Point-And-Click Adventure Games

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I never really cared much for the genre. I watched quite a few LP's of stuff like the King's Quest games and I've played Grim Fandango and IHNMAIMS.

A lot of the genre comes down to having to either pixel hunting, using everything you have in your inventory in order to find that obscure solution to a puzzle and lots of meandering around. Also kind of obnoxious how so many of these games punish you if you don't have the right item at the right time leading to a dead game or didn't react quickly enough to something and missing out on something that can save your life later on.

Grim Fandango is definitely one of the better examples, but that's only because I like the characters and art style. Even that game gets ridiculous in places.

I just don't really have the kind of mindset for the genre I guess. Just isn't for me.
 
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Namesarehardtocomeupwith said:
I played I have no mouth and I must scream. It was okay,
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Really wanted to like this game, but it was so slow. Maybe acceptable in the 90's, but I lasted about half an hour before I gave up.

Adding that Monkey Island 1, 2 and 3 are masterpieces, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade always has a special place in my heart. Fuck the fighting bits though.
 
I'll add a few recommendations for recent-ish titles:

Primordia: This is a post apocalyptic game where robots have taken over the world after mankind went kaboom and you control one of the robots and his comic relief companion (sort of like beneath a steel sky), very moody and nice artwork.

Gemini Rue: This is a cyberpunk noir story about a prisoner and an ex-hitman trying to make their way in a world so inspired by things like Cowboy Bebop that the characters actually show up as easter eggs. The game actually has gun play in it and it doesn't suck. Once again it has a very nice atmosphere and mood.

Tormentum - Dark Sorrow: Edgy name aside this game is carried by the art work. If you like the art of Zadislav Beksinski it's very reminiscent of that.
 
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There is nothing as depressing in gaming as how such a genre pretty much went extinct. The move to 3d killed tons of franchises that couldn't make the gameplay work. Afterwards Telltale, that appeared to revive some of the genre, ruined it even further by making the standard be movies with minimum player interactivity and no puzzles.
And that's without talking about sjw infecting the genre with terribly written propaganda games that are a waste of pixelart.
 
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Dropsy was a pretty fun, weird time, if you're looking for something recent.

Dark Seed and its sequel are genuinely terrible games that any fan of the genre should play anyway.
 
I mentioned this in the retro gaming thread too but I played Loom not too long ago after vaguely remembering it as a child and revisiting it as an adult was a great experience. I love that era of pixel art, the worldbuilding drew me in and I thought the way you solve the puzzles was interesting too since it's not item based but instead you manipulate the world and npcs with spells. Afterwards I watched this postmortem and it makes me sad that the hypothetical sequels were never a thing in the end.

 
I play point and clicks occasionally, but I'm not any good at them. I always need to consult a guide because I'm not smart or creative enough to figure them out on my own. I'm not playing them for the gameplay anyway, the story is what matters, so I don't feel too bad looking up walkthroughs.

I've been replaying the old Dracula point-and-clicks from the early 2000s. They're okay, the CGI hasn't aged well, the puzzles can get really confusing, and the voice acting is dreadful, but I like their atmosphere and something about them evokes a certain mood. I can't explain it well, but there's something comfy about them in a way you simply don't get in other genres.
 
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Phantasmagoria was a good creepy time, though the acting was pretty cringe at times. It has some nice easter eggs too if I remember correctly. Puzzle Of The Flesh had nothing to do with the first Phantasmagoria game and was almost an interactive movie. Kinda interesting plot though.

Titanic Adventure Out Of Time was amazing. I have replayed it SO many times.

Dust: A Tale Of The Wired West is fun, I died so many times due to a squeaky stair it isn't funny, and there's a tie-in with Titanic Adventure Out Of Time.

Sanitarium, also a much beloved game. Many MANY replays.

Maize. There is corn. It is a wonderful thing.

Bertram Fiddle deserves a mention as well.

I feel like I should have more to blather on about. Also there should be a What Your Favorite Point-And-Click Game Says About You quiz, though I fear what my results might be.
 
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Modern ones that I've truly -never- have heard or had a conversation with anyone about would be Journey of a Roach and Night of the Rabbit. The former is great but rather short and the latter is rough around the edges and takes forever to actually get interesting but it has great puzzles, graphics and music.

You can probably snag both on sale for less than 10 dollars or your local equivalent.
 
FatalTater said:
Phantasmagoria was a good creepy time, though the acting was pretty cringe at times.
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literally "the room" of adventure games.

