Great adventures in the last 15 years

[Fryjar]

Hi guys,

after a longer hiatus I'm interested in playing some good adventures again.
I played a good portion of the classics from the 90s and the better ones from the early 2ks but haven't really kept up with which good adventures have been released in the last 10-15 years. I played the excellent Primordia but beyond that not much, so it would be great if someone could give me some recommendations which adventures aside from that are worth playing.

 

[Maxie]

If the time period of shitty Sherlock Holmes games, Ankh, Myst V, and Fahrenheit is to be seen as the cut-off point, then I have personally enjoyed the following:

-Sam & Max Season 2&3 - the first one is very much a formulaic Telltale game of the period, the next two seasons spice things up a bit, but it's still unmistakably a Telltale experience - you could easily devise a diagram fitting each and every single one of their pre-Walking Dead games
-A Vampyre Story - it's a proof of concept rather than a genuine game, but very charming nevertheless
-The Book of Unwritten Tales 1&2 - German 3D adventure games, long and of varying quality, but definitely have that bang for the buck
-The Whispered World - Daedalic's 2D renaissance game, nice due to its mechanics
-Machinarium - a minimalistic art-project game from Amanita Design
-Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors - a Japanese visual novel type game, in which between talky parts you have nice FPP escape room type puzzles a'la Myst
-Puzzle Agent 1&2 - Telltale's only stellar game, a sans-frills puzzler
-Gray Matter - a knock-off Gabriel Knight, many people dislike it, I find it cute
-Danganronpa - the second Japanese visual novel, it has extensive trial elements very much unlike Phoenix Wright, also great soundtrack
-Gemini Rue - probably the game which put Wadjet Eye on the map, it's simplistic but still good
-Deponia 1&2 - Daedalic's humorous 2D adventure games, especially the sequel is great due to its open-ended location design
-Chains of Satinav & Memoria - two installments of a series set in the German Dark Eye p&p fantasy world, IMO the best Daedalic games
-Resonance - my favourite Wadjet Eye game, has a slight edge over Primordia because of how different it is - chock-full of interesting mechanics
-The Testament of Sherlock Holmes - the first good Sherlock game from Frogwares, and IMO the last good one
-Tesla Effect - it's a fairly good Tex Murphy game made after a long and arduous Kickstarter campaign iirc
-The Last Door 1&2 - probably the only pixelart game I enjoyed, a Lovecraftian horror story, somewhat simplistic
-The Inner World 1&2 - graphic adventure games, kids friendly, pretty good playthroughs
-Thimbleweed Park - hyped for ages, turned out pretty nice, at least until the finale

 

[RuySan]

The Dream Machine, Machinarium, Primordia, Time Gentleman Please! and The whispered world are the absolute best.

The Dream Machine in particular is the most underrated game in the history of gaming.

 

[Falksi]

I really enjoyed Technobabylon. Had it's flaws, but I'd still say an 8/10. Definitely worth playing.

 

[Jvegi]

I was in love with The Blackwell series. It's very much like a tv show, which means it's engaging, long, formulaic and not a game.

The last one is an exaggeration. There are plenty of puzzles, but most of them are easy. The good thing about it is that it merges with the flow of the story well, the bad things is that if you're not grabbed by the characters you're left with very little. The characters are very good though.

If it\s not something for you, than Resonance is as mechanically pleasing as it gets.

 

[CryptRat]

Heroine's quest is the best, it's arguably the best Quest For Glory-like.

Dropsy is good too, very open while many recent adventure games are cut into tiny self-contained sequences. Daedalic's games do contain big sequences though', these ones are good.

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

The adventures that made the strongest impression on me in the last 15 years:

- Thimbleweed Park (as classy as it can get - very different characters to play, much to explore, good puzzles - a modern classic)
- What Makes You Tick and What Makes you Tick 2 - A Stitch in Time (both are freeware and tell the interesting story of a group of scientists and their mysterious discoveries. Very classical feeling, an almost melancholic atmosphere and great and unique graphic design)
- Journey of Iesir (unfortunately never finished, still a beautiful glimpse of what could have been. Has some of the best pixelart I've ever seen in an adventure and some very clever puzzles)
- The Pillars of the Earth (I never read the books but totally enjoyed this game. There are not so many puzzles but the atmosphere is brillant, graphics are stunning, story is believable and very gripping - imho the best that ever came from Daedalic)
- Black Mirror 3 (I liked part 1 but hated the ending, I liked the beginning of part 2 but BM 3 was the most satisfying of the series for me, great gothic horror)
- Scratches (great victorian style horror story with a very disturbing resolution and one of the most terrifying moments I ever experienced, well paced)
- Gemini Rue (fantastic storytelling, sci-fi-noire)
- Yoomurjak's Ring (FMV that takes place in the existing hungarian city of Eger and tells a mysterious story. Much exploration and unique setting. If you want you can explore the city by clicking yourself from screen to screen. Very atmospheric)
- Oknytt (a strange adventure where you play a little black being without memory and find yourself in endless dark woods. You encounter many folkloristically influenced characters and dive deep into a very strong and mysterious atmosphere. A gem.)
- Quest for Infamy (in the QfG-like-subgenre this is my favourite. There is just so much to explore here, the story is well paced, the three different characters play differently)
- Dracula 3 (I know I mention this game in every second adventure thread but it's one of the best I played in the last 15 years. Especially the storytelling is unique and elaborated and there are some great and original puzzles to solve)

 

[Farewell into the night]

Heroine's quest

and it's free on steam

<iframe src="https://store.steampowered.com/widget/283880/" frameborder="0" width="646" height="190"></iframe>

 

[Parsifarka]

-The Testament of Sherlock Holmes - the first good Sherlock game from Frogwares, and IMO the last good one

Posting to disagree with this particular sentence (while supporting most of the other recommendations); I haven't played vs Jack the Ripper yet, but The Awakened was a nice use of lovecraftian motives and vs Arsène Lupin is simply delightful, a joy to play -both the National Gallery and the British Museum had great puzzles and some encyclopedic references thrown in the clues. All these games have a very accomplished art direction with simple yet detailed visuals (gloomy in the first, beautiful in the later) and very pleasant arrangements of classic compositions. The writing is nothing to be remembered but is charming and has some minor, welcomed humorous elements (a quest consists in finding the dolls a Royal dog has hidden in Buckingham palace causing the fall between the queen and the friend she gift them to). To anyone who likes Granada's TV series adaptation with Jeremy Brett these games before The Testament are a treat, they manage to capture that setting very smartly on a budget; The Awakened those dark episodes in opium dens and bogs, vs Arsène Lupin those rather naive three pipe problems.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

If you think you can stand sort of escape the room kinds of adventure games, Submachine and Rusty Lake/Room Escape are very nice games. Submachine being some weird science fiction Myst-like setting and Room Escape is surreal horror. Neither of them are particularly contrived in terms of logic...well, Room Escape's logic is weird, because surrealism. Both games are free on flash websites, except Rusty Lake moved into a commercial direction its last four games.
I'd also suggest the Chzo Mythos games. They come off as slightly below average early '90s adventures, but they're mostly good. They usually have some bullshit puzzle. I would not recommend getting the author's commercial games though, they're not very good.
I also second at least the first Puzzle Agent, but its more of a straight puzzle game. Like the Professor Layton games.
If you want a laugh, I'd suggest finding Limbo of the Lost somewhere on the internet, opening up a walkthrough and just taking in the insanity.

 

[hello friend]

Snail Trek 1-4 is short but fantastic

Also The Journey Down Chapters 1 through 3

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

I'd also suggest the Chzo Mythos games. They come off as slightly below average early '90s adventures, but they're mostly good. They usually have some bullshit puzzle. I would not recommend getting the author's commercial games though, they're not very good.

Yes, these games are brillant! Very tense atmosphere. Part 1 is my favourite but I also like the sci-fi-setting in part 2.
What commercial games do you mean? I only know The Consuming Shadow and that's a real gem for me. Not an adventure but a rather unique mix of RPG, exploration, puzzle solving and combat. It's the culmination of Ben's Chzo-cosmology and as sinister and depressing as it gets. I love it!

I'd also like to add two others:

- A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Sierra-like adventure with much exploration, different solutions to puzzles and an interesting story - Personally I prefer the old freeware version, it's still available on archive.org)
- The White Chamber (a terrifying horror adventure with interesting plot, surprisingly high production values and strong atmosphere. And it's for free: https://www.indiedb.com/games/the-white-chamber/downloads/the-white-chamber-17 )

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Yes, these games are brillant! Very tense atmosphere. Part 1 is my favourite but I also like the sci-fi-setting in part 2.
What commercial games do you mean? I only know The Consuming Shadow and that's a real gem for me. Not an adventure but a rather unique mix of RPG, exploration, puzzle solving and combat. It's the culmination of Ben's Chzo-cosmology and as sinister and depressing as it gets. I love it!

There's not another one besides The Consuming Shadow? Okay, didn't realize that. I liked the atmosphere and the continuation of his mythos, but the main gameplay loop was just not fun. The max amount of bullets you can hold was too limiting and the combination of melee being okay plus leaving a room with an enemy in it reducing sanity made combat a chore. It felt like you had to do and explore everything, but all the elements in the game were designed to make that tedious to accomplish. Also, I felt like he was making the game overly British, like he was compensating for something.

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

Yes, these games are brillant! Very tense atmosphere. Part 1 is my favourite but I also like the sci-fi-setting in part 2.
What commercial games do you mean? I only know The Consuming Shadow and that's a real gem for me. Not an adventure but a rather unique mix of RPG, exploration, puzzle solving and combat. It's the culmination of Ben's Chzo-cosmology and as sinister and depressing as it gets. I love it!

There's not another one besides The Consuming Shadow? Okay, didn't realize that. I liked the atmosphere and the continuation of his mythos, but the main gameplay loop was just not fun. The max amount of bullets you can hold was too limiting and the combination of melee being okay plus leaving a room with an enemy in it reducing sanity made combat a chore. It felt like you had to do and explore everything, but all the elements in the game were designed to make that tedious to accomplish. Also, I felt like he was making the game overly British, like he was compensating for something.

It's a harsh game and the resources you have are very scarce indeed. Many gameplay elements are repetitive, yes, but that never bothered me too much. You are right, it feels like you should explore everything in this game but I think it's part of the game's concept that such an approach is impossible: There isn't enough time and there are not enough resources to do every possible action, plus the player character is wimpy. Exactly this experience, not to be able to be a "hero" in this game, was very fascinating for me. I think the game is designed to evoke exactly this feeling of desperation and loneliness. If I remember correctly you don't even need to find all the informations about the invading god, you can go to the ritual place with what you've gathered and try your luck by guessing with only half of what you should know. I died a lot in this game but the possibility to unlock additional player characters with different abilities and the high randomness of every game motivated me enough to try my luck again. It's not a game I play regularly, but from time to time I feel the urge to dive into this bottomless pit of darkness and despair.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Good thread.

First, I would suggest Fran Bow/Little Misfortune dilogy (I was stunned at how good it is)

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All Wadjet Eye games are worth trying I think.

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The Last Door 1/2 was awesome.

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Dream Machine is highly unusual thing.

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Rem Michalsky's Devl Came Through Here trilogy is a masterpiece of indie horror adventure, basically like Silent Hill 2 but in 2D.

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[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

God yes, Downfall was a major mindfuck and really disturbing for me. That game really messed with my brain. An exceptional experience. I prefer the old freeware version of the game though, I like its graphics.

The Last Door was great too, I forgot about that. Outstanding music, masterful art direction. I especially liked the second episode of season two, the one in the old mansion ("My Dear Visitor" was the name, if I remember correctly). Unfortunately the final episode was a total disappointment for me, a rather boring 2D walkingsimulator with no puzzles at all.

I mentioned Scratches in one of my earlier posts but would like to add two similar games that impressed me: Darkness Within 1 and Outcry. DW1 (never played part two) has a somewhat confusing story but a very strong pseudo-lovecraftian atmosphere, some fascinating places to visit and some good puzzles. Made me shiver. Outcry is a rather strange game about the manipulation of brainwaves, changing the state of being and explore mysterious places of the protagonist's memories (at least I guess that's what happens in the game). There are some impressive locations to explore and some intricate puzzles to solve.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

God yes, Downfall was a major mindfuck and really disturbing for me. That game really messed with my brain. An exceptional experience. I prefer the old freeware version of the game though, I like its graphics.

The Last Door was great too, I forgot about that. Outstanding music, masterful art direction. I especially liked the second episode of season two, the one in the old mansion ("My Dear Visitor" was the name, if I remember correctly). Unfortunately the final episode was a total disappointment for me, a rather boring 2D walkingsimulator with no puzzles at all.

I mentioned Scratches in one of my earlier posts but would like to add two similar games that impressed me: Darkness Within 1 and Outcry. DW1 (never played part two) has a somewhat confusing story but a very strong pseudo-lovecraftian atmosphere, some fascinating places to visit and some good puzzles. Made me shiver. Outcry is a rather strange game about the manipulation of brainwaves, changing the state of being and explore mysterious places of the protagonist's memories (at least I guess that's what happens in the game). There are some impressive locations to explore and some intricate puzzles to solve.

Wait, Outcry is a USA name for Sublustrum, right? Yeah, this is a cult classic, weird thing.

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

Wait, Outcry is a USA name for Sublustrum, right? Yeah, this is a cult classic, weird thing.

Yes, exactly, that's it! I didn't know it has cult status but it deserves it, there is no other game like that one. It's one of the very few adventures I like to play again from time to time just to experience its atmosphere again. That game brought me to the topic of binaural beats and brainwave technologies. Very interesting stuff.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Wait, Outcry is a USA name for Sublustrum, right? Yeah, this is a cult classic, weird thing.

Yes, exactly, that's it! I didn't know it has cult status but it deserves it, there is no other game like that one. That game brought me to the topic of binaural beats and brainwave technologies. Very interesting stuff.

There was a second game from same developers, 1953 — KGB Unleashed. The third one, Quarantaine, sadly, was cancelled and only concept-art survived:

If it was released it would be probably something resembling Pathologic 2 without survivalism.

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

Ah yes, I played 1953 but somehow never finished it. I don't really know why. The setting was interesting and original. And very gloomy. Maybe I expected it to be more like Outcry/Sublustrum. Wasn't there also a short freeware game from the same developer, something in a subway?

edit: "Process" is the name of this freeware game, just found it again. It's from another russian developer, I confused it.
https://www.indiedb.com/games/process

 

[ValeVelKal]

So in addition to Gemini Rue and Technobabylon (second and third best Wadjet Eye games) I recommend :

- Detective Gallo, private investigator where everyone is a chicken or rooster. Very Day of the Tentacles vibe.
- Gibbeous Lovecraft parodic investigation,
-Tiny and tall : Gleipnir parody of Viking mythology

 

[Falksi]

The trouble with almost all adventure games, even the good ones, is that they'll never be Monkey Island.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

The trouble with almost all adventure games, even the good ones, is that they'll never be Monkey Island.

Even Monkey Island is not Monkey Island anymore.

this fucking undercut

 

[V_K]

On the subject of RPG-Adventure hybrids, beyond Heroine's Quest (which is great) and Quest for Infamy (which is decent) there are:
- The Council. Basically, Telltale formula set in occult 18th century, but with character stats, resource management and some actual, not-braindead puzzles. Narrative pacing suffers from the episodic structure and some rushed development towards later episodes, but overall is pretty solid. C&Cs are also nothing to sneeze at - there's a couple dozen ways the final confrontation can play out depending on what you did in the game.
- West of Loathing. Leaning somewhat more on the RPG side than Adventure, but nevertheless full of interesting puzzles, secrets, and mysteries. Set in a slapstick Weird West and does a good job of balancing humor with suspense and even horror.
- Whispers of a Machine. A Nordic cyberpunk Noire. This is more of a straight Adventure with some light roleplaying thrown in: depending on your dialog choices, your character will unlock different augmentations that determine which puzzle solutions become available. Generally on the easy side, but unlike some other recent games, not insultingly so, and the atmosphere is top notch.
- Goetia. You play a ghost exploring her childhood home and neighboring areas to investigate her own death. Has an open world and hidden upgrades to your ghost powers that allow alternative solutions to some puzzles. Beautiful game with some challenging puzzles and unique mechanics.

 

[ValeVelKal]

On the subject of RPG-Adventure hybrids, beyond Heroine's Quest (which is great) and Quest for Infamy (which is decent) there are:
- The Council. Basically, Telltale formula set in occult 18th century, but with character stats, resource management and some actual, not-braindead puzzles. Narrative pacing suffers from the episodic structure and some rushed development towards later episodes, but overall is pretty solid. C&Cs are also nothing to sneeze at - there's a couple dozen ways the final confrontation can play out depending on what you did in the game.
- West of Loathing. Leaning somewhat more on the RPG side than Adventure, but nevertheless full of interesting puzzles, secrets, and mysteries. Set in a slapstick Weird West and does a good job of balancing humor with suspense and even horror.
- Whispers of a Machine. A Nordic cyberpunk Noire. This is more of a straight Adventure with some light roleplaying thrown in: depending on your dialog choices, your character will unlock different augmentations that determine which puzzle solutions become available. Generally on the easy side, but unlike some other recent games, not insultingly so, and the atmosphere is top notch.
- Goetia. You play a ghost exploring her childhood home and neighboring areas to investigate her own death. Has an open world and hidden upgrades to your ghost powers that allow alternative solutions to some puzzles. Beautiful game with some challenging puzzles and unique mechanics.

Following your recommandation, given that I played the Counci, did not like it very much but agree with your assessment, and loved West of Loathing, I tried Whispers of a Machine.

Whaou. It starts incredibly strongly.