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I actually didn't realize there was a manual for the first game. Reading through it now, it makes more sense that the original seems bland, as it's front loaded in the manual. It also confirmed my suspicions that the two games are essentially a prologue to the actual story, one that would unfortunately never came due to the third game never being developed. The games as well as the manual hint at a world so much larger than we ever see as players/readers, and it's disappointing it never got fully realized. The manual actually has some good foreshadowing and connections that don't even begin to reveal themselves until the second game, adding much more weight to what is a confusing story without it. It at least reveals that the developers had a clear vision for what they wanted this series to be, sadly it wasn't executed well.

I've recently gone through the Dragon Lore series of adventure games, which only consists of two titles. From what I had heard, they were very forgettable games, and that is most definitely true of the original, Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins. Bland characters and puzzles made for a uninteresting adventure. But the sequel, it tried a lot. Too much. The sequel, Dragon Lore II: The Heart of the Dragon Man, added so many systems that it's more of a point and click adventure/RPG game hybrid. Unfortunately, all those systems just hampered the experience and turned what would be an alright game into a frustrating one. I go much more in depth in these videos I made, especially the Dragon Lore II video.

If you've played either of these games, what did you think of them?

@SilverSpook: That was a really great read! I learned a lot about the difficulties developing and releasing an indie game. I'm glad that you are able to find joy in it despite the struggles it brought. I haven't listened to the the podcasts yet, but planning on it when I get the time.

@Blondbraid: I always heard about Sweden's social security net being a reason why game development can thrive there, but never knew how extensive it was. As a college student in the US, the ability to study at many different universities there was a surprise to me, as here finances dictate your opportunities. Hearing you describe it, it sounds like a utopia compared to the situation in the US, although there is still difficulties such as marketing games. Makes me dream about something similar being implemented in the US, but very unlikely with the current political climate.

Ooops, sorry, when saying adventure games, I meant either adventure games in general or AGS games specifically. As for when I said mainstream, I may have been too broad and meant more like noticed by gaming community outside of dedicated adventure game players. Examples would be Wadjet Eye games, Kathy Rain(although that didn't do well from what I remember), and Thimbleweed Park(which had big names attached to it and still didn't do great from what I heard). They got press coverage from more gaming sites than others, but their success didn't seem to mirror that as much as one would think.

I recently made a video discussing my worries about the sustainability regarding game development, using Cuphead and Brigador as examples. The main worries being the budgets of games, the health dangers of "crunch", and the lack of visibility for games leading to failure. I was wondering how prevalent these problems exist specifically in the Adventure Game Industry. I think I have a decent idea about visibility, where outside of a dedicated adventure game fanbase games are mostly hidden, except for the few times one can break into the mainstream. But how are the budgets and work environment for adventure games? If there are other issues that I didn't bring up, feel free to bring it up, I'd appreciate learning more about it.

I always like hearing people's thoughts on games I've recently finished, and this time it's Noctropolis(1994)! I played through the updated Night Dive Studios version, so as far as bugs or anything, it worked great. The game itself, it had an interesting idea, entering a comic book world to become a super hero, but it kind of squanders that. There is so much reliance on shock with the sex, violence, and stereotypes that it became silly for me. I had some laughs playing, so I guess it was mostly worth it. It just feels like it didn't get to cover all the ground it wanted to, as (without spoiling anything) it just kind of quickly wraps itself up. The difficulty was surprisingly easy since you just had to use items on the right screen and it would automatically use it on the right thing, making death mostly not a problem. Overall, it was cheesy, one that straddled humorously and eye rolling frequently.

What are your thoughts on the game? I made a video detailing my experience with the game:
(Note: The game does have scenes of explicit nudity, which I do block out, but for story content, I will put a NSFW warning for the video.)

I just recently played through Flight of the Amazon Queen(1995), and I was somewhat disappointed. I felt like the puzzles were mostly check-list fare that doesn't really add anything to the characters or world. There are some funny moments, especially the gorilla(oh that gorilla...). The game is freeware now, so I at least I didn't waste money on it. I made a video detailing my experience with the game:

I was wondering how others felt about this game? I feel like there's parts of the game that can make it enjoyable, the occasional odd story beats being one aspect, but for me it dragged on for far too long in addition to some puzzles I stumbled upon the solution instead of actually figuring it out.

That's great! I've been waiting for all episodes to come out before diving in, so I'm excited to finally play this!

I remember this game.  Loved it, back in the day. 

There was also a sequel - The Quivering.  Also, very funny game. 

I saw this when researching Spud! Will have to play it eventually!

