Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

The Random Adventure Game News Thread

CryptRat

Arcane
Developer
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
3,535
Thanks, I've started playing the demo. It has not much to do with Uninvited/Shadowgate despite the old mac interface but it's still fun.
From what I've played so far it's not a classic adventure game, more like an RPG or a CYOA of some kind, you choose a character and you investigate on a case, explore several places, triggering diverse events with a lot skills checks, some CYOA events (some choices, for example, require a special item) and some fights. There are stats and spells.
You should try the demo. I don't know yet how much content is already in the game but it's promising at least.
 

CryptRat

Arcane
Developer
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
3,535
There's no interactive environnement and so even less a "clue" system like in Discworld Noir and that's why I said it's not a classic adventure game.
Your two main actions are travelling to another area and triggering a random event in your current area.
What I missed before my earlier post, and which is very stupid, is that you have to go to some different places in a given and visible order then you get a random CYOA event and you progress whatever you do. Thereferore there's no investigation at all unfortunately.
The outcomes of your actions are that you can eventually lose some health, sanity, get injured, gain some XP or an item or something, but no link with your progression in the investigation.

So probably not that much to find in the game contrary to what I first thought. That said it's a very early version, and another (still early, I guess :)) one is coming soon.
 
Last edited:

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,140
Thanks, I've started playing the demo. It has not much to do with Uninvited/Shadowgate despite the old mac interface but it's still fun.
From what I've played so far it's not a classic adventure game, more like an RPG or a CYOA of some kind, you choose a character and you investigate on a case, explore several places, triggering diverse events with a lot skills checks, some CYOA events (some choices, for example, require a special item) and some fights. There are stats and spells.
You should try the demo. I don't know yet how much content is already in the game but it's promising at least.

Does it have retarded characters acting with less preservation than lemmings, as the average Junji Ito character does? :troll:
 

CryptRat

Arcane
Developer
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
3,535
Last edited by a moderator:

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
Long interview with Tim Schafer at AdventureGamers

After previously releasing remastered versions of LucasArts classics Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle, Double Fine is nearly ready to send an updated edition of Tim Schafer’s biker adventure Full Throttle our way at maximum speed. Luckily, just in time before the game releases for PC, PS4, and Vita on the 18th of April, I was able to get hold of Tim Schafer for an extended Skype interview with the legendary designer. As you can imagine, there were loads of things to talk about. Read on as we discuss all-things-Full Throttle Remastered, have a look back at Tim’s days at LucasArts, and discover more about the many projects currently going on at Double Fine’s headquarters in San Francisco.
 

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
A game called Agatha Knife came out today. Has anyone heard of it before?


ak_steam_description_header_struggle_anim_en.png

Experience life through the eyes of seven-year-old Agatha, an insomniac who finds herself conflicted between friendship with the animals in her mother’s butcher shop and her unwavering love for eating meat. Embark on a satirical narrative point-and-click adventure as you go on an unpredictable journey through Agatha Knife’s quirky and hand-crafted world. Aiming to make the animals unafraid of their inevitable fate in the butcher shop where Agatha works, you’ll head into the whimsical Psychotic Universe looking for answers.


ak_steam_description_header_religion_anim_en.png

Upon her discovery of religion, Agatha quickly realizes it could be used as a valuable tool to win over the animals, quash their fears, and make them unafraid of death. Join Agatha as she undertakes the challenge of creating a new religion of her own, Carnivorism, and works to convince the animals that the sacrifice of their flesh is the secret to eternal happiness.


ak_steam_description_header_geek_anim_en.png

Taking place in the same world as Mango Protocol’s first title, MechaNika, Agatha Knife is riddled with dark humor, geek references, and challenging puzzles. Utilizing humor and wit to boldly explore controversial issues, players will find themselves immersed in Agatha’s struggles while experiencing the world through the eyes of a naive child.


ak_steam_description_header_features_anim_en.png

  • Satirically humorous narrative adventure that lures you to the dark corners of everyday life.
  • Create your own religion piece by piece.
  • Uniquely colorful and hand-crafted art.
  • Tackle controversial topics through the eyes of a child.
  • Explore a dynamic and vibrant world that unfolds as your adventure progresses.
  • Interact with diverse characters and uncover their stories during your quest.
  • Original soundtrack created to suit each environment.
  • Dive into the whimsical Psychotic Universe, the same world as the Mango Protocol's beloved first game, MechaNika.

