Five years ago, the thriving freeware adventure game scene wasn’t getting the press attention it deserved, and Adventure Gamers was eager to fill the void. Coordinating more than a dozen new games each month, however, promised to be a monumental task for whoever took up the challenge. The person who stepped up, as it turns out, was me. With the new role came its own new article series called Following Freeware, a monthly round-up of free game releases that has appeared almost every month since.
I remember how difficult it was compiling the very first list of indie adventures to cover, as I really had no idea how to go about finding good freeware games. Fortunately a couple of good games practically fell into my lap, so we didn’t end up with an introductory article devoid of content. The first Following Freeware was published on 29 September 2010, and was quite different from how it appears today. Back then each game had only a very brief description, and the first article had no “Other games” section. Both the search process and the articles themselves have been considerably refined over the intervening years. Now each month a selection of sites covering dozens of games are scoured for worthy fare, along with tips received directly from developers and supportive gamers. The not-so-short list from this initial process is then further whittled down to the games that deserve full coverage, and those that merit at least a single-line reference at the end. Rest assured that the games you see in the final articles are vetted and carefully selected, not just picked up at random.
Since that first article, an incredible 485 games have been covered in full, with a further 318 getting abbreviated acknowledgements. In honour of the five-year anniversary of Following Freeware, I have picked out the games that stood out for me each month since the series began. These are not necessarily the “best” games that came out in their respective months, but rather the ones that still stick in my memory, be it for an intriguing lead character, a novel premise or a particular challenge they represented. Picking out just one game per month was sometimes tough. To any developers out there reading, I can only repeat what I said at my presentation at AdventureX last year: I have enjoyed ALL of the games that have appeared in the articles, for one reason or another too numerous to mention. There is no slight intended for any game not revisited here; rather, it’s a testament to the incredible quality of adventures delivered by dedicated designers like yourselves, month after month, year after year. Keep up the good work, and keep those gems coming!
August 2010 – The Journey Down: Episode 1 - Over the Edge by SkyGoblin
This was one of the good games that just fell into my lap that very first month. At the time the forums had a separate freeware section, and Theodor Waern of SkyGoblin chose the perfect time to post about his game. The influence of LucasArts clearly came through in the feel of the game in a very positive fashion. At the same time, the tribal mask imagery on the characters gave it a distinctive look all its own. As a flagship title for a new article series extolling the wonders available on the freeware scene, this game seemed like a gift.
Fortunately, the original free episode is still available from the AGS database if you want to see the origins for yourself.
September 2010 – Snakes of Avalon by Igor Hardy
Heroes in adventure games often have similar overall personalities. They tend to be clean-living types, driven on a quest to defeat the forces of evil or save the world. It would be fair to say that the hero of Snakes of Avalon is anything but clean-living. In fact, the protagonist is a raging alcoholic and the entire game may well be just a drink-fuelled hallucination. There is definitely a lot of strangeness in the game, including a conversation with a poster and the protagonist’s wallet being consumed by some strange creature in his pocket.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you want a game outside the norm, then this one, still available on the developer’s website, is well worth checking out.
October 2010 - The Trader of Stories: Bell’s Heart by Pastel Games
Not every story needs to about a globe-trotting quest to save the world as we know it. When well put together, even the smallest of stories can provide an intriguing adventure. Such is the case in The Trader of Stories: Bell’s Heart. Travelling storyteller Myosotis is on the road when one of the wheels on her cart breaks. Seeking help in a nearby village, she is asked to gather the pieces of a local tale to pay for the services she needs.
If you want to experience it for yourself, you can do so at Escape Games 24.
November 2010 – Life Flashes By by Deirdra Kiai
Even when I first put this in the article, I was of two minds whether it really belonged there. Arguably it could be considered not a game at all. When Charlotte Barclay, a writer of serious novels, is involved in a car crash, she finds herself on the brink of death. In this state she is approached by the fairy-like Trevin, who gives her the chance to relive past moments in her life. Playing through each of these moments offers her the chance to experience a different path that these events could have led to.
Life Flashes By, for both Windows and Mac, is still available from the developer’s website.
December 2010 – One Chance by Awkward Silence Games
Sometimes the accuracy of science takes a back seat to the story in games. Such is the case in One Chance, where a cure for cancer mutates into a virus that will wipe out all life within six days. As one of the scientists working on the fateful project, you have a choice of how to use those last days of life. Do you desperately seek to undo what you have wrought, or do you spend that precious time with your family? Presented in a highly pixelated format, this is neither the prettiest nor most complex of games, but one particular mechanic gives it real impact.
