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Adventure Games Thread 2022 - We CAN use these things together

SweetShark

Member
Nah, it's awesome.
I fall asleep in front of games all the time when I play at night, I managed to succesfully sleep through a vanilla Ragnaros raid back then.
2Rce3.gif

I was also full of coffee.

In any case, I already quick ran to the point I was. And realized it's quite a short game. Awesome toh.
Good to know. I supported this game on Kickstarter but I didn't started it yet cause I am playing the Hob's Barrow game.
 
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Fuz

Member

Completed. And got the good ending.

2022 has been a fantastic year for P&C. Just to mention the first ones to come to mind, there's Perfect Tides (which is in a league of its own), Unusual Findings, Lucy Dreaming and now this marvelous little gem.
And it's probably the best of the lot (again, Perfect Tides, league of its own), starting with the interface. The verbs give more life to the game world, there's unlimited save slots, autosave and a modern mode that cuts back pixel hunting.

I am very impressed by the quality of animation, feels like watching an old cartoon. No "extend hand to do anything", it's very refined. Love the artstyle too, but I'm kinda puzzled on the "pixelation" and blurring effect... they seem like a weird choice and feels like the game was downscaled from higher resolutions.
And I'm even more impressed by the quality of voice acting - it's probably THE best voice acting I've ever heard on P&C games... and not just in them but ranks quite high overall. There's also a lot of little, silly sentences out of wrong actions (like talking to trees and such).
The writing is also top-notch, it's a good story with some nice twists, supported by an excellent, lovable chast of characters.
Puzzles are good and (mostly) logical. A few interesting and out-of-the-box ones. It's not a particularly hard game, but I've been stumped a few times - notabily, once in the 3rd chapter but the solution was... super easy and logical I just needed to open a window to create a current inside a room... I tried to get the same effect with the door and completely ignored the window, messed up with the weather vane etc. until I gave up and checked a walkthrough -_- but there's one in the 4th chapter that I deem quite unfair pushing a button to stop a conveyor line in the exact precise spot. I did it in a very close spot (actually looked the same to me) and failed, then I checked a walkthrough, still failed and had to watch a video waltkhrough to confirm that that was, in fact, the correct solution, and tried until got the precise stopping spot. Not a good puzzle, imho.
Oh, the music is also excellent.

I hope this "WatchDaToast" guy keeps making adventure games.
 
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Luthia

Neo Member

Completed. And got the good ending.

2022 has been a fantastic year for P&C. Just to mention the first ones to come to mind, there's Perfect Tides (which is in a league of its own), Unusual Findings, Lucy Dreaming and now this marvelous little gem.
And it's probably the best of the lot (again, Perfect Tides, league of its own), starting with the interface. The verbs give more life to the game world, there's unlimited save slots, autosave and a modern mode that cuts back pixel hunting.

I am very impressed by the quality of animation, feels like watching an old cartoon. No "extend hand to do anything", it's very refined. Love the artstyle too, but I'm kinda puzzled on the "pixelation" and blurring effect... they seem like a weird choice and feels like the game was downscaled from higher resolutions.
And I'm even more impressed by the quality of voice acting - it's probably THE best voice acting I've ever heard on P&C games... and not just in them but ranks quite high overall. There's also a lot of little, silly sentences out of wrong actions (like talking to trees and such).
The writing is also top-notch, it's a good story with some nice twists, supported by an excellent, lovable chast of characters.
Puzzles are good and (mostly) logical. A few interesting and out-of-the-box ones. It's not a particularly hard game, but I've been stumped a few times - notabily, once in the 3rd chapter but the solution was... super easy and logical I just needed to open a window to create a current inside a room... I tried to get the same effect with the door and completely ignored the window, messed up with the weather vane etc. until I gave up and checked a walkthrough -_- but there's one in the 4th chapter that I deem quite unfair pushing a button to stop a conveyor line in the exact precise spot. I did it in a very close spot (actually looked the same to me) and failed, then I checked a walkthrough, still failed and had to watch a video waltkhrough to confirm that that was, in fact, the correct solution, and tried until got the precise stopping spot. Not a good puzzle, imho.
Oh, the music is also excellent.