 

CryptRat

Arcane
Developer
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
3,535
I've played MechaNika, their previous game, I wasn't impressed but it was a small game with according price, 3 dollars or so. At least it was a real adventure game, but the puzzles as the humour were so-so.
The character you're playing in this new game is an actually funny character you meet in MechaNika. I may give it a chance at one point.
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
Patron
Joined
May 13, 2009
Messages
27,049
Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
http://www.pcgamer.com/ten-of-the-best-classic-adventure-game-scenes/

Don't worry, this list was put together by Ben Chandler (artist on many Wadjet Eye games) and not Richard Cobbett.

Ten gorgeous adventure game scenes from the pixel art era

By Ben Chandler 13 hours ago

An adventure game artist celebrates some of the finest backgrounds in the genre.

HiAcy5o6EGzApLy5TXU5VN-650-80.jpg

Low resolution adventure game scenery is a favourite subject of mine, and a field I've been working in for several years, and I regularly look to the adventure game art of the early 90s to study those graphics and see what makes them great. There are hundreds of excellent examples, but I've selected ten that I especially love—that have influenced, inspired and instructed me—to showcase here, and have summarised what it is about these scenes that inspires me.

Future Wars: Adventures in Time
GJAcY8w942f5spbLh2VUth-650-80.png

Another World's Eric Chahi began this time travelling adventure with a stunning vista of a modern city shown reflected in the side of a skyscraper. Using just 7 colours to show the distant cityscape, it still has enough range to show reflections within reflections on the mirrored buildings, yet the use of separate palettes means that the playable area is never lost in these background details. This is aided by dark patches conveniently located right behind the much lighter character and window cleaner's suspended platform. An ingenious and evocative opening scene.

The Dig
Wx5G6qMYyWJ32Q8o7Vfovh-650-80.png

Towering stone formations beneath an alien sunset, reflected by rippling water lapping gently against an uneven shoreline—LucasArts was pushing VGA graphics mode to wonderful heights with this scene. The warm light from the horizon illuminates the edges of the rocky features in wonderful contrast to the cool blue shadows and is cleverly balanced by Boston's orange outfit. The large region of water is broken up especially well, forming a winding s-curve as it recedes, and the smooth animation of ripples keeps it dynamic and evocative.

Simon the Sorcerer
M8yRjspZjA7Te4KLeeJ4uh-650-80.png


Few were better at intricate, detailed pixel art scenes than Adventure Soft, and this location is a testament to their attention to visual detail. The way the treehouse bulges and looms over the water of the swamp gives it a hefty mass, and the winding roots and branches intersect many of the large areas of colour, adding superb diversity. Distant trees, wisps of fog and submerged stones in the water all add a profound sense of life, and the various grotesque faces hidden in the stones give a real sense of personality and character to this fantastic backdrop.

Beneath a Steel Sky
38WmJawn7gNGpyW93nKxth-650-80.png

Revolution Software's dystopian Australia of the future rarely looks as good as it does in this iconic scene near the very beginning. The high camera angle gives a wonderful view of the city; cars pass each other on raised roadways that cut bold angles through the distant landscape, while pollution and flames belch from industrial chimneys atop towering factories that clog the horizon. A bold rule-of-thirds composition frames this with Brutalist structures on either side, keeping this precarious vantage point feeling hemmed in by the crowding of a dense city.

King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
z7oncMKNSVnzatiqQV2Huh-650-80.png

The variety of The Land of the Green Isles leads to a darker, more sinister tone when the game visits the Land of the Dead. Serpentine foreground details frame a skull shaped cavern whose sickly yellow lighting makes it stand out clearly from the blue surroundings, and the winding path to it echoes these twisted features, aided by rib-like arches. Strong rim lighting from the moon leaves much of the scene in shadow, making this Stygian pathway beautifully eerie and evocative.

Full Throttle
fj3FqS7qpv5oE85JvXCEwh-650-80.png

Peter Chan's vision of Melonweed utilises strong shadows punctuated by rich, warm light to create a wonderful nocturnal atmosphere, with twinkling stars and drifting clouds adding subtle, distant motion. The building's varied group of shapes and angles create a powerful silhouette, transforming a simple structure into something iconic and memorable, and uses a variety of textures to break up the larger flat surfaces. The slightly loose two point perspective gives a solid yet slightly ramshackle feeling, a perfect way to depict the decaying remnants of a town.

