, but you were just quoting the reviews, my bad.

Generally 7 hours is good enough for an adventure game, I think. Not sure why people think it's not enough.
No worries, I figured that was the case but couldn't be sure. And yeah, I agree the length seems fine by me. Especially considering there's supposed to be a decent amount of optional content that I'll certainly be going for. Stray has well outstretched the reach of your typical adventure game, garnering some legitimate mainstream hype (4k Steam reviews in one day, Annapurna seems very good at marketing these games + cute cat), and with that there's been general confusion about the game and some "unseasoned" takes. Good thing is almost everyone who's actually played it seems to be loving the game. Gonna be jumping in later tonight.
 
Seems like it's a walking simulator. Everybody just want to love it (including myself) but seems to be super shallow, while super cute.

I dunno.
Depends on your threshold for "walking sim," to me a walking sim is an adventure with basically no interactivity outside of finding the correct hotspot to interact with, like Firewatch or Draugen. Stray has more going on than that. The exploration is largely non linear, there are puzzles of the environmental and item based variety, also there's occasional chase sequence which have puzzle-y aspects to them.

As far as modern 3D adventures go Stray is actually very traditional, structurally. It's just an easy game.
 
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Reactions: Fuz
I completed Stray and overall I'd say I had a really good time with it, but it didn't completely blow me away. The game has tapped into a kind of mainstream appeal that almost no adventures do, especially ones this traditional in their design. In terms of how you progress it reminds me a lot of Simon The Sorcerer, in that game the plot was very minimal and your quest was strung along almost entirely by happening upon a fantasy creature that would ask you for a favor. Similarly, most of Stray's puzzles are spurred along by meeting a robot and fetching something for it.

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It seems evident that most people are drawn to the game due to its high fidelity graphics and cutsey cat appeal, but for me the best thing about Stray is the level design. Exploring a world that's so much larger than your in-game avatar, slinking thorough passageways, and jumping between varying degrees of verticality in cat-like fashion is a lot of fun. It reminded me of other game worlds that are simply fun to explore like Yokosuka in Shenmue, or Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp in Psychonauts.

If the naturally fun exploration was in service of more substantial puzzles I think Stray could've been something really special. Surprisingly enough, the action sequences aren't shit, add some decent variety to the mix, and don't outstay their welcome. If BlueTwelve studio builds upon Stray's strengths and gives their next game a bit more puzzle depth they could have something truly great on their hands.

I'd give Stray a 7/10.
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I also finished As Dusk Falls, a narrative adventure game from some ex-Quantic Dream developers. It sports a somewhat polarizing art style that's comprised of high-resolution painterly portraits which fade between poses throughout a 3D scene. It's not for everyone, I suppose, but I liked it a lot. Plus it has the added benefit of giving a small(er) studio the ability to generate assets for all of the variable outcomes a game like this should have. The story is about a heist gone wrong that leads to a hostage stand-off between a group of robbers and cops in a small roadside motel, where a family of four had just checked in. You switch perspectives between both sides of the conflict and attempt to make the least fucked up choice, of the many fucked up choices laid before you.

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The writing is well done, choices can be really intense, and the outcome of those choices almost always feel logical. So it does feel like you can navigate through the scenario with intent, as opposed to some other choice based games where you're taking shots in the dark. As Dusk Falls nails the basics of the gameplay but doesn't quite elevate in the same way the very best choice based adventures do. Other games in this space will have branching outcomes based on how you interact with the world or what you solve, in addition to the "this or that" style choices.For example: the fingerprint puzzle in Heavy Rain, the survival meta of Road 96, or tracking deviant androids via security footage in Detroit. As Dusk Falls tries some of that with this brief P&C screens, but feels a tad formulaic when compared to my favorites.

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Still I was gripped enough by the story and strength of the core choice-based gameplay that I binged through the game in like 2 sittings (it's about 7 hours long). And I've also started replaying the game in multiplayer mode with some friends which has been a blast so far. If you like these games and can get into the art style, I'd say it's absolutely worth checking out.

I'd give As Dusk Falls an 8.3/10
 
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