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10 Adventure Games That Need New Entries
The glory days of the point-and-click adventure genre have passed, but gamers still have great affection for its defining titles. Some studios have even made efforts to bring back the classics; Telltale Games resurrected Sam & Max a few years ago, along with announcing plans for more King's Quest. Leisure Suit Larry is coming back, and LucasArts released new installments of Monkey Island. Even Double Fine's Kickstarter-funded project is a callback to the genre's heyday. You can't call it a resurgence, but if adventure games were to suddenly come back in full force, these are the first 10 games I want to see happen.
10. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
Let's leave the FMV and 3D installments in the past and just go with the classic approach of Gabriel Knight's first adventure. As long as the game focuses on bizarre occult activities and avoids ridiculous and illogical inventory puzzles, Gabriel's return could be triumphant.
9. Myst
Did you know there were five Myst games (six if you count Uru)? Most people stopped playing around Myst III: Exile, but the formula remained successful throughout. The mystery and strangeness associated with exploring new ages is a major draw, and I'd love to do it again.
8. Uninvited
It didn't receive the widespread attention of titles like Myst or 7th Guest, but Uninvited has plenty of potential. All of the core tenants are still used in games today: exploring a haunted house, magic spells, and solving devious puzzles. Even if the name recognition isn't high, gamers would definitely connect with the concepts.
7. The Neverhood
Claymation seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years, but you can't do another Neverhood without it. The surreal and captivating world of the original (and Skullmonkeys) could easily accommodate another story told from Klaymen's perspective.
6. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
It's kind of sad to think that an adventure game from the '90s did a better job of capturing the spirit of Indiana Jones than its latest movie. Then again, Indy could continue his life with dignity if there were more games in this style.
5. Police Quest
If you're playing a police officer in a game these days, you're probably busting up international crime rings. The less glamorous, more realistic approach Police Quest brought to the job might not be bombastic enough for today's market, but it would still be worth a shot.
4. Maniac Mansion/Day of the Tentacle
Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle are some of the best specimens from LucasArts' adventure gaming days. Everything about these games – from the puzzles to the art style – just clicked, helped in no small part by pervasive humor. I want a sequel to strike that perfect balance again.
3. Machinarium
Amanita Design's visually amazing adventure is the most recent release on this list (it first released in 2009), but it still deserves a sequel. Despite being a robot, the protagonist Josef is surprisingly expressive and adorable, and it would be a shame if he were confined to just one game.
2. Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
This story of a gunslinger-turned-pharmacist is one of the funniest and most entertaining adventure games ever made, and it left the door open for a sequel that never materialized. The unique premise and excellent writing make this a prime candidate for revival. Score!
1. Quest For Glory
It's not on the top of most people's lists, but Quest For Glory is a unique adventure/RPG hybrid unlike anything available today. Combining stats and character classes with adventure-style navigation and puzzle solving, the reemergence of this series would make a lot gamers happy. Niche gamers, maybe, but gamers nonetheless.
Do you have some favorites that didn't make the list? Share them in the comments below!
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