I hope this "WatchDaToast" guy keeps making adventure games.

Finished it and loved it as well. I agree, the animation is incredible, it feels like it fits any action rather than the usual "extend hand to do anything" as you mentioned.
The graphics are charming, especially the backgrounds. The character design is good, but yeah the resolution is a bit unsettling...
Dialogues, voice acting, and even the story are indeed really nice.
Overall, I had a lot of fun and the nostalgia was so good, I don't think any game really made me feel as if I was playing a 90' PnC as much as this one. I think mostly because there are different locations to explore at once, which is way better than being stuck in one room with few interactions (as it's often the case in modern PnC). Here when you're stuck, you can just go look for something else to do before trying again a particular puzzle.
I wasn't stuck too often (more near the end), but for my part I chose the "classic mode". The only time I regretted it was when you have to find the stone for the fire, it's on one specific stone wall... but there are similar stones you can look at in nearly any location. Other than that, I didn't feel particularly annoyed by this mode, but maybe I'll replay it with the "modern mode" later to see the difference.

Highly recommending playing it, this level of quality is crazy, and it clearly isn't having the visibility it deserves at the moment. I really hope it will get some more so we can expect another game :messenger_grinning:

By the way, Children of Silentown is available today on Steam and GOG :messenger_winking: :
 
Don't want to bore anyone with a drawn out story, but here's a quick thread progress update. I've been very busy and somewhat sick (got COVID again around new years, sense of smell was fucked, most things on my new diet smelled like rancid chemicals. It sucked but I'm better now) but I'm going to have plenty of free time coming up so the 2023 thread should be done by next week.
 

TripleSun

Member
Don't want to bore anyone with a drawn out story, but here's a quick thread progress update. I've been very busy and somewhat sick (got COVID again around new years, sense of smell was fucked, most things on my new diet smelled like rancid chemicals. It sucked but I'm better now) but I'm going to have plenty of free time coming up so the 2023 thread should be done by next week.
No worries. Take care of yourself. I know the new variant is supposed to be super contagious. In my office two people got it the other day.
 

SweetShark

Member
I started playing the "The Dig" some days ago, playing little by little each time.

Beautiful visuals and animations are given.

The puzzle so far are VERY easy which is a surprise to me. Is this a negative? Eh, maybe. I will see how it's end. I had an issue with an annoying (NOT difficult) puzzle which you need to fix a mirror with a drone.

The story is interesting so far. I think is similar to another game I played, but I hope I am wrong.

So yeah, I expect more from this game and I hope to get it.
 
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SweetShark

Member
I continue playing "The Dig"...and it getting really annoying with some specific puzzles.

Minor spoilers: I had to complete a 'jigsaw' puzzle, even if I know what I needed to do to solve the normal puzzle. Frustrating.

Also I realized so far the game is very linear. No many ways to continue playing even if show it could had been a very open exploring game...
 

Fuz

Member
I started playing Not Another Weekend on a whim


and it's actually pretty good! Surprised how good it is since I basically never heard of it before (discovered it just because I'm a big Married with Children fan).
Quirky humour (maybe not for everyone), tons of 80s/90s references, solid coherent writing and good puzzles (warning: heavy moon logic). It's a fun game.

I continue playing "The Dig"...and it getting really annoying with some specific puzzles.

Minor spoilers: I had to complete a 'jigsaw' puzzle, even if I know what I needed to do to solve the normal puzzle. Frustrating.

Also I realized so far the game is very linear. No many ways to continue playing even if show it could had been a very open exploring game...
I don't remember much even though playing it twice (at release and again about 6-7 years ago), but I remember it to be excellent - although not the best old era Lucasfilm game.
I only remember the turtle and how EVERYONE fucking exxagerated that puzzle difficulty and annoyance.
 
