Point and Click Adventure Games

[swan_tower]

I've always liked the "point and click adventure" style of video game. You know, the kind of thing Sierra was known for, back in the heyday of this genre: games where you wandered around talking to people and clicking on everything that was clickable to add it to your inventory, and then when you got to a challenge sticking your inventory items on it (or on each other, to make a new inventory item) until you figured out how to solve the problem. Many of these games were low-stakes, in that you could only die at a few specific points, and their overall focus was on story.

Does anybody have recmmendations for more games of that type? Either classics that are available on Steam or GOG, or newer games made in that mold. I'm a huge fan of the Gabriel Knight series, and I've also played various King's Quest and Monkey Island games; I recently finished the more recent Blackwell series, and have also played Gray Matter, by the creator of the GK games. I like 'em because they don't take too long to play and they don't make me worry my character is going to die, and it would be nice to have some more to entertain myself with in my spare time. Fantasy genre preferred, but feel free to recommend whatever.

Comments

[juushika]

Machinarium is scifi/dystopia/but in a somewhat whimsical science-fantasy way and has A+ art assets.

[swan_tower]

Is the dystopia depressing, or more just kind of background-y? The description of "whimsical" makes me think the latter, but I figure it's better to check.

[juushika]

Hmmm as I google to refresh my memory, I'm not sure dystopia is the word--screenshots give a good impression of the game, it's a sort of hyperindustrialized but whimsical future with a patina of decay. There's some thematic repercussions, but they're more along the lines of "life persists despite..." than straight-up dystopia, and there's absolutely some playfulness in the art and narrative.

[rushthatspeaks]

Sam and Max! Dog gumshoe and his rabbit sidekick have slapstick detective adventures with a surprising amount of heart. There was a single game back in the nineties, which isn't really available, and then a reboot series of games which should be on Steam. I recommend starting with the second reboot game and doubling back when you care about the characters, as the first hadn't quite hit what they were trying to do yet.

The humor reminds me of Monkey Island, but more so. Teleporting mariachis, the war between North, South, East, and West Dakotas for supremacy-- that sort of thing. Puzzles range from easy to diabolical but are always fair.

Recommended highly, especially if you enjoy laughing hysterically at jokes so well set up they would take like an hour to explain to other humans.

[swan_tower]

Somebody on Twitter recommended "Sam and Max on the Road" -- where does that fall in the series?

[rushthatspeaks]

Sam and Max Hit the Road is the original video game from the nineties, and apparently it was remastered and released on Steam in November 2018, OMG I HAVE TO GET THAT RIGHT NOW. I haven't played it, because it was inaccessible before last November, but it is a dearly beloved classic of many of my friends' childhoods.

The new games are actually in kind of an odd format-- they were released as 'seasons', in which short episodes released one by one come together to form a longer arc. There are six episodes in each season. SKIP EPISODE ONE OF SEASON ONE AND COME BACK TO IT LATER. They hadn't nailed the humor yet and it almost put me off the entire franchise. Episode two isn't great, but is starting to get there; three and everything past that point are good. Season one is available as a unit under the title Sam and Max Save the World, season two is Sam and Max Beyond Time and Space, and season three is Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse.

[aurumcalendula]

Her Interactive's Nancy Drew games, maybe?

...although it is possible to get killed, depending on the particular game (if you do, there is an option on the menu that takes you back just before when you got killed, kicked out of the place you're investigating, etc.)

[swan_tower]

I don't mind occasional places where you can get killed or otherwise lose. I'm just not interested in a lot of combat (constant threat of death) or platforming (whoops, you hit "jump" an instant too soon/too late and now you have fallen to your death). Basically, I want a very laid-back gaming experience. :-)

[aurumcalendula]

iirc (it's been a while since I played them), there's not much combat or platforming, although the dealing with the villain stuff at the end tends to have a time limit.

[moon_custafer]

My iPad won’t support Flash games, but does this still work? http://amanita-design.net/thequestfortherest/ (short game made to promote a band called The Polyphonic Spree, features a little Tove Jansenesque character and some puzzles)

[swan_tower]

I'll take a look!

[spiffikins]

On Big Fish Games there are a number of "hidden object" games that have a fair amount of those characteristics. There is a storyline, and then you find objects by clicking, and have to use those objects to move forward in the plot. You also solve puzzles.

They are not as deep/intricate as the Monkey Island or Sierra games - but they are entertaining.

"Witches' Legacy" is one series - but there are a bunch of these - they seem to be filed under "hidden object" games these days.

In terms of old school games - not sure if they are available - Loom was AWESOME (same vintage as Monkey Island). Ultima VI and Ultima VII part 1 and part 2 were quest type games that were fun - not quite as guided as the Sierra games - a lot more wandering about - kind of like the Adventures of Zelda on Nintendo back in the day.

[swan_tower]

Oh, I adored Loom. Never played much Ultima; I don't remember which one I tried, but it hit me more as being like Might and Magic in its combat-quest-ness. Or maybe I'm remembering something else?

[ckd]

The classic The Last Express is on Steam and GoG, if I'm not mistaken. [ETA] You can die/lose but it rewinds for you.

[swan_tower]

Yeah, I don't mind some risk of death. I just want it to be an occasional thing, rather than a combat-focused game where you're constantly in peril of getting whacked, or a platformer where one mis-timed button press means you fall to your death.

[mme_hardy]

Machinarium is insanely beautiful, and the puzzles are satisfying. Look at the teaser trailers for "A Night In The Woods" and "Oxenfree" and see what you think.

[swan_tower]

Ah, people had mentioned Oxenfree, but not that it was a teaser trailer -- good to know.

[varidog]

The Room series, if it's available for your device/OS. Think steampunk victorian horror puzzle boxes. The first one is mostly a puzzle box game, but as the series goes on, it merges into the adventure game genre quite nicely.

[swan_tower]

How horror-ish, would you say?

[varidog]

Very stylized horror. Lovecraftian. Most of the time you're doing puzzles, with the connecting story bits pointing to something terrible but unsaid. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd put the overall horror at a 2. I categorically don't do horror, but I loved these.

Just friended you.

[jazzlet]

I exchanged spondulicks for the first four Lady Trent books when you were clearing out your excess copies, and you sent them to the UK for no extra.

Re: Just friended you.

[swan_tower]

Welcome!