For those wishing to take that one chance for themselves, the game can still be found on Newgrounds.
January 2011 – Tales of Otubania by TomatoesInTheHead
Writing plots for games is a difficult task. You have to come up with convincing characters, a grand quest for them to be involved in, and a series of obstacles for them to pass. Doing such things properly requires a lot of time and thought. Alternatively, you could just do what this game does, and use a random story generator to throw together a quick plot for you. The plot might not necessarily make a great deal of sense (just why is Aciducer so fixated on putting a frame on a barrel?) but at least you don’t have to spend hours agonising over it.
Tales of Otubania can be downloaded from the AGS database. If you want to try the Silly Story Maker yourself, that is also available for download.
February 2011 – Submerged: LaSol by WHAM
One of the most well-known engines for freeware adventure creation is the Adventure Game Studio. With its vast online community, there is a huge amount of support from budding creators out there. As well as the main engine itself, a large number of modules are freely available for various in-game effects. Add to that the active forums with tech support and a place to promote your game, and you can see why it is a popular choice for independents. The forums regularly hold competitions, the most common being One Room, One Week (exactly what its title suggests) and MAGS, a competition that allows a month to make a game on a particular theme. Submerged: LaSol was made for one of the latter, but it could easily have fit in the former with its single location gameplay.
If you want to try to escape yourself, Submerged: LaSol can be downloaded from the AGS website.
March 2011 – The Day Nothing Happened by Creed Malay and Denzil Quixode
Adventure Game Studio has not just spawned a long list of separate games. Back in 2001, several developers decided that they wanted to do a group project. The result of that collaboration was the strange little town of Reality on the river Norm. This setting has since spawned a huge number of games over the years, each adding their own bit of oddness to the town. Even some now-famous names have contributed, with the very first game from Wadjet Eye’s Dave Gilbert being a Reality-On-The-Norm title. With resources for locations and characters free to download from the official site, anyone can have a go.
The Day Nothing Happened can be downloaded from the RON database.
April 2011 – Mission US: Mission 1 – For Crown or Colony? by Mission US
Educational games have got something of a bad name over the years. Too often gameplay consists of a vague attempt at interactivity to disguise the fact that you are simply doing sums or memorising facts. But occasionally a game manages to be both fun and informative at the same time. Such is the case with the Mission US series of games, which have gone to great effort to make learning a genuinely enjoyable experience. This particular instalment takes place in the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party, with players taking the part of a new apprentice in town. Three other episodes have been released to date, covering slavery, the Indian wars, and immigration.
All of the games in the Mission US series can be either played online or downloaded from the developer’s website.
May 2011 – Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure by Untold Entertainment
If we want to continue to see good adventure games in the future, we need to start training the next generation of developers now. And as far as Untold Entertainment is concerned, they’re never too young to start. When making a game for the three-day Toronto-based TOJam, Ryan Creighton enlisted help from an unusual source: his then-five-year-old daughter Cassie, who he got to draw the graphics, write the story and voice most of the dialogue. The result was a decidedly odd adventure that nevertheless shows promise for the future.
If you want to play the game, and maybe make a donation to Sissy’s college fund, it can be found on the developer’s website.
June 2011 – Adventure: All in the Game by Akril
When you get enthusiasts together, they will often compete on how knowledgeable they are on their favourite subject. Adventure gamers are no stranger to this, always ready to quote from their favourite games and compare the length of their played lists. In Adventure: All in the Game, Akril takes this interest in trivia even further by putting players into the often obscure settings of various adventures past. Playing an agent of the Computer Game Maintenance Squad (Adventure Games division), your job is to stop characters from escaping into other games and causing trouble.
If you want to play a fun game and/or test the extent of your genre familiarity, then Adventure: All In the Game can be downloaded from the developer’s website.
July 2011 – Stealing the Diamond by Puffballs United
When people play games, they are normally in it to win it. Whilst I appreciate the effort of designers like Sierra’s in providing a wide range of entertaining death sequences, seeking out every single one was never a deliberate choice on my part. With the Henry Stickmin series of games, finding new and amusing ways to screw up is largely the point. It’s quite a change for a game to embrace failure so wholeheartedly, and I eagerly set out to try to find all the unique methods of defeat possible.
For all the fun of the failure, Stealing the Diamond is still online at StickPage.