I was looking through the adventure game section of the Steam store and I came across Spud!, an adventure game from 1996. This was one of the weirdest adventure game's I've ever played! It frames itself as a kid's game with a Christmas theme and child protagonist, but that couldn't be farther from the truth! Violence, reindeer nudity, and more, this game was certainly a trip going in blind! I feel like it's a game that should've been one of those cult classics just due to how bonkers it is in parts. The puzzles are pretty simple, but it works. The main problem is how juvenile the game is, especially with the insensitive jokes and offensive stereotypes that are in parts, and I guess that could be a reason for it being forgotten to time. Does anyone else remember this game?
If you want a video to see it in action, I made a review showing the most interesting parts:

The Bioharzard games aren't really surprising to be inspired by point'n click adventure games though, as they're just ripoffs of the Alone in the Dark games, which were coined as adventure games more often than the later invented genre survival horror.

How could I forget about Alone in the Dark? I feel like those games(at least the first one from my experience) handled the adventure aspects better than Resident Evil. I still remember getting a decent amount through the game at school. Makes me wonder if we can ever get an adventure game in that style that can have good puzzles as well as mix with the action horror aspects of the game.

I recently was playing through Resident Evil REmake and never realized how much inspiration it took from point n' click adventure games. Rather than surviving attacks from zombies, you spend most of the game solving item-based puzzles to access more areas of the mansion, which leads to more puzzles. Unfortunately, it uses these mechanics poorly, which I explain more in-depth in a video I made:

But it got me thinking: what games have you played that took surprising amounts of inspiration from adventure games(whether it's mechanics, design, etc.) for better or for worse?

The new gui looks great! Never heard of Gateway before, but excited to play this remake! Downloading now.

Hi everyone!

I've been playing adventure games for years now, starting with the Secret of Monkey Island. My top 3 adventure games are: Gabriel Knight Sins of the Fathers, Sanitarium, and Beneath a Steel Sky. I have an idea for an adventure game that I'll hopefully be able to start working on soon and show you all, but as of right now I have a youtube channel where I review/analyze video games with a focus towards design.  The adventure genre fascinates me as I believe it to be the genre that is most dependent on design, and I feel like there is a lot of unexplored elements/ideas that could make the adventure genre even better than it already is!

It is nice to meet you all and looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Umbrella Terms Youtube Channel

I wonder if it is possible to have an option in settings to just disable achievements and cards? Then there's at least the choice for those who want them and those who don't.

That was really good! Was able to finish with 33:34 left! I like how all of their strange powers actually played into the puzzles and needed a little thinking outside the box to figure out how to utilize them.

Looks interesting! From what you've shown, I think the story about harvesting emotions is what sounds most interesting to me, as it seems like that idea can be taken in many directions. Wish you all luck!

Adventure games that are done well, tell the story through the puzzles. So you can learn about the characters, motivations, and the story as a whole, while figuring out the puzzles. Rather than just when you've solved them.

Adventure games done poorly, reveal a bit more story after you complete a puzzle. And only use the puzzles as small delays between story segments.

In the latter, the puzzles serve nothing more than a roadblock. And unfortunately most people see adventure games in that light, and it could be one of the reasons why Telltale Games don't have any proper puzzles in their games anymore.
But the former is what has always in my opinion, been what makes adventure games so great. That and the feeling you get when you manage to solve a particularly difficult puzzle.

I completely agree! To add on to what good adventure games do, I'd also add that the puzzles which direct you toward what aspect of the story(world, characters, events) help you solve it really go the extra mile. I think something that would help keep people from looking up the answer is that when they fail, they "progress". That they get feedback why their actions didn't solve the puzzle, perhaps learning more about the aspect of the story that would help them. The only thing about that is that it requires the designer to predict the most likely actions a player will do first, which is hard to do without testing. Another answer to that could be multiple solutions to a puzzle, but then there is the problem of signposting for each solution, potentially mixing up the solutions and helping nobody.

You might actually love adventure games more if you stay away from the walkthroughs. The "AHA" feeling you get when finally figuring out a puzzle with logic and patience is one of the most gratifying experiences in adventure games. Puzzles are meant to stump you. By skipping them you're actually missing out on that great feeling. If you skip puzzles or give up too easily, that's like having God mode in a shooter game.

For me, puzzles are the biggest thing I look forward to. The reward for completing a puzzle is getting to see new cutscenes, characters, backgrounds and having the story unfold. Adventure games are great and unique because instead of skill you're using your wits to progress.

That's why I've been trying to start to rely less on walkthroughs, but habits are hard to break. I think I resort to walkthroughs so much is due to the fact that even when puzzles teach you about the world and characters, they leave you with no standing on how to tackle the problem(at least for most I've played). I think steps that some designers miss is giving you clear goals, some potential starting points/logic, and actively pushing the player to the solution. By actively pushing the player to the solution, I don't mean give the solution, but to think of potential ideas the player think would work, and when trying that out, it shows why it's wrong and pushes them toward the actual solution. I think this could help minimize the risk of 'developer's logic'. It could even make puzzles that would even be regarded as 'moon logic' work as they've been given the potential logic that the player most likely comes up with first and then tells them why it doesn't work, pushing them towards whatever wacky answer they designed.

Cool! Just played and enjoyed the original so looking forward to see how this turns out!