I'll say one thing for sure. Judging by the number of people that have contacted me about Adventure games through my
Adventure Point website, asked about what they are exactly, and asked for recommendations from me on what to play, since my website went live early last year, there has definitely been a surge in newcomers to the genre.
It's not surprising to note that most of the people who've contacted me - and I'm talking in the hundreds in the last year, have thought that Adventure games are what most of us here would call action-adventures. That's most definitely the fault of sites like GameSpot and publishing companies, I believe, because adventure games with combat are so rarely separated from 'true' Adventure games of the mostly point & click variety.
I, also, think that casual games with strong Adventure elements, such as Drawn: The Painted Tower, have had a fairly dramatic, but differeing effect, at both ends of the Adventure spectrum with regards to game playing experience.
It seems that, in the case of long-time veterans (if you like), of Adventure games, many of those people have found casual games a refreshing change, and many now say that caual games are their preferred option.
On the other hand, people who'd never touched an Adventure game before, and didn't even know of their existence, are being attracted by the pretty boxes of Adventure games being sold in abundance in supermarkets here in the UK. As a result of playing games such as Drawn and Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet, a significant number of those people are becoming aware of the existence of 'proper' point & click Adventure games and areasking me about them, wanting a stiffer challenge, stronger story, and longer gameplay experience.
I was very pesimistic about the arrival on the scene of so many casual Adventures at first. Especially with seeing so many experienced players moving to casual games. Now, I'm starting to reconsider. I'm seeing a stronger drift IN to Adventure games from complete newcomers, that the apparent drift AWAY symptomatic of some long-time Adventure game fans.
In the end, I think this could be an exciting time ahead. My impression is such that it's the first time in a long time that there may be occurring a surge in interest in Adventure games via the unlikely intermediary 'step' of casual Adventures.
As far as what I see in relation to Adventure Point is concerned, I'm encouraged and cautiously optimistic. I only hope that, if my perception of this trend is correct, developers may pick up on it and start producing
colourful,
eye-catching Adventures again. Ones that are as eye-catching as some of the casual Adventures seen in store shelves, but that are actually 'true' point and click Adventures. The Whispered World and Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island come to mind.
