PC adventure games are ideal for people who like to figure out puzzles but don't have successive hours to spend at the computer. Most of these games let you come and go as you need to. You'll enjoy this game genre if you're not highly entertained by spurting blood, cries of agony, rape, or ripping out someone's spinal cord.
These games also enjoyable to those tired of trying to play when all the protagonists are male and women are often absent from the game--if they're lucky. For example, there's one game in which our world's civilization is built from cavemen to today without even the existence of women. Takes marginalization to a whole new level. But hey, they're succeeding in their market and that's what counts.
This list comprises largely or completely non-violent games, a combination of adventure and strategy. You can get many of them at mainstream sites such as The Adventure Company, GameTap or Amazon.
The games on this list vary widely in quality; check them out for yourself. I'm not recommending each game to you or saying they're all good. I've played a number of these games myself but by no means all of them.
This list does not include Nancy Drew or Agatha Christie games; historical games (with few exceptions); cute children's adventures; or TV series games. (The selection process was, I admit, somewhat arbitrary when it came to historic and juvenile games.) I also left out the Sims series because it's not a narrative adventure game with a plot, and I left out adventure games that are no more than shooter games without the shooting (same plot as always, just without the weapons).
Adventure games typically cost $20-$40. Some games are developed by one company and sold by another, so if you don't find a title under the development company, check under the company that sells it. Three or more companies can be involved in the creation, programming and selling of a single game.
You can find this information in 10 seconds on the Internet, unless you have dial-up, in which case you live in the sticks and need these games, or else you refuse to upgrade and therefore your computer may not be up to an adventure game anyway. You have my sympathies--I live in the sticks too.
No adventure game list would be complete without the classic Myst series (Cyan Worlds, Ubisoft)--I've played the entire series:
- Myst
- Real Myst (the original Myst, updated to today's graphics and detail, in 3D; you can also walk around more and aren't so limited in the paths you can take)
- Myst Masterpiece Edition (the original Myst, a 10th anniversary special edition with digitally remastered music and a built-in Digital Guide that offers you help based on your skill level as you go along)
- Riven
- Myst III: Exile
- Myst 10th Anniversary Collection (includes Myst Masterpiece, Riven, and Exile)
- Uru: Ages Beyond Myst
- Myst Uru: Path of the Shell expansion pack (you buy Uru and then add this expansion pack)
- Myst Uru: Complete Chronicles (includes Uru, To D'Ni, the first Uru expansion pack; and Path of the Shell, the second Uru expansion pack; if you buy the Complete Chronicles, you don't need to separately purchase Uru or Path of the Shell)
- Myst IV: Revelation
- Myst V: End of Ages
- Uru Live. This takes a little explaining. When Uru came out, Cyan started and hosted an online game/meeting place, an early Uru MMORPG. Overwhelmed with the response and participation--literally, technologically overwhelmed--Cyan had to shut it down. Petitions were signed, reams of emails were sent, discussion boards were filled with protests and lamentation. Cyan has now partnered with GameTap to re-launch Uru Live. It's available on a subscription basis through GameTap and it is the bomb.
If you've been into adventure games for any great length of time you'll know the name Benoit Sokal. (Ragnar Thornquist is another talented name in adventure gaming.) Great designs and creativity. Here are some of his best:- Paradise (formerly known as "Lost Paradise"--White Birds, Ubisoft)
- Syberia (Microids--the website is under construction at the date of this writing--The Adventure Company)
- Syberia II (Microids, The Adventure Company)
From The Adventure Company:
Individual games- The Black Mirror
- Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern
- Forever Worlds
- Keepsake
- Nibiru: The Age of Secrets
- Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses
- Realms of Illusion
- Return to Mysterious Island
- Tunguska: The Secret Files
- Voyage
Series games- Aura: Fate of the Ages
- Aura: The Sacred Rings
- The Secrets of Atlantis
- Beyond Atlantis
- Beyond Atlantis II
- Atlantis Evolution
- The Riddle of the Sphinx
- The Omega Stone
- Traitors Gate
- Traitors Gate II: Cypher
From Revolution Games:
Individual games- Lure of the Temptress (freeware download)
- Beneath a Steel Sky (freeware download)
Series games- Broken Sword 1: The Shadow of the Templars
- Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror
- Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon
- Broken Sword 4: The Angel of Death (Secrets of the Ark)
From Detalion:
Individual games:- Sentinel: Descendants in Time (now released as Realms of Illusion)
- Reah: Face the Unknown (out of print at this time, available only in Poland or on eBay)
Series games:- Mysterious Journey: Schizm (from Detalion and LK Avalon, a Polish game development company--website is in Polish)
- Mysterious Journey II: Chameleon
From Dreamcatcher:
Individual games:- Amerzone (see also Ubisoft, Detalion)
- Dead Reefs (see also The Adventure Company)
- Experiment 112
- Legend of Lotus Spring (Dreamcatcher developed this with Women Wise; it's simplistic and not for experienced gamers, partly because it was made for women and the game world doesn't quite know what to do with them yet; but the immersive environment, intuitive gameplay, cultural accuracy and gorgeous scenery all deserve a thumbs-up; read this review, particularly the third paragraph, to get a non-gaming person's perspective on the game)
- Lost Crown: A Ghosthunting Adventure (also see Darkling Room and Got Game)
- Realms of Illusion (see Detalion list above, under item "Sentinel"
- Safecracker (more of a puzzle game than a long narrative; there' are two different games with the same name, one by DreamCatcher, and one by Kheops--see "General Games" below for the Kheops game)
- Seven Games of the Soul
Series games:- Missing (While this seems historical to me, I include it here because it utilizes the Internet and you're sent actual emails from characters as you progress, which sounds cool)
- Missing 2: Evidence
From Got Game:
Individual games:
Series games: None
From various companies:
Individual games:- AGON (Ancient Games of Nations) Episodes 1-3 (Viva Media)
- Ankh (Viva Media--the rare comic adventure genre; the Egyptian prince partied too hard and brought a curse down on his head)
- Belief & Betrayal (Lighthouse Interactive)
- Byzantine: The Betrayal (Havas)
- Dark Side of the Moon: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Southpeak)
- Indigo Prophecy (in the U.S. and Canada; overseas it's known as "Fahrenheit"--by Quantic Dream, see also Atari--you stab someone at the beginning)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (Viva Media)
- Loom (Lucas Arts; came out in 1989, updated in 1991, read the review in the link given here)
- Moment of Silence (Navarre)
- Morpheus (Piranha Interactive Publishing)
- Quiet Weekend in Capri (Gotee Records, Silvio and Gey Savarese)
- Safecracker (Kheops--see Dreamcatcher above, item "Safecracker")
- Shadow of Destiny (Konami--yes, this used to be strictly a console game, but Konami converted it for play on your PC and apparently did a nice job; I'm a huge time-travel sci-fi fan and haven't played this but it has a cool plot; you go back in time to prevent your own death)
- The Ward (On Deck Interactive--someone figured the subtitle on the game cover wasn't important enough to spell right, otherwise, looks interesting)
Series games:- The Longest Journey (FunCom)
- The Longest Journey: Dreamfall (FunCom)
- Loath Nolder: Labores Solis (Just Adventure and Zoetrope Interactive)
- Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder (Zoetrope Interactive and Lighthouse Interactive--currently in development)
Shorah!