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SweetShark

Member
I started playing Not Another Weekend on a whim

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and it's actually pretty good! Surprised how good it is since I basically never heard of it before (discovered it just because I'm a big Married with Children fan).
Quirky humour (maybe not for everyone), tons of 80s/90s references, solid coherent writing and good puzzles (warning: heavy moon logic). It's a fun game.


I don't remember much even though playing it twice (at release and again about 6-7 years ago), but I remember it to be excellent - although not the best old era Lucasfilm game.
I only remember the turtle and how EVERYONE fucking exxagerated that puzzle difficulty and annoyance.
Yeah, I meant the turtle puzzle...
You had of course the other corpse for guidance, but it is still frustrating because, as I said, I know the real solution. It is busy work.

My favorite puzzle so far was the one with the rat. Creative.
 


A Space For The Unbound is coming out tomorrow, it's been one of those games I had looked forward to releasing for about 3 years (such is the way of indie dev) so I'm excited that it's finally coming out. Dunno if I'll go for this immediately or actually start properly playing Owlsgard. Early reviews for Unbound I've skimmed look quite glowing so I'm expecting that Mojiken delivered a memorable experience.



(Fan Translator's Website)
Private Eye Dol is a detective adventure game for the Turbografx CD that I stumbled across a year or two back, and never would've thought it'd get a translation. It stands out from its peers of the era for being fully voiced, containing many animated cutscenes, and being a rare example of a detective JADV with full control over the character rather than being menu-driven. You play as a teen idol, who is also the daughter of a detective, caught amidst a filming gone wrong. Naturally it's up to you to use your inherited detective instinct to solve the case.

I loaded it up for a bit and it seems like a quality game. A bit on the cutesy side for a murder mystery, and a I'm not sure if it's deceptively cute as with Mikagura or just a bit of a bubblier mystery game. I'll see eventually when I have the time to actually play it.
 

Fuz

Member
A Space For The Unbound is coming out tomorrow, it's been one of those games I had looked forward to releasing for about 3 years (such is the way of indie dev) so I'm excited that it's finally coming out. Dunno if I'll go for this immediately or actually start properly playing Owlsgard. Early reviews for Unbound I've skimmed look quite glowing so I'm expecting that Mojiken delivered a memorable experience.
Sadly... the demo was so boring that I completely forgot all about the game.
Feels like a giant missing opportunity.

Edit: Not the demo, the prologue.
 
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TripleSun

Member


A Space For The Unbound is coming out tomorrow, it's been one of those games I had looked forward to releasing for about 3 years (such is the way of indie dev) so I'm excited that it's finally coming out. Dunno if I'll go for this immediately or actually start properly playing Owlsgard. Early reviews for Unbound I've skimmed look quite glowing so I'm expecting that Mojiken delivered a memorable experience.



(Fan Translator's Website)
Private Eye Dol is a detective adventure game for the Turbografx CD that I stumbled across a year or two back, and never would've thought it'd get a translation. It stands out from its peers of the era for being fully voiced, containing many animated cutscenes, and being a rare example of a detective JADV with full control over the character rather than being menu-driven. You play as a teen idol, who is also the daughter of a detective, caught amidst a filming gone wrong. Naturally it's up to you to use your inherited detective instinct to solve the case.

I loaded it up for a bit and it seems like a quality game. A bit on the cutesy side for a murder mystery, and a I'm not sure if it's deceptively cute as with Mikagura or just a bit of a bubblier mystery game. I'll see eventually when I have the time to actually play it.

Owlsgard looks beautiful. Forgot about this game. Was on my wishlist but it slipped my mind that it actually came out. Someone said it felt like a Wadjet game which definitely sounds good to me but wasn’t the first comparison to come to mind from the images.
 

SweetShark

Member
I finished at last playing The Dig.

It was good. I ended up solving some interesting puzzles. Not so difficult once again.

However I need to complain nor for two other things:
- The voice acting of the main characters were not so great. When the characters were in danger or just arguing, I had a feeling they just reading their script.
The aliens were more believable with their speech.
- The ending was...
WAY to happy! I was feeling at some point this was an illusion and a twist was close by to by to ruin this sugar coat reunion. I was wrong.