Duncan Hills Coffee said:
I play point and clicks occasionally, but I'm not any good at them. I always need to consult a guide because I'm not smart or creative enough to figure them out on my own. I'm not playing them for the gameplay anyway, the story is what matters, so I don't feel too bad looking up walkthroughs.
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it highly depends on the genre and decade, the old lucasarts games weren't too difficult but some puzzles required an equal "wacky" solution, while others where outright hard in the sense you had to figure out the right combination and order. I remember in riddle of master lu just hooking up a rubber tube to a table was a pain in the butt.

sometimes they also manage to fuck with you in smart ways. I still remember flight of the amazon queen having a gorilla you couldn't get past on the right side and bananas on the left.
the solution: instead of trying to get the bananas or clicking behind the gorilla to walk there, just talk to him and tell him there are no gorillas in the amazon - and he leaves. took me 2 days to figure that one out.

some stuff that wasn't mentioned yet (or I missed it): prisoner of ice for some lucasarts-flair cthullu adventure, shivers as a myst-clone. might be nostalgia speaking but those are the ones I still remember. some of the daedalic ones are also pretty good, like whispered word or the dark eye ones.
 
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Oh point and click, that's pretty much my favorite these days.

Shardlight was really good, the world and story was intriguing and it did some cool things. With the internet at your fingertips perplexing puzzles/problems won't ever be a problem so it didn't have any of those. I got stuck here and there but it was always about solving practical problems with practical solutions, no "monkey wrench" or picking up the dog chasing you. "no no no, I can figure this out..." is a way to describe it.

Technobabylon is another one, really good game. It's sci-fi and you play an elderly cop. This one I had to consult a walkthrough for at one point/location, I could probably have solved it by taking notes on a piece of paper. Towards the end it has a section that please, don't do that shit in point and clicks. Really good game and so far it's got the only trans-woman character in a video game that I whole heartedly approve of and I post a lot of shit in the Tranny News Megathread & Co.

Book of Unwritten Tales 1 & 2 is just fantastic, maybe start with 2 if you're on the fence, it also looks fantastic in a modern way and runs on a toaster. It's a fantasy point and click in a slightly Discworld like world and really funny with lots of great dialogue.
 
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ZMOT said:
it highly depends on the genre and decade, the old lucasarts games weren't too difficult but some puzzles required an equal "wacky" solution, while others where outright hard in the sense you had to figure out the right combination and order. I remember in riddle of master lu just hooking up a rubber tube to a table was a pain in the butt.

sometimes they also manage to fuck with you in smart ways. I still remember flight of the amazon queen having a gorilla you couldn't get past on the right side and bananas on the left.
the solution: instead of trying to get the bananas or clicking behind the gorilla to walk there, just talk to him and tell him there are no gorillas in the amazon - and he leaves. took me 2 days to figure that one out.
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Most of the ones in my library are from the mid 90s to early 2000s. There are some outliers like Monkey Island, but for the most part the ones I have are from the supposed Golden Age of Adventure Games. Of course, I don't think I have the really notorious games, like King's Quest. The ones I have I guess were more "normal," like IHNMAIMS, Grim Fandango, and Beneath a Steel Sky, but even so I have a hard time figuring out what to do on my own.

I do want to get better at them, but I don't have the patience for it.
 
Love the genre even though I'm dumbfuck stupid when it comes to solving puzzles. One of the most comfy areas of video gaming especially in the atmosphere department.
 
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Been playing these type of games for years it's sad how many are completely lost at this point.

Theres a series I play that I've never really heard people talk about called "Carol Reed Mysteries"

Pretty good games by a Swedish indie company. Some really beautiful pictures of real locations.

Also reccomend Lost Crown series, though they have been stalling on the last game for a bit.

Nancy Drew series has some good ones though Her Interactive went through some shit and are no longer the best company.
 
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Duncan Hills Coffee said:
Most of the ones in my library are from the mid 90s to early 2000s. There are some outliers like Monkey Island, but for the most part the ones I have are from the supposed Golden Age of Adventure Games. Of course, I don't think I have the really notorious games, like King's Quest. The ones I have I guess were more "normal," like IHNMAIMS, Grim Fandango, and Beneath a Steel Sky, but even so I have a hard time figuring out what to do on my own.

I do want to get better at them, but I don't have the patience for it.
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same, but by now I hate getting spoiled more. or rather not figuring it out myself. that's why I usually take a break at that point and come back the next day "with a new set of eyes" so to speak.

forgot to mention last time, for anyone who enjoyed broken sword/gabriel knight for the atmosphere, there's also gray matter. think it's kinda underrated considering it's a jane jensen game, enjoyed it much more than I expected (it also pretty easy from what I remember):


which just reminded me I still need to finish machinarium...
 
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I just remembered another one I wasted some time with - John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles: An Adventure In Terror.
Dear lord it was bad. Almost interesting but...not, somehow.
 
The Quest For Glory series was always my favorite, but there were so many goddamn good ones. The entire Sierra Quest series including Space Quest, King's Quest, and Police Quest, for starters. Then Interplay made the delightful Star Trek P&Cs. I remember LucasArts did a few Indiana Jones P&Cs. I also seem to remember that there was a Batman P&C at some point though I've never played it and should really devote an hour to tracking it down to give it a playthrough.
 
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