Dune
7uZCXtSgfUQxq9kj6fBEuh-650-80.png


Cryo's take on Frank Herbert's classic novel wouldn't have been complete without the sight of a massive sandworm bursting from the desert, truly a special moment. Here the rich reds of late evening evoke feelings of adventure and mystery like few other palettes, which, coupled with the unmistakable shape of the legendary creature, really captures the imagination, especially when seen in motion. Just as it's an important point in Paul Muad'Dib's growth, it marks a turning point in the game—and what a way to show it.

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
zKeusnbR2BCH2hk8r3muwh-650-80.png

The complex, varied layout of this bookstore is a testament to the skill of Sierra's art team's ability to transform everyday locations into something special. Foreground books frame the shot well, bringing us into the scene, and the high camera angle allows us to see much of the environment, without losing the feeling of a cluttered little shop. Disordered books against the back wall add personality, and cool lights from upstairs windows complement the warm chandelier perfectly, making it an evocative, memorable scene.

The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate
2QqqqvyvyGEMi6L8jtTCjB-650-80.jpg

It's hard to deny that Westwood were masters of pixel art, and Kyrandia 2 is a beautiful adventure. Though many scenes stand out, the bold, unusual forms here, coupled with an interesting palette, make for a distinctly memorable location. Curving lines and rows of holes accentuate the round forms of the boulders while a wonderfully crooked tree leans across the path, balancing out the largest of these. Subtle movements in the water, steam vents and lava pool add life, completing the scene superbly.

Frederik Pohl's Gateway
HiAcy5o6EGzApLy5TXU5VN-650-80.jpg

Legend Entertainment’s intergalactic adventure is a wild ride to various exotic locations, but none capture the imagination quite as strongly as this underwater shot from a dream. Rich, warm light streams through the water, emphasising the elegant features of plants, and the surface of the water looms above, showing ripples and reflections. The glow of lily pads catching the sunlight tops it magnificently, nestling rich golds among the vivid greens and deep blues. A pixel art masterpiece in just 16 colours, and a perfect way to wrap up my list.

Ben Chandler is an adventure game artist who writes about adventure game art and composition on his 304 blog.
 

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
New Lovecraft-inspired retro point and click:



About This Game
Chronicle of Innsmouth was born by combining the stories of master-of-horror, H.P. Lovecraft, and the style of Lucas’ graphic adventures in the 90s.

Horror scenes and creepy moments create the many grotesque and paradoxical situations.

The game, just like the story, starts off with a trip through New England: at the Newburyport station, you hear for the first time about Innsmouth, a despised sea city surrounded by a myriad of odd stories about voyages to exotic, unknown lands and its own, hidden cult that’s connected mysteriously to your family’s roots.

Investigate, gather information, and solve enigmas in order to reach the spooky Innsmouth, and maybe even find an answer you don’t want to hear…

ss_253220b28d2487407d0a537dbc61fde4f9e74f1b.1920x1080.jpg


ss_591208f109de9109fc5e8bc3918170f36159965f.1920x1080.jpg


ss_3bb303cd38745873128f5dd0e7fadb17e07a9ac3.1920x1080.jpg
 

MRY

Wormwood Studios
Developer
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
5,703
Location
California
As I've mentioned many times before, I think Emily Short is among the best adventure game makers and adventure game theoreticians out there, probably the best if you take both criteria at the same time. Thus, I found this piece of hers about why you shouldn't make parser-based interactive fiction games pretty sad, particularly because in some ways the same arguments apply to RPGs of the type the Codex pines for:
Should I write parser IF? To which my answer would be almost always no. Let me inflect that a little, though.

If you want to write a game that you have a reasonable prospect to sell for money, you should not write parser IF. There is a commercial IF scene that makes money, but essentially none of it is parser-based.

If you want to write something quickly and easily, you should not write parser IF.

If you want to create something that will have a large built-in audience, you should not write parser IF. Likewise if you’re hoping to get a lot of feedback on your work. This is an area I’m sad about. When I came up, in the late 90’s/early 2000s, the parser IF critical community was still very active, and a game submitted to IF Comp could look forward to dozens of responses from people very experienced in the form. Now admittedly those responses could be extremely curt or harsh if a game was perceived as not-up-to-snuff, and the definition of IF was a lot narrower than now. But an ambitious and experimental game could get a lot of really thoughtful engagement, too. That is less true now.

If you want your parents to play what you build, you should not write parser IF. (My mom plays parser IF. She introduced me to it. But lots of people find it challenging to get into, even when created by loved ones.)

If you want something to put on your portfolio that will look snappy to potential employers, or that they will even know how to play, again, do not go to parser IF.