But yeah, I played the game for 'free' through Amazon Gaming, so this is all good I guess.
 
Yeah, there's a lot to be said about the rollout of Colossal Cave, but the $40 price is the icing on the cake of delusion. Their development partner Marcus Maximus Mera having big used car salesmen energy, complete with a self admitted attention grabbing fake name, saying Colossal Cave will spur the de-facto rebirth of Sierra. Roberta Williams saying that they're making the first VR adventure game, despite the fact that many already exist and some have been successful. When this was pointed out to her by a questioner at their PAX panel Roberta was completely unaware of the existence of games like Lone Echo, indicating that they hadn't looked too closely into what was going on with adventure games in the VR space. There was also Ken saying that he felt the visuals had reached AAA level, which is just obviously not the case. Not to mention, at the core of this, the story of Ken's little hobby project spinning wildly out of control into something he wasn't even working on by the end of it.

All of it amounts to sky high expectations from the ppl involved when this should've just been a small neat project for die-hard fans. Going it at as if this Colossal Cave Remake was going to the rebirth of their old legacy is just setting yourself up for disappointment.
 

SlimeGooGoo

Party Gooper
Weird, where I live the price is more or less equivalent of paying $20 (don't ask where I live)
Still, not interested in buying it.

A bit on the cutesy side for a murder mystery, and a I'm not sure if it's deceptively cute as with Mikagura or just a bit of a bubblier mystery game
Interesting.
If there's one thing that pisses me off is the "cute but secretly dark" trope. Hope this game is not one of them, because it looks pretty charming.
 

Fuz

Member
After seeing it on a P&C fb group I started the Gene Machine.



Now, a few notes on the very few screens.
- Looks and sounds fantastic, especially considering how obscure it is and the budget it should have had. Beautiful backgrounds, great character design and nice animations. I wonder how it's possible that P&C scene regressed so much.
- Dosbox. So alt-tabbing is a pain, and I'm a compulsive alt-tabber. YMMV but this is a huge deal for me.
- The main character is extremely unlikable so far. Maybe appropriate for the era the game is set in, but he's an unsufferable snob idiot.
- I've read somewhere that's there's some awful pixel hunting, however I can't confirm nor deny because...
- Interface is awful. Just awful. And often unresponsive - right now I'm unable to proceed with the game because the load menu refuses to open. Sadly, I'm probably not gonna play this game. Shame, because I really like the "Vernesque" setting and the premises.
 

amigastar

Member
I still have to continue playing Detective Gallo and Thimbleweed Park. Last Adventure game i've played was the new Monkey Island game.
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
A new one based on a Lovecraft story dropped today. Art is reminiscent of the old Lucas Arts games, with some survival horror elements to mix things up (it is a Lovecraftian game after all).


Just downloaded to play on my Deck tonight.
 
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marcincz

Member
Beat Beyond a Steel Sky (even twice) recently.
I've never played Beneath and didn't know, what to except. I was surprised Beyond isn't p&c adventure. Turn out it is a very solid title, which I enjoyed. Good story, interesting characters and nice setting.
 
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amigastar

Member
Beat Beyond a Steel Sky (even twice) recently.
I've never played Beneath and didn't know, what to except. I was surprised Beyond isn't p&c adventure. Turn out it is a very solid title, which I enjoyed. Good story, interesting characters and nice setting.
I love Beneath A Steel Sky. I remember having an Amiga 500+ back in the day and seeing PC screenshots of Beneath a Steel Sky. I don't know if it came out on Amiga.
 
Hey guys, wasn't intending to worry anyone. There's just been a pretty volatile situation at my job where I thought I'd have more free time and instead I've got way less. Just haven't had much time to post but I'm not in danger or anything lol. Everything should be returning to normal soon so (hopefully) I'll be able get everything done and talk about all the sick new adventure games coming out.
 
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