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ozzie · 05-15-2011, 05:16 PM

I'm optimistic about the state of adventure games again.
For a long time I feared that we'd have to get by with mostly substandard titles that only hark back to the heyday of the adventure genre, with the occassional great, yet still traditional treat or the rare somewhat innovative one.

But recently, games with predominant adventure elements seem to be profitable enough now to invest large amounts of money into them.

Heavy Rain.
Portal 1+2.
L.A. Noire.

Then of course, there are the smaller, yet quite unique games like the Penumbra series and Amnesia.

Not to forget the recent trend to include more story in games of all genres, be it RPGs or FPSs (though I think it's mostly detrimental to the gameplay of FPSs...).

I think the somewhat arbitrary puzzles that rely on the worn out item combination mechanic are what cost adventure games its audience. Dumbing down the interface made puzzles easier to solve, increasingly often accidentally, but not anymore satisfying. They were still just as perplexing, but at least you didn't get stuck on them for too long, trial & error made sure of that.
I like the fresh perspectives these kinds of games bring to the genre. And interestingly enough, it's not the small studios that innovate here, but the big ones. And I'm so glad that they finally realized that gamers don't only want to shoot or slay stuff, but they also want to feel clever from time to time by solving a challenging puzzle.
What I like about Portal so much is that the gameplay mechanics are so...consistent! You know how the various elements in the game world react, and you just have to figure out how to use them. There are certain rules set down to which the puzzles stick. You have certain tools at hand, you know what they do, and you have to figure out how to apply them in certain situations. This consistency is rarely a given in traditional adventures.
Also: feedback. Just by playing around with the various tools you may get closer to your goal. Experimentation pays off big time.
I sure hope that more games will follow into the steps of Portal. Not by directly copying the Portal mechanic of course, but by learning from the more general lessons.

05-15-2011, 05:16 PM	#51
ozzie Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 726	I'm optimistic about the state of adventure games again. For a long time I feared that we'd have to get by with mostly substandard titles that only hark back to the heyday of the adventure genre, with the occassional great, yet still traditional treat or the rare somewhat innovative one. But recently, games with predominant adventure elements seem to be profitable enough now to invest large amounts of money into them. Heavy Rain. Portal 1+2. L.A. Noire. Then of course, there are the smaller, yet quite unique games like the Penumbra series and Amnesia. Not to forget the recent trend to include more story in games of all genres, be it RPGs or FPSs (though I think it's mostly detrimental to the gameplay of FPSs...). I think the somewhat arbitrary puzzles that rely on the worn out item combination mechanic are what cost adventure games its audience. Dumbing down the interface made puzzles easier to solve, increasingly often accidentally, but not anymore satisfying. They were still just as perplexing, but at least you didn't get stuck on them for too long, trial & error made sure of that. I like the fresh perspectives these kinds of games bring to the genre. And interestingly enough, it's not the small studios that innovate here, but the big ones. And I'm so glad that they finally realized that gamers don't only want to shoot or slay stuff, but they also want to feel clever from time to time by solving a challenging puzzle. What I like about Portal so much is that the gameplay mechanics are so...consistent! You know how the various elements in the game world react, and you just have to figure out how to use them. There are certain rules set down to which the puzzles stick. You have certain tools at hand, you know what they do, and you have to figure out how to apply them in certain situations. This consistency is rarely a given in traditional adventures. Also: feedback. Just by playing around with the various tools you may get closer to your goal. Experimentation pays off big time. I sure hope that more games will follow into the steps of Portal. Not by directly copying the Portal mechanic of course, but by learning from the more general lessons.