If you’re curious about natural language processing, parser IF is still not for you. What you can learn from parser interactive fiction is how to wield tools from the 1970s for a very particular craft purpose. That’s fine. I like old things. But what you learn here doesn’t always completely translate to the modern version of that domain. (It’s not totally useless either, as I’ve found — but if this is your goal, there are more direct ways to go.)

You should write parser IF only if you have goals outside those categories. Perhaps you are nostalgic for Infocom; perhaps you think parser is just so cool; perhaps you have a game concept that really fits parser and there’s just no better place to do it. Possibly you are tickled by a medium where you can spend half your time writing responses to commands like LICK PARROT. Maybe there’s something you aspire to learn about game design that you think parser IF could teach you.
It goes on from there in a somewhat more positive direction.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,107
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
http://www.pcgamer.com/revisiting-beavis-and-butt-heads-forgotten-point-and-click-adventure/

Revisiting Beavis and Butt-head’s forgotten point-and-click adventure
On a quest for coolness in Virtual Stupidity.

Created by Mike Judge, Beavis and Butt-head is an animated sitcom that originally aired on MTV from 1993 to 1997. It stars a pair of idiotic, immoral, heavy metal-loving teenagers who spend their days watching music videos, flipping burgers, and terrorising their suburban hometown of Highland, Texas. The violence, childish humour, and nihilistic tone drew a lot of criticism at the time—mostly from people it wasn’t aimed at—but that didn’t stop the pair from becoming unlikely icons of ‘90s pop culture.

Like anything vaguely subversive, Beavis and Butt-head were blamed for a number of real-world crimes, forcing MTV to bury them in a late night time slot. But this controversy only inspired more people to watch it, and its popularity continued to grow. This resulted in a movie, a merchandise empire, and a number of Beavis and Butt-head videogames. Among these are Bunghole in One, a crazy golf simulator, and Little Thingies, a collection of minigames. But the best is undoubtedly Virtual Stupidity, a point-and-click adventure released in August 1995, just as the show was entering its sixth season.

Beavis and Butt-head’s famous lack of ambition is reflected in the game’s story. They’re on a quest simply to become cool, and they think joining local criminal Todd’s gang will help them achieve this. “From Highland High to Burger World, help the boys avoid things that suck, find things that rule, and be sure to stop along the way to break something,” reads the game’s manual. “This is gonna be cool.” There’s something compelling about how little is at stake in Virtual Stupidity. Adventure game heroes usually get tangled up in a conspiracy or find themselves on a desperate mission to save the world, but Beavis and Butt-head are utterly self-serving and narrow-minded.

Mike Judge provides the voices of Beavis and Butt-head—and supporting characters including Van Driessen and Tom Anderson—but the dialogue was actually written by Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil. They worked on the show with Judge, though, so it feels authentic, and is every bit as puerile as you might expect. There’s an enormous amount of dialogue in the game, and almost everything you look at or interact with is rewarded with a bespoke line. It’s funny, but only if you find Beavis and Butt-head funny. If their sniggering cynicism and toilet humour leave you cold, you won’t get much out of it. The interface uses a Full Throttle-style verb coin, and there are more points of interaction than a lot of adventure games from the era.

As for the puzzles, they’re what you might expect from a mid-’90s adventure game. A lot of item combination and logic leaps. Nothing on the level of a LucasArts game to be fair, but there is some annoying pixel-hunting. There’s a piece of gum stuck to a water fountain in the school you need for a later puzzle, and I can’t imagine anyone finding without a guide. You can barely see the damn thing. But, really, Virtual Stupidity is a game you play to hang out with Beavis and Butt-head and laugh at their daft jokes, not crack satisfying puzzles. And anyway, you're playing as a pair of certified idiots. It wouldn't feel right if they were suddenly problem-solving geniuses.

If you feel like spending some time with Beavis and Butt-head yourself, ScummVM now supports the game. This means it’ll run on pretty much any PC with minimal fuss. There are better point-and-click adventures out there, but you might be surprised by how good this one is, despite being a TV spin-off. And if you were a fan of the show back in the day, you’ll get an extra kick out of it. Almost 25 years later, and despite being (at least in theory) a mature adult, I still think these losers are funny as hell. And I’m glad, thanks to the likes of ScummVM, fascinating old games like this aren’t lost in the mists of time and can be enjoyed decades later on modern machines.

I actually played this game. Don't remember anything about it though.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom