The Random Adventure Game News Thread

[Sceptic]

And since nobody like him, balance is thus restored.

 

[Darth Roxor]

At one point, you’re expected to piece together an alien skeleton from stray bones when you have no idea what said alien is even supposed to look like.

i'm not a fan of the skeleton puzzle but don't you see that it's an alien turtle each time you try to assemble it and fail, and even get a preview of how the full skeleton is supposed to look just a moment before starting the puzzle

also, to shit on the writing, visuals and voice acting in the dig proves that you are not a human bean

Although its audiovisuals can create an evocative atmosphere at times, even they come across too often as disjointed, being a hodgepodge of too many different technologies and aesthetics.

"at times", the dig oozes atmosphere from start to finish you goddamn fraud

 

[infidel]

Okay, that was strike three. First he shat on Lovecraft, then on Zelazny, and now this. I don't care what else he has to say.

 

[oasis789]

Tried the Mind Scanners demo, which gives you 3 cases to diagnose and treat. My impression is that the totalitarian dystopia worldbuilding seems interesting, and the game interface is very tactile with the button pushing and dial turning. But the minigames are kind of annoying and feel a bit too abstract, like I'm just matching patterns. Silicon Dreams seems much better.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Okay, that was strike three. First he shat on Lovecraft, then on Zelazny, and now this. I don't care what else he has to say.

Took you this long? Someone else originally pointed it out, but the dude played a Star Trek text adventure on Apple II or C64, complained that the back of the box, showing a simulated DOS screenshot, was inaccurate. Surprised that he took a shot at Zelazny though, doesn't seem like something he'd get points for, unlike Lovecraft or Bradbury. Isn't Zelazny someone only a genre reader would know?

 

[infidel]

Okay, that was strike three. First he shat on Lovecraft, then on Zelazny, and now this. I don't care what else he has to say.

Took you this long? Someone else originally pointed it out, but the dude played a Star Trek text adventure on Apple II or C64, complained that the back of the box, showing a simulated DOS screenshot, was inaccurate. Surprised that he took a shot at Zelazny though, doesn't seem like something he'd get points for, unlike Lovecraft or Bradbury. Isn't Zelazny someone only a genre reader would know?

Well, I'm a patient guy, what can I say. The whole post was like "I've read him when I was young and stupid, and he was awesome, and now I'm old and wise, and my tastes are refined. So I've re-read him and he's shit. And muh wife agrees." Something like that.

 

[Infinitron]

Access Software's Amazon: Guardians of Eden and Countdown released on GOG, finally:
https://af.gog.com/game/amazon_guardians_of_eden?as=1649904300
https://af.gog.com/game/countdown?as=1649904300

 

[WallaceChambers]

Near-Mage is a narrative-heavy adventure game with a bit of role-playing DNA that aims to appeal to hardcore players of the genre and newcomers alike.

• Study spell crafting in the Transylvanian Institute for Magick as a Near-Mage;
  
• Experience a deep and engaging story that plays like an adventure game;
  
• Craft your own spell inventory, use it with different results in every play-through;
  
• Dozens of vampyres, pricolitch, moroi, strigoi, ghouls, shtima - your spells change their lives for better or worse;
  
• Hand-painted in glorious 4K and traditionally animated frame-by-frame;
  
• Dozens of itemized outfits and hairstyles to customize your main character;
  
• A game about Transylvania made by Transylvanians!

You're Illy Vraja, a teenager at a crossroads in her life who gets invited to Transylvania by her mysterious Great-Aunt, Domnica, only to find out she comes from a long line of witches, and is entitled to enroll in the Transylvanian Institute for Magick!

As a Near-Mage, you are entering a summer preparatory school, hoping to graduate into a full-fledged spell caster. You’ll take classes in different types of Magick and see how you can use your growing powers to affect the lives of those you come across.

We are from Transylvania, Romania ourselves, so we’re doing a deep dive into its rich lore, legends and superstitions, heavily drawing on them in creating Near-Mage’s dark and colorful world.

Travel freely between three main hubs: the real-life town of Sighișoara, the mythical town of Rakus, that lies beyond a magickal veil and cannot be seen by most, and the Transylvanian Institute for Magick.

Near-Mage will allow for a lot of freedom when approaching the situations you’ll encounter within the Transylvanian Institute for Magick and its surroundings. When it comes to spell-crafting, you can choose what type of classes you’re taking on a whim, or you can look up recipes in a spellbook and strategize your build.

This build variety will in turn lead to different outcomes for some quest lines, affect certain NPCs’ fates, and result in high replayability. Maybe you’ve erased an NPC’s memory on your first play-through. What if you used a different spell on them this time around… or no spell at all?

You’ll be able to play Near-Mage as a point and click, or you can control the character directly. Walk to your objectives, run at full speed, or even fly there!

Make friends or enemies with fellow students, learn to be closer to your magickal calling, and lift the veil off of ancient mysteries in Near-Mage!

 

[V_K]

Huh. I guess someone thought Hero-U was successful enough to imitate.

 

[whocares]

I will not eat the bugs. I will not live in a pod. I will not use 2FA.

 

[V_K]

Huh. I didn't realize it was by Gibbous devs. Well, let's hope at least that spellcasting will involve pointing and clicking rather than dialog choices.

 

[Maximilian]

Hey Dinofans!

Let's address the dinosaur in the room. So it's 2021, and back in 2019 we estimated that the date for Theropods to come out would be this summerr. Unfortunately, our plans also got disrupted as much as everyone's between the distant 2019 and today, BUT we made a nice video explaining the situation and updating you on the progress.


So bad news: the game is delayed. Good news: this update has cats.


Thanks again and as always, feel free to ask anything you want, go check our weekly twitch streams and be on the lookout for those Backer Villager messages!

- Kostas and Sarahrahrahrah

 

[Mr. Underhill]

Hey guys, thanks for the share. Leaving aside the codex-standard edgy comments, Near-Mage is very much a point 'n click adventure, the button prompts are for the alternate way of playing it via direct control (if you've played Brok's prologue, that's exactly how it works, it was weird that we implemented the same exact thing without ever discussing it). It has an inventory, but instead of objects you'll have spells, which you can craft yourself, and whose use leads to different outcomes. And if you're bothered by the default mohawk and an undercut look Illy has, there'll be tons of ways to customize your look to your heart's content, as you can see in the trailer. Not saying it's an adventure-RPG hybrid exactly, 'cause the RPG DNA spliced in is pretty light, but we're taking a lot of inspiration from games like FFIX and Chrono Trigger.

We'll reveal more about how the whole system works when we launch the Kickstarter. Making Gibbous a very traditional p&c was a lot of fun, but this time around we wanted to put our own spin on the formula. I hope it'll click with at least some players If you've played Gibbous you'll know not to expect brain-melting puzzles, but rather an emphasis on characters and atmosphere.

 

[WallaceChambers]

Lost, alone, and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten city.

Stray is a third-person cat adventure game set amidst the detailed neon-lit alleys of a decaying cybercity and the murky environments of its seedy underbelly. Roam surroundings high and low, defend against unforeseen threats and solve the mysteries of this unwelcoming place inhabited by nothing but unassuming droids and dangerous creatures.

See the world through the eyes of a stray and interact with the environment in playful ways. Be stealthy, nimble, silly, and sometimes as annoying as possible with the strange inhabitants of this foreign world.

Along the way, the cat befriends a small flying drone, known only as B12. With the help of this newfound companion, the duo try to find a way out.

Stray is developed by BlueTwelve Studio, a small team from south of France mostly made of cats and a handful of humans.

Info from a July 11th PSblog entry:

Creating a virtual cat
Our goal is to create a unique experience playing as a cat. We are inspired everyday by Murtaugh and Riggs, our two cats. Most of the team are cat owners as well, giving us all a lot of helpful first-hand references. Cats are always so playful, cute and lovingly annoying that it’s an endless stream of gameplay ideas for us.

It is also a very unique point of view for an adventure game. Exploring the strange world we are building feels really fresh when you’re sneaking under a car, or walking the rooftops with the inhabitants below unaware of your presence. Or if you want them to be aware, you can just meow endlessly to annoy them.

More from a July 29th PSblog entry:

At its core, Stray is an adventure game. It tells the story of a cat who accidentally falls into a weird, mysterious city and his journey to return to his family. Exploration is a key element and as we love to add lots of details to our environments, we hope players will enjoy looking for all the little bits of hidden lore that we’ve added across each level.

The cat is definitely the star of the show in the game though, and it was important for us to show a glimpse of all the playful interactions that he can have with his environment. Some of them are useful and will help solve puzzles as you progress, and some are just here because cats will be cats — and as most cat owners know painfully well, no sofa can be left unscratched.

The unique perspective of playing as a cat also creates interesting opportunities in terms of level design. Some of the usual tropes of videogames can be twisted in funny and interesting ways: a grid blocking the way for humans? Not for a cat! A decorative rain pipe spiraling along a building? Perfect platforming sequence for a feline!

Their journey will not be a calm river, though — action and fast-paced sequences are a strong component of Stray, too. Some areas of the game are way more dangerous and unwelcoming for the little duo, and our hero’s agility and quick moves will be put to the test to survive vicious enemies like the swarm of “Zurks” as seen in the trailer. The Zurks have a big impact on the lives of the inhabitants of the city, but they are not the only type of foe that you may encounter. And while being quick and agile is required, being stealthy and sneaky will be just as important to find the exit of this strange and futuristic maze.

 

[lightbane]

Is this the spiritual sequel to this?

 

[V_K]

I've been hearing about quite a lot of cat-centered games recently. Now that's purre

 

[Tom Selleck]

I'm scare for lil kitty come home to snuggle me pls

 

[rohand]

Free Still Life on IndieGala
https://freebies.indiegala.com/still-life

 

[rohand]

Free Still Life on IndieGala
https://freebies.indiegala.com/still-life

Now Still Life 2!
https://freebies.indiegala.com/stil...ail&utm_campaign=Summer_Mania_Bundle_20210806

 

[V_K]

So this is out now apparently. I remember seeing an post about it being in development somewhere here but I can't be arsed to find it.

Almost My Floor is a point & click horror detective story. Explore the sinister story of house #9 from the perspective of two playable characters.

For Alex, this is the story of a long journey home. All that dwells inside exists between fiction and reality. It is time to face the monsters, meet the other house residents and determine their fate. But the most important thing is to escape the depths of terror… and try to remain sane afterwards.
For Detective Adam Trust, unraveling secrets is the life's work. He's not keen on giving up, so he will learn everything there is to learn about house #9. Although this time, the price of his ambition may end up too high.

• Two main characters with different perspectives on history
  
• Various options for passing
  
• Locations and characters drawn in comic book artstyle
  
• Interesting puzzles that will keep you thinking for a short while
  
• Death awaits at every corner
  
• Monsters will keep living on in your nightmares

Russian translation into English doesn't inspire much hope, but the art seems nice and they promise multiple solutions to puzzles.

 

[Venser]

Re-release of uncirculated copies of I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream straight from Harlan Ellison's collection!

 

[Tom Selleck]

facemask

 

[supervoid]

All this made in China junk is not worth an extra $100.

 

[Venser]

Agreed, I'll go with the original box for $100

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I would have been very willing to buy just the game...but most of that is just useless. I don't really use stickers or lithographs, and sticking that statue somewhere in my house is something I wouldn't want to do. That seems like a weird thing to display, and something that sounds like a very awkward conversation starter.